With reports this week that disgruntled JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater has been offered his own Reality TV show helping others quit their job, proves how easy it is to become a Reality TV star and make lots of money.

Super Sized Families
Kate Gosselin earns $250,000 per episode of Kate Plus 8. She received $500,000 for her stint on ‘Dancing With The Stars’. Then there are the 3 published books, public appearances and product endorsements. Kate Gosselin sees her future in television as the only way to support her super sized family. Despite being a single mom, raising 8 children on her own, working really hard to support her children as well as her ex Jon Gosselin, she looks absolutely fantastic!

The Duggar family – ‘19 Kids and Counting’ started out as ’17 Children and Counting’ on the TLC network. This Christian family continues to grow and pretty soon someone is going to lose count! According to sources, The Duggar’s make approximately $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. Although, they also make money from their commercial investments. They have published several books. Most of their home was paid for by the Discovery Channel with major sponsors donating materials for the home, plus furniture and appliances.

Jersey Shore’s Situation

The cast of Jersey Shore have the perfect situation. Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, who is one of the most popular Reality TV stars in Jersey Shore, gets $60,000 per episode. His appearance fees range from $15,000 to $50,000.  He also has endorsement deals and an impressive range of his own products, which is expected to earn The Situation $5 million this year. His co-star, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi earns $30,000 per episode which is a pay packet most of us would envy .

As you can see choosing to be a Reality TV star as a career path can be very rewarding. The important factor to remember is to plan for a future beyond Reality TV with products, endorsements, books, appearances to make the most out of the fame a Reality TV show creates, and to make enough money to never have to work again.

The buzz on the internet surrounds Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain and Steve Tyler being the top contenders. Rumors are that Jennifer Lopez has run herself out the race with her “diva” demands. According to insider sources J-Lo’s demands, “got out of hand”. Nigel Lythgoe, who’s returning to Idol as an executive producer defends Jennifer Lopez. “Everyone knows she’s a good actress but (sic) I’ve never seen her act as a diva,” Nigel said. Nigel said he would be happy to see Paula Abdul back. This is the perfect opportunity to bring in new people not go back to the past to bring back Paula.

Everyone wants to know who will be the next American Idol… judges. I can see it now. Ryan Seacrest standing on the stage with the final Top 10 American Idol judges – suspense is high. Who will be crowned the next American Idol Judges?

Here is an alternative Top 10 American Idol Judge List:

Julie Andrews

Everyone remembers the wonderful classics of “The Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins”. Julie Andrews’ solid experience in the music industry and in Hollywood would knock every other contender out of the park. Andrews would bring a sense of class to American Idol and understands what it takes to make it in the entertainment industry.

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne single-handedly took Ozzy from Heavy Metal icon to mainstream celebrity. She also has been credited with resurrecting his music career. Sharon Osbourne also has plenty of experience as a judge in UK’s X Factor and America’s Got Talent.

Kathy Griffin

Kathy’s “no holds bar attitude” makes her a perfect candidate for an American Idol judging spot. Her ability to polarize people as well as making them laugh might just be the ingredient American Idol needs to boost ratings. Having Kathy Griffin as a judge would be the only reason to bring back Paula Abdul. But would this compromise her life on the “D” list?

Taylor Swift

Swift is a gifted musician who would relate well to all of the young Idol’s. Would Swift have enough experience to be able to hold her own as an American Idol judge? Her grace under fire when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech at the MTV Music Awards, is a testament to her maturity.

Billy Joel

With such an accomplished career Billy Joel is musical royalty. The Piano Man has seen the ups and downs of the music industry and is still relevant today as he ever was. He would fit perfectly into the Idol judge role.

Lady Ga Ga

Lady Gaga has affirmed her place within popular culture with her unique style in fashion and music. The current “It” girl in the music industry would definitely be a great choice as an Idol judge. Lady Gaga would bring a theatrical element to the show that’s currently missing. Importantly Lady Gaga commands respect with the youth of today.

