9 Forgotten Reality Stars Who Need To Make A Comeback
Published on December 4, 2015.If actors and pop-stars think that they have a short shelf life when it comes to their time in the biz, reality stars barely make it onto the shelf before their shoved off by another handful of new faces ready to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame. From top chefs to top models, bachelorettes to survivors, an entirely new cast comes on each season to battle it out and it’s hard for fans to keep track of all of their former favorites. But that doesn’t mean they’re not still beloved, some of the best (and most controversial) still have massive potential to enthrall, intrigue, and entertain — which is exactly what fans want. Check out these 10 forgotten reality stars who need to make a comeback.
9. Flava Flav
Flava Flav (real name: William Jonathan Drayton Jr.…seriously) is no more of a stranger to the screen than he is to the stage. First making his name as a member of Public Enemy, which he joined way back in 1982, he reappeared in later years to take full advantage of the reality show craze. His wild and outrageous personality is perfectly suited for the genre and he hasn’t appeared on just one or two reality programs over the years, but many in fact. He was so successful is his appearance on shows like The Surreal Life, he even landed a few reality shows that were his very own. Strange Love and Flavor of Love just kept giving fans more of what they wanted…at the time. But eventually, other characters came along and Flava Flav took a break from the small screen, reconnecting with his ex, having a new baby girl and appearing with Public Enemy once again. But honestly, if Flava Flav was to appear on a show again, what hardcore reality fan wouldn’t check it out?!
Roth Stock/Everett Collection8. Tiffany “New York” Pollard
If you watched Flava Flav on Flavor of Love, then you surely haven’t really forgotten about Tiffany “New York” Pollard. She fought for the attention and affection of Flava Flav himself and was given a nickname “New York” from the lady-seeking star of the show. Tiffany Pollard lived up to the name with her unforgettable ways. She was loud, brash, and so…much…fun. She may not have won in the end, but she wasn’t done with reality television yet. Landing her own show, I Love New York, she went on to appear in New York Goes to Hollywood and New York Gets a Job, as well as various installments of each. She’s also appeared on an episode of Botched dealing with her boob job. If there’s anything that reality television could use, it’s more “New York.”
Source: eonline.com7. Sam Talbot
Super hot and a talented chef? Swoon-worthy on-screen presence? Sounds like perfection! Who among us could resist cutie season 2 Top Chef competitor Sam Talbot. Making it all the way to the semi-finals, but not quite taking home the top prize, he certainly hasn’t been idle since, although he hasn’t been on screen as much as we might like, that might be about to change! He apparently has a new television series in the works and a book scheduled for release as well as a few new restaurants opening. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Chef Sam Talbot soon.
MediaPunch/REX6. Ali Fedotowsky
Reality television fans first cheered for Ali Fedotowsky when she was a contestant vying for the love of the lead man on The Bachelor On the Wings of Love. She got her very own chance to pick and choose love when she became the sixth Bachelorette. Finding what she thought was her happily-ever-after with contestant Roberto Martinez, the pair became engaged but only lasted a year before they called it quits. Ali wasn’t finished looking for love, though, and in September of 2015, she announced that she was engaged again, this time to radio and television host Kevin Manno who she’s been dating since 2013. Perhaps her wedding would make the perfect pitch for a reality television comeback?
MediaPunch/REX5. Rob and Amber Mariano
Survivor fans were shocked when sweetheart Amber Brkich began a romance with brash “Boston Rob” Mariano. Both alumni of the show, their alliance on Survivor: All-Stars resulted in Rob being the runner-up and Amber taking home the big prize. But Rob wasn’t to be left out of the winning fun. He snagged the prize while competing on Survivor: Redemption Island. Through tribal councils aplenty as well as life off-screen, they certainly showed the world that their love wasn’t a publicity stunt and it certainly wasn’t fleeting. Married back in 2005, the pair are still together today and are happily raising four daughters. Maybe they need a new installment of the show, Survivor: Families or Survivor: Parents & Kids. And if that’s not in the cards, then Amber and Rob could use their experience competing on The Amazing Race 7 and The Amazing Race 11 to take on new adventures. Failing that, the two could try out Rob and Amber: Against the Odds again, which was their show following Rob’s attempts to become a professional poker player while being tutored by established poker pro Daniel Negreanu.
