The Story Behind Megan Wants a Millionaire: The Second Coming of a Dating Show Killer
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VOICE OVER: Emily Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Joe Shetina
"Megan Wants a Millionaire" was killer TV (litterally). Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're delving into the crime that rocked the VH1 reality world. Our video includes the suave bachelor, a grisly discovery, the shocking reality, and more!
The Story Behind Megan Wants a Millionaire: The Second Coming of a Dating Show Killer
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re delving into the crime that rocked the VH1 reality world.
Reality TV & Safety
With the rise of reality television, background checks and the vetting of contestants’ personal lives has not only become easier, it’s nothing short of a necessity. Every now and then, though, someone slips through the cracks, like “The Dating Game’s” Rodney Alcala. “Megan Wants a Millionaire” contestant Ryan Jenkins was another such example. His horrendous act of violence culminated in a crime that ended two lives and stopped a lucrative, ever-expanding reality show phenomenon in its tracks. It also served as a lesson to producers to double-down on background checks, ensuring the safety of all involved on a production.
The Celebreality Phenomenon
By 2009, VH1 had followed sister network MTV’s lead and successfully pivoted from music channel to unscripted juggernaut. Its controversial “Celebreality” lineup, cemented by shows like “The Surreal Life,” reignited several celebrities’ careers and created stars of its own. The unforgettable Tiffany “New York” Pollard received her own dating show when Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav broke her heart on “Flavor of Love.” “I Love New York” proved the network could poach its own growing stable of participants and turn them into bonafide reality stars. With “Megan Wants a Millionaire,” VH1 was hoping to continue that success.
Megan Finds a Millionaire
Giving the unapologetic Megan Hauserman her own franchise was a no-brainer. Her runs on “Rock of Love” and other spin-offs generated enough drama to sustain the entire network. “Megan Wants a Millionaire” would follow her quest to find the perfect man. As the title suggests, one particular criterion includes a potential partner having the funds to make her a trophy wife. Production took place in early 2009, with 17 men vying for Hauserman’s heart. Of the potential suitors, Hauserman found a clear favorite. Canadian Ryan Jenkins was confident, charming, handsome, and their chemistry was off the charts, but producers cautioned Hauserman against choosing Jenkins in the end. Apparently, he was not what he appeared to be. No one had any idea just how right they were.
What the Background Check Missed
Ryan Jenkins was born to a life of privilege in Canada, where he attended private school, and then entered into a lucrative career in real estate. While his friends, family, and even an ex-girlfriend would eventually paint a glowing portrait of him, his record had one glaring red flag that should have disqualified him from the limelight. In 2005, he was convicted for an assault on another ex-girlfriend. Jenkins was put on probation and ordered to seek treatment for anger issues as a result. However, Jenkins’ conviction was somehow overlooked by the company conducting background checks for “Megan Wants a Millionaire.”
The Suave Bachelor
In the show’s series premiere, one of only three episodes that made it to air, Ryan Jenkins is identified as “The Smooth Operator.” He portrays himself as a cheeky but genuine guy, winning Hauserman over by promising not to make her sign a prenuptial agreement. Even though she suspected his reported net worth of $2.5 million was a lie, Hauserman admitted she wanted him to win the season. For the sake of the storyline, she followed producer advice to eliminate him ahead of the finals, but planned to make amends once the show aired. She even thought she might reconnect with him once the cameras were down.
Enter: Jasmine Fiore
After losing the show, Jenkins apparently bounced back fast. Mere weeks after Hauserman eliminated him, he met and married model Jasmine Fiore in a quick Las Vegas wedding. And we do mean quick; the two were married just two days after first meeting each other. Still, Jenkins told Hauserman on a phone call that in his new bride, he had found his true soulmate. Behind the scenes, though, the trouble began almost immediately. Jenkins’ jealousy was a constant problem in their brief marriage. According to Fiore’s friends and exes, Jenkins was challenged by his new wife’s previous relationships with men. One of the couple’s fights saw Jenkins charged with domestic violence in June of 2009, but it was insisted in at least one social media post that their life together was happy.
It All Falls Apart
In June 2009, “Megan Wants a Millionaire” had yet to air, and the ink was barely dry on the marriage license when Ryan Jenkins signed onto season 3 of “I Love Money.” Featuring several “Celebreality” contestants vying for $250,000, Jenkins joined the show in order to fund a life of luxury for his new wife. But his jealousy and paranoia plagued him for the entire two-month shoot in Mexico. A former executive producer on the show recalled that Jenkins hounded Fiore by phone the whole time, accusing her of cheating on him. Unfortunately, his suspicions ended up being true. Jenkins did end up winning “I Love Money’s” grand prize, but the season would never air.
A Grisly Discovery
Once Jenkins returned from filming “I Love Money,” it became clear that Fiore had reconnected with an ex-boyfriend, and some friends suggested she was preparing to leave her husband. Jenkins and Fiore were last spotted together at a nightclub on August 14, 2009. Early the following morning, Jenkins returned to their hotel alone. That evening, he reported Fiore missing, possibly unaware that her remains had already been discovered. It took authorities three days to identify her. By then, Jenkins was already plotting to make his escape to Canada.
The Manhunt
Although Jenkins’ loved ones insisted he had nothing to do with the crime, the evidence told a different story. When Jenkins was formally charged with first-degree murder on August 20, he had already fled north. Evading border patrol agents and an international manhunt, Ryan Jenkins eventually made it to Hope, British Columbia. There, he was assisted by his half-sister, who paid for his three-night stay at the Thunderbird Motel. On August 23, when no one from the room checked out, Jenkins was discovered to have taken his own life.
The Shocking Reality
The tragic circumstances surrounding Jasmine Fiore’s death had a lasting impact not just on those who knew her, but on the kinds of shows that made her murderer famous. VH1 canceled “Megan Wants a Millionaire” after three episodes had aired, and shelved season three of “I Love Money,” which had been scheduled to hit TV screens in January of 2010. The network then went even further. They canceled many of their “Celebreality” shows, even those that had already been given the green light. Reflecting on the situation years later, Megan Hauserman says that it effectively ended her career in the spotlight. But the bigger headline has to be just how close she came to falling in love with a murderer.
Did you watch “Megan Wants a Millionaire” as it aired? Let us know down in the comments.
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