Whitney Housten

Whitney has struggled with reviving her singing career, so an opportunity to judge on American Idol would put her back in the spotlight and give her a chance to shine again. Whitney Housten was a powerhouse singer of the 80’s and as a singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, film producer and model, she has all the credentials needed to be a great American Idol judge.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber has to be the hottest guy on the planet right now! It would be a coup to get Bieber on the judging panel – ratings would go through the roof. Twitter had to change the algorithm just to stop Justin Bieber from being a non-stop Twitter trend. Bieber Fever has taken over the planet! Will Bieber’s army of die hard fans get the same idea and start a social media push to get Justin Bieber on American Idol?

Mariah Carey

Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey’s husband, says he doesn’t know if Mariah has enough time to judge on Idol but if they could work with her schedule she would love to do it. Putting your hand up to say you would be happy to do the job without sounding too desperate is the best strategy. According to sources on the web Mariah is already in talks to be the next Simon Cowell. Mariah Carey, a self-confessed diva, might have a few diva demands of her own. Will she let that get in her way of her dream job?

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is the most successful recording artist of all time recording 63 albums. Her career has spanned half a century with singing, acting and directing under her belt. Streisand would be the perfect replacement for Simon. She expresses her opinion without any fear or favor.

Its time that the TV executives gave the judging panel a huge makeover and looked at different options for season 10. This Top 10 American Idol judges list has fresh ideas to breathe new life into the show. Who would you choose?

Really? Are you serious? Really??

Anyone who knows Ellen, or  seen The Ellen Degeneres Show, or seen her stand-up shows, or read any of her books wouldn’t be shocked at all. You would have seen it coming…

Idol News

Jordin Sparks, who won season 6 of Idol, was shocked at Ellen’s departure. Sparks felt Ellen had “caught her groove” during the last season of Idol. Watching Ellen progress from the start of the season to the very end, you could see Ellen relax and be herself, however those with a keen eye could see that although Ellen did seem to get into a groove.  It was a groove that Ellen knows too well – the use of comedy.

Ellen’s use of comedy seemed to increase as the last season of American Idol progressed, giving the impression that the only way for her to survive the rest of the season was to be the comedian we all know and love – and leaving the hard business of criticising to the rest of the American Idol panel. That was the biggest sign that Ellen was no longer comfortable being a “real” American Idol judge.

Although there was mixed opinions to the addition of Ellen to the judging panel, strangely her decision to leave American Idol judging duties sparked debate about the future of American Idol. Can American Idol survive without Ellen Degeneres?

Of course it can! Rupert Murdoch has promised that the next season of Idol “will be better, the music will be better.” It gives hope to the many die-hard fans of American Idol who live and breathe Idol every season.

"it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings"

Why Ellen Degeneres left American Idol

Ellen Degeneres is all about the “love”. At the beginning of her talk show every day, Ellen always begins her monologue with acknowledging the love from her audience and then sends it right back. So many people love Ellen because of her positive mindset, her generosity and the way she looks for the positive qualities in her guests that come on her show. She’s nurturing, warm and makes you feel all fuzzy inside.

These are not the qualities befitting an American Idol judge who needs to be able to pick apart an Idol performance to find the worse parts, give harsh criticism and then has to endure the disapproving “boos” and “hisses” from the audience who never agrees with the Idol judges’ comments.

Ellen said in her statement, “…it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings.” Ellen just doesn’t have a mean bone in her body unlike self-confessed “meanie” Simon Cowell, she never has a bad word to say about anyone -  it’s not in her nature.

It was always going to be an impossible task. It would be like Maria having to choose her favorite Von Trap child in The Sound of Music.

For Idol fans who felt that Ellen Degeneres was not the right choice to be an American Idol judge, Ellen agreed. Ellen said that “she is not the right fit” and being an American Idol judge was not congruent with who she is. ‘Idol Castoff’, Katie Stevens appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show in April, Ellen told Katie in reference to judging “it’s just so hard, I hate it.” It’s no wonder Ellen Degeneres left American Idol.

