13 Ridiculous Things People Have Done To Become Famous5

By Steven Novak, Jun 03, 2010 in Pop Culture, Show News

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13 Ridiculous Things People Have Done To Become Famous

More often than not getting famous requires at least some level of talent – though there are exceptions to this rule (for example, the entire cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore”). Sometimes those without natural ability are forced to go to extreme lengths to find the fame they so desperately seek. As is the case in the KoldCast TV series Playing Dead, a wonderfully dark comedy about a down-on-her-luck actress who takes a part-time job as Death to pay the bills, the allure of fame and fortune can be difficult to resist. To further prove this point, we’ve compiled a list of the 13 most ridiculous things people have ever done to become famous.

1. Erik “The Lizardman” Sprague – Self-Mutilate

Erik Sprague is one of the finest examples of going to an extreme in order to get noticed. Erik took the concept of “body modification” to exciting new levels (and when I type “exciting” I, of course, mean “bonkers/goofy”) when he decided to sharpen his teeth, get a full body tattoo of green scales, bifurcate his tongue, green-ink his lips, and place a series of subdermal implants above his eyes. He’s also hoping to get a tail attached – which makes perfect sense – right?

2. Mark David Chapman – Murder

Mark David Chapman’s method of getting noticed is obviously the most extreme on the list. Before he put four bullets into the back of music legend John Lennon, Chapman was a church-going, “Catcher in the Rye”-reading, hard-drinking, relatively unknown weirdo. After Lennon’s death he became “the most hated man in the country.” At his 2006 parole board hearing, when asked if he murdered Lennon to become famous, Chapman said, “The result would be that I would be famous, the result would be that my life would change and I would receive a tremendous amount of attention, which I did receive…”

3. Chris Crocker – Act Foolish on YouTube
Without a doubt, this is currently the easiest, and most practiced method of attempting to get famous. Why exactly is it the most practiced? Simple, it requires nothing. If you have a computer, a camera, and a complete lack of common sense, you too can make sure millions of people know you exist. Fall on your face, lip-synch awkwardly to foreign dance tunes, eat a hamburger off of the floor while drunk, pop an enormous zit – pretty much anything works – even the most mundane of the mundane can help someone edge their way onto the lowest rung of the ladder to fame. Heck, all “crazy” Chris Crocker had to do was openly weep that we should all “leave Britney alone.” Doesn’t get much easier than that.

4. Gardiner, Polley and Willig: The Human Flies – Climb Things That Shouldn’t Be Climbed

Over the years there have been numerous men insane enough to take up the mostly foolish, and totally illegal practice of “buildering” – which is essentially the act of climbing the exteriors of artificial structures. The most famous of them are Harry Gardiner, George Polley, and George Willig, all of which have been given the moniker of “The Human Fly.” Willig’s stunts in particular resulted in appearances on the “The Tonight Show,” “The Merv Griffin Show,” a book deal, and fairly consistent work as a stuntman. Maybe the danger was worth it?

5. An Endless Array of Women – Sleep With Hugh Hefner

Sleeping with someone that’s already famous is a tried and true method of achieving some level of fame, and has been practiced for years. To sit here and try to name everyone that’s given it a go would likely take more time than I have, and leave my over-typed hands a jangled mess of twisted, aching awfulness. If you happen to be blond, chesty (or willing to go under the knife to become a bit more chesty), the quickest route to your own show and access to big bank accounts is to drop your britches and hop into the sack with Hugh Hefner. While this is ridiculous (not to mention more than a little gross), the girls that have passed through Hefner’s revolving bedroom door have all managed to achieve fame on some level.

6. Lee Redmond – Grow Super Long Fingernails

Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and the Guinness Book of World records have long been a bastion for those wanting fame who really have no idea of how to achieve it. Lee Redmond wanted it so bad that she very literally did nothing in order to get it. When her nails needed clipping she simply responded with a, “naw…no thanks.” In late 1978 Redmond stopped cutting her fingernails and eventually they grew to a mind-boggling 34 to 35 inches in length, and the world took note. On February 10 of 2009 however, all of Lee’s nails were shattered in a car accident. She has since claimed that she won’t let them grow out again, saying it took 30 years the first time, and she might not live for another 30. Her nails are currently 4 inches long though.

