While we might not want to brag about how much reality television we watch on a regular basis, the truth is that we can’t help but love it. It’s a guilty pleasure that we feel more or less guilty about, depending on the day and how tired we are from a long week. While a lot of celebrities have found long-lasting fame from the Real Housewives franchise or American Idol (we’re looking at you, Kelly Clarkson), we all know that there are some who had their 15 minutes of fame and could never get them back.
The following reality TV stars may not be totally obscure these days, but it’s safe to say that they’re not enjoying the level of stardom that they once had. Check out the gallery to see where these former stars are today.
40. Lauren Conrad
We all know and love LC, right? Back in the day (aka 2004), we were glued to our TV screens watching every new episode of MTV’s Laguna Beach and, later, the spin-off, The Hills. Lauren was the coolest California girl ever and we all probably wished that we had her lavish lifestyle. She was stylish, she got all the boys, and she had fun times with her friends.
These days, Lauren Conrad is no longer a reality TV star… and she might not be that famous anymore, either. She’s mostly living a low-key life as a fashion designer. She also runs a blog/website, is married to musician William Tell, and recently gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Liam.
39. Lo Bosworth
Lo Bosworth was LC’s best friend and right-hand girl… at least before Heidi Montag came around. Lo was always very sweet… and, well, that was about it. The focus was usually on Lauren. That changed when Lo was also a cast member on The Hills and fans could see her living with Lauren and going to work.
Today, Lo is living out of the spotlight and seems pretty happy. She runs her own lifestyle website, called The Lo Down. The categories are “Cooking,” “Glowing,” “Living,” and “Feeling.” She published a book about the same topics and with the same name back in 2011.
38. Danielle Staub
Real Housewives Of New Jersey fans know Danielle Staub well. Honestly, she was a bit of a dark, polarizing figure on the series. She appeared on the first two seasons and her story arc involved the other ladies learning about her less-than-perfect past. Oh, and fights. There were lots and lots of fights on the Bravo show (and Danielle even brought bodyguards to a party).
Danielle is now engaged (which would make this her third marriage if it goes through) and pops up every now and then feuding on Twitter with the other Housewives like Teresa Guidice. Danielle will reportedly appear on season eight of RHONJ so we’ll see if she still brings the drama. The answer is probably yes.
37. Kelly Cutrone
Kelly Cutrone was every girl’s mentor for a while there. She was Lauren Conrad’s boss on The Hills and also appeared on that show’s spin-off The City with Whitney Port. Kelly was harsh and bold and told it like it was… and we loved hearing every word.
While she’s no longer dishing it out on reality TV, Kelly is still killing it in the fashion PR world, which has always been her jam. The founder of People’s Revolution is still doing great things. She’s the author of two non-fiction books, “If You Have To Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You” and “Normal Gets You Nowhere.” She lives in NYC with her daughter, Ava.
36. Brody Jenner
Yup, that last name is familiar for a reason: Brody is, in fact, a member of the infamous Jenner/Kardashian family. Way before his siblings were pretty much the only stars that anyone ever wants to talk about, Brody was starring on The Hills and dating LC.
So what’s he up to these days? It only makes sense that he would appear on E!‘s Keeping Up With The Kardashians from time to time… and that’s totally what has happened. He has also modeled and had his own short-lived show (as in only four episodes ever aired) called Sex With Brody. Guess no one wanted to see or hear about that…
35. Audrina Patridge
Audrina Patridge was a staple of LC’s girl gang on The Hills. She was mostly known for dating Justin Bobby (oh man, remember him?!) and hiding from her roomies LC and Lo. No, seriously, she never wanted to hang out with them. It was weird.
These days, Audrina is in the news once again, and it’s not for anything good. She has reportedly been in an abusive marriage for a long time now and has recently separated from her husband. There is a restraining order out against him. As for her career, she hasn’t been able to capture her previous fame. She hosted a travel show called 1st Look on NBC in 2014 and 2015, but she doesn’t have many credits to her name.
