An evil witch, a dumb blonde and a narcissistic menace walk into a bar — or, rather, their
own reality shows. Think we're joking? Nope! They're actual people on TV! Or are they?
What is even real anymore?? Let these stars show you the way.
"The Bachelor" brings together an unforgettable group of women each year — but some shine
brighter than others. And Courtney Robertson was the standout star of Season 16, when hopeful
contestants fought to win bachelor Ben Flajnik's heart. Although Robertson became the house
villain, she proved to be just what Flajnik was looking for, and the two got engaged at
the end of the show. Unfortunately, the couple wouldn't last forever, and they have since
revealed all.
"It's just, there's so much that's just made-up that it's actually comical."
Robertson hinted that the ladies were told to say things just to spice up the show. In
her book "I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends," she opened about the confessionals she filmed
for producers. There was likely an added pressure for Robertson because she became friendly
with the crew. As she told the New York Post,
"I was like, 'These are my friends — I want to make their job as easy as possible.' I
didn't say 'no' to a lot of the questions. I honestly did not know I was going to be
portrayed as the worst villain in 'Bachelor' history [...] I genuinely thought I was being
funny."
Now, the one-time reality adversary is a devoted wife and mom to her two kids. Sure, the former
star may have had her moments, but, guys, she's nice IRL.
Some people have cast Kim Kardashian and her sisters as ditzy reality TV stars, questioning
why they're even famous in the first place. But still others have changed their opinions
on this iconic billionaire family. And Kim in particular has proven to be one of the
more business-minded of the bunch.
"Maybe if you had a f—ing business that you were passionate about, then you would
know what it takes to run a f—ing business, but you don't."
She has leveraged her fame to launch successful brands like KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrance, and
SKIMS.
"The shapewear makes me feel really confident and just secure."
She also began studying for her law degree in July 2019. Detailing the journey, she posted
on Instagram in December 2021 that she had finally, quote, "passed the baby bar" on her
fourth attempt. It's an impressive achievement, considering that she didn't formally attend
law school. Remembering her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, she added,
"I know my dad would be so proud and he would actually be so shocked to know that this is
my path now but he would have been my best study partner."
Looks like this Kardashian's intelligence and determination will keep her winning in
whatever she does.
When fans tuned into "MasterChef Junior" they saw a shockingly different side of Gordon
Ramsay. The chef was far more patient, gentle, and understanding with the show's child contestants
than anyone expected. Most noticeably, he wasn't swearing. He was even… comforting.
"I have three daughters; Holly, Megan, Matilda. And they always cry in the kitchen, but they
cry with laughter. So I'm not leaving until you laugh."
As it turns out, this softer side may be more in-line with Ramsay's real-life persona. In
an exclusive with Mashed, "Hell's Kitchen" Season 10 winner Christina Wilson explained
that while Ramsay isn't a totally different person behind the scenes, he only got worked
up when the moment called for it.
"I would say that, the only time you ever really see him, like, throwing plates, punching
salmon, doing that kind of thing is during dinner service. He only does it on 'Hell's
Kitchen' and 'Kitchen Nightmares…'" "…Or '24 Hours to Hell and Back,' that kind
of thing. And you see that side of him when it's either his name on the plate or guests
are paying for food."
One of Ramsay's former assistant restaurant managers, Tash Pericic, had a similar experience,
telling Insider,
"He'd come in, say hi, come into the kitchen, check that everything's okay. It was fun,
and quite entertaining."
She once witnessed Ramsay get disturbed over some chairs he didn't like that had been ordered
for a holiday party. But he reportedly still kept his cool with the employees and even
offered up glasses of champagne.
Former "Bad Girls Club" star Seven Craft made a big splash on the hit Oxygen show. Known
for its catfights among the cast, Craft was often seen brawling with the other women and
stirring the pot in the "Bad Girls" mansion.
"When people say 'you need to stop bein' so aggressive,' it's like, you know where I came
from, you know I can't even help this s— if I wanted to."
But after leaving the show, the reality star became an influencer mommy-vlogger who frequently
posts videos featuring life with her adorable son, Syx. It also seems that she's no longer
taking off her earrings when she means business. These days, her calm, cool, and collected
persona is just as engaging as the side she portrayed on "Bad Girls Club."
When a fan asked if the "Bad Girls" series had been scripted, Craft claimed it wasn't,
explaining in a video,
"This was very real. The producers might be messy at times — 'Oh, I think you should
do this, or I think you should do that.' Some girls took their advice. Other girls (me)
didn't take their advice. Their advice was horrible."
"At the end of the day, any decision you made in front of that camera is a decision you
made in front of that camera. You can't blame the producers."
Holly Madison is well-known for living with her lover — Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner — at
the Playboy Mansion on "The Girls Next Door." But since Hefner died in 2017, many of his
former girlfriends have opened up about life behind the gates. Madison herself even released
a tell-all, "Down the Rabbit Hole," that exposed the persona she faked for the show.
"I felt like I was just in this cycle of gross things and I didn't know what to do."
The reality star alleges that Hefner enforced a strict set of rules for his girlfriends
to follow, adding of her initial innocent outlook,
"I thought I was an adult and thought I was making my free choice. And I was. But I wasn't
sophisticated or really prepared. I could understand how people thought it was strange."
In 2021, Madison sat down with the "Call Her Daddy" podcast to detail some of her experiences
living in the mansion. Even though she felt trapped with Hefner, after watching other
former live-in girlfriends move out and become escorts, or worse, she admitted,
"Moving out to me looked very scary."
Now, the former Playboy Bunny is calling all the shots on her YouTube channel, and enjoying
life with her two adorable kids.
