Earlier this year, Love Island star Chloe Burrows raised eyebrows when she was spotted on a few dates with Too Hot To Handle alum Harry Johnson. It turns out, they made it all up in an attempt to make some extra cash. Can you believe a reality star would lie to the world?
Fortunately, it was all part of a Channel 4 documentary called Untold: Love in the Limelight where she aimed to expose just how murky reality TV relationships can be.
Fake it ’til you make it
In the documentary, Love Island alums like Cara De La Hoyde and Nathan Massey admitted to staging arguments to get attention from the paparazzi. Essentially, they managed to monetize every aspect of their relationship. Chloe wanted to test it out for herself.
“Now I’ve heard how it all works and the big money involved, I want to put it to the test. It’s time to launch my own showmance,” Chloe quipped.
Although Chloe and Harry never met and had no romantic connection, she roped him into her scheme, and they pretended to go on a series of dates. Strategically, they staged paparazzi pictures outside of restaurants and hotels. Like clockwork, the pictures picked up traction in the press, and then the sponsorship opportunities started rolling in. All sorts of new companies wanted to work with her as the fabricated romance rumors heated up.
“If I really was going to be serious, that is so easy to make money off,” Chloe observed. “You can start to see the web of finances that can go behind a reality couple.”
To take things a step further Chloe met up with a celebrity agent who works with other big-name reality stars. The agent told Chloe how she could rake in even more money with Harry. Activities like shopping for rings or house hunting would get people talking. Breaking up and getting back together could also produce added revenue. Ultimately, the agent predicted that they could earn a quarter of a million pounds in their first year of dating.
Of course, the concept of a reality TV star lying about their life for attention isn’t completely unbelievable. It’s just shocking to see how easily Chloe could manipulate the system. it serves as a solid reminder that you can’t believe everything you read.
Love Island returns later this year.
TELL US – WERE YOU SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT CHLOE AND HARRY FAKED THEIR ROMANCE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON REALITY TV COUPLES MONETIZING THEIR RELATIONSHIPS?