34. Justin Guarini
The former American Idol contestant is probably the second most famous one — after Kelly Clarkson, of course. Justin almost won the very first season of the FOX singing competition series (now airing on ABC) back in 2002 but Kelly got the crown.
Since then, Justin has gotten married and released three albums. His career has also taken a pretty surprising turn: he has been in a bunch of Diet Dr. Pepper commercials. No, really, that’s what he’s been doing. He plays a character called Lil’ Sweet. Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.
33. Alex McCord
We all love the Real Housewives (or at least we do secretly). The New York version is one of the best and Alex McCord was a big deal on the first four seasons. No one could believe the amount of money that she and her husband, Simon Van Kempen, dropped when shopping. And no one could believe Simon, either, really. The couple was reality TV gold because they always seemed to be renovating their Brooklyn townhouse and living a really messy life. It was strange.
Alex and Simon have been living in Australia since 2015. What is Alex doing? She’s now a psychologist. Looks like all those crazy fights and non-sensical conversations that the Housewives had was really good training.
32. DJ Pauly D
We all had a love/hate thing going with Jersey Shore and DJ Pauly D was of the main stars. As his name suggests, he’s a DJ, and he even got an MTV spin-off called The Pauly D Project which had a 12-episode first season in the spring of 2012.
Since then, Pauly D has appeared on the dating reality show Famously Single with a bunch of other former reality stars. He is still pursuing his DJ career as well. He even opened for none other than Britney Spears in 2011.
31. JWoww
Jennifer Lynn Jenni Farley, aka JWoww, was another Jersey Shore star. She was mostly known for being besties with Snooki. They have each moved on from the reality game and created their own post-reality lives… but not before they gave it one last shot.
The two BFFs got their own MTV spin-off, Snooki & JWoww, which lasted for four seasons. Today, JWoww is married with two kids, and she runs her own news and entertainment website, Miss Domesticated. It’s a really fun site that covers everything from the Kardashians to more serious issues that affect women.
30. Kim Spradlin
Does this name sound familiar? It should: Kim Spradlin won 2012’s season 24 of the CBS reality staple Survivor. That gave her $1 million, $100, 000 (for winning a “Player of the Season” award), and some time in the spotlight.
Kim’s life looks very different from the time that she fought to survive in the wild and win the competition. She has a husband, three kids, and seems to be continuing her work as an interior designer. She also runs a bridal store… so maybe she deals with competitive brides and bridesmaids on a regular basis and her life really doesn’t look that different.
29. Jacinda Barrett
Before there were housewives and new reality shows every five minutes, there was MTV’s The Real World. At first, we probably thought that the idea of watching a bunch of twentysomething strangers living in a house together was kind of… weird. And possibly even a little bit boring. Oh, how we were wrong. Now, these are a staple of the reality show genre.
Jacinda Barrett was on 1995’s The Real World: London and is considered to be the biggest success. On the show, she was known as a spunky, fun Australian model who was traveling the world. Today, she is a successful actress. Most recently, she starred on Netflix’s drama Bloodline.
28. Spencer Pratt
Oh, Spencer Pratt. We all know about this guy… and, unfortunately, he doesn’t always get the best press. Spencer’s relationship with Heidi Montag was a massive part of The Hills and caused a lot of strife between Heidi and her then BFF, Lauren Conrad. Let’s face it, no one liked Spencer. He was annoying and wasn’t very nice to anyone.
Spencer has tried to keep his reality stardom alive and well. He has starred in enough shows by now, from Wife Swap to I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! to England’s Celebrity Big Brother. He has been Heidi’s husband since 2009 and they recently had their first kid.
27. Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne got her start on MTV’s The Osbournes which was impossible to watch since every two seconds, swear words were bleeped out. As Ozzy Osbourne‘s daughter, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Kelly became famous in her own right.
She has been working fairly steadily in the industry since that show ended in 2005. After getting sober and going to rehab, Kelly has released two albums and appeared on the 2009 season of Dancing With The Stars. She has been a judge on E!’s Fashion Police and she currently judges Lifetime’s Project Runway Junior.
