Ehhhhhh. IDK if I agree with how realistic it is. I mean...yeah it happens...but that's not the reason it happened on the show. The show was DEFINITELY soapier at first and that's because Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz co-wrote the Pilot with the show's creator...and their specialty is soapy drama. Good thing they are not involved with the creative process anymore. That's why a new showrunner was brought in after the Pilot.