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Image: Maci Bookout, Farrah Abrahams, Catelynn Lowell

Pop Culture

Young stars of reality TV

The Kardashians, "Teen Moms," Heidi and Spencer — are they actors, socialites, celebutantes or what? And why are they everywhere?

/ 18 PHOTOS
Image: Cast of \"Teen Mom\"

'Teen Mom'

The original cast of "Teen Mom," from left, Farrah Abraham, Catelynn Lowell, Maci Bookout and Amber Portwood, found themselves featured in numerous tabloids after the docuseries debuted on MTV in December 2009. ("Teen Mom" is a spin-off of "16 and Pregnant," which all four originally appeared on.)

The media spotlight has focused mostly on Portwood, who pled guilty to felony domestic battery in June 2011 after a season two episode showed her repeatedly hitting ex-boyfriend Gary Shirley. The judge suspended her two-year sentence, but put her on two years of probation.

Louis A Raynor
Cast of Teen Mom 2

'Teen Mom 2'

After MTV's original "Teen Mom" (a spin-off of hit docuseries "16 and Pregnant") became a big success, the network launched a sister show to showcase four new young mothers, from left, Kailyn Lowry, Jenelle Evans, Leah Simms and Chelsea Houska.

Evans has made headlines for various arrests, while Simms has been featured in celebrity magazines because of her failed marriage to the father of her twin girls.

'The Jersey Shore'

The cast of "Jersey Shore" -- back row, from left, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Jennifer "JWoww" Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, and front row, left to right, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio, Deena Nicole Cortese and Vinny Guadagnino -- all shot to stardom after the series debuted on MTV in December 2009.

In 2010, the cast was included in Barbara Walter's 10 Most Fascinating People list, and has been parodied by "South Park."

MTV announced in April 2011 that there would be two spin-off shows, one focused on Snooki and JWoww living together, and the other will follow DJ Pauly D. Both shows are reportedly set to debut in 2012.

Kendra

Kendra Wilkinson

Kendra Wilkinson is a former girlfriend of Playboy's Hugh Hefner, though she was never a Bunny. She is most known for the E! series "The Girls Next Door," which featured her and Hefner's other two girlfriends at the time, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt.

When the show ended after six seasons, Wilkinson got her own spin-off -- also on E! -- called "Kendra." The series debuted in 2009, and features her, husband and football star Hank Baskett, and their son, Hank Jr.

In March 2011, she competed in the 12th season of "Dancing With the Stars." She was partnered with pro Louis van Amstel and was eliminated in week seven.

Andrew Eccles / gallery
Image: Keeping Up with the Kardashians

The Kardashians

Though Kim Kardashian, right, skyrocketed to stardom after a sex tape of her and ex-boyfriend Ray J surfaced, her sisters soon started to step into the spotlight as well. On October 2007, the family's reality show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," premiered on E! and featured, from left, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kendell Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Kim. Also on the show are mother Kris Jenner and husband Bruce Jenner, as well as brother Rob Kardashian and Kourtney's boyfriend Scott Disick.

The series has resulted in three spin-offs: "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami," "Kourtney and Kim Take New York" and "Khloe and Lamar." The last focuses on the new marriage of Khloe and LA Lakers star Lamar Odom.

James White / Gallery
Image: Kate Plus 8

Gosselin children

Kate Gosselin and her eight children -- twins Cara and Madelyn, and sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah and Joel -- sort of got their own reality show on TLC after Kate's messy divorce from husband Jon Gosselin. The TLC program originally featured the entire family when it debuted as "Jon and Kate Plus 8," but after the couple split in 2009, TLC decided to rename the show. The program now follows Kate and the kids on their adventures as she parents as a single mom.

Clark Mccarthy-Miller
Image:

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie

Former BFFs Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie left their rich lifestyles behind for five seasons of their reality show, "The Simple Life." The series followed the wealthy young women -- who were both 21 when the show debuted in December 2003 -- as they tried working in low-paying manual jobs that included farm work and fast food restaurants.

Since the show, Hilton has guest starred in various TV programs, and in June 2011, the Oxygen Channel gave her a new reality show called "The World According to Paris." Richie has also done some guest-starring work on TV, but has not been in the spotlight as much since becoming a mother in 2008.

Sam Jones / FOX
Music Midtown 2004 - Day 2 5/1/04

Ashlee Simpson

Singer Ashlee Simpson, sister to Jessica Simpson, saw her music career take off after her MTV series, "The Ashlee Simpson Show," debuted in June 2004, when she was just 19. Her album dropped a month later and debuted at No. 1 in sales.

The first season focused on her writing and recording process, while the second took a look at her life living with two of her friends. It also featured her famous "Saturday Night Live" performance, during which her vocals started playing before she began singing. The show ended after the second season.

"Ashlee Simpson: Live and Legal," aired on MTV in October 2005 and featured her 21st birthday.

