Where Are They Now: Favorite Reality TV Stars From The Past

Not all reality television stars wind up running the country. In fact, most barely wind up being remembered a short time after the cameras stop rolling. There are a few that for one reason or another stick with us for a bit longer. Some parlay that initial fame into an entertainment career, or at least another 15 minutes of fame. Others go back to the life they knew before temporary stardom hit. Some completely disappear from the public radar, as Richard Hatch, winner of the first season of Survivor did during his stint in jail for income tax evasion.

Brooke Hogan of Hogan Knows Best hasn’t quite reached the level of fame her father, wrestler Hulk Hogan has. She tried being a pop star, but two unsuccessful albums squashed that dream according to Nicki Swift. She appeared in the movie L.A. Slasher, but that didn’t quite pan out either. Her attempt at her own show, Brooke Knows Best, lasted two uneventful seasons. Her engagement to a Dallas Cowboy fell flat as well. So that leaves Brooke where she currently is, trying to launch a career as a country music singer. Incidentally, she’s no longer rocking the grills.

Many people remember Justin Guarini as the guy who lost to Kelly Clarkson on the first season of American Idol. He managed to release a pair of albums that went nowhere but did eventually help land him a gig as a commentator with TV Guide Network according to IMDB. He has appeared on Broadway and done well but has never won any awards or major critical acclaim. His biggest successes have been his family, which now includes two children, and portraying “Little Sweet” in Diet Dr. Pepper commercials.

Adrianne Curry made the reality TV rounds as the first winner of America’s Next Top Model before hopping to The Surreal Life, where she met Christopher Knight, (Peter from The Brady Bunch), who she married and spawned yet another reality show, My Fair Brady. After four years of marriage, they split up, and these days you rarely see Curry involved in modeling or reality TV. She is now engaged to Matthew “Ducksauce” Rhode, who she creates gaming content with according to Wonderwall.

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt of The Hills have been on quite a ride, desperately trying to grasp onto fame for just a little longer. When their initial show faded they tried their luck on Celebrity Big Brother, Marriage Boot Camp, and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”. With each successive show they became a little less in-demand, and Pratt never really got over his tag as one of the most hated people in reality TV of all-time. Montag had a string of plastic surgeries, that kept her in the news briefly. They even spread a divorce rumor to try to grab some headlines.

Who’s heard my newest podcast ep with this hero @spencerpratt? You can’t make this dude up. #crystalsAF #straightupwithstassi pic.twitter.com/62EblCdo4N

— Stassi Schroeder Clark (@stassi) August 12, 2018

Now, they are still together with one child. The millions they earned were blown on expenditures including plastic surgeries, $4,000 bottles of wine, and $15,000 per night bodyguards according to CNBC. Pratt has tried to make himself a social media star, primarily on Snapchat, and he sells crystals online. Montag appeared in an episode of Hashtaggers in 2016 but has since had little mention anywhere outside of her husband’s social media posts that are occasionally picked up by tabloids.

In 2015, Cardi B joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York, for a two-season run. The stories about her were mostly about her not being taken seriously for trying to break into the music business as a rapper. She left the show to focus on her music, a decision she was widely criticized for according to This Insider, but it paid off as she has two Grammy nominations this year and a No. 1 album.

Arguably, one of the biggest villains in reality show history is Jon Dalton, AKA Jonny Fairplay, from Survivor: Pearl Islands. Fairplay will always be remembered as the guy who faked his grandmother’s death to try to help stave off elimination according to Stars Topix. Even host, Jeff Probst, told Entertainment Weekly that Fairplay was despicable.

“… [then] you have Jonny Fairplay, who’s completely despicable. It was actually fun to work with Fairplay on the show because he’s a producer’s dream. When he shows up drunk or flips somebody off, he’s bringing you gold every time. I wish we had a Jonny Fairplay every season. Personally, however, he’s an absolute jackass whose actions at the Vanuatu finale after-party pissed me off so much that he’s banned from any event that I’m at from now on. I’m done with Jonny Fairplay.”

Fairplay returned for two more special seasons of Survivor, he had a high profile fight with Danny Bonaduce, appeared on The Celebrity Newlywed Game, Dr. Phil, Celebrity Fear Factor, and Celebrity Poker Showdown. He tried his hand at a wrestling career with the WFX, WCWA, TNA, NWA, and most recently West Coast Wrestling Connection as a manager. Aside from wrestling, he appears at Wizard World comic conventions signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans.

Reality TV stars have become a part of our entertainment landscape. Some continue to beautify that landscape for years, and some are tossed aside like litter when the show is done, all but forgotten. Either way, for a moment, they capture the imagination and entertain, which is what they were hired to do.