| Runtime: | 48 minutes |
| Creator: | Cris Abrego Mark Cronin |
| Executive Producer: | Cris Abrego Mark Cronin Ben Samek Matt Odgers Rick de Oliveira |
| Starring: | Megan Hauserman Brandi Cunningham Cecille Gahr Rob Locke[1] |
| Country: | United States |
| Network: | VH1 |
| Company: | Endemol (51 Minds Entertainment) |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 3 |
Megan Wants a Millionaire is an American reality television series on VH1 in which former Rock of Love contestant Megan Hauserman has seventeen wealthy single men compete for her love.[2] The show originated from a comment made by Hauserman during an episode of , in which she stated that she ideally would like to become a "trophy wife". During the casting process for the series, VH1 asked for single men with a net worth of over $1,000,000.[3]
In February 2009, Hauserman stated in an interview that taping of Megan Wants a Millionaire had begun.[4] Hauserman also stated that she was looking for "a mature guy that can handle me and doesn't cry" and stated "He doesn't have to be rich; he has to be stable." Hauserman said she would take the show seriously, it would be "very real". Megan's best friends, Brandi Cunningham from VH1 shows and Cecille Gahr (from Beauty and the Geek) were to appear on the show and try to help Megan with her decisions. The show premiered on Sunday, August 2, 2009.[2] [5]
Broadcast of the program was suspended by VH1 on August 19, 2009, after it was announced that contestant Ryan Jenkins was being sought by police for questioning in connection to the murder of Jasmine Fiore (whom he married after the show had concluded).[6] [7] On August 23, 2009, Jenkins was found dead, of an apparent suicide, at a motel in Hope, British Columbia.[8] On August 24, 2009, Megan Wants a Millionaire was officially cancelled by VH1.[9] [10] Early reports after the incident occurred indicated that Jenkins was a finalist in the series.[6] It was later confirmed from a contestant's Twitter account that Jenkins had placed third in the competition.[11]
| Name | Nickname[12] | Net Worth | Age | Eliminated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TJ Diab | The Vodka King | $6.5 million | 38 | ||
| Sharay "Punisher" Hayes | The Punisher | $3.1 million | 35 | ||
| Ryan Jenkins | Smooth Operator | $2.5 million | 31 | ||
| Francisco | The Latin Lover | $2 million | 29 | ||
| Al | The Nervous Guy | $5 million | 41 | ||
| Corey Thomas[13] | The Hot Shot | $5 million | 31 | ||
| Mike "Big Mike" | The "Investor" | $2 million | 45 | ||
| David "00 Dave" | The World Traveler | $2.2 million | 41 | [14] | |
| Alex[15] | The Swinger | $3.5 million | 32 | [16] | |
| Dave "Sex Toy Dave" Levine[17] | Internet Entrepreneur | $9.5 million | 40 | ||
| Joseph "Joe" Pascola | The Trust Fund Baby | $10 million | 22 | ||
| Matt Riviera[18] | The Pro Wrestler | $5.5 million | 25 | ||
| Shaun | The Southern Gentleman | $2 million | 30 | ||
| Garth | The Plumber | $2.5 million | 38 | ||
| Donald Farmer | The Producer | $2 million | 54 | ||
| James | The Baby | $4 million | 25 | ||
| Audi Pineda[19] | Big Dog | 35 |
Ages are at time of filming[15]
James awaits the death of his grandfather in order to receive an inheritance. He is not a millionaire yet.
Audi lied about his net worth.[19]
| Contestants | Episodes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Cancelled | |||
| 1 | Al | Ryan | Al | David | Corey | Al | TJ | |
| 2 | Alex | Corey | Mike | Corey | Al | Corey | Punisher | |
| 3 | Audi | Francisco | Francisco | TJ | Mike | Francisco | Ryan | |
| 4 | Corey | Punisher | Ryan | Punisher | Francisco | Mike | Francisco | |
| 5 | David | TJ | TJ | Al | Ryan | Punisher | Corey | |
| 6 | Donald | Sex Toy Dave | David | Ryan | TJ | Ryan | Mike | |
| 7 | Francisco | Alex | Punisher | Mike | Punisher | TJ | Al | |
| 8 | Garth | David | Sex Toy Dave | Sex Toy Dave | David | David | ||
| 9 | James | Mike | Corey | Franscisco | Sex Toy Dave | |||
| 10 | Joe | Matt | Matt | Alex | Alex | |||
| 11 | Matt | Shaun | Alex | Joe | ||||
| 12 | Mike | Joe | Joe | Matt | ||||
| 13 | Punisher | Garth | Shaun | |||||
| 14 | Ryan | Al | Garth | |||||
| 15 | Sex Toy Dave | Donald | ||||||
| 16 | Shaun | James | ||||||
| 17 | TJ | Audi | ||||||
The contestant was still in the competition when Megan Wants a Millionaire was canceled.
