In Memoriam: Remembering the Reality TV Stars Who Died in 2020

Chi Chi DeVayne of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ fame died in August.

The world of reality TV lost many notable names this year. Sadly, many of these reality TV stars died while in the prime of their lives and some, while they were in the prime of their reality TV careers.

Let’s remember those we lost in 2020…

December 27: Nick McGlashan (‘Deadliest Catch’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Nick died from causes that are currently unknown. He was only 33.

December 13: Giggy Vanderpump (Lisa Vanderpump’s dog)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Giggy—who was Lisa’s constant companion—died at the age of 10.

 

December 3: Whitney Collings (‘Bad Girls Club’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Whitney— who appeared on the show from 2008-2009 before getting the boot— died at the age of 33.

November 16: Ben Watkins (‘MasterChef Junior’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The aspiring chef lost his life after a year-and-a-half battle with a very rare cancer. He was only 14.

November 1: Nikki McKibbin (‘American Idol’)

Nikki in 2002 during her ‘American Idol’ days…

Best known for her appearance on the first season of ‘American Idol,’ as well as ‘Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew’ and ‘Sober House,’ Nikki died from a brain aneurysm at the age of 42.

 

October 31: Nate Burrell ( “60 Days In”)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Nate died from suicide at the age of 33.

September 22: Coliesa McMillian (‘My 600 lb. Life’)

Just months after her episode of “My 600 lb. Life” aired, Coliesa died after experiencing complications from a recent weight loss surgery. She was only 41. 

September 8: Aaron Grissom (‘Top Chef’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Aaron, who appeared on ‘Top Chef’ Season 12, died at the age of 34 after suffering multiple injuries in a motorcycle accident.

August 20: Chi Chi DeVayne (‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Chi Chi (whose real name was Zavion Davenport) appeared on Season 8, as well as the All-Stars season of ‘Drag Race’ before passing away at the age of 34 from suspected kidney failure.

July 27: Mahlon Reyes (‘Deadliest Catch’)

Mahlon died from a heart attack at the age of 38.

July 13: Grant Imahara (‘Mythbusters’) 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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The ‘Mythbusters’ star died suddenly from a brain aneurysm at the age of 49.

May 23: Hana Kimura (‘Terrace House’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Hana, a professional wrestler and star of the Netflix reality show ‘Terrace House’, died from suicide at the age of 22 after claiming she was cyber-bullied.

May 1: Matt Keough (‘RHOC’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Matt, a former pro baseball player who appeared on ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star, died at the age of 64 from a pulmonary embolism. 

April 27: Ashley “Ms. Minnie” Ross (Little Women: Atlanta)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Ashley– better known as “Ms. Minnie” by her fans–died from injuries sustained in a traffic accident at the age of 34.

April 3: James King (‘My 600 lb. Life’)

James, who starred on the fifth season of the TLC show, had been suffering from various health issues, including cirrhosis of the liver and sepsis. He was 49 at the time of his death.

March 20: Violet Carazo (Infant daughter of ‘Little Women: LA’ star Christy McGinity & Gonzo Carazo) 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Baby Violet was born seven weeks before her due date. She passed away at 14 days old.

January 22: Tyler Gwozdz (‘The Bachelorette’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Tyler— who appeared on Hannah Brown’s season of ‘The Bachelorette’–died after spending over a week in the ICU for an opioid overdose. He was 29.

January 9: Alexis Eddy (‘Are You The One?’)

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Alexis– who starred on Season 6 of ‘AYTO’— was only 23 years old when she passed away from a drug overdose.

(Photos: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images; Instagram; TLC)

8 Comments

  1. How do y’all post about Nate TWICE and still get his name wrong?? Are y’all trying to be disrespectful?


  2. I had forgotten about Grant and Chi Chi passing away. Now I’m mourning for them a second time… 😭😭

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