There have been jaw-dropping moments, quotable lines and an infatuation with a guilty pleasure: Reality TV. Let’s take a look at the top 10 Jewish stars and what many of them told the Journal in interviews.
Josh Altman, “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” (Bravo)
Quite simply, you don’t get more box office than Josh Altman. He has the charm, the swag and an ability to get under the skin of competitors. The cameras don’t lie and there’s never a dull moment watching this former Syracuse University placekicker kick tuchus, selling houses to the rich and famous.
Altman, who works with his brother Matt, bought their parents a home. His wife, Heather, a real estate broker who is now CEO of the company, The Altman Brothers, has brought him the greatest happiness, he said.
“My wedding to my wife was my most favorite moment on the show,” Altman told me. “It has been a blessing. To be able to do what you love with the people you love is a rare opportunity. My son Ace and my daughter Lexi, when they get older, can watch a big percentage of 14 years of their dad’s career. If someone would have told me when we started that we’d be the No.1 team in California and make $100 million a year in sales, my cocky self might have said ‘yeah’ and hoped it would happen. Last year, we did $1.46 billion in sales.”
Altman knows how to throw down in verbal jousts like a medieval knight and while he could easily have his own spinoff show, he did have one with fellow cast-mate Josh Flagg. It was pretty amazing and showed their rivalry.
“When I started on the show, I never imagined it would go so many years,” Altman said, adding that the success resulted in other real-estate-based reality shows. “It’s so unbelievable. I’ve been able to get my clients great exposure and each year, I say, ‘if it ends, it’s been one hell of a ride!’”
If you’re not jealous of Altman, you’re either lying or you’re not trying.
Josh Flagg, “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” (Bravo)
Josh Flagg, who was born in Los Angeles, deserves to have a documentary made about him. From his sardonic sense of humor to his exceptional knowledge of Hollywood history, Flagg is one of a kind. Much of the time, Flagg appears to be unflappable, other than his heated fights with Altman.
On a simply emotional level, nothing tops Flagg’s relationship with his grandmother, Edith, a Holocaust survivor who became a tremendous success, being the first to import polyester into America in large quantities. One might not think it’s the coolest thing to show your great bond with your grandmother, but Flagg did it, even from the moment in Season two, episode one when she told him a friend died so he could see if the house was available for sale. You should check out the phenomenal book he wrote called: “A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother.” In a time when many in America barely know anything about the Holocaust, having Edith’s humor and knowledge go out to so many people was invaluable.
Flagg told me via e-mail that he loved “spending time with my grandmother and interviewing her on her time fighting the Nazis during the war, as well as her massive success in business.”
He noted that she knew seven languages, saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust, and brought out elements of his personality that might not otherwise be highlighted.
“I would have to say that my grandmother gave me the ability to show a side of me that I was not able to show on the TV program,” he wrote to me, adding that her story is one of the great American dreams.
She passed away in 2014 and the moment on the show where he deals with the loss is a gut punch that made me cry. But we can see her impact on him and how she lives on through him. That Flagg is a great success both in real estate and as a TV personality is no surprise due to his quick wit and ability to educate and bring a smile to people’s faces. He could be a great standup comedian if he wanted to be.
Flagg even served challah for a Shabbat dinner motif when he did an open house for a makeup artist. And he might also be a psychic, as when Josh Altman and Heather first met at an open house on Season four, episode four Flagg proclaimed: “I smell a shittach [match] and he was correct.
Patti Stanger, “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” (Bravo)
God has given Patti Stanger many gifts, and among them is a special knife to cut through people’s BS.
“No sex before monogamy” is what she told her clients on her hit show, and she gave them hell if they broke the rule. She’d often ask people: “Why love now?” Hillel Presser from Boca Raton told her in one episode that he wanted someone beautiful but also someone of substance. While he was kind, others didn’t take her suggestions well. She famously threw some people out of her club after they broke the rules.
“I deal with the toughest millionaires/billionaires in the world,” Stanger told me. “Yes, there were extreme cases. But they call me the non-sexual dominatrix. I still get calls from people who found love, thanking me, saying they remembered what I told them, how to treat people the right way.
Stanger said she had to give people the real truth because often, nobody else in their live would and sometimes people overestimate or underestimate themselves, which could keep them stuck in Singlesville.
“We all have patterns that come from childhood,” Stanger explained to me. “We blame others and create a trajectory of what our life path will be. We fall into patterns. You have to break the subconscious programming.”
Stanger said she is proud of being Jewish and hopes that in a world where there is antisemitism, racism and other kinds of hate that are taught, people can somehow educate themselves and unlearn the hate.
Ethan Zohn, “Survivor” (CBS)
The cliche tells us nice guys finish last. But Ethan Zohn, took first place on the fifth season of “Survivor” and got the prize of $1 million.
“I won because I’m Jewish” Zohn told me. “Think about the game itself. Fasting is not a problem, I do that once a year. Eating nasty foods is not an issue. I’ve had gefilte fish, borscht and chopped liver. And I’ve already endured the most grueling test of strength and perseverance known to mankind—my bris.”
Being handsome with great curly hair and a million-dollar smile didn’t hurt, but he said his strategy was to make himself indispensable
“I played the game based on the values I learned growing up Jewish,” Zohn told me. “The most important thing was community. “You’re plopped down with a bunch of strangers and you can’t trust anyone. So my philosophy was to be crucial to everyone’s survival. So, I was the first one up in the morning, last to go to bed, I helped with all the chores, lighting fires getting water, and I did well in the challenges. I consoled my tribe when we lost and I cheered whe we won, and had a personal relationship with each person out there. When he won a challenge to get pork he refused to eat it. Zohn would return to “Survivor: All-Star and Winners at War,” showing endurance. He also appeared on “Fear Factor.” When it comes to role models, you won’t beat Zohn.
