Every celebrity has to get their start somewhere! Reality TV shows have had a helping hand in many careers in Hollywood. From competition shows like American Idol to straight-up reality show cameos like Room Raiders, a lot of celebs can say that they were on reality TV before they were actually famous. Some celebrities even used the reality TVs how to their advantage and sculpted their career and relationships from that quick 15 minutes of fame.
Meghan Markle
The British media had a heyday with Markle. Before royalty, she was an American actor who played a "suitcase girl" on Deal or No Deal. They also poked fun at the fact that she was "just an American actress" marrying into royalty.
We all know Meghan Markle as the bride of Prince Harry, a British monarch. Their relationship made waves all over the world due to their difference in backgrounds. Since getting married, she and Harry moved to the US to raise their son and unborn baby away from the toxicity of the British media.
Zac Efron - Room Raiders
There used to be a very interesting show on MTV called Room Raiders. The basic setup: one person goes into three peoples' bedrooms to judge them for a blind date. A very young Zac Efron was the room raider in this episode while three girls sat and watched him judge their stuff.
Zac was then thrust into superstardom due to his role in the High School Musical series. His career continued to soar after his time at Disney, and he was cast in tons of other movies. He was even the star of a Netflix show that followed Zac around the world as he explored different cultures and their impacts on the environment.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck - Survivor
Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a controversial voice in the media these days. She was famously a cast member on The View as the conservative voice before moving on to Fox & Friends. It's actually a little-known fact that she was on the popular show Survivor in 2001, long before she got into her hosting roles.
She was only 24-years-old when she was cast on Survivor: The Australian Outback in 2001. At the time, she was a footwear designer from Newton, Massachusetts. She lasted a whopping 39 days on the island and won 6 challenges. Two years after Survivor she was invited to co-host The View alongside Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sheri Shepherd, and Barbara Walters. She retired from television in 2015.
Lady Gaga - Boiling Points
Yes, that is the Lady Gaga looking off-guard during a taping of the MTV show Boiling Points. Before she was the incredibly talented and artistic icon that she is today, she was hopping around from reality show to reality show.
Most people remember her from The Hills if they even remember her before her superstardom. Now, Gaga has multiple hit records and even a few highly applauded acting credits to her name. She started off pretty weird and obscure and turned that into something extremely successful.
Kesha - The Simple Life
This one is kind of a shocker! Kesha was featured in one episode of The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. This was way before she became the iconic singer that she is today. She's been off the grid for the past few years due to a legal battle with a certain producer, but she's slowly working towards making a comeback!
In the episode, Paris and Nicole help Kesha's mom find a date. No one really knows if it's real or not, but the episode was funny nonetheless. Soon after, she was thrust into superstardom with her party-pop music.
Cardi B - Love & Hip Hop New York
Cardi B is best known for her chart-topping hit songs, boisterous laugh, and volatile relationship with rapper Offset. Before her time as an A-List celebrity, Cardi was a love-them-or-hate-them cast member of the show Love & Hip Hop New York. Fans knew her for always speaking her mind, standing up for herself, and stirring the pot just a little bit!
Cardi was cast on the show two years before her hit song "Bodak Yellow" came out. After that smash single, she didn't need the reality show life anymore and was launched into music stardom. After all, you don't get invited to the Met Gala because of your one-season stint on a reality TV show!
Katherine McPhee - American Idol
As of 2021, Katherine McPhee is a Broadway star with a decorated acting career and is married to David Foster. In 2006, people only knew her as the sweet girl with a set of powerful vocals on American Idol.
American Idol opened up a lot of doors for Katherine, especially in her acting career. Her first big-screen role was in House Bunny alongside Anna Farris, which was a huge hit. She's most famously been in the Broadway play Waitress since 2018.
Emma Stone - In Search of the Partridge Family
She's a bit unrecognizable, but that is a picture of young Emma Stone! Before she hit Hollywood stardom with Easy A and Lala Land, she was on the reality show In Search of the Partridge Family in 2003. She was only 15-years-old!
She ended up getting the role for the TV show, but the pilot episode didn't go over well, so the show was never greenlit. Even without that break-out role, she still garnered quite a successful career.
