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It was lights out and away they go! The stars were out in full force on Thursday night as Sydney played host to the glitzy Australian premiere…
After racking up an impressive total of 15 UK reality shows during his career, Joey Essex is taking a well deserved TV break.
The former TOWIE star, 34, feels he’s conquered the UK reality scene following his recent appearance on ITV2’s Love Island, when he became the show’s first ever celebrity contestant.
His stint on the dating series – where he met current girlfriend Jessy Potts – means Joey has appeared on every mainstream reality series bar one, Strictly Come Dancing, which seems unlikely given the BBC One show’s rare stance of casting reality stars, so there’s literally nothing left to take on.
However, another lucrative TV market is very much on the agenda, the American reality circuit, and following a brief cameo on Netflix series Selling Sunset – which he filmed earlier this year – Joey has his eyes on cracking the States.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Joey has completed TV in the UK, there’s no projects out there which excite him, he’s done them all.
After racking up an impressive total of 15 UK reality shows during his career, Joey Essex is taking a well deserved TV break
The former TOWIE star feels he’s conquered the UK reality scene following his recent appearance on ITV2’s Love Island, where he met current girlfriend Jessy Potts
Joey’s popularity caught the eye of ITV bosses who cast him in diving show Splash! in 2013 before he landed the biggest TV gig of his career so far in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (pictured in 2013)
‘There has been big interest in the US, and that was even before Love Island, so that’s his next move once he’s had some time off.
‘Joey is keen to move his career Stateside and make a name for himself out there, where the reality market has some fresh and exciting options.
‘They love a Brit but they’ve never come across anyone quite like Joey so there is every possibility he could well conquer America too.’
The source added: ‘His team Neon Management have been inundated with magazine cover shoots and podcast interviews since Love Island, plus more meetings with Netflix so Joey has never been more in demand.’
Joey’s popularity doesn’t seem to have been affected by some of the negative headlines sparked by his stint on Love Island where he was accused of being unkind to his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson and ‘argumentative’ in the villa.
But speaking after his exit, Joey said he deliberately caused a stir as show bosses encouraged him to lean on his reality TV experience and create as much drama as possible, admitting he was a show ‘plant.’
Joey made his first reality show appearance on The Only Way Is Essex during the ITVBe show fledgling years, arriving in series two in 2011 to bulk up the numbers of the Sims family, namely his cousin Chloe, who was one of the original cast.
He became one of the breakout stars, known for his comedy and ‘Reem’ catchphrases, and stayed for three years, while also enjoying a few returning cameos.
The star progressed far in Celebrity: SAS Who Dares Wins surprising viewers with his physical prowess, nurtured by years spent in the boxing gym with his father Donny and uncle Tony
Joey’s popularity doesn’t seem to have been affected by some of the negativity sparked by his stint on Love Island where he was accused of being unkind to his ex-girlfriend Grace Jackson
Now he’s besotted with girlfriend Jessy, Joey’s lothario image may well be behind him so his foray into the US TV market is unlikely to include dating shows
In 2019, the BBC came calling for the first time, casting Joey in Celebrity Masterchef where he won over a whole new audience
His popularity caught the eye of big ITV talent bosses who cast him in diving show Splash! in 2013 before he landed the biggest TV gig of his career so far in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! eleven months later, finishing fourth behind eventual winner, Westlife singer Kian Egan.
By this time Joey was very much in the public consciousness and had racked up an impressive fanbase, sparking interest from Channel 4 who gave the Essex boy his own documentary series called Educating Joey Essex.
The show, which ran for two seasons from 2014-2016, played on Joey’s famed lack of general knowledge and saw him educate himself on subjects such as the General Election, space and Africa.
Now firmly in with Channel 4, he returned to competitive reality format by landing a place on The Jump, where celebrities learn to ski jump, and his signing turned out to be inspired, as he secured an unlikely series victory in 2015 after beating hot favourite Mike Tindall, the former England rugby union ace.
The following year, Celebs Go Dating – the Channel 4 dating series – made Joey part of their line-up and he was such a hit he remained on the show for two instalments.
An appearance on Channel 4’s Five Star Hotel followed in 2018 which saw Joey and fellow reality favourites including Spencer Matthews and ex-TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright aim to deliver five star service at a Mediterranean Hotel, before a brief cameo on MTV Cribs UK showing off his Ibiza-themed Essex mansion.
In 2019, the BBC came calling for the first time, casting Joey in Celebrity Masterchef where he won over a whole new audience and impressed judges Gregg Wallace and John Tarode with his cooking, having entered the show as a complete novice in the kitchen.
He compared being on the series to attending university, telling viewers he’d finally ‘made it’ by reaching further education.
Joey made his first reality show appearance on The Only Way Is Essex during the ITVBe show fledgling years (pictured in 2012)
Joey joined TOWIE when he was just 21 years old (pictured with Maria and Chloe Sims in 2011)
Joey was snapped up by MTV producers for dating series Ex on the Beach in 2020
The reality star was cast in diving show Splash! in 2013 which was presented by Gabby Logan a
nd Vernon Kay
Joey sparked interest from Channel 4 who gave the Essex boy his own documentary series called Educating Joey Essex in 2014
He was back competing again on ITV1 in 2023 on Dancing On Ice, finishing runner-up with professional skater Vanessa Bauer, whom he was predictably romantically linked with (pictured in 2023)
After starring on Celebs Go Dating – the Channel 4 dating series – Joey was such a hit he became he remained on the show for two instalments (pictured with Sam Thompson in 2019)
MTV snapped him up the following year for their dating series Ex on the Beach before he returned to Channel 4 later in 2019 to appear in the far more brutal Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
This appearance saw Joey express his sensitive side for the first time, opening up about his mother’s suicide when he was just ten years old.
The star progressed far into the gruelling show, again surprising viewers with his physical prowess, nurtured by years spent in the boxing gym with his father Donny and uncle Tony, who were both fighters.
As a result of his exploits on the military-themed show, he landed a one-off on the BBC special called Joey Essex: Grief and Me in 2021 where he explored in further detail the effects of his mother’s death, the year he also made a comeback to Celebs Go Dating spin-off called The Mansion, which was filmed during lockdown.
Joey landed a place on The Jump, where celebrities learn to ski jump, and his signing turned out to be inspired, as he secured an unlikely series victory in 2015 after beating Mike Tindall
In 2018 Joey secured an appearance on Channel 4’s Five Star Hotel
The series saw Joey and fellow reality favourites including Spencer Matthews and ex-TOWIE co-star Lydia Bright aim to deliver five star service at a Mediterranean Hotel
He made a comeback to Celebs Go Dating spin-off called The Mansion where he explored the reasons behind his failed relationships
The TV star appeared on MTV Cribs UK showing off his Ibiza-themed Essex mansion in 2019
Joey landed a one-off BBC special called Joey Essex: Grief and Me in 2021 where he explored in further detail the effects of his mother’s death
In 2022 he returned to the jungle to star in the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! coming seventh and winning over Aussie viewers in the process.
But he was back competing again on ITV1 in 2023 on Dancing On Ice, finishing runner-up with professional skater Vanessa Bauer, whom he was predictably romantically linked with.
Now he’s besotted with Love Island girlfriend Jessy, Joey’s lothario image may well be behind him so his foray into the US TV market is unlikely to include dating shows.
But there are plenty of other formats to choose from and if there’s anyone who can adapt to varying challenges, it’s the self-appointed King of Reality TV Joey.
