15 Reality Stars You Didn't Know Had Passed

It's impossible to turn on the television without stumbling across reality television. It's taken over as the new normal, filling spots where sitcoms and scripted television once dominated. Each week millions of people tune in to watch strangers compete for money, go toe-to-toe for love, or just live out their big bank account lifestyles. Whether they're real housewives, bachelors/bachelorettes looking to get married, or a group seven strangers picked to live in a house who start to get real, these unscripted television shows introduce unknowns to the world and turn them into celebrities.

Watching some of these figures looking for fame and fortune grow and go on about their lives in front of the camera for years makes fans feel as if they know them personally, so when a reality star dies, for some it's devastating. Some reality stars just fade quietly from the small screen without their fans even hearing a peep about their passing. We've found 15 reality television personalities, both the loved and the hated, who are no longer with us. Some of these stories are more tragic than others as this list includes murder, drug overdoses, suicide, and even a contestant for a show that dropped dead on the first day of filming. How awful!

15 Ryan Jenkins

"The Bachelor" and "The Bachelor Pad" contestant Gia Allemand might not have found love on reality television, but she did end up dating NBA player Ryan Anderson. All seemed well with the couple, but a nasty fight between the two took a tragic turn in 2013. According to Anderson, he and Gia got into a nasty fight and when he dropped her off at her apartment he told her "I don't love you anymore." Whether he truly meant that doesn't matter, because Gia took his words to heart. The 29-year-old wrote on Facebook "Mom gets everything" before she took the cord from her vacuum cleaner and hanged herself from the handrail on her staircase. Anderson said in an interview a year later that after Gia's death he went into a deep depression but recently has started moving on with his life.

13 Paula Goodspeed

An upcoming NBC boxing show "The Contender" was just weeks away from its premiere date when the sad news broke that one of its contestants, Najai Turpin, had died, or rather killed himself. The 23-year-old was sitting outside of the gym where he trained in Philadelphia with his girlfriend and his two-year-old daughter when he shot himself in the head. According to his trainer who was by Najai's side since he was 12, the boxer enjoyed his time on the show but in his last few weeks alive seemed depressed. No one has been able to pinpoint exactly why he killed himself, but investigators believe that not being able to compete after appearing on the show and his custody battle over his daughter were contributing factors. This is a tragic turn of events for a talented young sportsman.

11 Nathan Clutter

After filming "Paradise Hotel 2" for MyNetworkTV, 26-year-old Nathan Clutter was on his way to becoming a C-list reality television star. However, the Illinois native must have been battling some inner demons, because in October of 2007 he climbed up a cell tower in Amarillo, Texas, and jumped to his death. Initial reports stated that Nathan's death was an unfortunate accident, but police reports showed that investigators ruled his death a suicide. While it's believed that Nathan died in the early hours of the morning, his body lay motionless all day until he was discovered at 5:00 pm. His car was also found to have a number of personal items including a suitcase with clothes and all of his identification. He left his dog with dog food in his vehicle as well. In spite of his death, "Paradise Hotel 2" aired on schedule.

10 Gerald Babin

The "Survivor" series is a phenomenon that hasn't just swept through America, but throughout the entire world due to its interesting premise. In 2013, the French "Survivor" was shooting under the same rules and regulations as its American predecessor. Contestants on "Survivor" endure grueling conditions that they aren't used to and such was the case for 25-year-old Gerald Babin. If you've seen the show, you know all about that. The "Survivor" of France participant made it to the island but didn't get through the first day of filming before he dropped to the ground. He died before completing a full day and medical examiners determined the cause of death to be cardiac arrest. This story gets worse before it gets better; Theirry Costa, the doctor working on the show, endured much criticism following Babin's death and committed suicide.

9 Valerie Fairman

MTV has been making stars out of teenage mothers for years with their "16 & Pregnant" series. Valerie Fairman appeared on the show back in 2010, but just days before Christmas of 2016, Valerie was found dead at a friend's home in Pennsylvania. The friend claimed that Valerie went to the bathroom but wouldn't come out. When they tried checking on her the friend had to bust down the door. The 23-year-old reality star is said to have died from a drug overdose. Her struggles with addiction weren't a secret, nor were her run-ins with the law. She was arrested in 2015 on charges of prostitution and just a week before her passing, she was arrested again for giving false identification to the police. Her seven-year-old daughter is still mourning her mother and is being cared for by her grandmother.

8 Eric Hill

He once competed for Andi Dorfman's love on "The Bachelorette," but before his season even aired, Eric Hill was in a fatal accident. In 2014 Eric was in Utah paragliding when part of his parachute collapsed. A rescue team immediately responded to the scene of the crash and rushed him off to the hospital where doctors told his family that Eric was in critical condition. He was placed in a medically induced coma but never recovered from his injuries.

"He gave us such a gift of a life fully lived and fully shared, and allowed us all to be a part of his last adventure here on earth," Eric's sister wrote. "It is hard to think of life without his bright spark, but we know he is on to new adventures. We look forward to carrying on his legacy here and greeting him joyfully again someday. I love you so much, little brother!"

