TV

Arizona's best and worst reality TV stars, from Emma Stone to Amy's Baking Company

KiMi Robinson and Randy Cordova

A stint on a reality television show has launched careers for a number of Arizonans, but it has also caused several of them to be labeled as public enemy No. 1. 

Just look to Grammy-nominated Glendale native Jordin Sparks from "American Idol," who has gone on to release four albums, and Emma Stone from "In Search of the Partridge Family," who is now an Oscar-winning actress.

Then there are those who gained notoriety after their appearances on national television.

Courtney Robertson Preciado, pegged as a villain during her appearance on Season 16 of "The Bachelor," published a book about her experience, "I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain."

And after chef Gordon Ramsey walked out on Amy and Samy Bouzaglo of Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale during their episode of "Kitchen Nightmares," they had a rocky few years in business before closing their restaurant for good.

Here are reality TV contestants from Arizona who either found success or went back to obscurity over the years.

BEST AND WORST OF 2020 TV:From bonding with Gwen Stefani to 'thinning the herd': AZ reality stars' memorable moments

Mackenzie Dipman, 'Love Island' (2020)

Mackenzie Dipman, an ASU graduate living in Scottsdale, was one of the original "Love Island" Season 2 cast members. Though she didn't make it to the final episode, she did get the man.

Demar Jackson, 'The Bachelorette' (2020)

Demar Jackson of Scottsdale was cast to date "Bachelorette" Season 16 lead Clare Crawley, who left the show mid-filming with fiancé Dale Moss. Jackson went on to explore his romantic connection with the second lead, Tayshia Adams, who ultimately sent him home.

Shannon Akins, 25, of Tempe, as seen on "Worst Cooks In America," Season 18.

Shannon Akins, 'Worst Cooks in America' (2020)

Shannon Akins, a hairstylist and former “kitchen disaster” living in Tempe, ended up becoming the most improved chef on Season 18 of "Worst Cooks in America" and won the grand prize.

More:Meet the Arizonans on ‘Worst Cooks in America’: 'Definitely going to embarrass myself'

Wade Coda, 'American Idol' (2019)

Coda, of Phoenix, finished fourth in the 2019 season of "American Idol," winning new fans along the way — including Katy Perry, an "Idol" judge who told him, "You've got one of the most unique voices I've ever heard in my life."

Elyse Dehlbom, 'The Bachelor' (2019)

After pouring out her heart on national television by sharing her family's trauma, the  Scottsdale makeup artist left of her own accord during the 2019 season of "The Bachelor," which starred Colton Underwood.

Devin Gooden, 'The Bachelor' (2019)

Gooden also competed in the 2019 season. She graduated from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a master's degree in sports journalism and worked as a weekend anchor and multimedia journalist at KOBI-TV in Medford, Oregon.

Joanna Gick, 'Making It' (2018)

Chandler interior designer Joanna Gick received "Parks and Recreation" stars Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler's mentorship in Season 1 of crafting competition show "Making It." 

Evie Clair brought audience members to tears with her performance of "Arms" on "America's Got Talent."

Evie Clair: 'America's Got Talent' (2017)

Thirteen-year-old Evie Clair from Florence cracked Season 12's Top 10 and performed her original song, "Okay Day," with James Arthur.

More:Evie Clair on life after 'America's Got Talent' and what she'd tell new contenders

Blaine Long, 'The Voice' (2016)

Chandler singer-songwriter Blaine Long made quite a name for himself on "The Voice." And that should come as no surprise to anyone who's heard him sing. His warm, soulful voice is exactly the sort of instrument that tends to make those singing coaches spin their chairs around in blind auditions and start lobbying to get that singer on their team. He was eliminated from the show.

Blaine Long will compete on "The Voice" on Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

Kim Taylor, 'The Great Christmas Light Fight' (2016)

Phoenix resident Kim Taylor, whose Ahwatukee Foothills-area home is festooned every winter with thousands of lights and wooden cutouts, was featured on the program on Dec. 5, but didn't win.

More:Famous Ahwatukee Christmas lights display enters final season

Stephen Christian, 'The World's Greatest Tribute Bands' (2016)

Mesa singer Stephen Christian is a Sammy Hagar impersonator who leads the tribute act Fan Halen, which got a taste of the national spotlight in an episode of this AXS TV show. 

Nolan Hyland, 'Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge' (2016)

The Gilbert personal trainer (and a sometime-MMA fighter) took up Austin's challenge on the CMT show.  

Thomas Muglia, 'American Idol' (2016)

The Gilbert teen from Mesquite High School had a brief run on the final season of "American Idol." 