"American Idol" Season 12 is best remembered for the feud between celebrity judges Mariah
Carey and Nicki Minaj. One of their most notable moments involved Minaj stating,
"I told them I'm not f—ing putting up with her f—ing highness over there."
"Darling, I have to fix my hair before we say anything to each other."
These stars actually started out as friends when a then-up-and-coming Minaj featured on
Carey's "Up Out My Face" in 2010. Even so, their collab wasn't enough to squash the drama
that played out on "Idol."
Although these spats seemed very real to fans, Carey later shed some light on what really
happened. As she explained to "Kyle & Jackie O,"
"It's so boring and so fake. I'm sorry I just think it's — when I say it's fake, I mean...
you have to make up things to say about people. […] It should have been about the contestants
instead of about some non-existent feud that turned into even more ridiculousness... I
would never want to be involved with it again, but everybody else can like it."
Real or not, no one messes with the Queen of Shade and lives to tell the tale.
When "America's Next Top Model" hit the air in the early 2000s, it seemed as though the
show's supermodel creator, Tyra Banks, was giving the girls the opportunity of a lifetime;
a chance to break into the industry with her guidance and expertise. But, decades later,
fans have noted some massive issues with most of the storylines.
"This is deeply-rooted, psychological warfare."
According to Vox, cycles 4 and 13 featured challenges where skin tone was darkened far
past the model's natural complexion. And there were the instances of body shaming and exploitation.
Fans may also recall that the series often highlighted unnecessary details of contestants'
traumatic pasts, as well.
The show's unfair pay has also been an issue. Former contestant Sarah Hartshorne tweeted
about being paid just $40 a day and having to buy her own food. But Banks did eventually
speak out amid all of the controversy. In 2020, she tweeted a statement that read:
"Been seeing the posts about the insensitivity of some past 'ANTM' moments and I agree with
you."
Looks like that "Top Model" opportunity wasn't all it was cracked up to be, after all.
The "Jersey Shore" cast was known for their "gym, tan, laundry," and massive love of partying.
And fans couldn't get enough. The MTV smash hit launched multiple spin-offs, including
"Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" in 2018. And while "Snooki" was arguably the most memorable
meatball on the show, it seems that messy party-girl persona wasn't the real Nicole.
"'Jersey Shore' is literally my life."
Since distancing herself from her "Jersey Shore" image, Snooki married her husband Jionni
LaValle and became a mother to her three kiddos, Giovanna, Lorenzo, and Angelo. On her podcast,
"It's Happening With Snooki & Joey," she explained why she decided to step away from the reality
show, saying,
"I just hate being away from the kids. I don't like partying three days in a row. It's just
not my life anymore."
Snooki has also really given some thought to how her little ones will one day react
to her stint on "Jersey Shore." As she told Page Six,
"I'm really nervous about Giovanna seeing me do back handsprings in a dress and, like,
my whole crotch is out. She'll be like, 'Mom, where's your underwear?'"
Former "Bling Ring" member and reality star Alexis Neiers Haines was only one episode
into filming "Pretty Wild" when her ring of robberies came to light. Her involvement in
the crimes landed her in a California Detention center for over a month, and it's the reason
why the version of Haines we saw on TV is so different from her personality today. As
she told the Los Angeles Times,
"I wouldn't have it any other way because had I not gone to jail, I probably wouldn't
be alive today and that's the truth."
"I don't think — had I not gotten sober in that moment and really taken a step back
— that I would be sober today."
Us Weekly noted that Haines was 8-years-sober as of December 2018. And that journey led
her to team up with Alo Recovery Center in Malibu, helping others with similar experiences.
She married Evan Haines in 2012 and is now a mom to daughters Harper and Dakota. Looks
like this former wild child found her happy place at last.
VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" follows the lives of up-and-coming rap artists. The show
is well-known for its drama-filled moments, and conflict among the cast often spills off-screen
as well. One brawl in particular even resulted in a lawsuit. According to In Touch, star
Althea Eaton sued co-star Joseline Hernandez for a shocking incident on a reunion episode.
She alleged that Hernandez was under the influence at the time. The lawsuit has since been dismissed,
but it did reveal the shady behind-the-scenes of the show.
"Tell them I make movies. F— 'Love & Hip Hop.' I am motherf—ing 'Love & Hip Hop.'"
According to TMZ, Hernandez claimed in her deposition that much of the show is scripted.
She said,
"Well, with reality TV, it's mostly — it's called 'reality,' but it's a lot of acting
in the reality world. The reality TV show showcases a lot of who we are not. And I say
that because you never know what happens in a reality TV show, they'll showcase your music,
they'll showcase certain things, but that's not who Joseline Hernandez is."
These days, Hernandez is taking the reins on how fans know her best, with her sizzling
2022 musical series, "Joseline's Cabaret."
When Paris Hilton starred on "The Simple Life," she masterfully portrayed herself as a ditzy
blonde socialite. But it turns out that this persona was crafted by Hilton to hide her
authentic personality from the world. So, who is she in real life? Hoping that she's
ultimately best-known for her brilliance and business savvy, the heiress confirmed to Australia's
"Sunrise" show,
"I'm not a dumb blonde, I'm just really good at pretending to be one."
In 2016, the business mogul also admitted that she had assigned a fake high-pitched
voice to her TV character. She later revealed her true speaking voice in her 2020 YouTube
documentary, "This is Paris," shedding a light on her dark childhood experiences, as well
as her passion for business ventures. Over the years, she has launched clothing lines,
cosmetics, and skincare — and is even involved in the NFT space. She released her own NFTs
priced at about $1.11 million in total, according to Yahoo. It certainly seems that Hilton's
genius plan paid off. She has successfully built a stone cold Paris Hilton empire from
her "dumb blonde" façade.
"That is a total girl boss move. Loves it."
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