Last year, I had the privilege of talking to American athlete and two-time Olympic gold medal winner Bruce Jenner. “Bruce,” I asked, “is there any advice you can give our Canadian athletes for this upcoming Olympic Winter Games to win our first gold on home turf?”

His response was, “No gold on home turf? Gosh, we’ve got to change that next year. Every time we compete, there is an enormous amount of emotion. The key is to learn how to take those emotions and make them work for you and not against you. Learn how to take that energy and all that emotion and use it towards the performance.”
 
When we won our first gold medal (and of course I say “we” as if I had something to do with it), I was so proud. We made history by finally gaining gold on Canadian soil not once, but multiple times. Go Canada!
 
With all this winning going on, I began thinking about all the reality winners that I’ve watched soar to victory just like our Olympic athletes. As I began to research them to put together a “Where are they now?” list, I realized there are many who seem to be a-strugglin’. I know what you’re thinking: Winning a reality show didn’t mean you were set for life? I thought the same thing.
 
Check out the list of reality show winners who ended up being some of the biggest losers!

 

Erik Chopin (The Biggest Loser)
It’s easy to lose 16 pounds in one week when Bob and Jillian are barking in your face and you’re locked up on a ranch with only fresh, healthy food on campus. When the game ends, that’s when the real battles begins. Season 3 winner Erik Chopin gained all of his weight back (he’s tipping the scales at 368 lbs.) and is attempting to take it all off again on TLC’s Confessions of a Reality Show Loser.
Sugar Jones (Popstars)
Do you remember when days were like that? I almost jumped out of my seat when I came across this group while surfing the Net. The group was chosen after competing on the first season of Canadian reality show Popstars, and dropped some tunes including “Days like That” and “How Much Longer?” They were riding the ultimate Canadian music wave until their demise in 2002. Sugar Jones became a distant memory after Maiko Watson left the group.
O-Town (Making the Band)
Ashley Angel … sigh. He was so dreamy, with his blond hair and boyish good looks, and did he ever make the girlies scream. O-Town came together during the first season of Making the Band and had marginal success including the single “Liquid Dreams.” After a few other hits, the band was dropped from their label in 2003 and disbanded due to financial issues, thanks to Lou Pearlman.
Danity Kane (Making the Band 3)
The very public rise and fall of Danity Kane had folks at the edge of their seats. Despite moderate success with their singles “Show Stopper” and “Damaged,” blond bombshell Aubrey O’Day emerged as a less-than-wholesome group member. Creator/mentor Sean “P. Diddy” Combs worried she was trying to expand her fame beyond the group. Things got worse amid rumours of Diddy making Dawn Richard a solo artist, and a meeting for the new Season of Making the Band where only two ladies showed up. With that, Danity Kane was over.
Richard Hatch (Survivor)
Oh, Richard Hatch, I can’t help but picture you in a yellow jumper, sitting in a jail cell remembering your stints on Survivor. Hatch was the first-ever winner of the reality hit beating out the competition in Borneo including trucker Susan, old grump Rudy and runner-up Kelly. After the show, Richie Rich must have forgotten about his taxes and was eventually booked for tax evasion and sent to the slammer for 51 months.
Adam Jasinski (Big Brother 9)
I was shocked about this one, too! Remember the bug-eyed Big Brother winner Adam from Florida? Well, Adam ended up raking in the top money prize but didn’t exactly use the money for good. He was caught in a massive Oxycodone bust and was charged with attempting to sell thousands of pills to a government witness. He faces 20 years in prison and $1,000,000 in fines.
Asia (The Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll)
Asia fought tooth, nail and push-up bra to beat out a slew of Pussycat Doll hopefuls and gain a spot in the popular all-girl group. After kicking butt against Chelsea and Melissa R., she took her rightful spot as the backup dancer which she worked so hard to achieve. Shortly after the show, the Dolls continued to perform, but without their newest member. Some reports claim that she was booted from the group for her lack of musical ability (doubtful), while others claim her diva antics were getting out of hand. A CW official claims that she up and left, opting for a solo career. She has yet to be signed to a label.
Andrea (Canada’s Next Top Model)
Andrea was the gangly awkward small-town girl who broke out of her shell and won the inaugural season of Canada’s Next Top Model, super-underdog style. Alas, a career in modelling was not something she felt was for her. Four months after she was announced as the winner, she left the glamorous world, claiming modelling was “not the best thing out there.” She later admitted that a career as a model was interfering in her recovery from anorexia and the pressure was too much for her to handle.
J.D. Fortune (Rock Star: INXS)
This young Canadian stud was picked out of a huge crowd of INXS fans to front the band in place of the late Michael Hutchence. Everyone waited with bated breath for the Aussie rock band, now with its new Canuck lead singer, to release some new material. They did with “Pretty Vegas” which gained some popularity but never hit Billboard charts. In ’09, J.D. alleged that the rest of the band fired him from INXS with a shake of the hand, which left him living in his car and hoping to release a solo album. There has been some good news for Fortune. The Mississauga, Ont., native performed with INXS on Feb. 24, 2010 at the Olympics Winter Games in Vancouver. But it's not exactly full time. The reality winner was listed as a special guest, so there hasn't exactly been a reversal of fortune in J.D.'s case.

 

 

 

 

Janine has been a devoted cheesy TV critic ever since her inaugural Paradise Hotel episode. Five years, long hours and a considerable lack of beauty sleep later, her passion has earned her a Rolodex of useless knowledge.

Tackling shows other professionals cringe over such as Flavor of Love, The Real World and Celebrity Fit Club, Guilty Pleasures’ subtle complexity deserves more than just a snap judgment. Janine’s unique talent to celebrate a worthy “trash-show” is a launch pad for fans of cheesy TV everywhere.


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