26. Jon Gosselin
The TLC reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8 was quite a trip. It was hard to believe that a couple could really have eight kids… and that was the whole reason that we tuned in. The show lasted for a decade, but the same couldn’t be said of Kate and Jon Gosselin‘s marriage.
Jon and Kate got divorced in 2009 and since then, it’s safe to say that Jon has struggled to remain in the limelight. Well, for the right reasons, that is: his and Kate’s arguments landed them in the news pretty often consistently. Since 2015, Jon has been a prep cook at a Pennsylvania T.G.I Friday’s and he’s also a DJ.
25. Adrianne Curry
Adrianne Curry won season one of America’s Next Top Model in 2003 which aired on UPN. Shortly after, she met Christopher Knight (aka Peter Brady on The Brady Brunch) on the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life. They fell in love and made it reality TV official with their own show, My Fair Brady, which got three seasons. The couple got married in 2006 but split up in 2011.
Today, Adrianne is known for her cosplay and has posed for Playboy several times. She also has a YouTube show called “Superfans.” But besides that, she’s not really in the spotlight anymore.
24. Tiffany Pollard
Tiffany Pollard aka “New York” starred on the VH1 show Flavor Of Love where she competed to date Flavor Flav. He gave her that name since that was part of the show’s format. Tiffany was given a spin-off called I Love New York where guys competed for her love, which aired for two seasons.
Like Pauly D, Tiffany seems to want to stay a reality star and is also currently starring on Famously Single. She has tried her hand at acting and was in The Vagina Monologues which featured only black women.
23. Tila Tequila
Tila Tequila was already super famous thanks to her MySpace account when she got her own MTV reality show, A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila. Since she was very open about the fact that she is bisexual, the dating show had 16 gay women and 16 straight men. There was only one 12-episode season, but it brought Tila lots of fame.
She has pursued a music career both on her own with a 2007 single called “I Love U” and as the singer of bands called Jealousy and Beyond Betty Jean. Most notably, she has come under fire for being both racist and anti-semitic. She was on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 and was kicked off because of her bigoted beliefs.
22. Omarosa Manigault
We all know The Apprentice because of the President, and Omarosa Manigault was on the very first season of the reality show that made both of them a household name. She was also on The Celebrity Apprentice later on. People took note of her tough personality, which of course is often seen as reality television gold.
Today, Omarosa works for Trump, which may or may not be surprising for fans of the show. She is the communications director for the admin’s Office of Public Liason.
21. Trista Rehn
Trista Rehn was on the first season of ABC’s . She hasn’t officially said goodbye to the reality television world, though, since those days. She was on the first season of Dancing With The Stars, which just proves that she is always at the forefront of popular reality franchises, and she and her husband Ryan Sutter were on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.
She has since taken her husband’s last name and the couple has two children. They even tried to get into the home reality show game when they made a pilot for HGTV called Rocky Mountain Reno.
20. Heidi Montag
Oh Heidi, the other half of the villainous Speidi on The Hills. She started out as Lauren Conrad’s BFF and we all watched in horror as she fell for Spencer and the LC & Heidi friendship blew up. It is never fun for anyone to watch a friendship fall apart and boy, did theirs absolutely melt down. Lauren never liked Spencer (can you blame her?) and he didn’t like her either. In fact, he turned Heidi against LC. Any girl knows, if your BF and BFF don’t get along, it can’t end well. Even though both women are new moms and successful in different aspects of their lives, they haven’t rekindled their friendship.
Heidi and Spencer recently welcomed their first baby together in 2017, a boy named Gunner. Little Gunner even has his own Instagram already! And apparently a former The Hills star is his godmother, and if you can believe it — it’s Jen Bunney. Heidi and Spencer have been married for almost 10 years now (after getting married in November 2008), though they did almost split in 2010 when Heidi filed for divorce. Since The Hills ended, she’s continued working on reality shows, such as Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Wife Swap, and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars 2.
