It’s safe to say that the 2000s were the golden phase of entertainment. This decade is about remarkable hits from Britney Spear, and the prevalence of boy bands such as Westlife, Backstreet Boys, N-SYNC, etc…. But there’s one thing that’s intertwined with our daily life at this time – TV reality shows.
During this time, there’s a host of shows on-air. We can’t deny the attraction of competitions, comparisons, and “of course”… drama. Some moments from shows that are remaining in our memory. If you saw Survivor season 1, you would never forget a stark naked Richard.
There are many stars who earned the limelight from reality shows. You may be surprised when learning that Paris Hilton debuted as a reality TV star. Along with Hilton, we want to enlist 11 other infamous reality stars from the 2000s. Check out to learn how they’ve changed from then and now.
#1 Then: Honey Boo Boo
Source: Splash News
Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson made her first public appearance in the early 2000s when she and her mom - June "Mama June" Shannon participated in the TLC show, “Toddlers & Tiaras”. At this time, she was only 5 years old. Fans were so fascinated with her and her mother on the show. With enough notoriety, they had their spin-off show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, which ran from 2012 to 2017.
Now: Honey Boo Boo
Source: Instagram
There’s no little Honey Boo Boo now, she transformed into a 17 years old girl. She and her family members appeared on numerous different reality shows over the years. WE TV gave her her reality show “Mama June: From Not to Hot”, which the now-teenage Alana regularly appears on. They also have a show “Mama June: Road to Redemption” and gained a massive cult following.
#2 Then: Omarosa Manigault Newman
Source: Reuters
Omarosa Manigault Newman participated in the first “The Apprentice” season in 2004. She impressed viewers with her bossy and demanding character. One of her moments from the show is when she got fired by Donald Trump due to her poor attitude and lack of leadership skills. During the show’s season finale, she made a comeback as a team member, and her ruthless sabotage of her team leader cemented her place in reality TV.
Now: Omarosa Manigault Newman
Source: Instagram
Omarosa is currently well-known as a reality star. Her latest appearance is in “Married to Medicine” season 9, which is on-air this year. Besides, she surprised audiences when she surfaced in the Trump White House as assistant to the president and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison. However, she was abruptly dismissed for allegedly "abusing the White House car service." She later published a memoir, and Trump later filed legal action against her.
#3 Then: Kate Gosselin
Source: The Learning Channel
If you saw Jon & Kate Plus 8, you couldn’t forget Kate Gosselin. She’s memorable with her hair at this time, and “of course”, the moments she berates and demeans her then-husband - Jon Gosselin. She just seemed to enjoy all the drama and attention, which finally caused her marriage to fail and her family to collapse.
Now: Kate Gosselin
Source: Instagram
In 2009, Kate and Jon got divorced, just a couple of years after their show came out. She competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2010, and it was said that she and her partner, Tony Dovolani, did not get along. Then, in 2018, she ultimately lost custody of Hannah and Collin, two of her kids. Kate returned to TLC in 2019 for the show Kate Plus Date in an effort to maintain her notoriety. She is currently living a tranquil life in North Carolina, away from the spotlight.
#4 Then: Farrah Abraham
Source: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
Farrah Abraham got her start in the spotlight when she showed up on the first season of MTV's 16 & Pregnant. Most viewers genuinely felt empathy for her since, for the most part, she was a fully neutral and uncontroversial character. Even after she learned that she was pregnant, she continued to cheer. She had a strong sense of purpose and appeared intelligent. But once she had her daughter, Sophia, things started to change a little.
Now: Farrah Abraham
Source: SD Pict
Farrah went on to star in Teen Mom, yet it turned out that her daughter received more attention than she did. She has been fired from the show due to her work in the adult
Entertainment industry. She and her daughter become social media celebrities, and she frequently receives criticism for her problematic parenting decisions. She was also arrested in January 2022 for slapping a nightclub security guard.
#5 Then: Nicole Richie
Source: Glendale Police Department via Getty Images
Nicole Richie was known for being Paris Hilton's sidekick for a long time. She co-starred with her on The Simple Life for five seasons at which time she rose to fame. For many years, especially when Nicole married Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden, she and Paris were hot targets for the media.
Now: Nicole Richie
Source: Instagram
Since the early 2000s, Nicole has radically changed. She went through a couple of really hard years, primarily as a result of her excessive drinking and drug usage (even getting a DUI in 2011 when she was still a young mom of two and a newlywed). But soon after, she entirely focused on running her business and taking care of her family.
In 2008, she launched the jewelry and accessory brand House of Harlow 1960, which is still a cult brand today. She has performed in numerous films and television shows, including Empire, Grace and Frankie, and Camping. She is also still blissfully married and is now Cameron Diaz's sister-in-law.