7 Julien Hug

"The Bachelorette" contestant Julien Hug was only on the show for a blip of a moment in season five, but it was enough to garner him some notoriety. That's why it was a surprise to fans in late 2010 when police discovered the 35-year-old's body off the side of a remote highway in California. He had shot himself.

The restaurateur left behind a suicide note addressed to his parents where he apologized to them profusely. He told them that he loved them and explained that he's suffered from depression for years. Julien's suicide note was read aloud at his funeral. "I feel terribly about the grief I've caused," the letter said. "This will hurt you… I'm sorry to have to do this to you… I love you both tremendously."

"I've suffered from severe depression for years. I feel awful and don't know how to cope," Julien continued. "If life's not enjoyable, why stick around?"

6 Lex McAllister

In February of 2016, Columbus, Ohio police got a call from an unidentified person who claimed that they received a text message from season 14 "The Bachelor" contestant Lex McAllister saying that she wanted to commit suicide. The caller said that they took her seriously and checked on her at her home, only to find her passed out next to an empty bottle of prescription pills. When police arrived the 31-year-old was still alive and was rushed to a nearby hospital where her condition was said to have been stable. Her family held out hope that she would recover, but doctors noted that Lex had taken "a lot of pills," and her condition didn't get any better. Unfortunately her health took a turn for the worse and her family decided to remove her from life support.

Lex competed for the affections of pilot Jake Pavelka when she was 25-years-old but was eliminated.

5 Lisa Marie Naegle

Not many people remember the show "Bridalplasty," but the short-lived series featured 12 women who competed to win a dream wedding topped with the plastic surgery procedures of their dreams. Lisa Marie Naegle was featured on the show back in 2010 but since then had been working as a registered nurse. In 2016 she was last seen leaving a friend's birthday party in southern California but the next day she didn't make it into work. Lisa attended the party with nursing student and friend Jackie Jerome Rogers who, it was later discovered, had killed Lisa and buried her body on his property. Rogers first told police that he left her at the party because he was tired, but surveillance footage from the restaurant showed them leaving together. He also claimed that he and Lisa were carrying on an affair behind her husband's back, but his story couldn't be substantiated.

4 Gabriel Ben-Meir

This 30-year-old MTV music coordinator wasn't necessarily a reality star on screen, but behind the scenes he was well-known. Gabriel Ben-Meir worked on shows such as "Punk'd" with Ashton Kutcher, but his young life was taken from him in 2011 outside of his Los Angeles home. Two people approached Gabriel and attempted to rob him and during the altercation they shot and killed Gabriel execution style on the street just steps way from his front door. Jabaar Vincent Thomas received a life sentence for the crime, and his girlfriend Destiny Young, the accomplice, testified against him and pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter, three counts of attempted robbery and three counts of second-degree robbery. Through Gabriel's death these two criminals, along with another friend, were linked to another robbery-related murder. Thomas received an additional life sentence for that crime.

3 Simone Battle

Simone Battle started off as a young actress and in 2011, she was a finalist on "The X Factor" in the United States. She may not have taken home the grand prize, but Simone did walk away with a win. She nabbed a spot as a new member of The Pussycat Dolls but instead was added to a pop group called G.R.L. Everything was looking up for the rising young star and her career was going nowhere but to the top, that is until that fateful day in 2014. News broke that Simone hanged herself in the closet of her West Hollywood apartment. Friends and family claim that Simone's depression over her financial troubles had taken a huge toll resulting in her ending her life. She also doubted herself and worried that she would never be as success.

2 Mark Balelo

"Storage Wars" star Mark Balelo was just one of many reality television personalities who found himself on the wrong side of the law. In 2013, the flashy 40-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and it wasn't his first time getting into trouble over drugs. He admitted in an interview that his 2009 drug conviction was a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time situation, saying that his friends were just using a room he rented and partying a bit too much. However, his more recent arrest must have been much more serious because Mark turned to drastic measures. Days after being locked up and released, Mark was found in a car in a garage with the motor running. His death was considered a suicide and the specific cause of death was listed as asphyxiation from carbon monoxide and exhaust fumes.

1 Cheryl Kosewicz

If you don't remember "Pirate Master," well, neither do we. The canceled CBS show created by "Survivor" magnate Mark Burnett wasn't a hit by far, but it didn't leave the reality television world without controversy. Cheryl Kosewicz was featured on and eliminated from the pirate-themed show where contestants searched for hidden treasure, but when she returned home to Nevada where she worked as a deputy district attorney, the attention she received from being on television wasn't what she expected. The 35-year-old then was hit with a heavy blow when her boyfriend took his own life. She would write messages on her MySpace page documenting her sadness and complaining that "Pirate Master" was ruining her life. Just two months after Cheryl lost her boyfriend, she followed in his footsteps and committed suicide as well. "Pirate Master" only lasted one season and many attributed its failure to the controversy surrounding Cheryl's death.