By Dustin Clendenen
Since the advent of reality TV, there’s been no shortage of people in the spotlight who are famous for no discernible reason other than that they’re famous. In this new era of entertainment, you don’t necessarily have to showcase any real talents or skills, or even achieve anything of importance. You just have to be in the limelight and say (or do) whatever you can to stay in it.
The data experts at PrettyFamous, part of the Graphiq network, searched through a list of more than 1.5 million celebrities, and considered everything from their accomplishments and awards to films and albums. The data team selected 32 celebrities with notably fewer accomplishments than their peers, and then ranked them by internet popularity by counting Wikipedia page views from March 31, 2016 to April 29, 2016.
The following names, from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Snooki, will certainly ring a bell, but likely thanks to a reality show, a sex tape or a relationship with someone more famous. As we’ll see, Internet popularity does not necessarily equate to well-earned fame.
Let’s take a closer look at these depth-defying dilettantes.
The following information is provided by Graphiq and PrettyFamous.
#32. Audrina Patridge
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 39,986
Patridge first rose to fame as a star on the MTV reality series “The Hills,” but went on to have her own short-lived VH1 show “Audrina” in 2011. Last year she got engaged to longtime beau Corey Bohan and announced she was expecting her first child.
#31. La Toya Jackson
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 48,684
La Toya is among the less famous of the Jackson siblings, but she has enjoyed a small music and television career. She’s had a number of forays into reality TV, including starring in her own show “Life With La Toya” on OWN.
#30. Brooke Hogan
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 49,110
The daughter of the famed professional wrestler, Hulk Hogan, Brooke has dabbled in everything from music to reality TV and film. She even had her own stint in the wrestling ring in the mid-2000s.
#29. Kim Zolciak
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 49,718
Zolciak was one of the original Bravo housewives when “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” launched the successful franchise, and she went on to record music.
#28. Kevin Federline
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 53,783
Federline started out as a backup dancer for Britney Spears, but after his high-profile marriage with the pop star, he became a rapper, model and actor. He’s currently raising children with his second wife, Victoria Prince.
#27. Josh Duggar
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 54,350
We know Duggar from the reality series “19 Kids and Counting,” but his reputation grew far more controversial when it was revealed that he had molested girls, had an Ashley Madison account and was accused of sexually assaulting porn star Danica Dillon. His scandals ultimately resulted in the show being cancelled.
#26. Kristin Cavallari
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 57,590
Cavallari first stepped into the spotlight as a lead in MTV’s smash hit reality series, “Laguna Beach.” She used the platform to propel herself as a fashion designer and philanthropist.
#25. NeNe Leakes
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 57,753
Leakes, the famous Real Housewife of Atlanta, went from reality TV to a fairly successful career in acting. She has dabbled in music and fashion design as well.
#24. Heidi Montag
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 58,410
Heidi Montag rose to prominence in MTV’s “The Hills,” but she is best known for her controversial marriage to Spencer Pratt. She premiered her single “Body Language” during the 2009 Miss Universe pageant.
#23. Rebecca Black
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 58,674
Black’s life turned upside down when “Friday,” a music video she recorded, went viral and drew widespread attention. Since then, she has started a music career, and she became an anti-bullying advocate.
#22. Brandi Glanville
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 58,838
Brandi’s biggest claim to fame is appearing in Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” She would later appear on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
#21. Nicole Polizzi
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 67,579
Nicole Polizzi, more commonly known as Snooki, made being a guidette cool when she first appeared on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” and proved to be incredibly savvy at leveraging her persona. She’s appeared in a number of other shows and promoted products like weight-loss shakes.
#20. Katie Price
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 81,071
Price rose to prominence as a topless model in the U.K.-based Page 3, and used the platform to become a writer, TV and radio personality and more. She once told a reporter, “Some people may be famous for creating a pencil sharpener. I’m famous for my tits.”
#19. Lauren Conrad
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 82,882
Conrad was the much-loved star of MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and its spin-off “The Hills.” She’s gone on to become a successful fashion designer and entrepreneur, most recently co-founding TheLittleMarket.com.