Which begs the question, who are the right people to take over from Ellen Degeneres and Simon Cowell to be the next American Idol judge? Only you can decide… well, TV executives will be making the decision but you can always judge for yourself.

Idol - Tim Urban

Lennon and McCartney night celebrated the Liverpool lad’s brilliant song writing abilities. It is nearly impossible to ruin these songs and Urban played to his strengths. Well, sort of.

Teflon Tim delivered All My Loving as a Plain White T’s-style shuffle. It was simple, heartfelt and to the point. Randy thinks he’s in his own category: “Is it a good Tim performance?” Simon thinks Tim should be judged in the context of the entire show, not just what he does.

No matter what the critique of Urban’s performance, of more importance it gave the American Idol producers their publicity lightening rod for another week. Vote For The Worst, an anti-American Idol website, has played their part in keeping Urban alive by garnering support by posting comments and references to his brother’s military service on Christian blogs. And by sending shirtless Urban pictures to every teenage girl they could possibly find they may be able to bump someone up from last to second last, but Vote For The Worst does not have the muscle to influence a vote count of millions.

In the Überstar world, Tim Urban would be a highly valued and protected contestant. His value, even amid controversy, is great. In the Überstar world, Urban would be two people – Kane Cabrera and Desdemona.

Kane Cabrera is an extrovert with small acting talents. A large character, Kane is good viewing as he appeals to the teenage girls who like blonde boys. He sleeps around with no thought whatsoever to the consequences. Kane buys his own publicity wanting only to be recognized and tries to hook up with women more famous than him. Kane Cabrera wants the ‘short cut to fame’.

Überstar - Kane Cabrera

Desdemona is the Christian pin-up girl. A devout member of her congregation, she represents what is noble about the Überstar competition. Her fan base comes from those with faith and it is no surprise to see her survive deep into the competition against the better recommendations of the judges.

Kane and Desdemona are tailor made for the Überstar world. Kane appeals to girls under the age of seventeen, while Desdemona survives because of those who see the contest as part of a higher purpose. No matter what people say about them, both are crucial to the contest’s success.

The Überstar world is no different to the Idol sphere.

Überstar - Desdemona

Tim Urban would win the Überstar contest.

He has gotten further than any of us would have expected. Every week we expect him to go, but he defies critics, experts and the judge’s opinions to survive.

Tim Urban is on borrowed time, but he is more popular and protected than we care to acknowledge.

Urban’s embarrassing personality quirk is that he smiles a lot.

He has every reason to be grinning.

Idol - Lee DeWyze

Even through the head fog brought on from his walking pneumonia, Lee DeWyze will understand the gravity of Simon Cowell’s grandiose statement on RB/Soul night Tuesday. DeWyze is a front-runner with undeniable talent and the judges seem to toss everyone else under the bus. He can afford to soak up glory of the review, and choke up about his life changing.

This is the guy 19 Entertainment has been watching all season. Simon’s endorsement is the single strongest indicator thus far, however the amount of pre-semi final promotion centred on the 23-year-old indicates the wheels of business were already turning. Through his up-and-close-personal piece during the Audition phase he was allowed to emotionally connect with his audience – a ploy to mobilise power voters and indefatigable teen-texters who will also buy his album by the hundreds of thousands. Aside from a complete personal implosion, he will be another from the American Idol stable to raid the airwaves this summer.

In the Überstar world, DeWyze has already made it to the top three. The archetypal frontrunners always do. In the Überstar world, DeWyze would be two people– Julio Garcia and Robbie Johnson.

Überstar - Julio Garcia

Julio Garcia is Überstar’s most talented contestant. A former child star, Julio’s personal demons and occasional on-air mistakes are overlooked and covered up as he is earmarked to star in the Überstar film – the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We are introduced to Julio and given a detailed description of him at the first round of auditions.