Jaimie Otterson, 'Toddlers and Tiaras' (2016)

The drama of child beauty pageants came to the Valley as a reboot of the program that gave us Honey Boo Boo now focused on a Gilbert woman who coaches a group of young pageant hopefuls dubbed the Sassy Supremes

Ivonne Acero, 'The Voice' (2015)

A 17-year-old from the tiny town of Aguila in western Maricopa County belted her way onto Pharrell Williams' team.  

Lucy Angel, 'Discovering Lucy Angel' (2015)

This one-season show featured Lucy Angel, a family singing group consisting of mom Kate and daughters Lindsay and Emily trying to break into country music. The family lived in Mesa for 15 years before heading to Nashville.

Christine Brecht, from Tucson, was a contestant on Season 16 of "Big Brother" in 2014, placing sixth.

Christine Brecht, 'Big Brother' (2014)

Brecht, of Tucson, lasted 77 days on the CBS reality show before she was evicted. 

Courtney Robertson, 'The Bachelor' (2014)

The rare Arizona contestant to last very long on "The Bachelor," Robertson, a model from Scottsdale, actually got a proposal from Ben Flajnik. But their relationship lasted only a year.

Frank Dimitri, 'America's Got Talent' (2014)

A retired bartender from Black Canyon City, Dimitri charmed audiences when he crooned "I've Got the World On a String." Judge Howard Stern raved, "Sinatra, Tony Bennett have nothing on you," but the 74-year-old singer was cut following his second appearance.

Jaclyn McCaffrey, 'Naked and Afraid' (2014)

The Discovery Channel series (sort of a naked "Survivor") had a Mesa Community College alum experiencing the conditions found in the title.  

Sara Murphy, 'Extreme Weight Loss' (2014)

The first little person to be featured on the program, Murphy went from 245 to 109 pounds during her episode, which was filmed over a yearlong period. During the episode, she completed a marathon with host Chris Powell.

John 'JJ' O'Malley, 'The Biggest Loser' (2014)

The Scottsdale bouncer and former ASU football player dropped 100 pounds on the NBC hit. 

An appearance on Gordon Ramsay's "Let's-make-your-restaurant-better" show badly backfired when the Internet became enraged by the antics of the pair, who own Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale. The restaurant became something of a tourist attraction after the episode, and even prompted a follow-up episode in 2014.

Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, 'Kitchen Nightmares' (2013)

An appearance on Gordon Ramsay's "Let's-make-your-restaurant-better" show badly backfired when the Internet became enraged by the antics of the pair, who owned Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale. The restaurant became something of a tourist attraction after the episode, and even prompted a follow-up episode in 2014. The restaurant closed for good in 2015.

More:Amy's Baking Company: Where are Amy and Samy now?

Destinee Quinn, 'The Voice' (2013)

Surprise resident Quinn was on Christina Aguilera's team, but Xtina's coaching wasn't enough to get past the first month on "The Voice."

Averey Tressler, 'The Real World' (2013)

A waitress from the former Mill Avenue Hooters in Tempe, Tressler received even more exposure as one of the housemates on the MTV show, which was shot in Portland, Oregon.

Arie Luyendyk Jr., 'The Bachelorette' (2012)

A dashing race car driver, Luyendyk came this close to getting the final rose from Emily Maynard, but lost to Jef Holm. Luyendyk threw his hat in the ring to be "The Bachelor" in 2015, but the bid was unsuccessful. He eventually was cast as the lead of Season 22 in 2017 and is now married to contestant Lauren Burnham. They live in Phoenix with their young daughter and are expecting twins.

More:Arie and Lauren from 'The Bachelor' are expecting twins. Here's why mom is 'nervous'

John Rhode, 'The Biggest Loser' (2011)

The Mesa special-ed teacher dropped 220 pounds during the three-month competition, winning the show's 12th season.

Drew Ryniewicz, 'The X Factor' (2011)

The Chino Valley teen got off to a promising start on Simon Cowell's program but lost steam as the season progressed, finishing in sixth place. Her audition song: Justin Bieber's "Baby." Bieber later tweeted a message of encouragement after she was booted from the series.

Terey Summers, 'Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star' (2011)

The Goodyear actress competed on a program searching for a new personality to host a show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Summers came close, finishing third during the show's lone season.

Todd and Laura Bruce, 'Downsized' (2010-2011)

The show followed Todd and Laura Bruce from Anthem and their seven children as they tried to work their way out from under their financial problems. WEtv pulled the plug after two seasons.

Lauren Froderman, 'So You Think You Can Dance' (2010)

A Greenway High School grad, Froderman was named America's Favorite Dancer when she won the program in 2010.

South Mountain Community College instructor appeared in a Discovery Channel show in which "colonists" attempted to survive in a post-apocalyptic society for two months.

