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When Reality TV’s bubble bursts

The 7PM Project's Dr. Andrew Rochford got his start in Reality TV. But life isn't always as rosy for former Reality TV contestants.

Dr. Andrew Rochford, currently filling in for Charlie Pickering on The 7PM Project this week, got his first stint on TV as a contestant in The Block.

He is one of several former reality contestants who talks to The Age today about life after being in the reality bubble.

”I don’t know how many people even remember that I was on reality TV,” he says. ”Because I was a doctor, it meant I wasn’t always being referred to as ‘that guy who won The Block‘. I never felt any kind of stigma because I came from reality TV – though I copped plenty of flack from my colleagues at the hospital.”

Former Big Brother housemate Tim Brunero also gives some insight.

”Fame derived from reality TV is a bit like a suitcase full of Iraqi dinar,” he says.

”You have a hard time exchanging it for something more valuable.”

Also adding to the debate are former MasterChef contestant Fiona Inglis, The Circle‘s Chrissie Swan, Idol‘s Ricki-Lee Coulter and So You Think You Can Dance‘s Grace Stewart.

It’s a good read, you can check out here.

13 Responses

  1. I would like to know the email address or any contact address of Dr. Andrew Rochford…just want to greet him on his up coming birthday…Thanks.

  2. @David : Interesting… So can we look forward to a ‘David Knox’s Top 10 Quotes’ article sometime soon? I’ll bet you’ve got some absolute crackers.

  3. Good on Dr Rochford. I remember him and his partner from the Block. They were a lovely couple. Dr Rochford seems very articulate, genuine and smart and easy to listen to (and easy on the eye). Look at all the benefits we the viewers have gotten over the years on tv, from his sharing all his medical knowledge and information. I really like him on the 7pm project too – he has opinions but is always fair and balanced.

    I think Reality TV is a great platform for people who want to get into the media – it is a testing ground for their ability to connect and communicate with viewers. I love Poh’s new show on the ABC and she started from a reality background – Masterchef.

    Of course not everyone gets something from Reality TV – but at least they had a go and gained experience from it. But hey isn’t that life – we all don’t win at the things we try. You just go and try something else or try again. I think Sarah Marie from Big Brother is now a plus size model.

  4. “Fame derived from reality TV is a bit like a suitcase full of Iraqi dinar. You have a hard time exchanging it for something more valuable.”

    I think that is my all time favourite quote on TVTonight! 🙂

  5. nice, positive article. Personally i think reality contestants get criticised too harshly. In the end, it’s like any other industry…if you want genuine, lasting success it has to be earnt.
    For people at uni or tafe, trying to become beauty therapists, architects, actors or teachers, many will fail, most will be average, and maybe 1 out of 100 will be brilliant.
    Idol contestants seem to be delt with most harshly. Just because they can sing and they win, we shouldn’t expect them to be able to compete with #1 albums by Lady Gaga or Muse. And that’s okay. Out of the 100 contestants, most have failed, some are okay, and 1 has been brilliant (Lisa Mitchell).
    Genuine talent is rare. But when one is discovered it is exciting.

  6. I find Dr Rochford really hot, if he’s filming Random Acts of Kindness now (according to the article), does it mean he’s replaced Karl Stefanovic as a host of that show??

  7. A very similar article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald TV Guide (also Fairfax owned) about 6 weeks ago, I think it was the same one – I don’t know why there was such a delay.

  8. Good article, thanks for the link. In a country the size of Australia, it is always quite unlikely for a reality contestant to turn their 15 minutes into a fully fledged media carerr. Swan, Rochford and Poh are exceptions. For every one of them, there are 100 reality show media failures.

  9. Boo hoo i say.These people have achieved something most of us wouldn’t mind being a part of just to say hey i’ve done it.This “don’t you know who i am” attitude is rather boring.No one knew you before,so get over it.On the other hand good on the ones that make a career out of it.I do feel sorry for Milsy though,will he ever live down that “fling”?Even on recent interviews he is still pestered about it.Big deal.I can drop a few names too,but it’s neither here nor there.

  10. his integrity just dropped a few points for me which is a shame coz I really liked him, but I never pictured him as a reality contestant and seeking out a tv role like that. I still have a high opinion of him but not quite as high as it was.

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