cellForRowAtIndexPath: not called

One valid scenario for why numberOfRowsInSection would be called but cellForRowAtIndexPath would not be called is when the size or positioning of the table does not require any rows to be displayed.

For example, let's say you had a table that was 20 pixels high, but the header for the first section was 30 high and you returned nil for the header (or did not implement viewForHeaderInSection). In this case, no rows would be displayed and it would look like the table just isn't there.

I see you are using IB. The sizing of the table can be deceptive in IB as it is assuming header and footer sizes. I would log the frame for the table so you understand where it is when the appliction is run (versus where it appears in IB). I would also be sure to manually size and position the table's frame before calling reloadData. This will solve this valid case where cellForRowAtIndexPath is not called.

Check that the numberOfSectionsInTableView is not returning 0.

- (NSInteger)numberOfSectionsInTableView:(UITableView *)tableView
{
    // Return the number of sections.
    return 1;
}

I had the exact same issue and the problem was that I was trying to call reloadData: from another thread. The solution would be:

dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
    [self.tableView reloadData];
});