The contestant was revealed to be the winner of the competition after the show's cancellation.
The contestant won a solo date with Megan.
The contestant went on a group date with Megan.
The contestant was eliminated before the elimination ceremony began.
The contestant went on a date with Megan, but was eliminated.
The contestant was eliminated.
First aired August 2, 2009
Megan is introduced, as is Megan's concierge Niles, who narrates the show. After meeting her 17 millionaires, Megan brings in her two best friends Brandi Cunningham and Cecille Gahr. She presents each of the men with a gift that goes along with their nicknames.
After Megan hands out her presents, she announces there will be a mixer. First, Megan and Audi spend time together, and he claims that his "hump game" causes his past girlfriends to go crazy, which disturbs Megan. Joe and David show up next to chat. David tells Megan that he would love to go shopping with her. Cisco and Punisher show Megan their physically fit bodies which impresses Megan. Corey tells her he wants to find his queen and spend the rest of his life with a beautiful woman. Outside, Brandi and Cecille give Al some motivation to be less awkward. He offers to use his gift of massage oil to give Megan a foot massage. During the massage he tries to be funny and have her touch his jaw saying he has a "dog jaw". He whips his head and barks and pretends to bite Megan's finger which causes her to spill wine all over herself. Megan storms away in tears to her room upstairs.
Megan returns to the party and Al apologizes for his childish actions and offers to buy her a new dress. Shaun takes Megan inside for a private talk on the sofa. She tells him she likes his look and is physically attracted to him. Donald steps in and asks Megan to come to the fire pit with him for a one-on-one. Megan agrees because he is a movie director and wants to know if he could put her in movies. By Megan's request, Donald sets up an impromptu skit between Megan and James. James and Megan then kiss by the fire pit which ruins Donald's plan, but Megan admits that the kiss is terrible. Brandi and Cecille find out James expects to soon inherit his grandfather's fortune and isn't a millionaire yet. TJ shares a one-on-one with Megan and they talk about traveling. Finally, Megan sits with Ryan who is still a Canadian citizen. He tells her that he can only work in the United States if he gets married, but if they did get married, she wouldn't have to sign a pre-nup. Garth childishly smashes Joe's piggy bank.
Megan gathers with Brandi and Cecille in her room to discuss the 17 millionaires and who should go home that night. Despite what her friends have to say, Megan is still undecided. At elimination, Megan reveals that each man who will stay will receive a special credit card as her token of love. In order for the men to win her heart, they must "keep their account in good standing". Ryan is the first to receive his credit card. Corey is the second to receive his card. Next is Cisco, The Punisher, TJ, Sex Toy Dave, Alex, and David are all called. When Joe is brought down to receive his credit card, Megan asks about his missing piggy bank. Joe reveals that Garth broke it, and Megan scolds Garth for being a "bad boy". Garth then receives his credit card. Megan eliminates Audi and James. Next, Megan eliminates Donald because she is not attracted to him, but asks if he could still put her in a movie. Al receives the last credit card, but Megan jokingly warns him to never bark at her again.
First aired August 9, 2009
Megan explains that Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday, and they have to make or buy presents for the first challenge. Megan explains that the gifts need to be thoughtful too, because anyone can buy her expensive gifts. The three men that impress her the most will be going on a group date the next day. Cisco decides he will cook a meal for Megan. Al, knowing he needs to redeem himself after the night before, writes a check. Mike decides to use his contacts to buy Megan a dress from Lloyd Klein, a fashion designer. The show hints that he is in the Italian Mafia because he is Italian and said in the first episode that he does "private deals". Meanwhile, Shaun knows that Megan likes sushi and wants Megan to eat sushi off of him naked. Garth works on a song entitled "Sex Mode" that he's been making for the last two years.
Megan's best friends, Brandi and Cecille, join Megan once again. Megan calls up Cisco first, who is wearing the apron Megan gave him and red boxer-briefs. Cisco feeds Megan his dish, and Megan says it's delicious. Next is Al, who gives Megan a card with a check for $8,000 inside. The check is made out for Javay Salon. Alex bought Megan red lingerie, but Megan doesn't like the bottoms because they're oversized. Ryan decides to appeal to Megan's "senses" which are actually her brain and mouth. Joe gives Megan a bikini and on the bottoms he wrote "Trophy Wife" with crayon, which doesn't impress Megan. Matt gives her cupcakes, and Corey gave her a list of things "on his heart"; neither one impresses her. Punisher wears his stripper outfit and dances. Shaun then lets Megan eat sushi off him, and she enjoys that she gets to embarrass him. T.J. gives Megan his vodka that he makes, and David gives Megan her passport stamped to go to New York, France, and Italy. Mike then presents Megan with the designer dress he got her. Garth sings "Sex Mode" to Megan and she doesn't enjoy that Garth is "touching himself" during the song. Megan announces that the winners—Shaun, Big Mike, and Al will be going on a skiing date.