19. Whitney Port
Whitney was probably the only sane friend LC had on The Hills (okay that is harsh, but there was lots of drama on that show). Whitney was a fellow intern with LC at Teen Vogue. Both girls had to interview like regular people in order to get the internships… or so they say. After her stint on The Hills ended in 2008, Whitney got her own spinoff, The City, where it focused on her moving to New York to work for Diane von Fürstenberg. It wasn’t quite as beloved as The Hills, but gave us Olivia Palermo.
It is like every member from The Hills got together and decided 2017 would be the year they all had a baby. Along with Heidi and Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port also had a baby in 2017. Whitney has been chronicling life as a new mom on her website, opening up about fears she had during her pregnancy and what it is like to breastfeed. Her website is also full of fashion, lifestyle, and beauty advice. Looks like she learned a lot in her time at Teen Vogue and with DVF!
18. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi
Where’s the beach!? When Jersey Shore premiered in 2009, The New York Times dubbed Snooki as “the breakout member of the cast.” She was one of the top Halloween costumes of 2010. Her iconic poof, tan, and one-liners made her the fan favorite among all of the Shore cast. Snooki was a huge party girl on Jersey Shore, cause while they weren’t allowed cell phones and were only allowed a few calls on the duck phone… they were given alcohol. What else is there to do? While fans of the show loved Snooki, she also received a lot of backlash from people who felt Jersey Shore gave New Jersey a bad reputation.
Since the show ended, Snooki is easily the most successful of her friends. She and JWoww (Jenni Farley) had their own spin-off show and still remain best friends to this day. Snooki had two children with her beau, Jionni LaVelle. The couple is happily married and lives in Jers with their two kids. Like many cast mates, Snooki sold her own line of tanning products. She also has her own craft shop on Etsy and clothing line, The Snooki Shop. She continues to work with Jenni on the Go90 show Moms With Attitude. It was recently revealed that Jersey Shore would return in 2018 for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation and Snooks will be back!
17. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
Every MTV show needs a villain and when it wasn’t Angelina on Jersey Shore, it was The Situation. Was anyone surprised? The man calls himself The Situation, after all. Mike stirred the pot every chance he got with his roommates, either pitting Angelina against one of the other girls or stepping into the Ronnie and Sammi drama. In the first season, he even got punched in the mouth by JWoww after he made some nasty remarks. For years after the show, Mike basically didn’t talk to any of the cast members.
But all is well with the Jersey Shore family (well, minus Ronnie and Sammi). The crew is getting back together after a mini-reunion episode in 2017 and their reunion for Deena’s wedding. While still on Jersey Shore, he competed on Dancing With The Stars. After Jersey Shore, Mike had a short-lived reality show with his family. He’s been also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. Mike has hit legal trouble over the years for tax evasion and tax fraud. He publicly admitted he was addicted to oxycodone in 2012 and then checked himself into rehab. Thankfully, Mike just celebrated his two-year sobriety anniversary and he’s supported by his college girlfriend-turned-fiance, Lauren Pesce.
16. Ashley Parker Angel
Before Simon Cowell was creating boybands on his shows, there was Making the Band and O-Town. Ashley Parker Angel became famous pretty instantly from the show. The band earned a Teen Choice Award in 2001 and their first single “Liquid Dreams” was #1 on all of the singles charts. They toured internationally to pretty great success. But by the time they dropped their second album, 02, the band began to fade and dismembered in 2003 after they were dropped from their label.
Okay, if you do not follow Ashley Parker Angel on Instagram, do yourself a favor and hit follow ASAP. One thing he’s now known for is his sharing some very revealing Instagram snaps. Ashley had a short-lived solo career after O-Town split (remember “Let U Go”?!). He’s dabbled in acting over the years, working with Frankie Muniz in the straight-to-DVD movie, Pizza Man. He played Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway and joined the touring version of Wicked as Fiyero. Not too shabby for an early aughts reality star…
15. Courtney Stodden
Courtney Stodden made headlines for quite a few reasons, the first being the fact she married a 51-year-old when she was just 16. The news of their wedding drew tons of criticism, as he is so much older than her. She got her start as a beauty pageant contestant and model in 2010. She married actor Doug Hutchison in 2011, which sparked their reality career. They both appeared on Couples Therapy in 2012… for obvious reasons. She also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother shortly after.
