Reality TV has been one of America’s most beloved television genres since the early 2000s. From raunchy romance shows, singing and dancing competitions, to fashion and cooking contests — there is a limitless range of options to binge when you need that distraction from everyday life.
But if there’s one takeaway from reality TV today, it is to remember reality stars only see what you want them to. What happens when the cameras aren’t rolling?
Some of the most prominent reality TV stars of the last decade have gained media attention with their publicity, shows and even books.
Abby Lee Miller, the eccentric dance instructor and owner of the Abby Lee Dance Company, caught major media attention in the early 2010s with the popularity of the show “Dance Moms.”
Joe Exotic, the “Tiger King,” rose to fame during the pandemic as a nationwide obsession following the operation of his exotic animal park in Oklahoma.
Amy Slaton, a southern YouTuber, became popular for her dramatic body and lifestyle transformation in the TLC hit series “1000 Pound Sisters.”
What do all these stars have in common? Following their short-lived fame, each descended into estranged behaviors — and even jail time.
Miller served eight months in prison from 2017 to 2018 for concealing assets from the bankruptcy court and failing to report an international currency transaction, according to the Department of Justice.
Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for his involvement in a 2017 murder-for- hire scheme against his competitor, animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
Slaton, perhaps the strangest and most unexpected story of them all, was arrested on Sept. 2, 2024 at a drive-through zoo in Tennessee for drug possession and child endangerment. Police were called to the scene because Slaton claimed she had been bitten by a camel, which the owner later denied.
Now, I certainly don’t think we should idolize stars like Exotic, Miller and Slaton by any means, but with all the recent headlines coming out, I think we are allowed to laugh at them.
I mean it’s pretty hard to see “bitten by a camel” and not want to read.
It isn’t clear what happened to send each so- called “star” off the edge following the fall of their shows, but it is obvious they each somehow continue to hold a loyal fanbase.
Under one of Miller’s recent Instagram posts, where she reunited with another cast member from “Dance Moms,” the comment section was full of praise, calling her a “legend,” “iconic” and even asking for another season.
Even Exotic has a trending tag that appears in the comments of all of his Instagram posts, #freejoeexotic, with 34.5k posts under it.
To their fans, the stars’ negative actions don’t even seem to matter. The fact that they each continue to hold on to their thousands of followers while serving a prison sentence shows this to be true.
The reason why fans choose to support stars even in their dark moments might just be a matter of opinion, but it can also be the fact that people are intrigued by “acting out of the box” and characters who defy societal norms.
Reality TV is set to “mirror” reality in certain ways but instead seems to provide us more with a glimpse into a day-to-day life that is very different from our own, which is entertaining.
Each of the characters, Exotic, Miller and Slaton, live interesting and quite peculiar roles, ones that their audiences, regular working-class people, certainly can’t relate to. Stories of an exotic animal park and a drastic weight loss journey are so entertaining because they aren’t normal stories we hear daily.
Whether you support them or not, it is obvious that people will always love the exciting drama, and it seems that while it’s popular, reality stars might have the spotlight for a little longer.