CHARLES SYKES / REX FEATURES4. Adrianne Curry
Adrienne was the very first America’s Next Top Model, winning the initial season of the wildly popular show. She rode the reality television wave and continued on to appear on The Surreal Life where she met former Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight. The pair connected immediately and their romance blossomed not only on that show, but continuing onto their very own show My Fair Brady. The pair became engaged and eventually married during the show’s run and continued on with their reality television fame. But things were rocky with the couple and they parted ways, both on-screen and off. Adrianne has kept herself busy hosting various shows, but we want more!
REX/Rob Latour4. Brody Jenner
When you think of Brody Jenner, don’t you often think to yourself, “Darn, I bet he’d be a great person to help me with my relationship issues and intimacy problems!” Probably not. But that doesn’t stop him from appearing alongside actress Stevie Ryan and relationship therapist Dr. Mike Dow as they discuss various tops related to relationships. This is just the latest offering from Brody Jenner who’s become well known for his stints on The Princes of Malibu, The Hills, Bromance, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. But lately, it’s been his step-sisters that are taking the top prize in the reality fame game, so maybe it’s time for Brody Jenner to make a comeback giving his fans more than just relationship advice.
Dee Cercone/Everett Collection3. Heidi Montag (without Spencer Pratt)
Heidi Montag (or Heidi Pratt, if you’d prefer) underwent a literal transformation during her reality television days. Making headlines for enduring 10 surgeries in one day (she had almost every part of her body worked on), she was nearly unrecognizable when she reappeared in public. But that was only one of the reasons that Heidi Montag (and her partner in crime, Spencer Pratt) continued to grab headlines. Doing anything and everything to extend her 15 minutes (including breaking up and making up with her fella so many times it was clear most of what they did was just for the publicity), Heidi managed to appear on almost every reality show around, including The Hills, I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Famous Food, Celebrity Big Brother, and Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars. The public was soon sick of both Heidi and Spencer and took a much needed break from the pair. But has the break been long enough? Perhaps it’s time for Heidi to make a reality TV comeback. Although, to be honest, I don’t think the public is ready for the re-emergence of Spencer, so maybe he could just stay home for now.
Photo by Picture Perfect/REX Shutterstock2. Snooki
Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi) made her name as “Snooki” when the world became enthralled with the kids from Jersey Shore. Entertaining fans with her bold, brash, and absolutely awesome personality – not to mention her signature style – Snooki was a fan favorite. These days, she mostly stepped back from the limelight in order to focus on being a mom to her two little ones. But if you’ve seen the pics of her as a mom and her adorable kids, then you’ve no doubt wished that she would star in a reality show that focused on their fabulous family or Nicole as an older, more mature woman.
Photo by Broadimage/REX Shutterstock1. Paris Hilton
Once upon a time, Paris Hilton ruled the fame game. Back when no one knew or cared about the Kardashians and Jenners, Paris was being followed by paparazzi wherever she went, was hosting the hottest events (and got paid insanely well to do just that), made headlines with her wild antics, had a sex tape released upon the world, and of course, she had her own reality show. But time went on and the world grew tired of Paris Hilton as other people who were rich and famous for being rich and famous stepped into the spotlight. But it looks like Paris is ready to stage a comeback and perhaps the world is ready for it. She’s just released pictures from a new Paper photoshoot that shows her nearly naked with the intention of “breaking the internet” à la Kim Kardashian’s famous naked pics. Will the result be the same? Well, since people aren’t really talking about it on social media, it hardly seems like it’s breaking the internet.
David Fisher/REX