10 Reality TV Stars Whose Lives Fell Apart
#10: Farrah Abraham “16 and Pregnant” (2010-14) & “Teen Mom” (2009-)
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Farrah shot to public attention when she appeared on the hit MTV reality show “16 and Pregnant” during its first season in 2009. The show documented her pregnancy and first months of motherhood, and it developed enough of a following for a spin-off series – starring her and other “16 and Pregnant” co-stars – called “Teen Mom” to launch later that same year. After leaving the show and releasing her critically-panned debut studio album in 2012, however, Farrah’s career path changed drastically when she appeared in several pornographic videos, and she took up a residency at a Gentleman’s Club in Texas in the following years.
#9: David Rainey “The Real World” (1992-)
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“The Real World” is often credited with launching the Reality TV craze back in the early ‘90s, and when David “Puck” Rainey appeared on the show’s third season in 1994, it was still red hot. He became famous – or, rather infamous – for his toxic relationship with the other cast members, many of whom accused David of seriously poor hygiene and cleanliness. He was eventually evicted. His troubles didn’t end there, however, as he ran into a series of legal problems once off the show: arrest for domestic violence in 2003, jailed for battery in 2009, faced multiple charges surrounding a drunk driving incident in 2010, and a few more. Last we heard he was on felony probation and was not permitted to leave Los Angeles.
#8: Chumlee [aka Austin Lee Russell] “Pawn Stars” (2009-)
Austin Russell, who you probably only know as Chumlee, is known for his time on History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” where he quickly became a fan favorite. In fact, his success led him to start his own profitable side-business selling novelty items so that he could more effectively capitalize on selling his own merch to adoring fans. But, he eventually ran into some serious legal troubles in 2016 when his home was raided while he was being investigated for sexual assault allegations and police found various drugs and a stock house of legally-owned weapons, including handguns, shotguns and rifles. Shockingly, though, he was quickly released on bond, charged with 20 counts of felony, and only sentenced to three years probation. We’d call that extremely lucky!
#7: Richard Hatch “Survivor” (2000-)
Richard is no stranger to the reality TV limelight: he won the first season of “Survivor” and appeared on an all-star edition of the show, and also appeared on both “Celebrity Apprentice” and “The Biggest Loser.” But, in 2006, he was charged with tax evasion for failing to pay the taxes on his “Survivor” winnings and spent 51 months in prison. He’s not the only “Survivor” star to run into trouble after the show either, as second and 25th-season cast member Michael Skupin served a year in prison for larceny, racketeering and child pornography charges.
#6: Adam Jasinski “Big Brother” (2000-)
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Talk about a story of redemption… Adam Jasinski won “Big Brother 9” in 2008 and enjoyed all the highs that come with winning half a million dollars and having his face plastered across national TV. Eventually though, this meant descending into addiction and crime. He used his winnings from “Big Brother” to purchase oxycodone pills with the intent to distribute, but was busted by the DEA in 2009 and served four years in prison. But, and here’s some good news for a change, Jasinski reformed his life after being released, writing a resource book on drug addiction and is now an addiction recovery consultant who works in the mental health field.
#5: Michael Sorrentino “Jersey Shore” (2009-12)
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Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was a standout member of the “Jersey Shore” crew and he quickly skyrocketed to fame after the show’s first season. It’s claimed that he made over five million dollars in 2010 alone due to his fame and subsequent business endorsement deals. But, fame couldn’t stop The Situation’s life from falling apart when he checked himself into rehab for oxycodone abuse in 2012, and was arrested for assault and charged with tax fraud in 2014. He didn’t serve his tax evasion sentence until January of 2019 (and will be released in September of the same year), but don’t worry, he apparently loves prison - according to an April 2019 interview with “Cosmo.”
#4: Teresa Giudice “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” (2009-)
This star rose to prominence based on her time on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and later appeared on “The Celebrity Apprentice” in 2012. She also found success outside of the reality TV sphere, authoring multiple New York Times bestselling cookbooks. But, in 2013 she and her husband were charged with conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud - among a number of other charges. Teresa ultimately served 11 months in prison. She’s not the only “Housewives” cast member whose stardom went off the rails either, as fellow “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Danielle Staub filed for bankruptcy and entered psychological and addiction treatment after leaving the show, and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Apollo Nida served about five years for identity theft and bank fraud.
#3: Renee Alway “America’s Next Top Model” (2003-15; 2016-18)
Renee performed well during her time on reality TV, coming in third place in the eighth season of “America’s Next Top Model” and was the runner-up in a “Top Model” spinoff series called “Modelville.” But, things went downhill quickly from there, as she was arrested for multiple offenses in 2013, including theft, fraud, burglary, drug possession and committing a felony on bail - not to mention her other prior arrests that same year. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but was released in April of 2018. Luckily, Renee is now clean and sober and looking back on her prison time as the thing that saved her from eventually taking her own life during her struggle with addiction.
#2: Josh Duggar “19 Kids and Counting” (2008-15)
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“19 Kids and Counting” was an extremely popular TLC reality show, averaging a reported 2.3 million viewers per episode in 2015. But, all that came to a crashing halt by the end of the season, when TLC cancelled the series following reports that the eldest son of the Duggar family - Josh- molested five girls – four of them his sisters – in 2002 and 2003. Despite admitting his guilt and apologizing, Josh was never prosecuted because the statute of limitations on the crimes in question had expired. But, Josh was further rocked by scandals that same year when it was revealed he was a member of the affair-promoting website Ashley Madison, and he was accused of assaulting porn star Danica Dillon during consensual sex at a strip club in Philadelphia. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Eric Williams “Basketball Wives” (2010- 13; 2017- ) Jon Gosselin “Kate Plus Eight” (2010-17) Jenelle Evans “Teen Mom 2” (2011- ) Abby Lee Miller “Dance Moms” (2011- )
#1: Tim Zickuhr “IRT: Deadliest Roads” (2010-11)
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Nothing signals a fall from reality TV stardom like threatening to kill a prostitute. Tim Zickuhr was a driver on season two of the short-lived spinoff of “Ice Road Truckers” called “Deadliest Roads,” and found himself in a world of trouble when allegations surfaced that he kidnapped, abused and extorted a woman he claimed stole money from him. It turns out he gave this woman his ATM card to withdraw money for sexual services, but later exploded in rage when the Las Vegas sex worker took too much. He then tied her up and beat her, attempting to retrieve the money from someone who could pay for her. That “someone” ended up being a cop who swiftly put him in handcuffs. Tim was sentenced to anywhere from 5-15 years in prison in 2015 and is still serving his sentence as of 2019.