Courtney and Doug’s relationship six years after they first met and fell in love online is complicated. In early 2017, it was reported that they were separating. However, the two continue to live together. Courtney was previously managed by her mother, but her mom quit in 2015 and cited “creative differences.” Now Courtney is managed by her kind of-husband. Courtney has continued to make headlines over the years, releasing a solo sex tape in 2015 and offering to donate what she was paid to charity. In 2017, she appeared on Celebs Go Dating and an episode of Dr. Phil. She continues modeling, sharing her work on her personal Instagram.
14. Jonny Fairplay
Who can forget one of the most notorious Survivor liars of all time? Jonny Fairplay (who is actually Jonny Dalton) became famous after he lied on Survivor: Pearl Islands. Apparently, he concocted a scheme with his friend, Dan, that if he were ever invited to Panama as part of a loved-one-related SurvivorSurvivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites because drama always gets views.
Since his Survivor days, Jonny has been inducted into the Survivor Hall of Fame as the first contestant to ever show up drunk to Tribal Council on the show. He’s since quit drinking and is now the father of two girls. He has a Survivor podcast, Survival of the Fairest, which he co-hosts with Conrad Thompson. He’s also a licensed realtor in Virginia.
13. Ali Fedotowsky
Ali Fedotowsky got her start as a member of the Bachelor Nation. She first started on Bachelor: On the Wings of Love to vie for the heart of Jake Pavelka. She left the show, though, when her employer (Facebook) challenged her over her choice to leave. But she didn’t stay away long! She was cast as the sixth Bachelorette. It was her turn to have men chasing after her heart. Her season ended with her getting engaged to Roberto Martinez in the finale. But they ended their engagement only a year later.
Ali found love again after Roberto when she began dating Kevin Manno, a radio and television host. The couple got engaged in 2015, had their first child, daughter Molly Sullivan, in 2016, were married in 2017, and are expecting their second child in 2018. Ali was a host on E! News for two years, too, and has kept fairly relevant in the world of pop culture. In 2017, she joined the Home and Family crew as a morning talk show host. She also runs her own blog, where she shares life as a mom and as well as gift guides, fashion advice, and her Ali Luvs recipes.
12. Brad Womack
In Bachelor Nation, it is pretty surprising if people don’t make the rounds on a few shows. For Brad, he was one of many to repeat his journey. He appeared on The Bachelor twice as the leading man, on season 11 and season 15. On season 11, he was the first bachelor to reject all of the bachelorettes (he got some hate for it and still does). Season 15 fared slightly better for Brad, as he found love with Emily Maynard and proposed. He was the first Bachelor to appear on the show twice.
As many of the Bachelor relationships are known to fall apart, Brad and Emily’s was one of many. They split mere months after the “After The Final Rose” special aired. Since then, he’s kind of become a ghost. He shut down his social media accounts. He’s not publicly dating anyone. He manages Carmack Concepts, a real estate management firm that he owns with his twin brother, Chad, and their friend Jason Carrier. He has begun a chain of restaurants, The Dogwood, as well as a few Austin-area bars.
11. Brooke Hogan
Brooke rose to fame as part of the trend to give famous dads reality shows with their families. On Hogan Knows Best, the world got to know Brooke. She had begun a music career a few years before and her songs were pretty perfect for the mid-2000s. Hogan Knows Best was actually inspired by (Inside) Out: Hulk Hogan, Stage Dad, a TV special that chronicled Brooke working on her debut album and her father’s role in the album-making process.
After Hogan Knows Best was canceled when her brother got involved in legal troubles after a car crash, Brooke was approached for her own spin-off show. Brooke Knows Best lasted for two seasons. Since then, she’s released two more albums (Reputation and I Wana Be Your Girlfriend) but both albums flopped. She’s followed in her father’s footsteps and became a female wrestler. In 2016, TMZ reported that Brooke was forming a female wrestling league, along with the daughters of Roddy Piper, Diamond Dallas Page, and Kerry Von Erich.
