These A-List Stars Got Their Start On Reality TV

Summary

• Many major celebrities actually began their careers in reality TV, like Miranda Lambert starting on Nashville Star.
• The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills introduced Bella and Gigi Hadid before they became successful models.
• Cardi B's unique personality on Love & Hip Hop: New York captivated viewers before she became a music sensation.

When someone famous fades away, there often is a lot of interest in what happened to them. For example, there was interest in Elin Nordegren's awkward reunion with Tiger Woods, what was going on with Abby and Brittany Hensel, and where Terry Fator went after winning America's Got Talent. In fact, there also is interest in what happened to each Masked Singer winner and the most famous CBS reality stars.

While all that certainly is interesting, it can be even more fascinating to look at how famous people rose to fame. With that in mind, it is amazing to realize that many major celebrities actually got their start in reality TV.

11 How Did Miranda Lambert First Rise To Fame?

Got Their Start On Nashville Star

When did she get her reality show start?

An extremely talented vocalist, Miranda Lambert has become one of the most successful country singers of her generation. However, like virtually every musician who became famous, Miranda once was an unknown artist looking for her big break. Then, Miranda earned the opportunity to compete in the first season of the singing reality competition show, Nashville Star. Ultimately, Miranda went on to take 3rd place in the competition, while Buddy Jewell was declared the winner.

10 How Did Bella Hadid & Gigi Hadid First Rise To Fame?

Got Their Start On The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills

When did they get their reality show start?

In 2012, Yolanda Hadid joined the cast of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. Yolanda's two daughters, Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid, would also make appearances on the show. Thanks to their mother's role, Bella and Gigi were introduced to Real Housewives fans before they both became highly successful and famous models.

9 How Did Cardi B First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On Love & Hip Hop: New York

When did she get her reality show start?

VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York was a reality show that chronicled the personal lives of many people in the music world. Between 2015 and 2017, Cardi B was one of those people, since she was a part of the show's main cast. Cardi B's unique personality was one of the things that many Love & Hip Hop: New York viewers liked most about the show.

8 How Did Maddie Ziegler First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On Dance Moms

When did she get her reality show start?

In October 2022, J-14 published an article about celebrities that fans may not realize first rose to fame on a reality TV show. That article included Maddie Ziegler because she starred in Dance Moms for years before she became an actor. The article also brought up Maddie's sister, Mackenzie, because she also got her start as one of Dance Moms' stars.

7 How Did Emma Stone First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On In Search of the Partridge Family

When did she get her reality show start?

These days, people complain that it seems like every movie is a continuation of a past franchise. The fact that Emma Stone starred in the pilot for a show called The New Partridge Family proves that is nothing new. Before Emma landed that role, she competed for the role of Laurie Partridge on the reality show In Search of the Partridge Family, as Screen Rant reported.

6 How Did Karamo Brown First Rise To Fame?

Got His Start On The Real World: Philadelphia

When did he get his reality show start?

In May 2023, Cosmopolitan published an article about celebrities that fans don't realize got their start on a reality show. Considering that Karamo Brown is famous for being a reality show star, many people may be perplexed that he was included as a part of that list. However, that thing that many fans don't realize is Karamo starred in The Real World: Philadelphia more than a decade before he joined the cast of Queer Eye.

5 How Did Kesha First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On The Simple Life

When did she get her reality show start?

According to Screen Rant's aforementioned article, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie stayed in the home of a single mother named Pebe Sebert during an episode of The Simple Life. As the episode progressed, Nicole and Paris tried to get Pebe a date with the help of one of her daughters. Years later, Pebe's daughter would rise to pop music success under the name Kesha.

4 How Did Lucy Hale First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On American Juniors

When did she get her reality show start?

As an actor, Lucy Hale is famous for the show Pretty Little Liars and movies like Scream 4, Truth or Dare, and Fantasy Island. Given that she is known for horror and suspense, it will likely shock many of her fans that Lucy is a talented singer too. As Cosmopolitan's aforementioned article revealed, Lucy competed in the American Idol spin-off show American Juniors. Lucy was one of 5 singers who won and were turned into a pop group that didn't last long.

3 How Did Melissa Villaseñor First Rise To Fame?

Got Their Start On America's Got Talent

When did she get her reality show start?

Before Melissa Villaseñor starred on Saturday Night Live for several years, she showed off her skills on America's Got Talent, according to a Buzzfeed article. On the show, Melissa performed a series of celebrity impersonations on the show's stage. After entertaining the judges and fans, Melissa managed to become a semi-finalist before she was eliminated.

2 How Did Jamie Chung First Rise To Fame?

Got Her Start On The Real World: San Diego

When did she get her reality show start?

A highly successful actor, Jamie Chung has starred in movies like Big Hero 6 and shows like The Gifted. However, as Cosmopolitan's article reveals, Jamie starred in The Real World: San Diego before any of those roles. Jamie then went on to also star in the spin-off series Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II.