Camila Cabello - The X Factor
A tiny, young Camila Cabello was first spotted on The X Factor. She was only 15-years-old when she got up on stage to audition for the show. She was eliminated during the "boot camp" stage of the show but returned as part of a powerful girl group, Fifth Harmony.
She departed from Fifth Harmony in 2016 and went on to flourish in her solo career. She's had tons of top singles and features on popular songs. She's easily one of the biggest names in the music industry and has surpassed what Fifth Harmony was.
Jennifer Hudson - American Idol
Jennifer Hudson has a career that goes way beyond singing at this point. She has a Grammy and an Oscar... how many singers can say that? She's even got her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Can you believe that this all started from one season of American Idol? She didn't end up winning her season, but that did absolutely nothing to stop her career. She's been in movies and TV shows and has a bunch of hit songs. No stopping J. Hud!
Harry Styles - The X Factor
Yes, yes, every One Directioner will know this. Not many people outside of the fandom do, though! Harry Styles was first on The X Factor, which is when he wowed audiences with his obvious star quality and incredible talent.
If he never went on the show, would he even have half of the success he does now? Honestly, probably. There's no stopping him and his career!
Clay Aiken - American Idol
Clay Aiken was a household name at one point, wowing audiences all over the country in American Idol. His sweet charm and powerful vocals got people talking, and a lot of people were shocked to see him come in second.
Since his time on American Idol, he's dropped many multi-platinum records, wrote a best-selling memoir, hosted a TV special, appeared on Broadway and multiple different TV shows... He even competed on Celebrity Apprentice and came in second. Now, he's into politics!
Kelly Osbourne - The Osbournes
Ozzy Osbourne is super famous for his musical career. He was such a character that someone gave his family their own TV show, which showed just how bizarre they really were behind closed doors. Kelly, his daughter, is barely the same person now.
Despite being Ozzy's daughter, Kelly has made a name for herself in the fashion industry. In recent years, she's popularly known as a host on the show Fashion Police alongside Joan Rivers. Kelly has always been on Dancing with the Stars and has been a guest judge on Project Runway.
Maddie Ziegler - Dance Moms
Maddie Ziegler is a famous dancer and sometimes actor. She gained mass popularity when she was just a little kid dancing in Sia's music videos. All of this was because of her time on Dance Moms.
Dance Moms was a TV show based in Pittsburgh about a group of women who send their children off to one of the most intense dance schools out there. Maddie was one of the most talented of the group, and Sia noticed.
Bella Hadid - Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Before she became one of the highest-paid models in the world, Bella Hadid was a regular face on the reality show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her mother, Yolanda Foster, was a housewife on the reality show.
The audience was able to watch Bella blossom into the model that she is today while Yolanda worked hard to help support her daughter and get her name out there. Yolanda has since left the show and moved to a small town in Pennsylvania, and Bella has been all over the world as a supermodel.
Kendall Jenner - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
It's hard to say whether or not Kendall would have still been the highest-paid model in the world if it wasn't for the show. She, and the rest of her family, have starred on Keeping Up with the Kardashians for many years. The show started when Kendall was little and showed her grow up.
If anything, Kendall was a "side character" for most of the show, meaning that she wasn't given much of a plotline due to her age. As she got older, more of her life was showcased on the show, including how she became a world-famous supermodel.
Christian Siriano - Project Runway
Christian Siriano is a world-famous designer who has dressed tons of high-ranking celebrities and the more-fabulous politicians (Michelle Obama). Fans of the show know this already, but he got his start on Heidi Klum's Project Runway. Naturally, he won his season and even went back to guest-judge in between big gigs.
Christina Aguilera - Star Search
Baby-faced Xtina was first discovered on Star Search, but it took a few years for her career to actually take off. She was the pop-rock queen of the '90s and '00s and is now a familiar face as a reality TV show judge.
Jordin Sparks - American Idol
Jordin Sparks won American Idol when she was 17 years old... That's huge! Even with that accomplishment, a lot of people seem to forget that she was ever on the show to begin with. She sold millions of albums, won bunches of awards, and even took on Broadway in Lin Manuel Miranda's In The Heights.
