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Girls Aloud have golden touch in reality TV rich list
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Most of the contestants, housemates and candidates who grace our “reality” shows fall out of sight – and mind – soon after the credits have rolled. However, as a new reality TV rich list reveals, a few of them do hang around and fill their pockets.
Not surprisingly, enduring 10-legged pop machine Girls Aloud head the list. Since winning Popstars: The Rivals back in 2002, they’ve accumulated a whopping £25m between them. Top 10 albums, sell-out shows, a band autobiography, adverts for KitKat – they’ve done the lot. On top of that, Queen of Everything Cheryl Cole has stuffed a further £1.5m down her wet-look leggings for her X Factor work.
Trailing in second place, with a still-not-to-be-sniffed-at £12.5m, is Pop Idol winner Will Young, who has released four successful albums since his shock final win over hot favourite Gareth Gates. Will came in just ahead of £10m warbler Leona Lewis, who has cracked the US market since winning The X Factor in 2006.
The late Jade Goody is the highest placed Big Brother housemate. Between bursting onto the show in 2002 and her untimely death earlier this year she made £8m from various TV series, three autobiographies and a perfume. Other BBsters on the list include Craig Phillips (No.8, £5m), Brian Dowling (No.12, £2.5m) and Chantelle Houghton (No.18, £1m).
Meanwhile, quite a few refugees from docu-soaps have also turned up. Singer Jayne McDonald, who belted her way to stardom on The Cruise, makes 10th place with £3.5m, while genial posh boy Ben Fogle, who first appeared on the BBC’s Castaway in 2000, has made £2m from his later TV work. Even camp Airport gnome Jeremy Spake checks in, with his £800,000 earnings propelling him to 22nd on the list.
The research was conducted exclusively for Current TV, to coincide with their season Desperately Seeking Fame, which kicks off on Friday 29 May at 10pm.
by Tom Murphy, Friday 29 May 2009
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