Robbie Johnson is destined for big things and such is his overwhelming popularity he is eliminated by the show’s producers. Robbie is given a publicity schedule thicker than a telephone book and told to ‘do his thing’ while having the network’s backing.

Robbie and Julio are spotlighted early on, and used in different ways to boost ratings and publicise the Überstar film. Both have their watershed moments. In a teen-magazine poll, Robbie is voted the most popular of the Überstars; Julio’s is an endorsement from one of the judges that ‘could very well change your life’. These acknowledgements were given to approve the actors who would take part in the Überstar film – a production that would need to begin months before the winner was announced.

The Überstar world is no different to the Idol sphere.

Lee DeWyze has crossed a line and Simon is right, his life will never be the same. However, his fate was determined well before Soul/RB night.

Julio and Robbie made it big, and DeWyze would be wise to learn from those who have come before him.

Überstar - Robbie Johnson

Life is wonderful thing.

You’ve seen every episode of Entourage so you know how show business works. You’re Vincent Chase with a microphone.

You’ve participated in every interview on MTV from your bedroom for as long as you can remember, and you’ve won the previous eight seasons of American Idol in a landslide from that place in your head that puts you in the same category as Britney, Christina and Justin.

And now your hand hurts from signing your name on photos of you. Two months ago you were rocking your friends’ world on Rock Band. Now you’re signing autographs backstage to people who know your name, where you were born and what you’re favourite food is. However, now that you’re on American Idol, you must watch out for the temptations that can’t be learnt from the safe side of a television screen.

1. Drugs (not necessarily recreational)

Sleeping four hours a night for weeks on end will catch up with you. A little pill will bring you up every morning. And a little pill will bring you back down at night. Drawing deep into the competition, you need to be on your game at the right moment and these little pills may help…but they will not be your friends for much longer.

2. Human Entertainment

You will be tempted to sleep with minor celebrities, models, producers and fellow contestants who ‘know what it’s like to be in your shoes’. The unglamorous girl or boy back home who works on Saturdays at the Dairy Queen or bowling alley will never climb over the top of you to appear in the spotlight with you.

3. Fame

You’ve accumulated over 2000 friends on Facebook within three hours, and every day there is another fan page on the internet dedicated to you. Fame is posing for photos with fans at the mall. Fame is also talking to security experts who used to work for the President.

4. Fans

America may love you but they love American Idol more. Plan ahead for when you don’t have the muscle of America’s most watched television to thrust your talents front and center.

5. Believe everything you hear, read and feel

You are living in a vortex that has eaten stronger people than you. Even Scooby Doo and his gang of teenage cartoons cannot figure out how fame became so insanely disassociated from actual achievement – but what do you care, you’re benefitting. Reality shows do bite, and often quite pleasurably…but in the end what may feel right now is often wrong given what’s best for your long-term financial, artistic and psychological health.

The Producer has just tapped you on the shoulder. It’s time to sign your last autograph and jump into yet another limo. You have been preparing for overnight fame your entire life and now that you’ve seen what temptations lay before you, it is only now a matter of turning your fifteen minutes into something much, much more.

American Idol superstardom is upon you. Your dream of becoming a pop star is within reach. You brought your A-Game to the group eliminations and blew the competition away during the top 24 weeks. Your talents are about to be showcased in front of millions. This is your time.

You don’t have to win to make it big. In fact, winning is not always a good thing. All you need is enough time in the spotlight to jumpstart your career. This will be a hard task as you’re battling not only the other contestants and trying to impress the judges, but also the producers who decide how you are going to be perceived by the millions watching on their television sets. This is a competition in itself. One you must win.

However, if you follow the American Idol Survival Guide you will stay alive long enough to land that big record deal.

1. If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It

For girls, this means treading the fine line between sexy and trashy. Looks cannot overshadow your voice. Guys, cute eyes are a must, but do not give an inordinate amount of attention to your hair.

2. Be Prepared to Sing Outside of Your Genre

As unreasonable as this request is (do you think Billy Joel is ever made to sing Britney Spears?) if you’re going to survive you must be versatile.