Miranda Lambert - Nashville Star
If there are pop-star TV shows, then there are country-star TV shows. Miranda Lambert is a famous country musician now, but she started out as a simple reality star contestant. She went on the show in 2003 when she was just 19-years-old. Look how far she's come!
Aaron Paul - The Price is Right
Aaron Paul is best known for his time on the AMC hit Breaking Bad. Oddly enough, before his claim to fame, he was a contestant on The Price is Right. The shows are polar opposites of one another, which makes it even funnier to see Paul, who was rough and tumble on the TV show, act a little dorky and silly on this fun game show. Tragically, this still from the episode shows the moment he lost the game.
Usher - Star Search
Yes, that is Usher! It's hard to tell that it's him mainly because he was only 13 at the time of his debut on Star Search. This little kid had no idea that he would grow up to become one of the most famous producers, managers, singers, writers... The list goes on.
Justin Timberlake - Star Search
It seems like Star Search cultivated a lot of our favorite millennial celebrities. Justin Timberlake was pretty young when he made his first TV show appearance. After this, he was welcomed onto Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears, and then went on to join NSYNC. Now, he's just as famous for his acting skills as he is for his singing skills.
Britney Spears - Star Search
We all know that Britney Spears was basically groomed to become a superstar. Her career started when she was a young child on Star Search. Eventually, she was given a role on Mickey Mouse Club and the rest is history. Her parents would have done anything to make her a star, that's for sure.
Chris Hemsworth - Dancing with the Stars
Believe it or not, that is Chris Hemsworth prancing around on stage. He appeared on the Australian vresion of Dancing with the Stars in 2006. Maybe he could return to the show as Thor?
Gigi Hadid - Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Like her sister, Gigi was featured a lot on the reality show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As the older sister, she got more screentime and was able to craft a "character" for herself. She's also one of the highest-paid models in the world but has since taken a bit of a break since giving birth to her daughter.
Beyoncé - Star Search
Yes, Queen B is another Star Search alum. She and the rest of her girl group competed on the show but lost miserably. She was only 11 or 12 at the time, and everyone was shocked at her star power. Obviously, this was only a stepping stone into her career. She's one of the most famous singers in the world.
Jon Hamm - The Big Date
Sorry for this cursed image of Jon Hamm, but this is what he looked like during his time on The Big Date. This was a TV show literally just about dating. The show aired for one year, and Jon Hamm was the only good outcome of it.
Alanis Morisette - Star Search
Alanis Morisette was the 90s grungey dream queen. She worked hard for her career but definitely had a little help from her stint on 1990s Star Search. Obviously, she was a bit different on that show, but it definitely helped get her name out there!
Lucy Hale - American Juniors
American Juniors was a TV focused on finding the country's best singers and dancers from the ages of 6 to 13. Lucy Hale was originally on this show before her famous stint in Pretty Little Liars. She had a bit of a career change, that's for sure.
Adam Lambert - American Idol
Adam Lambert became the face of Queen and was even nominated for a Grammy. He actually got his start on American Idol, which has happened for a lot of celebs! He's done pretty well for himself since this competition show.
Khloe Kardashian - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
KUWTK is simply a side gig for Khloe at this point. Most of her time is spent building her brand on social media, running her very successful clothing line, and raising her daughter, True. Of course, Khloe got her start because of the TV show, but has truly built an empire!
Kim Kardashian - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Arguably the main character, Kim has truly kept up with the Kardashians. The entire reason this show started was because of her. She had a famous, life-altering scandal that brought all the attention on her, the socialite daughter of OJ Simpson's lawyer. She was also Paris Hilton's assistant before making it big. Now, she has incredibly successful loungewear and makeup line and can easily leave KUWTK in the dust.
Kylie Jenner - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
The youngest of the Kar-Jenner clan, Kylie had a lot of catching up to do because she was the youngest. She started off on the show as an annoying little sister and ended up becoming a billionaire, surpassing all of her siblings. Would she have reached that billionaire status without the show? Definitely not!
Kourtney Kardashian - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Easily the least problematic, Kourtney Kardashian played the "reality star" game for as long as she could before she decided to focus on herself, her family, and her company. She's a pretty private person on social media (for the most part) so fans really got to know what she was like because of the show, and they fell in love with her hilarious, everything-is-boring attitude.
Jamie Chung - Real World: San Diego
Jamie Chung (far left) started her incredibly successful career on 2004's The Real World: San Diego and even competed on its spin-off show Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II. After her reality show stints, she went on to star in The Hangover Part II, Sucker Punch, Grown-Ups, Lovecraft Country, Princess Protection Program, Sorority Row, Once Upon a Time... So many more!
Kelly Clarkson - American Idol
Kelly Clarkson is the first-ever winner of American Idol which is huge! Not only did she win, but she had the talent to continue prospering off of her win. Her career was launched after the show in 2002, and she's only gone up from there. She's had incredible hits like "Breakaway", "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Because of You"... Just to name a few!
Carrie Underwood - American Idol
Carrie Underwood is yet another American Idol success story. She's one of the biggest names in country music and continues to grow her career even years after her time on the TV show. Her top hits "Before He Cheats" and "Jesus Take the Wheel" are still fan favorites.
Jordyn Woods - Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Even though Jordyn Woods has severed ties with the Kardashian-Jenner clan, she probably can't say that she doesn't at least owe the TV show some credit where credit is due. She's launched a shapewear line, starred in music videos and TV shows, and even debuted her fitness business. She's doing just fine without them now!
Paris Hilton - The Simple Life
Half of the time that someone is quoting socialite Paris Hilton from her time on The Simple Life. She was a famous party girl turned reality TV star turned DJ and businesswoman. She recently came clean about her life struggles in a short documentary.
Nicole Richie - The Simple Life
The other half of The Simple Life is Nicole Richie. She's the daughter of Lionel Richie, now-wife of Good Charlotte member Joel Madden, and mother to two children. She and Paris were childhood friends.
Normani - The X Factor
Normani is a popular name now and she owes it all to The X Factor. Like her fellow Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello, Normani auditioned on the show and totally wowed the audience. Now, her solo career is flourishing.
Liam Payne - The X Factor
Just like his co-One Direction member, Liam Payne was originally on The X Factor. Talent scouts must have been stalking these shows to concoct the perfect boyband (which they did). Liam was quickly recognized for his incredible voice and undeniable star power.
Louis Tomlinson - The X Factor
His manager must have made him cut off the emo swoop before he was signed to One Direction because this is not the Louis Tomlinson we know! Just like his bandmates, the young singer was discovered on The X Factor.
Nicole Scherzinger - Pop Stars
Nicole Scherzinger is an original Pussycat Doll, but her career actually started on a show called Pop Stars. Seems like that show worked out pretty well for her since she quite literally became a pop star. Now, she's more often seen guest-starring or hosting reality TV shows. Her career came full circle!
Lauren Conrad - The Hills
Lauren Conrad has been out of the reality show world for years. Now, she's a successful lifestyle brand owner. She'll pop onto daytime talk shows to promote specific products or tips that coincide with her brand! Very different from her wild days on The Hills and Laguna Beach, the sort-of-scripted California beach-based reality shows that just screamed Hollister.
Taryn Manning - Pop Stars
Did you know that Taryn Manning originally wanted to be a singer? She was first featured on the show Pop Stars where she auditioned with a Britney Spears song. Somehow, her career pivoted to acting and she got famous for her role in Netflix's Orange Is the New Black.
Zayn Malik - The X Factor
Young Zayn Malik was discovered on The X Factor and grouped up with his future bandmates to create One Direction. Now that the band as split, Zayn has a flourishing solo career, just like most of his former bandmates.
Hannah Brown - The Bachelor
Hannah Brown started as a contestant in Miss USA 2018 and ended up as Bachelor royalty. At this point, her career is only being on The Bachelor series. In 2019, she was on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and Dancing with the Stars. She then made a guest appearance on, you guessed it, The Bachelor.
Wells Adams - The Bachelor
Wells Adams was another popular face in The Bachelor franchise. He was a contestant on The Bachelorette and returned for three seasons of Bachelor in Paradise. He was lucky to do so because he was able to meet his actual future wife: Modern Family star Sarah Hyland.