Sian Proctor, 'The Colony' (2010)

The holder of a Ph.D. in science education appeared in a Discovery Channel show in which "colonists" attempted to survive in a post-apocalyptic society for two months. According to her website, she's the Open Educational Resource Coordinator for the Maricopa Community College District.

Stacey Anderson, 'The Cougar' (2009)

Anderson, a Scottsdale real estate agent and member of the Chaparral High School class of '86, was the titular cougar in this TVLand series. The premise: She had her pick from a group of 20 men, all in their 20s. Anderson's oldest child was 23 at the time, which lent a certain ick factor to the proceedings. Vivica A. Fox hosted the show, which lasted one season.

Scott MacIntyre, 'American Idol' (2009)

The Scottsdale resident finished eighth during his season on the show. He turned author with the 2012 memoir "By Faith, Not By Sight," which talked about his music career and growing up blind.

Scott MacIntyre, seen in 2012, competed on "American Idol" in 2009.

Joel Anderson, 'Survivor' (2008)

The hulking Avondale firefighter had a fondness for tattoos and straw hats. He lasted five episodes before his torch was extinguished.

Jessica Kinni, 'Rock of Love With Bret Michaels' (2008)

The Phoenix woman battled for the affection of the peroxided Poison singer. Kinni, a model who worked in VIP services for Valley nightclubs, finished in fourth place.

Ali Vincent, 'The Biggest Loser' (2008)

The Mesa hairstylist lost 112 pounds and became the first woman to win the show. She emerged as a successful author and motivational speaker, but eventually faded from public view. In 2016, she re-emerged and said she gained back all the weight she lost during the series. 

In 2008, Brooke White visited Milano Music Center in Mesa to meet fans and sign autographs.

Brooke White, 'American Idol' (2008)

The Phoenix-born, Mesa-raised singer was a memorable "Idol" contestant thanks to her vulnerable, sensitive style. She finished fifth on the show. She had a daughter in 2012 and a son in 2016.

Max Crumm, 'Grease: You're the One That I Want' (2007)

An alum of Valley Youth Theatre, Crumm won the show and a role as Danny Zuko on Broadway. In 2014, he starred in "The Fantasticks" in New York.

Brad Miller, 'Hell's Kitchen' (2007)

The hunky Scottsdale chef stirred Gordon Ramsay's pot, lasting for six episodes of the competition.

Joe Don 'J.D.' Morton, 'Pirate Master' (2007)

A $1 million booty in prize money was the lure for the Scottsdale native to appear on the CBS reality show that lasted one season. Morton was cut adrift, as was the program; ratings were so low that CBS finished out the season as a Web-only show.

Jordin Sparks, American Idol (2007)

The Glendale teen captured the nation's heart and the American Idol crown. Her recording career cooled considerably, but she has moved into acting with the lead role in "Sparkle" (2012) and a role on Broadway with "In the Heights."

More:Jordin Sparks talks making a Christmas album and seeing the holiday through her son's eyes 

The glamorous image of Yuridia (seen in 2011) is a long way from the girl-next-door persona she projected on "La Academia."

Yuridia, 'La Academia' (2005)

Mesa teen Yuridia Gaxiola competed on the Mexican singing competition. She came in second but became the show's most successful alum, recording six platinum-selling albums, billed simply as Yuridia. In 2012, she headlined at Comerica Theatre. She now lives outside Mexico City, but she still says Mesa is is her hometown.

Lauren Gottlieb, 'So You Think You Can Dance' (2005)

The Scottsdale native made it to the Top 6 during the show's third season. In 2013, she starred in a Bollywood film, "ABCD: Any Body Can Dance."

Before she was a Hollywood A-lister, Emma Stone was billed as Emily Stone" and competed on "In Search of the Partridge Family."  She was also named Best Local Reality-TV Star by The Arizona Republic, showing great foresight.

Emma Stone, 'In Search of the Partridge Family' (2004)

Billed as Emily Stone, the Scottsdale teen (and another Valley Youth Theatre alum) won the role of Laurie Partridge in this VH1 reality series that featured performers competing for roles in a revival of the '70s sitcom. Stone admitted she had never watched the show prior to the competition. The winners filmed a pilot for a rebooted "The Partridge Family," but the sitcom never made it past the pilot stage.

More:How Emma Stone is giving back to the downtown Phoenix theater where she got her start

Tammy Leitner, 'Survivor' (2002)

An East Valley Tribune reporter, Leitner was the 10th contestant voted off on the show's fourth season (filmed in the Marquesas Islands, for those who keep track). She later joined Channel 5 (KPHO) as an on-air reporter; she currently works for NBC News. 

Rachel Campos, 'The Real World' (1994)

The Tempe woman was a conservative Republican with a cat named George Bush. She was a regular on the third season of MTV's groundbreaking hit.

Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova.