Who Is the Queen of Reality TV? Their Impressive Business Skills Will Help You Decide!
Is Kim Kardashian the true Reality TV Queen? Well, that's who y'all seem to be going hard for at this point in our competition. The energy drink superstar currently dominates our poll with 40 percent of the total votes. Jeez—that's nearly half! The power of good selfie lighting, ladies and gents.
But—hey!—miracles happen, and it's very possible a few of these girls will come out of the woodwork to give Kim K a run for her money. The always classy Tamar Braxton sits pretty at 17 percent of the vote, and not too far behind are Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Tiffany "New York" Pollard with 8 percent each. Don't underestimate rally-at-the-last-minute stans. They can be scary.
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If you still don't know who deserves your vote, let's talk numbers. And by numbers, we mean the crazy business ventures our 12 ladies do that generate serious coinage. Heidi Montag, we're specifically talking about your groundbreaking 2010 album Superficial.
Kim Kardashian
Where the hell should we even begin? Kim is a master in milking reality television fame for all it's worth. Perfume, endorsement deals, (selfie) books, music (LOL, K), a GD video game—you name it, Kim definitely has it. So many coins.
NeNe Leakes
NeNe's entrepreneurial cred is so strong that she's leaving Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. And we don't blame her. She's scored acting gigs on everything from Glee to the The New Normal and even Broadway's Cinderella. She debuted The Nene Leakes Collection for Home Shopping Network in July 2014. And this fall, she'll be a judge on ABC's reboot of To Tell the Truth. So much slay.
Heidi Montag
While Heidi has achieved most of her financial success on reality TV, she's dabbled in a few other things as well. She launched a clothing line with Anchor Blue, Heidiwood, in 2008. (Unfortunately, it only lasted a year.) But perhaps her most iconic post-Hills work is her life-changing electro-pop LP Superficial, which came out in 2010. It's chock-full of genuine bops. No joke. In fact, you should go download it now. Do it.
Kris Jenner
Kris is a business genius and has been instrumental in building her family's reality TV empire and landing her daughters major endorsement deals, like Estee Lauder for Kendall. (And you know she's enjoying that 10 percent, mama!) Kris also released an autobiography, Kris Jenner... and All Things Kardashian, in November 2011.
Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny's Skinnygirl brand has churned out everything from books to wine and even v. delicious snack-treats. She sold the company to Fortune Brands' Beam Global for an estimated $100 million. (So, ya know, pocket change.)
Tamar Braxton
Tamar was already an established star before Braxton Family Values, so—to be fair—we're only going to talk about her ventures post-reality TV. She's put out two studio albums since 2013, which both performed well on the Billboard charts. Her fourth LP, Calling All Lovers, is slated for a September 11 release. And she's also a co-host on The Real now. Way to work it.
Angela "Big Ang" Raiola
Big Ang is easily one of VH1's most lucrative personalities. She channeled her big small-screen personality into her 2012 book, Bigger Is Better: Real Life Wisdom from the No-Drama Mama. Plus, her wine collection, Big Ang Wines, launched in 2013.
Tami Roman
Tami is a full-fledged media mogul who has her hands in everything from talk radio to acting. She's used her Basketball Wives fame to score a role alongside Halle Berry in the CBS series Extant. Her KCOH Radio show Love Talk & Hot Jamz airs Monday through Friday from 8–10 p.m. If you're in the Houston area, check that shizz out.
Joseline Hernandez
Joseline is more than just a Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star. She displayed her mad rapping #skillz on the track "Mi Colta." Plus, she's a PR goddess who uses her voice to promote ballin' products like the Louis Stewart Collection.
Tiffany “New York” Pollard
If you recall New York's legendary fight with Pumpkin from Flavor of Love, you know she has ~aCtIng aspirations. Well, she fulfilled them by appearing in two plays: The Clean Up Woman (2009) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2010). She also had a small role in the 2008 film First Sunday.
Kristin Cavallari
After a brief film career that included Spring Breakdown (2009) with Amy Poehler and the 2006 horror film Fingerprints, Kristin switched her gears to fashion. She has a line of (actually) affordable shoes for Chinese Laundry, in addition to jewelry for Kitson and GLAMboutique.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
Snooki's spicy (meatball) personality proved cameo gold for several Hollywood filmmakers. The Jersey Shore staple appeared as herself in The Three Stooges (2012), Movie 43 (2013), and the TV show Supernatural. She's also an accomplished New York Times bestselling author with three books to her name: A Shore Thing, Confessions of a Guidette, and Gorilla Beach.
It’s time to get it poppin', loves. Cast your pick for the one true Reality TV Queen below, and spread the word. Remember, the poll closes Thursday, August 27 at 8 p.m. This is more necessary than paying your bills.
Check out more from VH1's month-long Keepin' It Real reality TV package.