10. Bill Rancic
Bill Rancic is the first man to hear “You’re hired” on reality TV. He competed in the first season of The Apprentice for 14 weeks. He beat out Kwame Jackson in the season finale. He actually stayed on with the Trump Organization, even though he’d initially planned to start his own company after one year with Trump. Bill even filled in as a guest judge on The Apprentice over the years.
Since then, he’s had a pretty famous marriage, marrying Giuliana DePandi, who goes by her married name, Giuliana Rancic, now. Bill has published four books, two about his time on The Apprentice, the third is co-written by his wife, and his most recent book is First Light, a romance novel. From 2009 to 2014, he starred on Giuliana & Bill, as well as acting as executive producer on the reality show. Working with his wife, they’ve opened a chain of fine-dining restaurants in Chicago.
9. Mike Mizanin
Back in the day, we knew him as Mike from The Real World: Back to New York in 2001 and the spinoff series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He dropped out of college to appear on the 10th season The Real World and quickly became a career MTV personality, appearing on just about every show he could: Battle of the Seasons, The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, and The Inferno 2. Can you blame him though? He was a fan favorite.
During his Real World days, we got the first glimpse at The Miz, his alter-ego who was the opposite of Mike in pretty much every way. Since then, he made a career off The Miz character, starting his journey as a wrestler in 2003 and making his debut in the WWE while competing on the show Tough Enough. Since then, he’s had a lengthy career as a professional WWE wrestler. He is the third longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history, he’s married to Total Divas star Maryse Mizanin and the couple are expecting a baby girl together in 2018.
8. Christian Siriano
Christian tried out for Project Runway after one of his mother’s friends suggested it. Thank God he listened, because it launched his empire! He went on to win the season, making him the show’s youngest winner. He was only 22 when he took the crown. Victoria Beckham, a guest judge in the finale, praised his work and said she’d be honored to wear his clothing. And she wasn’t lying or just being nice!
Christian has become a superstar designer since his Project Runway days. He is a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He debuted his line, Christian Siriano at NYFW in 2008 and has since amassed a huge following. He’s worked with countless celebrities over the years — most notably being Victoria Beckham, Angela Bassett, Nicki Minaj, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and more. It makes sense he’s worked with Gaga, as he’s married to her producer, Brad Walsh. Christian could easily be argued as one of the most successful former reality stars of all time.
7. Dani Evans
Dani Evans rose to modeling fame as one of the competitors on the sixth cycle of Tyra Banks‘s hit show, America’s Next Top Model. Dani never came in lower than sixth place on the season and was deemed one of the judges’ favorites. However, the judges thought her thick Southern accent might be a problem when doing work with Covergirl. Clearly, it wasn’t a huge issue, though, as she wound up winning that season!
Since winning ANTM, she has been featured in various print ads for ELLE, Sephora, CoverGirl eyewear, the Tory Burch line for Saks Fifth Avenue, and more. She has walked the runway at many New York Fashion Weeks for brands like Baby Phat, Carlos Campos, Zang Toi, and more. She is still modeling but she’s also a savvy businesswoman now, too. In 2017, she founded Monrowe, a unisex line of hats that “embodies contemporary vibes blended with an ease and graceful style inspired by Dani’s grandfather, a jazz musician from the south.”
6. Yaya DaCosta
While Yaya didn’t win her season of America’s Next Top Model, she was still a memorable cast member that season. She finished second, losing to Eva Pigford, and breaking the hearts of the loyal fans who were rooting for her. She almost lost it all on ANTM though, when she was deemed disrespectful because she spit a Japanese pickled plum out in front of the judges during a challenge, which caused Tyra to put Yaya in her place.
