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LOS ANGELES -- When Jon Dalton was discovered by a Survivor casting agent at an L.A. gas station several years ago, the chance to win a million dollars wasn't the prize he most desired.
Instead, he relished the chance to showcase "Jonny Fairplay," an immoral jerk persona he had developed when he was a manager in professional wrestling.
"Fairplay" became a hated household name among reality TV audiences, mainly because he lied on air when he said his grandmother had just died to earn other competitors' sympathies. Catcalling audiences at a reality TV awards show in October seemed to cheer when Danny Bonaduce dropped Dalton on his face onstage, breaking several teeth.
Dalton has sued Bonaduce, alleging battery. But Dalton says that despite the sometimes painful side effects of celebrity, being roundly despised has helped him earn him a six-figure annual income.
Dalton said he regularly receives $2,000 to $15,000 to appear at nightclubs and conventions and on other TV shows, partly to satisfy curiosity about whether he's really a jerk in person. It's an income that affords him a three-bedroom house in his hometown of Danville, Va., and the ability to care for his wife and baby daughter.
"I feel personally that I raped reality television and I'm happy about that," Dalton, 34, said in an interview by phone from Danville.
"The million dollars was never my primary goal," Dalton said. "My goal was to create the character of 'Jonny Fairplay' and keep that character on television for as long as possible."
Increasingly, reality TV shows are no longer just voyeuristic journeys into the failings of real people, but launching pads for fame-seekers looking to parlay publicity -- good or bad -- into a career.
At a recent open casting call in Costa Mesa, Calif., a shot at fame drove a throng of wannabes to brave the hot sun for the chance to audition for Survivor, season 18.
"I want to walk down the street or in the mall and have someone come after me and ask for my autograph," said Shane Cardenes, a 37-year-old high school softball coach from Lake Elsinore, Calif. "I want the paparazzi to come after me."
Several in the crowd rattled off the most famous reality participants to go on to become, well, real stars. Rob and Amber Mariano, who married after being on Survivor: All-Stars together, are probably the most well-known reality couple.
An appearance on a reality TV show "has the ability to open several doors," said Amber Horn, a 30-year-old Las Vegas bartender who stripped down to her underwear for a video testimonial at the casting call. "You've just got to be crazy enough to kick them open."
Regular Joes who get a taste of the fawning attention of camera crews usually don't want to return to their boring former life, said Survivor casting director Lynne Spillman. They also get a taste of the money that pure fame can bring.
"More and more people are applying because they want to be on TV," Spillman said. "They see it as easy money."
After just a few episodes of the first season of The Apprentice, participant Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth became a reviled figure. Her in-your-face confrontations included accusing another participant of racism for using the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black."
The nonstop cat fights lifted the show's ratings and lit up online message boards. Omarosa, who now goes by just her first name, quickly hired a publicist and an agent to help her monetize her newfound infamy. She has since been on more than 100 TV episodes -- more than many working actors have -- and is a regular at celebrity functions around Hollywood.
Others have treated the reality format as a dramatized infomercial for publicizing their businesses.
Sunset Tan on the E! network is a case in point. After just one season on the air, the actual tanning salon, whose ditzy salesgirls Holly and Molly get flirty with Hollywood actor clients, has sold more than 100 franchises nationwide at $40,000 a pop, said co-owner Devin Haman.
The underlying business has become so profitable that E! became a partner in the franchise profits while the show was on the air, Haman said.
"It's a multimillion-dollar commercial," Haman said of the show. "It's amazing to have that."
