10. Before "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," most people probably couldn't say what Kim Kardashian actually did… and really, it's still a little hazy. Her infamy did emerge the new-fashioned way: in a stolen sex tape. Later her trivia emerged: O.J. Simpson's defense lawyer's daughter, Olympic medalist Bruce Jenner's stepdaughter, and "Laguna Beach" denizen Brody Jenner's stepsister. Connections aside, Kim exemplifies true reality TV breeding by making a name with no inheritance or real gig to speak of. Now she's aiming towards respectability: workout DVD (check), blog (check), perfume (coming in 2009), and a(nother) wedding ring… unless boyfriend Reggie Bush decides to go from running back to backpedaler.
9. Paris Hilton was once considered an It Girl… until too much partying, titles like "worst celebrity role model," and a prison sentence dulled her buzz. The heiress still consistently rules in the top 250 searches and ranks second among reality TV female celebrities, but her searches have been sliding to a three-year low. Now Hilton is returning to the roots of her fame… no, not the sex tape that still gives her royalties, but to a reality show. She seeks not love, nor approval (or a job skill, for that matter), but friendship in MTV's "Paris Hilton: My New BFF."
8. At 41, Pamela Anderson is the grand dame among the women of reality TV. Age, as some politicians would have us believe, may mean she's savvier than the average reality star, and to look over the trajectory, (well actually, straight line) of her career path, even critics admire the way she knows how to preserve Brand Anderson. The "Baywatch" alum has confused detractors with her entry animation, self-spoofing camp, and a "Borat" acting turn that actually fooled critics. MTV's own investigation phrased it best: Anderson "might just give the best performance of her career in the film while playing herself." And now Anderson's back… as Anderson.
7. Bring in the sympathy vote. Brooke Hogan was just another kid of a wrestler in a reality TV show, until reality drama became the stuff of country song lyrics. Her brother Nick was jailed for his role in a disastrous car accident, her dad got caught on tape with some insensitive reassurances, and mom's dating someone who was in the grade behind her. Apparently, a Hogan can take a lot of body blows, and she's now started a new round with "Brooke Knows Best" (VH1). Brooke may not know herself best, consider she calls herself straitlaced then performs burlesque routines and entertains Playboy offers. It's not just reality; it's an alternate reality with number four.
6. Tila Tequila is all about irony and determination. The irony is that her namesake comes from an allergy attack during her first elementary school experiment with booze. The determination is her single-minded, moth-like flight towards fame via her Website, men's magazines, music, and her heart. So far tiny Tila has come up empty-handed after two seasons of "A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila," despite her bisexual openness. The equal-opportunity angle was a first for reality TV romance, although the Season 2 winner's rejection at a shot of love ended up making a bitter Tequila. Third time's a charm… or a strike-out.
5. What do you do to bust up two marriages -- one your own, and the other your bestest friend's? You try Public Relations 201 and end up in "Denise Richards: It's Complicated." Complication doesn't even begin to explain the mess that landed her here. So far her public image is still a muck-up, especially with Richards back in custodial court with her ex-husband Charlie Sheen. Some observers call the move a lowdown approach to boost higher ratings. Whatever her tactics, she's kept her online profile pumping to make number six.
4. Kendra Wilkinson may share Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner with two others, but she has the lioness' share of searches. The youngest among three roomies in "The Girls Next Door," Wilkinson has been the friendly neighbor for years. Recently, though, there's been talk about discord in the household, but she finally landed on the rumor-squelching circuit and denied any problems with the live-in arrangements. Reality TV rules are rules, though: The 22-year-old can't date other guys while she's in the Hefner harem, but she says she's fantasizing about marriage and kids. Wait a minute, wouldn't "Real Housewives of Playboy" be a slam-dunk?
3. Heidi Klum could be the most well-adjusted celebrity on reality TV. Hanging in cool and collected at number 7, the supermodel glides effortlessly between hosting gigs ("Project Runway" and the Emmys), producing shows, designing clothing, and being happily married to singer Seal. The mother of three even did a stint on Sesame Street's latest season premiere. Strictly speaking, "Project Runway" falls more under the reality competition umbrella, and not the kind of rip-away-the-flesh kind of celeb-reality. Still, Klum lands on the list for her producer creds behind "Project Runway" and for helping to land the first Emmy for outstanding competitive reality series.
2. Not that there's a contest or anything, but Hugh Hefner galpal Holly Madison is the top lady of the house, namely in "The Girls Next Door." The claws may be showing (see Kendra Wilkinson), she brings in just a third of the newbie roommate's search numbers... that's got to smart. Hey, no one can ever take away her acclaim as one of the top Hooters girls ever and Hef's "love of his life"... for the time being.
1. Nepotism might have gotten Tori Spelling into "Beverly Hills 90210," but playing Donna Martin on the teen soap seared her name forever into pop culture lore. She's set to return to the newest CW iteration, but in between Spelling traveled the reality show circuit thrice with husband Dean McDermott. Their stint as bed & breakfast owners in "Tori & Dean: Inn Love" I and II and now in "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" has taken a cuddly view of their marriage… despite the messy divorce that preceded it. At least the jilted wife got a good story out of it.
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