3. Pay Attention to Performance Order

If they put you in the middle, you’re in trouble. And if they put you at the beginning, you’re chances of elimination are 50% higher. In large groups, human memory has a natural bias against places that follow a multiple of three (i.e., the fourth and seventh spots). This is of significance following an especially strong performance.

4.The Pimp Spot

Do anything in your power to get it. You’re in showbiz now. Find the producer responsible for the performance order and make it happen.

5. Pay Attention to the Judge’s Comments

And then ignore them. Unless it is something you truly know to be accurate, they are trying to manipulate you and boost ratings.

6. Request Input to Lighting Set-Up

A simple blue light for the duration of a performance will kill you. While a thousand light changes amplifies your performance and can cover for the occasional error.

Now there are no more excuses. It is now time to show America what you are made of. You’ve got the looks, the voice, and now the strategy to become our next singing superstar. Now the question is, how long will you last…

Switch on the television at any time of the day, you are almost sure to find a reality show on some channel. Chances are that you have watched at least one of these shows and have taken a fancy to following the minutiae of the contestants’ lives as they unfold on the small screen right in front of your eyes. Just what is it about reality shows that make them so popular and grabs your attention like nobody’s business?

The contestants in a reality TV show are not acting; they are being who they are in real life. The producers and the editors of the show create a captivating story line as they go snip-snip with their editorial scissors. The result is pure, unadulterated entertainment, much more potent that any soap opera that you may have seen.

Do people like reality shows because they are real? Or do they just seem real? Observe yourself the next time you watch a reality show. Even if it is something as exaggerated and bogus as a starlet’s bridegroom hunt, you find yourself instantly drawn to it and caught up with the minute details. You may also find yourself unwittingly switching back to the channel to catch up with what’s going on even if you manage to channel surf to another show. Reality shows are so captivating possibly because you are getting a ringside view of other people’s ostensibly private lives.

Take any reality show and there will be some element of competition in it. The more fierce the competition, the higher the ratings. Take the popular reality TV shows – Survivor, Big Brother or American Idol for instance. We like it when people bully each other, call each other names and engage in backstabbing all in the name of winning the competition. There is a certain voyeuristic pleasure that we derive, out of watching others fight it out and sometimes completely humiliate each other, all within the safety of our couch with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

Of course, there is a smattering of good too about the entire gamut of reality TV. Ordinary people from small towns get to participate and compete against contestants from across the country; the show is a huge platform to showcase their talents. People are, and always will be, obsessed with fame and fortune. The reality show contestants have their mini-celebrity status for the duration of the show and for a short while after. Some even manage to grab a couple of new shows banking on the popularity or notoriety that the reality show had generated for them.

Love it or hate it, reality TV is here to stay. Producers will continue producing reality shows, big brands will continue endorsing them and we will continue watching them as long as the average human being continues to derive much pleasure from being a fly on the wall.

Intrigued by phenomenon of reality television, Alaine-Marshall immersed himself in all things Überstar. He talked to former contestants, producers and insiders of numerous reality shows, including the hit television series American Idol and X-Factor. Many people were very happy to break confidentiality agreements and truly tell their stories. Alaine-Marshall wrote Überstar to give readers a better idea of what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s most watched shows.

Alaine-Marshall states, “The main objective is to highlight that reality shows have an even more compelling story behind the camera.There is much more happening [when the cameras are off] than the viewer imagines.”

In his research, Alaine-Marshall came across amazing stories about what goes on behind the scenes of our most loved shows.“The stories range from high-profiled drug overdoses kept under wraps to judges having affairs – along with all the unbelievable encounters contestants have during their time in the spotlight,”said Alaine-Marshall in a press interview.

Überstar takes the reader behind the scenes of a reality show for actors, all competing for a starring role in a Hollywood production. The other two installments (Überstar II: The Movie and Überstar III) of the trilogy will follow the contestant will be declared winner in Überstar, and part three will be set on a Survivor-style island.

