Reality stars cash in on celebrity status

By Ryan Nakashima, Associated Press

Published October 6, 2008 at 3:39 p.m.

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Reality TV couple Rob and Amber Mariano, who met on "Survivor: All-Stars", are one of the most well-known reality TV couples.

When Jon Dalton was discovered by a Survivor casting agent at an L.A. gas station several years ago, the chance to win a million dollars wasn't the prize he most desired.

Instead, he relished the chance to showcase "Jonny Fairplay," an immoral jerk persona he developed in his time as a manager in professional wrestling.

"Fairplay" became a hated household name among reality TV audiences, mainly because he lied on air that his grandmother had just died to earn other competitors' sympathies. Catcalling audiences at a reality-TV awards show in October seemed to cheer when Danny Bonaduce dropped Dalton on his face onstage, breaking several teeth.

Dalton has sued Bonaduce for battery, but Dalton says that despite the sometimes painful side effects of celebrity, being roundly despised has helped him earn a six-figure annual income.

Dalton said he regularly receives $2,000 to $15,000 to appear at nightclubs, conventions and on other TV shows, partly to satisfy curiosity about whether he's really a jerk in person. It's an income that affords him a three-bedroom house in his hometown of Danville, Va., and the ability to care for his wife and baby daughter.

"I feel personally that I raped reality television, and I'm happy about that," Dalton, 34, said in an interview by phone from Danville.

"The million dollars was never my primary goal," Dalton said. "My goal was to create the character of 'Jonny Fairplay' and keep that character on television for as long as possible."

Increasingly, reality TV shows are no longer just voyeuristic journeys into the failings of real people, but launching pads for fame-seekers looking to parlay publicity - good or bad - into a career.

At a recent casting call in Costa Mesa, Calif., a shot at fame drove wannabes to brave the hot sun for the chance to audition for Survivor, season 18.

"I want to walk down the street or in the mall and have someone come after me and ask for my autograph," said Shane Cardenes, 37, a high school softball coach from Lake Elsinore, Calif. "I want the paparazzi to come after me."

Several in the crowd rattled off the most famous reality participants to go on to become, well, real stars. Rob and Amber Mariano, who married after being on Survivor: All-Stars together, are probably the most well-known reality couple. Rob Mariano is to host a new reality show, Tontine this fall, while Amber has appeared in TV commercials and been on the cover of several magazines.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, another oft-named breakout, turned a 2001 Survivor appearance into her co-hosting job on the daytime talk show The View.

Prolonging the spotlight from a reality show appearance has become a full-time job for booking agent Marc Marcuse of Reel Management. He has represented nearly 300 former reality participants, booking them on other shows, at events and on red carpets.

"When somebody gets off of their show, they always want to capitalize on their fame while they can," Marcuse said.

Regular Joes who get a taste of the fawning attention of camera crews usually don't want to return to their boring former life, said Survivor casting director Lynne Spillman. They also get a taste of the money that pure fame can bring.

It's rare for participants not to try to extend their 15 minutes of fame, she said. "They see it as easy money."

After only a few episodes of the first season of The Apprentice, participant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth became a reviled figure. Her in-your-face confrontations included accusing another participant of racism for using the phrase "pot calling the kettle black." The nonstop catfights lifted the show's ratings and lit up online message boards. Omarosa, who now goes only by her first name, quickly hired a publicist and agent to help her monetize her newfound infamy. She has since been on more than 100 TV episodes and she is a regular at celebrity functions around Hollywood.

"People love villains. I'm the naughty girl of reality TV," she said.

Appropriately, she is writing a book called The Bitch Switch, which is coming out in October. Omarosa said she has shot two more guest appearances for reality shows that will air in the fall, and she lectures 15 to 20 times a year for various groups for about $10,000 per appearance.

Others have treated the reality format as a dramatized infomercial for publicizing their businesses.

Sunset Tan on the E! network is a case in point. After just one season on air, the actual tanning salon, whose ditzy sales girls Holly and Molly get flirty with Hollywood actor clients, has sold more than 100 franchises nationwide at $40,000 a pop, said co-owner Devin Haman.

The underlying business has become so profitable, E! became a partner in the franchise profits while the show is on air, Haman said.

The cameras have also done little to hurt the healthy baked goods business of Bethenny Frankel. She finished a close second on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Since, she has had plenty of exposure for her business on The Real Housewives of New York City, despite being single.

"I'm the real winner," Frankel said of coming second in Martha Stewart. "I'm so glad I didn't get that job."

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