Did you know White Lotus creator Mike White once competed on The Amazing Race and Survivor? How about Emma Stone getting her start on a VH1 singing competition? Turns out some of Hollywood’s biggest stars dabbled in reality TV before they became household names. So read on for Mike, Emma, and other celebs’s fascinating reality TV pasts:
Before she changed music forever with songs like “Just Dance” and “Bad Romance,” Lady Gaga was popping up in minor roles on TV. She appeared briefly as a background actor on The Sopranos and a contestant on MTV’s prank show Boiling Points in 2005. The show challenged unsuspecting people to put up with increasingly annoying situations. If they didn’t reach their boiling point, they were awarded $100. Unfortunately, terrible restaurant service caused Gaga to reach her limit.
2.
Emma Stone on In Search of the New Partridge Family
It might be hard to imagine, but the two-time Oscar winner got her start in Hollywood by competing on a singing competition series to secure a role in a revival of the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family. Emma won, snagging the role of Laurie Partridge. However, the new sitcom never came to fruition.
3.
Glen Powell on Endurance
Before he was flying fighter jets in Top Gun: Maverick and chasing down tornadoes in Twisters, Glen Powell got his start as an action star as a teen contestant on the Discovery Kids show Endurance in 2003. However, he didn’t last long. Glen was eliminated second in the Survivor-like show. “It’s really pretty hard for me to talk about to be honest with you. I’ve never talked about this publicly ever,” Glen said on The Late Show last year. He later added, “I got kicked off on the first episode.”
If you’ve ever listened to Beyoncé’s song “Flawless,” you know she was on Star Search. A clip from host Ed McMahon introducing her girl group kicks off the track. That group was Girl’s Tyme, a precursor to Destiny’s Child. Girl’s Tyme appeared on Star Search in 1993 but didn’t win. Notably, Girl’s Tyme included Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Roberson, who were also in Destiny’s Child.
5.
Mike White on The Amazing Race and Survivor
Sure, Mike White has been famous for a moment. He wrote and appeared in School of Rock and created the show Enlightened, after all. But he arguably didn’t become a household name until he created the current and mega-popular series The White Lotus. Amid all his Hollywood success, Mike made time to appear on two reality competition shows. He starred in Season 14 of Amazing Race in 2009 and Season 18 in 2011. He then competed on Season 37 of Survivor in 2018.
6.
Jon Hamm on The Big Date
In 1996, Jon Hamm competed on a dating show titled The Big Date. He competed against two other men for a date with a woman contestant. Shockingly, she didn’t pick Jon!
7.
Gabriel Iglesias on Last Comic Standing
Gabriel Iglesias is a stand-up legend, so much so that Billboard reported his 124-show comedy tour grossed more than $42.8 million last year. His success today comes after years of hard work, including competing in Season 4 of Last Comic Standing in 2006. Gabriel finished in 8th.
8.
Amy Schumer on Last Comic Standing
Amy Schumer cut her comedy teeth as a stand-up. This included competing on Last Comic Standing in 2007. She finished in fourth. In 2021, she shared a clip from the show on Instagram and said in the caption, “About 10 years ago I was on a reality show and had to tell my joke to a nun.”
9.
Aaron Paul on Price Is Right
10.
Miranda Lambert on Nashville Star
Miranda Lambert has been a stalwart of the Nashville music scene for two decades. Before she released her hit debut album Kerosene in 2005, the singer competed on Season 1 of Nashville Star. She finished in third place.
11.
Finally, Kacey Musgraves on Nashville Star
It might seem unfathomable in retrospect, but Kacey Musgraves came in seventh place on Season 5 of Nashville Star in 2007. It certainly didn’t hurt her career. She’s since released six studio albums and won eight Grammys, including Album of the Year in 2019 for Golden Hour.
Which of these celebs’s reality TV moments surprised you the most? Are there any other major examples you’d add to this list? Let us know in the comments below!