Reality TV's Most Memorable Christians

Text by Lilit Marcus

In a world oversaturated with TV reality shows, it's hard to hide the fact that so many of them have a similar cast of characters--the "Party Girl," the "Bad Boy," the "Funny One" and, increasingly, "The Christian." Sometimes "The Christian" is portrayed as innocent, sweet, and genuine. Other times, judgmental and mean. But, positive or negative, he or she usually leaves some kind of lasting impression.

In this gallery, we introduce TV's most memorable Christians, including a rapper-turned-minister, two models who refused to show skin, and a family on the ultimate road trip.

Click here to begin the gallery.

#10: M.C. Hammer in "The Surreal Life"

The very first episode of VH1's Behind the Music was about M.C. Hammer (real name: Stanley Burrell), who went from being a multimillionaire rapsuperstar to losing his entire fortune and career. Luckily, there was an Act II for Hammer--he became a minister and got his own show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. In 2002, Hammer joined the cast of VH1's "Real World"-for-has-beens show, "The Surreal Life," for its first season.

Hammer proved to be the voice of maturity and reason in a house filled with out-there celebrities like Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil, Playboy centerfold Brande Roderick, and "Survivor" bad girl Jerri Manthey. In addition to keeping them in line, Hammer also lent a hand for an important moment in the life of one of his housemates: 80's teen star Corey Feldman, whose wedding was officiated by Rev. Hammer. Hammer was so well-liked by his costars that he kept in touch with them after the series finished taping and, three years later, also officiated at Neil's wedding.

#9: Stephen Baldwin in "Celebrity Apprentice" and "The Mole"

A member of the family of bad-boy actor brothers from Long Island, Baldwin worked steadily in movies like "Bio-Dome" and "The Flintstones," until a major world event changed his life. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Baldwin (a lapsed Catholic) became a born-again Christian.

He wrote a best-selling book about his religious revival, "The Unusual Suspect," that helped him spread his message of how to be a "cool" Christian who embraced tattoos and skateboarding. He even co-produced a film about Christian extreme sports athletes. This year, Baldwin joined the cast of Donald Trump's business competition show, "Celebrity Apprentice," and finished in fifth place. Along the way, he raised a large amount of money for his pet charity, The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, an organization he and his brothers founded in honor of their mother who successfully battled the disease.

#8: The Weavers in "The Amazing Race"

The hugely popular travel show "The Amazing Race" decided to shake up its format and make the eighth season "family edition," with teams of four instead of the usual two. One of the season's most infamous families was the Weavers, which included a recently widowed mother named Linda and her three children, Rachel, Rebecca, and Rolly.

The Weavers were devout--and vocal--evangelical Christians. In one episode, one of the daughters noted, "We've been raised since we were born not to trust other people, but to trust your family and to trust God," and that was how they played the game. Instead of hoping other teams would help them out, they instead banded together during challenges, promised that God would repay anyone who aided them along the way, and even prayed for a Christian cab driver who helped them in Montreal. They were not popular among their fellow "Amazing Race" contestants (the Weavers often criticized other teams for swearing and "living un-Christian lives") The Weavers ultimately placed third.

#7: Willie Aames in "Celebrity Fit Club"

When Willie Aames went on VH1's weight-loss show "Celebrity Fit Club," he was best known for playing Scott Baio's dorky best friend on the hit '80s sitcom "Charles in Charge." However, his first order of business on CFC was to correct that image and let everyone know what he'd been doing in the meantime--namely, that he had become a Christian and was doing Christian-themed entertainment. The most well-known of his projects was playing the title character in the live action show "Bibleman."

Aames quickly got a reputation for being hard to work with on "Fit Club." He clashed with trainer/drill sergeant Harvey Walden after gaining weight one week instead of losing. Embarrassed by his bad behavior, Aames returned to the show for a reunion season, "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp," which paired alumni up against new contestants, and won a prize for his individual achievement.

#6: The Duggar Family in "18 Kids and Counting"

Jim-Bob and Michelle Duggar are just regular Christian parents who try to live by the Bible. So why do they have their own TLC show? Because they have 18 kids (whose names all begin with the letter J), and absolutely no plans to stop (Michelle is currently pregnant with her 19th child). The Duggars believe that God will bless them with children as He sees fit and that only He can determine the size of their family.

Despite their notoriety, the Duggars live a fairly normal life. The kids pitch in with household chores, make each other Christmas presents, and help take care of their younger siblings. Their mother homeschools them with books from Bill Gothard's curriculum, and their father (a former Arkansas state representative) leads a church congregation in their basement every Sunday. And even though the kids all share rooms, they can get privacy in the "prayer closet," where they each spend part of their time every day.

