Reality Stars Not Actually Stars: Nobody Attends Reality Rocks Expo
This weekend, the Los Angeles Convention Center played host to the Reality Rocks Expo, a sort of Comic-Con for reality TV fans. The convention promised intimate access to such luminaries as the goths with the pink hair from 'The Amazing Race' (Kent and Vyxsin), Judge Lynn Toler from 'Divorce Court,' and early 'American Idol' castoffs.Though our friend Andy Dehnart at Reality Blurred reports that the staff projected an audience of 15,000 attendees, come convention weekend, nobody actually showed up. Seriously -- check out these photos of the event from B-Side blog, featuring crowds as large as 12 amassing to watch former 'Idol' finalist Andrew Garcia, empty autograph lines for 'Paranormal Files' hosts, and a 'Big Brother' panel with the same amount of panelists as audience members.
Even The Los Angeles Times, which co-sponsored the event, posted two devastating recaps on its Showtracker blog. Events featured "embarrassingly small audiences," and the lone high point from Saturday's write-up was that "the food lines were short."
So, what can we learn from this debacle?
The stars of reality shows are not actually stars. Bringing F-list celebrities together under one roof does not up the star wattage; it just makes it sadder.
Besides, would you want to be caught in public at a reality TV fan convention? We're all OK watching these shows in the privacy of our own homes and even having shameful morning-after conversations with co-workers. But paying money to see these people up close and personal? No thanks.
One time Heather from 'Rock of Love' appeared at a tattoo parlor near my house, and as much as I love her, I didn't care. It seems the thousands of fans projected to attend Reality Rocks didn't care either.

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