In reality television, not everything is as it may seem, and in large part we have Fox to thank for that.
   Leave it to Fox to present an outrageous spoof of a competitor's reality show -- "Joe Millionaire" as a cynical takeoff on ABC's "The Bachelor" --  that garners huge ratings, then let it slip out that the principal character is really quite something else, creating yet further buzz.
   One must wonder whether Fox leaks the dirt itself.
   Both New York tabloids reported this weekend that Evan Marriott, the hunk construction worker of "Joe Millionaire" is really a former model and aspiring actor whose labors with pick and shovel are sporadic at best and performed to support his star ambitions.
   Marriott's roots are in fact rather tony. He comes from an upper-middle-class Virginia family, the son of a banker, and attended a private military school before taking up modeling.
   The 28-year-old Marriott only worked as a construction working to pay his bills between modeling, acting and wrestling gigs the past few years.
   He modeled for Calvin Klein and Macy's after winning a contract with a New York agency in the mid-'90s.    
   Marriott’s large build – he’s 6-foot-5 – made fashion modeling a difficult career. So he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.
   He got his first television role as a glorified extra (Mover No. 1) on a March 2000 episode of the soap “Days of Our Lives.”
   A year later, he signed up for Ultimate University classes, which train potential professional wrestlers. Or, as they are also known, very beefy actors.
   He scored the part of “Joe” at a Christmas party a year ago, when he met a future “Joe” producer.
   In the meantime, he continued to work construction to help pay the bills, but many sources have come forward to say he’s not nearly as bad off as the $19,000-per-year Fox has claimed that he makes to juice up the show’s commercials.
   California construction workers make an average of $42,000 per year, and Marriott has nearly a decade of experience.
   His co-workers say that while Marriott has returned to work at construction company R.B. Holt Inc. in Capistrano Beach, Calif., he’s not lacking for cash. Fox claims it did not pay him for his “Joe” work.   
   This is the latest in a series of reality missteps taken by Fox. The first, and most famous, was the revelation that “Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire’s” millionaire was not only a few dollars short, but also had a restraining order in his past.
   Then came “Temptation Island,” on which one of the couples was discovered to have a child, a violation of the show’s rules.
   CBS sued Fox for copyright violation for “Celebrity Boot Camp.”
   Most recently, “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson was accused of signing a record deal before entering the national contest as an unsigned amateur.
   And now, a wannabe actor posing as a construction worker posing as a $50 million heir.
    Of course, with the ratings “Joe” pulled in its first outing, Fox may not care. The eight-episode show, which will reveal Marriott’s non-heir status after he’s made his final choice, earned a 10.1 rating among 18-49s last week, scoring the best ratings for a new show this season.
   In other amusing news, former girlfriends and acquaintances of Marriott have revealed him to be just as dim as he appears on the show.
    The New York Post ran a story over the weekend in which several of his conquests performed the ritual diss of a hot reality star, but most of the criticism had to do with Marriott’s intellect, or lack thereof.

January 13, 2003© 2003 Media Life

-Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer for Media Life.

 Send to a Friend| Printer-Friendly Version
Cover Page | Contact Us