#5: Shannon Stewart and Robyn Manning in "America's Next Top Model"

Modeling is a cutthroat industry. Shannon and Robyn, wannabe models on the first season of the hit Tyra Banks show, found that out during their time spent on the show. Both devout Christians, Shannon and Robyn bonded early during the process and leaned on each other to stay true to their beliefs while the other girls indulged in drinking, smoking, and hooking up. Their biggest test came when a challenge required the models to pose nude. Both girls refused, even though refusing meant they could possibly get kicked off the show and lose their chances at a modeling contract.

In the long run, both Robyn and Shannon's decisions paid off, and they were able to stay in the competition. Robyn finished in sixth place, and Shannon placed second to eventual winner Adrianne Curry, who had absolutely no problem posing naked.

#4: Clay Aiken in "American Idol"

There have been a fair number of Christians on the most popular (and blasphemously named) show in America, including Mandisa, Melinda Doolittle, and Chris Sligh. However, the original Christian "Idol" was Clay Aiken, Season Two's runner-up and breakout star. An awkward, shy mama's boy from North Carolina, Clay was instantly relatable with viewers who loved his genuine talent and underdog story. He often mentioned his devout Christian faith, saying he believed the show was something God planned for him, and that he depended on his religion to help him make crucial choices about his career.

On his debut album, "Measure of a Man," he refused to include any song that had sexual lyrics, embracing a more wholesome sound. The decision paid off, and the album went multi-platinum. Clay's sexuality has been a hot topic in the media, but he refuses to discuss it. When asked about it in a TV interview, he said only, "[Jesus] loves everybody. Muslim, Jewish, Christian, gay, straight, black, white, everybody."

#3: Jon Brennan in "The Real World: Los Angeles"

On the second season of MTV's ground-breaking candid reality show "The Real World," good southern boy Jon Brennan was cast as the "naive hick" character. A devout Christian, Jon surprised his housemates by telling them he was a virgin and planned to remain one until marriage. As the house's religious member, he was expected to clash with other castmates (like open lesbian Beth A.) but instead treated everyone with tolerance, respect, and understanding, becoming one of the show's most beloved--and iconic--castmembers to date. Despite disagreeing with housemate Tami's decision to get an abortion, he showed her kindness and respect regarding her choice and helped her to recover from the procedure.

Now, a season of the long-running show is never complete without a Christian housemate, from the virginal, eyebrow-pierced Elka (RW: Boston) to the Muslim-bashing Trisha (RW: Sydney). As the show has aged, it has also diluted its original intention to show regular people and relied more heavily on stereotypes. Sadly, Jon Brennan would never get cast on today's "Real World."

#2: Elisabeth Hasselbeck in "Survivor: The Outback"

Elisabeth, a contestant on the blockbuster hit's second season in the Australian Outback, played the "cute, sweet girl" role to the hilt. Her Christianity came up on the show, and Elisabeth did her best to play a moral game that didn't involve backstabbing other players or cheating on challenges. She ended up in fourth place for the season, the last of her tribe alliance to hang on.

Of all "Survivor" contestants, Elisabeth has probably been the most successful after the show ended. She landed a gig as the conservative Christian panelist on Barbara Walters' popular daytime talk show "The View," where her face-offs with liberal cohost Rosie O'Donnell garnered tons of media attention and made Elisabeth a household name. She is married to football player Tim Hasselbeck and is the mother of two children, daughter Grace and newborn son Taylor.

#1: Marguerite Perrin in "Trading Spouses"

FOX's show "Trading Spouses" lives for controversy, and Marguerite Perrin provided it like few other participants have. The show's premise is that two very different families agree to trade their moms for a week and have their lives taped. Perrin, a devout Christian, was sent to live with a New Age-y family, the Flishers. Almost immediately, conflict ensued. Perrin had a strong reaction to her new family. When she wasn't getting sick, she was trying to convert the Flishers to Christianity and, in a freakout that was broadcast around the world, proclaimed herself a "God Warrior."

Even though each family who participates in an episode of "Trading Spouses" is given $50,000 at the end of taping, Perrin initially refused to take the "tainted" money. When she relented, she used the money to pay for gastric-bypass surgery. Despite her claims in interviews that the show edited her to look like "a religious nut," Perrin agreed to do another episode of "Trading Spouses," this time with a black nationalist family. Sadly, in a postscript to the show, Perrin's oldest daughter Ashley was killed in a car accident in 2007.