Scott Gries / Getty Images North America
Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards - Arrivals

Snoop Dogg and family

Rapper Snoop Dogg and family starred on their own E! reality show, "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood," for two seasons, starting in December 2007. The show included wife Shante, daughter Cori, younger son Cordell and elder son Corde.

Michael Buckner / Getty Images North America
The Winter Dance Celebrates Heavenly Bodies Of The Universe

Brittny Gastineau

Socialite Brittny Gastineau starred on the 2005 E! reality series "The Gastineau Girls," which featured her and mom Lisa Gastineau. The series followed the two on their search for love in New York, and also Brittny's introduction to modeling. She was 21 when the show first aired.

Since the reality show, Brittny has appeared in the film "Bruno" and various episodes of E!'s reality series "Married to Rock."

Evan Agostini / Getty Images North America
US actress Kristin Cavallari parades on

Kristin Cavallari

Kristin Cavallari works the red carpet as she arrives at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., for the premiere of the movie "Star Trek" on April 30, 2009. Cavallari found reality TV fame when she was a high school junior and filmed her first year of the MTV series "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County." Since the series ended she has landed small film, television and music video roles and has appeared in numerous magazines.

Mark Ralston / AFP
Fox's Winter All-Star Party

Kelly Osbourne

Singer Kelly Osbourne attends the 2009 Fox Winter All-Star Party at My House in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2009. The daughter of heavy metal superstar Ozzy Osbourne, the young actress was thrust into the spotlight when her family was featured in the MTV reality show "The Osbournes." The show chronicled the day-to-day life of the dysfunctional family. Osbourne has chartered her own musical path and has been a tabloid mainstay for her fashion choices and struggles with addiction.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images North America
Awards Room At The MTV Australia Awards 2009

Audrina Patridge

Audrina Patridge attends the MTV Australia Awards 2009 in Sydney on March 27. Patridge quickly rose up the ranks of paparazzi fodder when she landed a spot on MTV's "Laguna Beach" spinoff, "The Hills."

The young actress made news in February 2009 when her Hollywood home was robbed and she posted surveillance footage on her personal Web site in hopes of catching the thieves. She also scored a role in the film "Into the Blue 2: The Reef," which went straight to DVD.

Patridge participated in the 11th season of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2010. She was partnered with pro Tony Dovolani and finished in seventh place.

Cameron Spencer / Getty Images AsiaPac
Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad arrives at a benefit for the Richie-Madden Children's Foundation in Los Angeles on March 23, 2009. Conrad was another star on "Laguna Beach," and "The Hills" was built around her move to Los Angeles as she pursues a career in the fashion industry. L.C. landed an internship at Teen Vogue and eventually launched her own fashion line, Lauren Conrad Collection, that debuted at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in L.A. in March, 2008.

Dan Steinberg / R-STEINBERG
RADAR Entertainment's Pepsi 500 Hosted By Pharrell & Jeff Gordon

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag

Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt arrive at RADAR Entertainment's Pepsi 500 in Los Angeles on Aug. 27, 2008. No celebrity tabloid or website photo spread would be complete without a shot of "The Hills" couple galavanting around greater Los Angeles. Much of the drama of the MTV series had been built around the deteriorating relationship between former roommates Montag and Lauren Conrad because of Conrad's dislike for Pratt. Speidi, for those in the know, married on April 25, 2009, and made news by honeymooning in Mexico as the swine flu scare took off. Montag filed for divorce in July 2010, but called off the split.

Montag revealed in January 2010 that she once had 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day in November 2009.

Michael Buckner / Getty Images North America
17th Annual MTV Movie Awards - Arrivals

Brody Jenner

Brody Jenner arrives at the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif., on June 1, 2008. The son of Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner is another mainstay on "The Hills" and is best buds with Spencer Pratt. Jenner had his own short-lived reality series called "The Princes of Malibu" and has made tabloid news by dating Kristin Cavallari, Lauren Conrad and Nicole Richie, among others.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images North America
Whitney Port

Whitney Port

Whitney Port arrives at PaleyFest for "The Hills" panel discussion in Los Angeles on April 21, 2009. Port, a friend of Lauren Conrad's on "The Hills," can be credited with bringing that Laguna Beach charm east, thanks to her MTV series "The City," which followed her move to New York. Port worked at Teen Vogue, The Peoples Revolution -- a PR firm heavily involved in the fashion world -- and eventually landed a job with the Diane von Furstenberg label.

Dan Steinberg / R-STEINBERG
Image: Mel B Celebrates The Launch Of Her Sugar Factory Couture Lollipop Series

Sweet and Lo

"The Hills" regular Lo Bosworth arrives at the launch of Mel B's Sugar Factory Couture Lollipop at Guys and Dolls Lounge in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010.

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images North America
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