He beat cancer twice and co-founded Grassroot Soccer, a non-profit that uses soccer to help educate and inspire communities, while improving awareness about HIV/AIDS. Zohn was a global ambassador for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and has done great work with StandUp 2 Cancer.
Jill Zarin, “Real Housewives of New York City” (Bravo)
Jill Zarin, who moved from Woodmere, Long Island, to the Upper East Side of Manhattan made it clear that you don’t want to oppose her in an argument or on the tennis court. Zarin was funny and had a strong personality, letting viewers know the pressures of high society.
“You have to be magnetic and have a big personality,” Zarin told me, when asked what kind of a person it takes to be on such a show. “People will always say things viewers might think are not real. But this was a window of what it really takes to make it in elite society in New York.” It was heartwarming to see her love for her daughter, Allyson. It was greatly due to the popularity of Zarin that the show took off. The author of “Secrets of a Real Jewish Mother” said the cameras can tell who is real.
“Eventually you forget they are there, and you have to be yourself,” Zarin explained. “Of course, heated situations will come up.”
Bethenny Frankel, “Real Housewives of New York City” (Bravo)
Photo by Celeste Sloman
Bethenny Frankel has never had to mince words. She has glamour, verve and is fearless. She called co-star Jill Zarin’s new place “Liberace, Versace …It’s a shame they had a feus because they are both awesome and on a plane ride appeared to be civil.” The chef, author, and entrepreneur wouldn’t take flack from people. Frankel can be seen on CNBC’s “Money Court” with “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary and has proved to be a sharp businesswoman with her beverage Skinnygirl and is a great television personality appearing on multiple shows. She launched the podcast “ReWives” on iHeart Media, which she describes as “the most liberating honest experience in media.” I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in a film. “Diarrhea of the mouth is not a real ailment,” she would say on the show. Via e-mail, Frankel explained that “the hilarious trip to Mexico was Reality TV gold-drama, fun an experience, but ultimately an excellent travel experience.”
What was the biggest lesson she learned from being on the show? “Be yourself at all times,” Frankel wrote. “The audience is smarter than we are.”
As for advice for others, she offered: “Don’t front and stunt. Everything comes out in the wash.”
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “Shalom in The Home” (TLC)
The first rabbi to host a reality show, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said he first refused the offer, fearing the show would be too fake, but the producers assured him he would have control.
“It was difficult to host a show that was ahead of its time,” Boteach told me. “We had family therapy and now there was a much greater realization that therapy was needed, but back then the mentality wasn’t what it is now.”
Boteach said he would live in an RV and it was tough to be away from his family while he filmed the show.
“Where’s your fire?” Boteach ask in one scene to Shane, a father of five who doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life.
“When you go through family traumas, you go through the ringer,” Boteach told me. “But it is worth it to give people the tools to empower themselves. I say it not in a Clintonian way, but I really feel their pain. But it was rewarding to help people identify the problem at then get to the net level.”
Julia Haart, “My Unorthodox Life” (Netflix)
Courtesy of Netflix
No Jewish show rocked people’s world like this one. Hailing from Moscow, then Texas, then Monsey, where I grew up and live, Haart outraged some who felt that her show took unfair shots at Orthodox Judaism. Some wondered if the show had a role in the divorce of her daughter BatSheva and Ben as well her own split from her husband, Silvio. It’s probably something we will never know. Relationships are complex.
In an interview when the first season came out, Haart told me she loves being Jewish.
“The word ‘unorthodox’ bothered people,” Haart told me. “The people who had the most visceral reaction never watched it. It’s because we use the word ‘unorthodox,’ they assume it would be an attack on Judaism.”
It would be an understatement to say she has touched a nerve. The second season, which dropped December 2, is extremely intriguing. It shows Haart trying to start something new, her daughter Batsheva dating new men, her daughter Miriam dating a woman who may have issues with being able to stay in America, her son, Shlomo who is looking to meet a woman, and her son Aron who wants to go to a more religious yeshiva, while his mother isn’t sure that’s a good idea.
People have different journeys in life and many are upset there are not reality stories of people who remain Orthodox, although on the show, her former husband Yosef, remains Orthodox, as does her son, Aron.
Gilbert Gottfried, “The Celebrity Apprentice” (NBC)
The late Gilbert Gottfried said whatever was on his mind and had no filter. When I interviewed him some years ago and asked what penalty presidential nominee Hillary Clinton might get, he said: “The guillotine.” He was kidding and thought the whole thing was overblown. Before he was the President of the United States, Donald Trump scared many contestants. But not Gottfried, who would constantly joke and says things to Trump that nobody else would say. Trump seemed to like Gottfried’s humor and it is an amazing testament that he lasted as long as he did before getting ceremoniously fired.
Kosha Dillz (real name Rami Matan Even-Esh), “Wild ‘N OUT” (VH1)
Every Jewish boy wishes he’ll grow up to be Sandy Koufax or be able to beat opponents on the streets of New York City or Los Angeles in battle rap. Kosha Dillz has seen some turbulence along the way, but after getting a commercial in The Super Bowl, and performing with Fat Joe, he launched some popping music videos and is known as one of the only Jewish rappers who is fearless and will stand up to people.
“I felt like there was pressure on the show, but your job is deliver,” Dillz told me. “I like being the underdog personally, so no one is expecting me to win by a landslide except me. My job is to make people laugh and go ‘oh’ as much as possible and be true to who I am.”
Dillz, who opened for Coolio a few weeks before he passed away, will be seen on the next two seasons of “Wild ‘N Out.”
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.