Yesterday we posted the video of Edan Pinchot, the adorable “Jewish Justin Bieber,” who warmed our hearts with his awesome rendition of One Republic’s “Good Life” at the Austin auditions of “America’s Got Talent.”
Young Pinchot is just one of many Jews who took reality TV by storm, here are the eight reality TV Jews we remember the most for good or bad:
1. Ethan Zohn (“Survivor”)
Zohn is the winner of Survivor’s third season (“Survivor: Africa”) from Lexington, Massachusetts. He was diagnosed with cancer twice and as of late last year is still battling it. Zohn also participated in “Survivor: All-Stars” and in addition joined his girlfriend Jenna Morasca at the 19th season of “The Amazing Race” (they came in 10th).
(Ethan wins “Survivor:Africa”)
2. Jill Zarin (“Real Housewives of New York City”)
She’s loud, she has a thick New York accent and she says whatever she wants. Yeah, I know it can be said about pretty much every member of the “Real Housewives,” but there are reasons why we chose Zarin. First of all, she got in a huge fight with Bethenny Frankel and we love those. Secondly, despite the face that she is no longer an active member of RHNY (much because of Frenkel), she came out with a book called “Secrets of a Jewish Mother.”
Is her secret liquid facelifts, like the horrible video below you should only watch at your own risk?
3. J.P. Rosenbaum (“The Bachelorette”)
He won the heart of season seven’s bachelorette Ashley Hebert with his menschy appeal and loving Jewish family from Roslyn, N.Y. The happy couple got engaged in the emotional season finale and are now in talks to have a televised wedding and even a possibility that Ashley may convert.
4. Adam Lambert (“American Idol”)
You can’t really talk about reality TV Jews without mentioning Adam Lambert. The extravagant, colorful, talented runner-up of the eighth season of “American Idol” was raised Jewish in Indianapolis and is known for singing in Hebrew on different Jewish events. Check out his 2005 perfomance of “Shir LaShalom” (Song for Peace) at the 10-year anniversary for the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
5. Esther Petrack (“America’s Next Top Model”)
The modern Orthodox contestant’s appearance on ANTM at age 18 included her lifting up her shirt, dressing provocatively and doing other non-Kosher activities. ANTM devoted an entire segments to Petrack’s Judaism, where she talked about how different she is from other contestants, especially when it comes to food habits (she keeps kosher). She is now a tank instructor in the IDF.
Check out the first episode featuring Esther:
6. The Jewish Frat Boys (“The Amazing Race”)
Andrew and Dan, aka the “Frat Boys” of season 13 of “The Amazing Race,” are probably one of the funniest couples in the history of the show. Members of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity at the Arizona State University, “Dandrew” showed everyone that young Jewish men can get their hands (and feet) dirty and get far (they finished third) even in challenging shows like “The Amazing Race.” Watch their highlights here:
7. Alex Reznik (“Top Chef”)
Reznik did not win season seven of “Top Chef,” but that didn’t stop the Brooklyn-born chef to pack his bags and move to Los Angeles and open La Seine, a Kosher restaurant in Beverly Hills.
And finally…
8. Danielle the Israeli Stalker (“Jersey Shore”)
The first season of “Jersey Shore” introduced us to Snooki, “The Situation,” J-WOWW, Pauly D and the rest of the pack. To add insult to injury, it also introduced us to Danielle, an Israeli girl who fell for Pauly and fought a mental Krav Maga battle to get him. She even get him an “I Love Jewish Girls” t-shirt in one of the episodes. But instead of winning his hear and making little Jewish-Italian Jersey babies, poor Pauly was scared, and Danielle is forever remembered as “the stalker.”
Who did we miss? Comment and let us know!
