After being chosen to co-host one of the most popular shows on MTV, Jenny McCarthy’s big Hollywood break almost never happened. The night before she would assume her co-hosting duties, Jenny’s hotel room caught on fire after she left some candles unattended.
The celebrity says that she was woken up by a guardian angel screaming at her in her dream, which she still remembers causing her to wake up and leave the room. Scarily enough, firefighters told her that had she stayed in the room five more minutes, she would’ve been dead!
Stereotyped and Stuck
One would assume that becoming “Playmate of the Year'' would open all sorts of professional doors, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Jenny McCarthy revealed that no one wanted anything to do with her because of her past.
Though Jenny wanted to pursue comedy, she was told she would be better in shows like “Baywatch”. The stereotyping and typecasting were so bad that she had to audition 12 times and her manager had to make seven phone calls in order to land her co-hosting gig on “Singled Out” because MTV thought she was too wild!
The Girl on TV
Though she had hosted the Playboy channel’s “Hot Rocks” music show, Jenny soon found herself faced with an opportunity too good to pass up - she was selected to be a co-host (alongside Chris Hardwick) on MTV’s reality dating show “Singled Out”.
The Chicago native was shocked not just because of the opportunity to take part in such a popular program, but also because she finally got to be herself while on a major network. The star said she was handed a microphone and was told by the channel that they hired her to be her!
MTV’s Surprise Hit
While dating shows have been a part of television for decades, MTV’s “Singled Out” was unique in how entertaining it was. The now-cult classic was known for its unconventional (and often hilarious) contestants and moments.
One of the biggest appeals of the show, naturally, was co-host Jenny McCarthy’s larger-than-life personality and outrageous peak-’90s wardrobe. Though Jenny says, “No one thought that show was going to be anything other than bad TV, but it became a huge cult classic.” so much so that the show was even revived years later, but it just wasn't the same without Jenny!
Competition of the Blonde
If you ask most people who grew up during the ‘90s who their favorite blonde was, many would find it hard to decide between Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy. Both blondes owed their fame largely in part to their popular shoots, but their careers tended to go in different directions despite both being repped by the manager (and Jenny’s boyfriend at the time, Ray Manzella).
Though Pamela dropped manager Ray, the two were still in competition - even appearing on two different covers for the September of 1997 issue of the famous magazine.