Garth is surprised that he didn't win the date and goes to talk to Megan in her room. Megan tells Garth that she wanted something more romantic than a sex song. Niles brings Al, Mike, and Shaun in his office to discuss the "Date Menu", which is a menu of presents that they can buy for Megan on their date. Big Mike decides to buy something of his own for Megan, while Al and Shaun decide to split the cost of all three gifts on the menu and give them to Megan together. Shaun's credit card is repeatedly declined, and Al covers for him. Later that night, Garth decides to call his best friend and tells him to pick him up at the airport. Garth states that Megan is rude and he doesn't like her anymore because she didn't enjoy his song. Then he gives Megan his credit card and says that her credit is denied. Garth tells Megan that he knows she's just going to throw him away, and Megan says she doesn't care, and that "He needs to fucking suck it up, sit there, put a smile on his face, and be appreciative that he's here." She says that two can play the manipulation game and she does it much better. She says Garth is no match for her, and that he calmed down and obeyed just like she knew he would.
The next morning, Al gives Megan roses and says they're only from him. They get to the mountain, and Al gives Megan a red Juicy Couture snow jacket, while Mike gives Megan white skiing gloves to go with her jacket. Big Mike and Megan kiss, and then Al spends alone time with her and gives her the Tiffany's snow bracelet and necklace to remember the skiing trip. He then explains the situation with Shaun's credit card and why he gave all the presents to her by himself. They return to the mansion, and Megan talks to Joe alone. Joe talks about Lily (Megan's dog) a lot, and Megan feels like he might like Lily more than Megan.
At elimination, Megan's wearing the Lloyd Klein dress that Big Mike bought for her, and she thanks him for it again. Al gets to keep his credit card first and Megan saying he has gone from showering her with drinks to showering her with gifts. Next is Big Mike and she says that he likes that he is big and strong and that he can protect her, yet he is gentle and thoughtful as well. The next card goes to Cisco, followed by Ryan, TJ, David, Punisher, Sex Toy Dave, Corey, and Matt. Megan pulls out a giant pair of scissors that she will cut the eliminated persons' credit cards with. She then calls down Alex, and makes him promise to never to buy her "grandma panties" again before giving him back his card. Megan tells Garth his luck has run out and cuts his credit card in half. Megan said that she made up her mind to get rid of Garth the night before, but that contestants only leave on her terms. She calls down Joe next, and tells him that she has more of a friendship connection with him. Joe asks for a second chance, and kisses her with his mouth wide open—a horrible, awkward kiss. Megan gives Joe his card. Megan calls down Shaun and says the way he handled the credit card issue troubled her because he didn't stick up for himself and then cuts his credit card in half.
First aired August 16, 2009
After elimination, the remaining men relax and socialize with each other and Megan. Joe knows he has to step his game up or he will be eliminated soon, and David criticizes him for only being on a friendship level with Megan. The next morning, Ryan tells Cisco and Joe about his ways of picking up girls and later they are called into their next challenge. Megan tells the contestants are asked to design business plans to make Megan's dog, Lily, marketable. Each team will select a team leader, and they will have two hours to prepare a presentation. The men are split into four teams of three each and the team captain of the winning team will win a solo date with Megan, while the other two get a group date. The men start brainstorming ideas for Lily's company. Al of Team 1 wants to do a workout video featuring Lily, but Punisher, captain of Team 1, comes up with the idea of a dog spa instead. Ryan, the captain of Team 4, decides to create a dog food company with six different kinds of dog food in a rotating dish. Mike wants to do a dog water company for Team 2, but Team 2's captain TJ decides to do a dog spa also called Club Lily, and Mike asks, "Who does this guy think he is?" Lastly, Corey, captain of Team 3, decides to make a product so big that no one can buy it, and Sex Toy Dave says it's a horrible idea and that they won't make money doing that. Joe worries that he's going to make a fool out of himself because he's only a trust fund baby and has never worked with numbers or presentations. Meanwhile, Al makes a photoshoot with Lily being pampered by Cisco and Punisher, who the masseures, and Al said it's a great idea because Cisco and Punisher both have phenomenal bodies.