#6 Then: Richard Hatch
Source: Image @ Zack Seckler/Corbis
Richard Hatch from Survivor is remarkable for spending his whole time on the show fully naked. Along with that, he had a no-holds-barred mentality when it came to his competition strategy. He wasn't popular, but he was the first person to win the competition. He then made appearances on several other reality programs, such as
celebrity Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, and a Survivor all-stars season.
Now: Richard Hatch
Source: Instagram
Richard has remained a highly contentious character. He was sentenced to prison in 2006 for tax evasion, was released after four years, and then was sent back for breaking the terms of his probation. He now uses his social media networks to commentate on current seasons of Survivor and other shows, cashing in on his reality TV popularity.
#7 Then: Teck Holmes
Source: Evan Agostini/ImageDirect/Getty
When Teck "T. Money" Holmes first made his appearance as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: Hawaii in 1999, he was largely recognized for being rather irritating. He attracted a lot of attention due to his large and colorful demeanor. Love him or hate him, he received so much attention that he was able to land modest roles on television and even in films for several years after his season finished (including The Challenge). In 2000, he served as the host of the Direct Effect music video program on MTV.
Now: Teck Holmes
Source: Instagram
Teck has completed the circle. He is back working with MTV, this time on The Challenge: All-Stars on Paramount. He competes in the show's second season, which debuted in the fall of 2021. Additionally, he performs frequently as a DJ at a nightclub in Los Angeles. He continues to perform and model.
#8 Then: Heidi Montag
Source: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage
Heidi Montag and her husband Spencer Pratt made their television debuts on MTV's The Hills, and it was immediately apparent that they had no interest in becoming popular. The controversy that Heidi started and fueled throughout her time on the popular show is what she is best known for. The sixth season saw the couple get hitched.
Now: Heidi Montag
Source: Instagram
Since The Hills, Heidi has primarily been seen on reality television programs including I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity Wife Swap, Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, and Celebrity Big Brother. However, she gained notoriety for admitting to having 10 plastic procedures in one day in 2010. She and Spencer had a son named Gunner and remain very close. On The Hills: New Beginnings, which aired for two seasons between 2019 and 2021, they both made a comeback.
#9 Then: Tila Tequila
Source: Richie Buxo / Splash News
In the early years of social media, Tila Tequila gained a lot of notoriety. She began the new millennium as a model and eventually got cast in Surviving Nugent. She was formerly the most well-known user of the social media platform MySpace, which led to the offer of her own bisexual dating program, A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, which ran on MTV for two seasons.
Now: Tila Tequila
Source: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty
Throughout her entire career as a celebrity, Tila was highly contentious. She was eventually banned from Twitter for appearing to do the Nazi salute in a photo that she published. Since making her final TV appearance in 2015 on Celebrity Big Brother, she has all but vanished from the public eye.
#10 Then: Kelly Osbourne
Source: Splash News
On her family's reality series, The Osbournes (which of course starred her wacky rocker father, Ozzy Osbourne), Kelly Osbourne was never the most outlandish, but that's exactly what made her stand out. She may be best remembered for her curvy figure and spiky hair, something that wasn't the norm on television at the time. But she got into a lot of ridiculous arguments with her parents, which left a lasting impression on her followers.
Now: Kelly Osbourne
Source: Instagram
Since then, Kelly has had a successful career in the entertainment industry, dabbling in music and acting on a number of TV shows. After undergoing gastric bypass surgery, she drastically reduced her weight and later made an appearance on The Masked Singer. But she's also had some setbacks in her personal life. She has spent several times in rehab for drug and alcohol problems.
#11 Then: David Giuntoli
Source: Gus Ruelas/Reuters/Corbis
In order to win fantastic rewards, such as a car, actor David Giuntoli did strange acts, such as butchering a chicken and performing a striptease at a gay club. He then competed in Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet in 2003 and won because viewers enjoyed his antics.
Now: David Giuntoli
Source: Instagram
David is currently a legitimate TV star. He appeared in supporting roles on various television programs after his MTV days, including Gray's Anatomy and Nip/Tuck. In 2011, he landed the lead role on the hit horror/fantasy series Grimm, where he met his wife, Bitsie Tulloch. Following the conclusion of the six-season run, David virtually immediately shifted to the smash show A Million Little Things.
#12 Then: Paris Hilton
Source: Getty Images
Whether you liked her or hated her, Paris Hilton is responsible for the success of today's unscripted celebrity reality shows. Most of us simply couldn't get over how different the lifestyles of the wealthy and famous were from our own, which is why the movie The Simple Life, in which Paris' close friend Nicole Richie also appeared, became an instant smash. We got to experience all of Paris' hard-partying socialite behavior after the 2003 series debut.
Now: Paris Hilton
Source: Instagram
Before The Simple Life, anyone who didn't know Paris Hilton now did. She has built a veritable empire out of her celebrity, which is still largely known for being famous. She has a current net worth of $300 million, and her catchphrase "That's hot" is registered as a trademark. In 2021, she married entrepreneur Carter Reum and launched her own cooking program on Netflix called Cooking With Paris.