Yaya has had a very successful career post-ANTM, which is impressive given she wasn’t the winner. She appeared in ads for Garnier Fructis, Lincoln Townhouse, Oil of Olay, Seda, Sephora, and Target. In 2005, she began acting and soon landed a stint on All My Children. She was in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and the 2016 film The Nice Guys. She’s most notable now for playing April Sexton, a doctor on the NBC hit, Chicago Med.
5. Jamie Chung
Like many of the people on this list, Jamie got her start on an MTV reality show. She appeared in the fourteenth season of The Real World, set in San Diego, California. She was picked to be on the show because she was described as a hard-working student, who was working two jobs to put herself through school. But she also enjoyed partying and didn’t have the best taste in men — perfect for The Real World. She went on to compete in Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II with The Miz.
Since her Real World days, Jamie has become a fairly successful actress. She’s also gotten better taste in men! She married One Tree Hill actor Bryan Greenberg in 2015. She has appeared in the films Dragonball Evolution, Grown Ups, Sorority Row, The Hangover Part II, and Sucker Punch. She voices the main character Gogo in the Big Hero 6 movie and franchise. She has also played the character Mulan on Once Upon A Time since 2012. Impressive!
4. Ryan Pinkston
Back in the day, Ashton Kutcher loved to prank every celebrity he could, and in order to have a wide variety of pranks, he needed a ton of actors. One of the child actors featured on the MTV prank show, Punk’d was Ryan. He was the shows youngest field correspondent, only being 15 at the time. He would pretend to be a children’s network correspondent that was happy to insult celebrities to their faces.
Around the time of Punk’d, he also appeared in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Bad Santa, and Soul Plane. He was on the short-lived TBS show Clipped, which starred former Disney Channel star, Ashley Tisdale. He is now in the revival season of Will & Grace and super active on social media.
3. William Hung
William Hung is probably one of the most memorable people ever appear on American Idol and he didn’t even compete on the show! He’s known for his “bad” audition, where sang Ricky Martin’s hit song, “She Bangs.” Simon Cowell was not a fan of the audition and after Simon voiced his criticism, William told the judge, “Um, I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all.”
After the audition aired, William had a huge cult following. He booked many performances that people actually paid for and he appeared on countless morning and night-time talk shows. He even got offered a record deal in 2004. Unsurprisingly, he’s since retired from music as of 2011. He then became a technical crime analyst for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
2. Sean Duffy
Back in 1997, Sean Duffy appeared in the sixth season of The Real World, which was set in Boston that year. On their season, the housemates worked with children in an after-school program and during that time, he spoke about his dreams of becoming an attorney. Weirdly enough, he admitted on TV that he liked to compete in lumberjack competitions, too. He often clashed with the liberal-minded Kameelah, which was the source of a lot of that season’s drama.
Unlike many other reality stars that tried to get famous because of the reality fame, Sean actually did what he said he would. He became a lawyer, then the district attorney in 2002 for Ashland County, Wisconsin. He is now the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party and publicly supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. While still in the MTV world, he met his wife, Rachel on Road Rules: All Stars on in 1998. The couple has eight children together. EIGHT.
1. Sanjaya Malakar
When it comes to American Idol, fan favorites can make it far, even if the judges don’t like them very much. That was the case for Sanjaya. He appeared on the shows’ sixth season and he finished in 7th place, though if Simon Cowell had a final say, he’d have been eliminated way earlier. Of all the judges to not have on your side, Simon is certainly one of the scariest. But a majority of the time, none of the judges had anything very nice to say to Sanjaya. Even though he didn’t win the season, he was still the most-talked-about contestant that year and he had a huge fan following.
Right away, he had immediate fans from his time on American Idol. Enough that he released an EP in 2007. Like many reality stars, he went on to appear on the show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. He went off the radar for some time before returning to the public in 2012. At that point, he revealed that the money he made from his AI success was mostly gone at the time both from his own mismanagement and from being taken advantage of by people in his life. Sad! He was a bartender in New York for a bit but quit his job to focus on creating more music of his own. His most recent accomplishment is singing seven jazz standards on the album Good Merlin by The Chaz Lipp Groove Tripp which was released on June 23, 2017.