Megan calls them in, and tells the men that herself, Robin Antin, the founder of the Pussycat Dolls, and Rob Frankel, a branding expert, will be judging their presentations. Team 2 goes first, and TJ, Alex, and Mike present Club Lily which they say will make four million dollars a year. They also introduce The Lily Hauserman Foundation, which is a non-profit organization. Megan chokes and coughs when she hears "non-profit" and ponders why they wouldn't want to make money. She asks them if they think they should focus on the profit part instead of the non-profit part, because we're in a recession. Rob Frankle says he doesn't know what they were smoking, but that he wanted some. Megan asks Alex if he would invest his money in their company, and he responds that if he saw more products then he'd consider it and Megan tells him he doesn't even seem confident in his own idea. Robin Antin tells them they haven't researched it at all and that it's poorly planned out. Team 1 is next, and Punisher, Cisco, and Al present Lavish Lily's, another spa for dogs. As Cisco begins presenting, Megan becomes distracted and daydreams about Punisher's lap dance. It's edited to look like Lily is daydreaming about Punisher massaging her as well. Rob tells them that almost no one besides Bill Gates and Warren Buffett could afford this spa, and that he doubts they would fund it. Team 3 goes, and Corey, Matt, and Sex Toy Dave present the L.L. Club, which is a club for celebrities' dogs where they can purchase jewelry for their dog that is equipped with a lo-jack homing device for the animal. Robin believes it to be confusing and Rob believes it to be a brand that could live on. Rob and Robin agree that they would be scared as buyers of this product. Lastly, Team 4 with Ryan, David, and Joe present their gourmet organic dog food chain for toy or teacup dogs. David and Ryan present well, but Joe struggles with his speech. David takes over Joe's part and the judges tell them that unlike the other teams, they thoroughly thought out the prices and incomes and costs of the product, and that it was the most likely to succeed in making money. In addition, it was also unique because the cans of dog food contains water on the bottom and food on the top in separate chambers of the can. The idea is likely to make 62 million dollars per year. Robin Antin decides that Team 4 should be the winner, and Rob Frankle thinks Team 3 should be the winner. Megan announces that Team 4 is the winner and that Ryan will have a solo date and David and Joe will have a group date.
Niles brings Ryan into his office to view the Date Menu, and Ryan selects taking Megan to a French restaurant in an Aston Martin. Joe and David are then brought into his office to view their Date Menu. Joe buys the locket for Megan, and David buys the watch.
Was not broadcast; see Cancellation below
This episode and all later episodes did not air on VH1.[10]
See main article: Murder of Jasmine Fiore. On August 20, 2009–shortly after the third episode aired–an arrest warrant was issued for contestant Ryan Jenkins as a suspect in the murder of his wife, Jasmine Fiore, a 28-year-old swimsuit model who had recently moved to the Los Angeles area from Las Vegas.[20] Fiore's body had been found five days earlier in a suitcase near a dumpster in Buena Park, California.[21] Jenkins had met Fiore shortly after being eliminated from the show, and married her soon afterward.
On August 19, 2009, VH1 placed the series on indefinite hiatus out of respect for Fiore's family. The network also released the following official statement:
Although VH1 officially stated the show was on hiatus, it gave strong indications that the show would never air again. All mentions of the program, beyond the single statement above, were removed from VH1.com. The remaining run of the series, reruns, and previous episodes were also removed from the iTunes Store and cable video on demand services.[22]
It subsequently emerged that Jenkins had not only been charged with assaulting Fiore, but had been convicted in 2007 for assaulting a woman in Calgary. The 2007 incident had not been disclosed to either VH1 or 51 Minds. In a statement, 51 Minds said that had it known about Jenkins' past, he would have never been allowed on the show.[23]
On August 20, Jenkins was formally charged with Fiore's murder, and VH1 canceled Megan Wants a Millionaire a day later.[23] The search for Jenkins would end three days later on August 23, when Jenkins was found dead in Hope, British Columbia, Canada reportedly having hanged himself.[24] The next day, VH1 not only formally announced the cancellation of Megan Wants a Millionaire, but announced that the third season of I Love Money, on which Jenkins was a contestant and grand prize winner, would not air.[25]
VH1 had hired Collective Intelligence, a private investigation firm, to perform background checks on Jenkins and the other contestants. Collective Intelligence doesn't perform background checks outside the United States, and outsourced the vetting of Jenkins to a Canadian firm, Straightline International. In 2009, Collective Intelligence sued Straightline for breach of contract. The suit alleged that Straightline had falsely told Collective Intelligence that Jenkins's record was clean, and had also failed to check Jenkins against the RCMP criminal database. Collective Intelligence claimed to have lost valuable business from Viacom (owner of VH1), NBC and ABC as a result of the damage to its reputation.[26] [27] Straightline ultimately paid Collective Intelligence $810,000 to settle the suit.[28]
A rumor spread that VH1 announced they would create another show starring Megan Hauserman, although it wouldn't necessarily follow the same dating format as Megan Wants a Millionaire. The show, like Megan Wants a Millionaire, would be "unscripted".[29] VH1 subsequently denied the rumor, and it never happened.[30]