To read more about the book, the author and latest news about Überstar, please visit the Überstar website at www.uberstarthebook.com. Überstar is now available in paperback and eBook at the Hendlin Books Online Bookstore at www.hendlinbooks.com.

About the author: Vaughn Alaine-Marshall is a reality-television expert and author. Überstar, Vaughn’s debut novel, is a ground-breaking exposé of reality-television as told by insider sources from the world’s biggest reality shows. Überstar is the Devil Wears Prada of reality-television. For an excerpt of the book, go to http://www.uberstartheblog.com and see his recent feature in Reality TV Magazine at www.budurl.com/vaughninrealitytvmag.

You’ve just signed the confidentiality agreement. You can barely contain your glee. You’ve been chosen to be a reality-TV contestant on national television. Tens of thousands tried, but you beat them all. As the non-descript producer shakes your hand, you have the feeling your life is about to change.

Whether it was the hours of singing in the shower that prompted you to audition for American Idol, or that time you went camping with 9 people in a one-man tent which made you download the application form for Survivor – the little voice in your head was right. Grandma’s secret recipe for fried chicken is going to blow Gordon Ramsay’s hair back and the extra spin class sheared off enough cellulite off for Top Model. Or you’re the perfect combo of a regular (albeit generally successful, talented and attractive) Joe or Joanne off the street and an actor. No matter what your challenge is there are 7½ things you must do to separate yourself from the rest of your rivals to become a reality-TV star.

1. Keep a BIG SECRET
Allude to it often. Hopefully, it’s a real life thing (e.g. I’m gay, I never learned to read, I’m not really left-handed), but if you have to make up a crush on another contestant or a horrible past, that’s still good TV. No one will want you to go until they find out what it is.

2. Make some obvious show of progress.
The best way to do this is to start a big fight with someone, and when the fight gets the other person kicked off the show (remember, you have the BIG SECRET), pretend to be remorseful about it. Vow that you won’t allow whatever issue it was come between you and another contestant again. Hint that this is a way for you to deal with your BIG SECRET (e.g. He wanted to look at my baseball glove, and I acted without thinking!). Your fight is good TV, and your willingness to grow is keeps you well liked.

3. Provide a ‘creature comfort’ service to your fellow contestants.
If they believe that the next three months in the house / island / competition will be torture without you, they will not vote you off. Some suggestions: do all of the cooking, cleaning, or grunt work, and make a point of being happy to do it.

4. Attempt to sleep with other contestants as often and controversially as possible.
Don’t worry, in case you have moral objections to this you don’t actually have to follow through, just seem like you have. This shouldn’t be hard since the others will probably be doing the same thing, just make sure you come off better than they do. This will help to maintain the audience’s interest, and this will endear you to the producers.

5. Pick a stereotype and ratchet it up to an 11 (on a 1-10 scale).
And stick with it: the dumb hillbilly, the loud African-American woman, the flamboyant gay man, the spicy Latina, the aggressive punk-rocker, the used car salesman, the super-fat funny guy, the plumber’s apprentice, the gator-wrestling Australian…

6. Make sure you are always on camera.
Don’t go sulk in the corner somewhere. And always storm out of the room in a huff, even if you’re just going to get a sandwich.

7. Talk about your own gamesmanship obsessively.
Make lots of ‘confessional’ references to your own strategy; make little sneering comments about your ‘friends’ and ‘allies’. There’s nothing the audience likes more than arrogance and there’s nothing better than arrogance about game strategy.

7.5 Don’t win.
This is ultimately out of your control and hence why it’s half a suggestion. Get off the sinking ship. No one will care for the winner. Another couple of weeks of watching your rivals clog the airwaves the country will be ready to move on. So now, you’ve got a national audience waiting to hear every detail of your life and commercial opportunities to capitalise on your new-found fame. Mission accomplished.

You now know what it takes to shine as a reality-TV star. There are no more excuses. All the best and I hope to see you on our airwaves sometime this year..