Verne Troyer on Surreal Life and Sex Tape

Verne Troyer, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, is yet another person who has appeared on both a VH1 reality series and a leaked sex tape.

He appeared on the fourth season of The Surreal Life and spinoff The Surreal Life: Fame Games, both VH1. (His costars on both series included Joanie Laurer, aka Chyna, who also had a leaked sex tape.)

The Verne Troyer sex tape leaked out in 2008, showing him in bed at home with girlfriend Ranae Shrider. TMZ posted an excerpt, and Sugar DVD tried to sell the full tape. Troyer successfully sued to block distribution, but some fly-by-night offshore website later offered it for sale. Shrider turned out to be the one who shopped the tape around.

Wikipedia: The Surreal Life
Wikipedia: The Surreal Life: Fame Games
TMZ: Mini-Me Sex Tape: Avert Your Eyes!
Daze Reader: Verne Troyer sex tape

Ron Jeremy on The Surreal Life: Fame Games

Ron Jeremy is the world's most famous male porn star. His secret is being a fat, ugly, hairy troll with whom no sane person would want to have sex. It's hilarious!

His first reality TV show appearance was on the second season of The Surreal Life, which then aired on the WB network. So no VH1 connection there. However, he later appeared on the VH1 spinoff The Surreal Life: Fame Games.

Ding, ding, ding . . . one more data point in the VH1/porn/sextape nexus.

Wikipedia: The Surreal Life: Fame Games

Chyna on Surreal Life, Celebrity Rehab and Sex Tape

Joanie Laurer, better known at Chyna, was a premier WWF lady wrestler in the late 1990s. She leveraged her fame into a couple of Playboy photo spreads.

When Playboy stopped calling, she made a sex tape with fellow faded wrestler Sean Waltman, aka X-Pac, and sold it to a porn company. It was released commercially in 2004 under the title 1 Night in China (a joke on the notorious 1 Night in Paris).

So what's next for the quasi-celeb who desperately wants to stay famous? Reality TV! She appeared on season four of The Surreal Life on VH1 in 2005, then the spinoff The Surreal Life: Fame Games in 2007. (Vern Troyer was a castmate on both shows, and Ron Jeremy was on the latter show.)

VH1 launched Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in spring 2008. Chyna entered the on-air rehab clinic to cope with her alcoholism. (Her clinicmates included Mary Carey, Jaimee Foxworth and Jessica Sierra.)

Wikipedia: The Surreal Life
Wikipedia: The Surreal Life: Fame Games
Wikipedia: Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Daze Reader: Chyna (Joanie Laurer) Sex Tape

Brandi M, Rock of Love contestant and porn star

Brandi Moran, or just Brandi M, was a contestant on the first season of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. She did pretty well, finishing fourth. Then she appeared on Rock of Love: Charm School, which she won.

Her porn past was shockingly revealed near the end of Charm School. Under fake porn name "Pamela", she had filmed hardcore acts for internet pornsites such as Amateur Facials and Purely Pamela.

During Rock of Love and Charm School, she feuded with namesake Brandi C, another former porno model. Why can't the pornstars just get along?

Daze Reader: Brandi M sex tape
VH1: Celebreality interview with Brandi M
Wikipedia: Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, season 1

Brandi C, VH1 Rock of Love contestant and former porn star

On to the contestants. Brandi Cunningham, or just Brandi C, was a contestant on the first season of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. And surprise, surprise, a few weeks into the series, it came out that she had done hardcore porn under the name Brittany Burke.

Did VH1 know about her porno past when she went on the show? Who knows. But they definitely knew about it when they invited her back to appear on the sequel Rock of Love Charm School and then the first season of I Love Money.

Don't get her mixed up with Brandi M, the other Rock of Love contestant slash pornstar.

Daze Reader: Brandi C sex tape
VH1: Brandi C interview
Wikipedia: Rock of Love, season 1

Ray J - star of VH1 dating show and Kim Kardashian sex tape

Another VH1 mainstay with a sex tape in his past. Ray J had moderate success as a singer, though not nearly as much as sister Brandy. He really made it big as Kim Kardashian's costar in the famously leaked sex tape.

Nowadays he is best known for For the Love of Ray J on VH1. He apparently didn't find true love with season one winner "Cocktail", because VH1 announced a casting call for season 2 in summer 2009.

Wikipedia: Ray J
Daze Reader: Kim Kardashian + Ray J sex tape

Bret Michaels - VH1 dating show and sex tape

One of the most obvious examples. Bret Michaels had a leaked sex tape with Pamela Anderson, and now he has his own dating show, Rock of Love, on VH1.

The sex tape was recorded in the early 90s. Bret Michaels and Pamela Anderson tried to make some sort of mysterious arty porno. Anderson slowly strips and masturbates for fifteen minutes, then Michaels comes in dressed in black cape and top hat and circles her. Eventually they get down to actual sex.

Penthouse published stills from the sex tape in 1998. IEG tried to release it online and on VHS, but Anderson and Michaels successfully sued to block the release. Another porn company released it on DVD in 2005, but the stars again sued to have it pulled off shelves.

Rock of Love has had three seasons so far. Not surprisingly, some of the contestants vying to date Bret Michaels have their own porn biz or sex tape pasts.

Wikipedia: Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
Daze Reader: Bret Michaels + Pamela Anderson sex tape

Why do so many people on VH1 reality shows have sex tapes?

It's a good question: Why do so many people on VH1 reality shows have sex tapes?

Or pasts in porn films, which suddenly emerge once the show airs?

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I love a good celebrity sex tape scandal as much as anyone. It just seems way too common to be coincidence.

Does the VH1 reality show application have questions like: have you ever made a home sex video? is there a good chance this video will mysteriously go public if you become famous? Does answering "yes" move your application to the front of the list?

This blog will run down some examples. Which will take a while because there are so many examples.