You may be thinking to yourself that we're all real people. Well, yes. But this little review is going to focus on the real people who don't normally become celebrities. These aren't the movie stars or recording stars. These are just the everyday folks who go to the supermarket to buy food for their family or go to school or are even unemployed. If you're wondering how these people can become celebrities, you can thank the reality television craze for that.

Yes, reality TV. It is the biggest thing on television since, well, since real TV. You have to give the first person credit who thought even for a moment that anybody would spend a half hour or an hour of their time sitting in front of their television watching a bunch of nobodies doing just about anything and everything, from singing to eating bugs. Most of these people have drifted into obscurity but there have been a few who have become very popular and there names will always be known to millions of people around the world.

One of these such people is a gentleman by the name of Richard Hatch. In case you have been living in a cave and don't recognize the name, which is doubtful, Hatch was the original survivor of the show by that name. He has since gone on to tour the world as a spokesperson and motivational speaker. Ever hear of a show called "Entertainment Tonight?" Of course you have. Well, Hatch has worked as a correspondent for that show. He did this for the "Early Show" as well and if that isn't enough, he appeared as a guest star on the hit comedy "Becker". He still runs his own business as a corporate trainer and a consultant, but he is probably one of the most popular real people celebrities that ever was and will ever be.

But don't think the reality craze ends with Richard Hatch because it doesn't. During the 2004 season of American Idol two singers went into the final round as the two most popular finalists in American Idol history. Their names were Ruben Stoddard and Clay Aiken. Going into the last week it was a toss up as to who was going to actually be the next American Idol. Eventually Stoddard was named the next American Idol. And while he did achieve a level of popularity, he never did match the popularity of clean cut boy Aiken who went on to guest at many events including parades and ultimately at Dick Clark's "Rockin' New Year's Eve". Aiken has since become an ambassador to UNICEF and has pretty much dropped out of the show biz arena. But during his time as an American Idol runner up, nobody was more popular than Clay Aiken.

These are just a couple of the many "stars" who have come about because of reality television. As of this writing another American Idol winner is just a week away. Will this person become the next Richard Hatch or Clay Aiken? Or will the runner up become the more popular? Or will they both just drift into obscurity?

Only time will tell.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Celebrities