Top 10 Celebrity Has-Beens Who Desperately Cling to Fame

Once a popular front man and bona fide rock star in his Poison days, Bret Michaels has seen his share of success – big world tours, MTV hits, and worldwide sales of almost 50 million albums. However, just as every rose has its thorn, every career tends to decline and for our poor washed up Bret Michaels that means a collaboration with Miley Cyrus. In August 2010, he resorted to appearing on “America’s Got Talent,” and has since remained on reality TV, winning “Celebrity Apprentice 3” and starring in his own show “Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It.” What is it with rockers and reality shows?

From sitcom superstar to reality show heavyweight, Kirstie Alley has seen better days. Alley was once an acclaimed television actress and winner of Emmys and Golden Globes for her role as Rebecca Howe on the classic sitcom “Cheers.” Nowadays, you’ll see her on reality TV, like “Dancing with the Stars,” where she became a fan favorite. She then starred in her own show “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life” which chronicled her issues with weight. Today she can be seen on “Time Crashers,” another reality show in which contestants live as though in another time period, which, sadly for her is not the 1980s.

And here we see an even worse descent: reality stars becoming desperate. Montag and Pratt rose to prominence starring in the MTV show “The Hills,” a series that was basically about grown adults acting like hormonal high school teenagers. After it ended, Montag dabbled in music, releasing an album appropriately called “Superficial,” but it proved to be a massive failure. The couple recently placed second on “Celebrity Big Brother,” and Montag became infamous for having ten plastic surgeries in one day. There’s really not much further to fall.

Tori Spelling is known for one thing and one thing only: “Beverly Hills, 90210.” In the popular teen series, she starred as Donna Martin, a student with a learning disability who struggled throughout school. After the show ended, she appeared in countless made-for-TV movies and independent films, which is industry speak for “dropped off the face of the Earth.” After writing an autobiography, she briefly reprised her role on the spinoff “90210,” had a stint on “Big Brother,” and even hosted her own renovation show on HGTV.

Hulk Hogan was a pop culture phenomenon, appearing on lunchboxes throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. A professional wrestler, Hogan transcended his chosen sport and became the All-American Hero. After some failed business ventures in the ‘90s, Hogan has since tried his hand at mobile video games, and acting in movies such as “Gnomeo & Juliet” or his tour de force turn in “Suburban Commando”. Hogan also reappeared on our radar thanks to reality television, and even an attempt at a music career. But after all that failed, he returned to wrestling in 2014 at the age of 61, only to be fired the next year following accusations of racism.

If you’re unfamiliar, Amber Rose is one of those people that’s famous for no reason. From 2008 to 2010, she dated Kanye West, kickstarting her career in the limelight. After their split, she slipped down a couple rungs and appeared as a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Master of the Mix,” neither of which set the world on fire. She also appeared in a Smirnoff ad, so she’s got that going for her. Naturally Rose dabbled briefly with music, and released her book “How to Be a Bad Bitch” – a top pick in one-star reads.

Usually people loveeeeee tequila. Tila was a huge star and friends with Tom on MySpace, which somehow translated into her being offered her own show on MTV. Said show, “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” aired for two seasons and saw her dating chicks and dudes alike. Following the finale, she released a few singles and EPs and wrote a book, neither of which made much of an impact. Tila then moved on to a stint on “Celebrity Big Brother” which lasted all of one whole day. Still, at least we have more music to look forward to, a song called “Drunk Dialing!” We can’t wait.

Just like the Backstreet Boys, Aaron’s music career skyrocketed, petered out, and crashed. The Justin Bieber of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Carter was a huge success in the teen pop and hip hop genres, establishing a strong teenage fanbase. After his music career started tapering off, he appeared in a reality show called “House of Carters,” starred in an Off-Broadway play, and earned his D-list stripes on “Dancing with the Stars.” He’s since stated that he is getting back into music, but it’s up for debate if there’s anyone left that cares at this point.

As he was raised in Dallas, you wouldn’t think Vanilla Ice was a likely candidate to become a famous rapper, yet his album “To the Extreme” became the fastest selling rap album in history in the early ‘90s, led by the wild success of “Ice Ice Baby.” After disputes with his record label, Ice released a few subsequent singles and albums, but none saw success. He has since dabbled in reality TV, hosting “The Vanilla Ice Project” on the DIY Network and starring in a show where he tries out the Amish lifestyle. Now that’s what we call taking your career to the extreme.


Before we crash with our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Corey Feldman
- Kate Gosselin
- Virgil
- Janice Dickinson
- Jenny McCarthy

Abraham rose to fame – if you can call it that – through her stay on “16 and Pregnant.” So pregnant and so 16 was she that it led to a starring role on “Teen Mom” where she was notably both a mother, and a teen. When her stint on reality TV wrapped, she released some music no one listened to, a memoir no one read, and a sex tape called “Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom” which – we’re told – lacks both plot and character development. After landing a spot on “Couples Therapy” – despite not actually being part of a couple – Farrah went ahead with yet another sex tape, suggesting that perhaps she’s found her calling after all.

Do you agree with our list? What has-been do you think is still trying to stay famous? For more relevant top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.