#18. Tila Tequila
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 92,952
Tequila was one of the first MySpace celebrities, rising in prominence thanks to her racy and glamorous photos. The fame translated to a successful reality show on VH1 called “Shot of Love,” and, like others on this list, she’s dabbled in music.
#17. Lisa Vanderpump
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 97,233
Lisa Vanderpump, formerly known for her role in Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” franchise, continued to operate her restaurant business with her husband, and ultimately expanded to two corners of Robertson Boulevard in Southern California’s famed West Hollywood.
#16. Brody Jenner
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 100,150
Brody Jenner is another former star of “The Hills,” and is the son of Caitlyn Jenner. He’s bounced around a number of reality shows and hosting gigs, and currently stars in “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
#15. Stephen Baldwin
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 101,982
The youngest of the Baldwin brothers, he is best known for a career in reality TV and being a Christian evangelist. He’s even directed a Christian-themed skateboarding DVD.
#14. Zsa Zsa Gabor
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 104,392
Though she was a well-known actress, her socialite lifestyle and marriages to the likes of Conrad Hilton and George Sanders really put Gabor on the map. She turned 99 years old in February 2016.
#13. Nicole Richie
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 114,035
The daughter of Lionel Richie, Nicole rose to fame with her friend Paris Hilton in “The Simple Life,” one of the first reality shows ever. Richie has since settled down with husband Joel Madden to raise their two children.
#12. Courtney Stodden
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 119,720
A reality TV star and former beauty pageant queen, Stodden is most famous for her marriage to actor Doug Hutchison, a 50-year-old man whom she married when she was only 16.
#11. Farrah Abraham
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 158,361
Abraham’s first foray into entertainment was on the show “16 and Pregnant,” but later released a sex tape entitled “Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom.” She has also released an album.
#10. Paris Hilton
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 177,931
Paris Hilton was one of the original celebrities who was “famous for being famous.” Heir to the Hilton hotel fortune, Paris spent her youth partying, with the tabloids detailing her every exploit. In the summer of 2007, Hilton was famously arrested and put in jail for 45 days after speeding on a suspended license. It goes without saying that she also has a music career.
#9. Amber Rose
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 245,360
Rose is a prominent model and music video performer who first entered the spotlight when she began dating Kanye West. Since then she’s become a prominent voice for feminism and she collaborates with Amy Schumer.
#8. Khloe Kardashian
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 285,379
Khloe Kardashian, a daughter of the Kardashian empire, is best known for starring in “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” on E! She’s recently found a new level of success with her “Kocktails With Khloe” variety talk show.
#7. Dan Bilzerian
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 300,026
A buff, gun-toting, women-loving playboy with an enviable Instagram following, Bilzerian allegedly funds his lavish lifestyle entirely with his earnings from professional poker. But in 2015, Vice investigated the possibility that his lifestyle was funded in part by money from his father’s crooked business dealings.
#6. Robert Kardashian
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 325,768
Rob Kardashian was a regular on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” In recent years, he has heavily distanced himself from the family, but found himself in the spotlight once more due to his engagement to Blac Chyna.
#5. Kourtney Kardashian
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 333,130
Kourtney, another Kardashian icon, is a “kollaborator” on all the family’s business endeavors. She is best known for her difficult and highly publicized relationship with Scott Disick.
#4. Kendall Jenner
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 398,626
Kendall Jenner is the eldest daughter of Kris and Caitlyn Jenner, and has been appearing on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” since she was 10 years old. She has become a successful fashion model, and the leader of the Vogue-dubbed “Instagirl” era of social media models.
#3. Kris Jenner
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 417,305
Kris Jenner is best known for appearing in “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” but many credit her as the mastermind of the entire family’s fame. She runs a management firm called Jenner Communications that handles the careers of all her daughters.
#2. Kylie Jenner
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 436,668
Now 18 years old, Kylie has been in the spotlight since 2007 when “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” first went on the air. In 2015, Kylie launched a makeup line called Kylie Cosmetics.
#1. Kim Kardashian
30-Day Wikipedia Page Views: 668,887
Arguably among the most widely known individuals, Kim Kardashian was launched into fame when her sex tape with rapper Ray J allegedly “leaked.” The former assistant to Paris Hilton is now worth more than $85 million and married to rapper Kanye West.
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