7. Tonya Harding/Shane Stant – Cheat

Tonya Harding needed to win, and she needed the fame that would come with a win. She had one big issue standing in her way though – while she was good, she just wasn’t good enough. Hoping to even the odds, her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard Shawn Eckardt, hired a guy named Shane Stant to break the right leg of her top competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, so she would be unable to skate. What was supposed to be a break ended up being barely a bruise though, and while Kerrigan was injured, she wasn’t out and ended up winning the silver medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Tonya went to court – then to celebrity boxing – then to basic cable.

8. John Hinkley Jr. – Stalk Someone Famous

John Hinkley Jr. is the double-whammy of stupid when it comes to getting famous. Not only did he attempt to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Regan in Washington D.C. on March 30th of 1981, but long before that he spent his time stalking actress Jodie Foster. After failing to develop any meaningful contact with her for years, he apparently came to believe that assassinating the president would in fact make him “a historical figure and her equal.” They would finally be able to date, maybe get married, and even pop out a few crazy kids. His assassination failed, and as luck would have it, Jodi wasn’t exactly “turned on” by his crazy-man grab for fame.

9. Charles Manson – Form a Cult

History has shown us that cult leaders tend to get exactly what they want – a lot of attention. The crazier they are, and the more awful the deeds of their followers, the more famous they often become. None are more closely associated with the words cult, and bat-poop insane than Charles Manson. Charlie was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders, carried out by members of the group at his instruction. He was convicted of the murders themselves through the joint-responsibility rule, which makes each member of a conspiracy guilty of crimes fellow conspirators commit in furtherance of the conspiracy’s object. Despite his heinous actions, he has arguably achieved the fame he sought and his name has reached nearly mythical proportions, very literally becoming a “metaphor for evil.”

10. James Frey – Lie to Oprah

Don’t mess with Oprah – it’s the very definition of stupid. In 2003 James Frey published his memoirs and titled them “A Million Little Pieces.” Thanks in large part to some words of praise from the media juggernaut that is Oprah Winfrey, the book soared onto the bestseller list and made Frey a very wealthy, and very famous man. On January 8th of 2006, the Smoking Gun website published an article titled, “A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey’s Fiction Addiction,” in which it was claimed that he was less than truthful about some of the novel’s “facts.” Oprah’s response was to bring Frey onto her show as a guest and completely annihilate him in such a way that she might as well have given him a wedgie on national television.

11. John Wayne Bobbit – Have Your Wife Cut Off Your Penis

While John Wayne Bobbit never set out to become famous, after his wife severed his penis in a fit of rage and tossed it out the window of her car as she drove away, he quickly found himself in the public eye and subsequently attempted to generate some cash from his newfound “fame.” His most memorable wacky idea for making the most out of a bad situation was to try and break into the porn industry. Bobbit made two films, the somewhat subtly titled “John Wayne Bobbit: Uncut,” and the not so subtle “Frankenpenis.” Classy move John.

12. Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman Gutierrez (aka Octomom) – Have a Litter of Children

Like John Bobbit, Nadya Suleman might not have wanted her fame, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying to make the absolute most of it. Known in the media as “Octomom,” Suleman gave birth to octuplets in January of 2009. Just a week later they had already surpassed the worldwide survival rate set by the Chukwu Octuplets in 1998. Not long afterward (so “not long,” in fact, that it’s a little weird), she hired the Kileen Furtney Group to handle her public relations. Appearances on Dr. Phil, The View, Oprah, and attempts to put together a reality show have since followed. She was also offered a part in a porno. Unlike #11 on our list however, she turned it down.

13. Richard Heene and Mayumi Iizuka (aka Balloon Boy’s Parents) – Stage An Elaborate Hoax

On October 15th, 2009, the parents of a six-year old boy named Falcon claimed their son was on board a homemade helium balloon that had floated away in Fort Collins, Colorado. As you can imagine, the media took notice, and when it was revealed that Falcon was “hiding in his garage” the entire time, the world at large collectively sighed in relief. Television appearances immediately followed, and in response to a question about why he was hiding, little Falcon said to his father, “You guys said that, um, we did this for the show.” A noticeably flustered Richard tried to cover up his son’s slip of the tongue, but fumbled, and stumbled, and tripped over his words like a drunk after a two-day binge.

Yep, it was all a hoax.

Richard and Mayumi had staged the whole thing hoping for media attention, maybe a reality show, and possibly a bit of fame. As a result they both did some jail time and were ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution.

Playing Dead – Dead End Job

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Steven Novak is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer and admitted lifelong nerd with an embarrassingly large DVD collection. He is currently working and living in the Southern California desert. His most recent fantasy/action adventure novel, “Forts: Fathers and Sons,” is available everywhere books are sold.