Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World, then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor, Idol, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers themselves. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups.
David Michael Hasselhoff, nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on The Young and the Restless (1975–1982), playing the role of Dr. Snapper Foster. His career continued with his leading role as Michael Knight on Knight Rider (1982–1986) and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch (1989–2000). He also produced Baywatch from the 1990s until 2001 when the series ended with Baywatch Hawaii.
Leif Garrett is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He worked as a child actor, then in the 1970s became famous as a teen idol in music. He later received much publicity for his drug abuse and legal troubles.
Scott Vincent Baio is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom Happy Days (1977–1984) and its spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi (1982–1983), the title character on the sitcom Charles in Charge (1984–1990), Dr. Jack Stewart in the medical-mystery-drama series Diagnosis: Murder (1993–1995), and the title role of the musical film Bugsy Malone (1976), his onscreen debut. Baio has guest-starred on various television programs, appeared in several independent films, and starred on the Nickelodeon sitcom See Dad Run (2012–2014).
The Surreal Life is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together for a limited number of weeks. Initial seasons took place in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of The Real World in that the cameras not only record the castmates' participation in group activities assigned to them, but also their interpersonal relationships and conflicts. The show's first two seasons aired on The WB, and subsequent seasons were shown on VH1.
Angelica Bridges is an American actress, model, and singer. Bridges is best known for her role as Lt. Taylor Walsh on Baywatch.
Eric Nies is an American former model and reality television personality. He first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: New York, before going on to appear on that show's spinoffs and other reality shows, such as The Grind and Confessions of a Teen Idol. Nies revealed on the 2000 special The Real World 10th Anniversary Special that three years into hosting The Grind, a business manager stole a quarter million dollars from him, effectively leaving him destitute and ruining his career, after which he contemplated suicide.
Jason Robert Hervey is an American actor and television producer. He is best known for his role as Wayne Arnold on The Wonder Years.
Christopher Atkins Bomann is an American actor and businessman. He starred in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon and played Peter Richards on Dallas (1983–1984).
Jeremy Dunn Jackson is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Hobie Buchannon on the television show Baywatch.
David Chokachi is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles in the TV series Witchblade, Baywatch, and Beyond The Break.
Barry William Blenkhorn, better known by his stage name Barry Williams, is an American actor. He is known for his role as the eldest of the Brady sons, Greg Brady, on the ABC television series The Brady Bunch (1969–1974), a role he reprised in several sequels and spin-offs including the animated series The Brady Kids (1972–1973), the variety series The Brady Bunch Hour (1976–1977) and the television films The Brady Girls Get Married (1981) and A Very Brady Christmas (1988) and the reality television series A Very Brady Renovation (2019).
Tiffany Pollard is an American television personality. She came to prominence for her participation on the first two seasons of VH1's Flavor of Love (2006–2007), where she was given the nickname "New York" by rapper Flavor Flav. Following the show, Pollard starred in its spin-off series I Love New York from 2007 to 2008.
Nicole Eggert is an American actress. Her notable roles include Jamie Powell on the situation comedy Charles in Charge and Summer Quinn on the television series Baywatch. She guest-starred in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and Boy Meets World. She made several Christmas films that premiered on Lifetime. Eggert was a 2010 contestant on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club and came in second in 2013 on ABC's celebrity diving show Splash.
Billy Hufsey is an American actor and singer.
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, later called simply Rehab with Dr. Drew, is a reality television show that aired on the cable network VH1 in which many of the episodes chronicle a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first five seasons of the series, on which Pinsky also serves as executive producer, cast celebrities struggling with addiction, with the first season premiering on January 10, 2008, and the fifth airing in 2011.
James Leland Walters Jr. is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Heights and singing lead vocal on "How Do You Talk to an Angel".
The fourth season of the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta aired on VH1 from April 20, 2015 until August 31, 2015. The season was primarily filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. It was executively produced by Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie R. Gayle for Monami Entertainment, Toby Barraud, Stefan Springman, David DiGangi and Donna Edge-Rachell for Eastern TV, and Susan Levison, Nina L. Diaz, Ken Martinez and Vivian Gomez for VH1.
