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The Surreal Life 5 Top Model 5

Janice quit Top Model over money; Surreal Life creator didn’t think Janice and Omarosa “would really so completely hate each other”

by Andy Dehnart 4 Aug. 2005 | 6:56 am

The reality TV cat fight of the century is underway on The Surreal Life 5, where Janice Dickinson and Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth are butting heads. The co-creator of the show, Mark Cronin, tells The New York Times that producers “didn’t anticipate […] that they would really so completely hate each other.”

Why did Janice agree to do the show? “For 12 days of work I made enough to pay for two years of my daughter’s private school education,” she says. And money, she says, is also the reason why she quit America’s Next Top Model. “I think I was asking for too much,” Janice told the Times.

Omarosa tries to save face a little, since she’s come off as one of the most normal people in the house, especially next to Janice. She tries to remind us that she can be bitchy: “I am tough. I’ve got a bit of an attitude problem. There’s no secret there. Being a naughty girl is part of me, but that’s not all of me.”

Finally, Cronin revealed an interesting piece of information. “Every single person that has done ‘The Surreal Life’ has initially passed on the project,” he said.

B-List Rivals Bring Their A-Game to Reality TV [The New York Times]

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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