Joe Millionaire Star Still Fake

• Jan 15, 2004 03:00 AM ET
• by Daniel R. Coleridge

Whatever happened to Evan Marriott, 29, after the first Joe Millionaire wrapped? He split a $1 million prize with his chosen one, Zora, and then they split up. "I didn't have to marry her," he says with a laugh, "and she still took half of what I had!"

Once Uncle Sam and Zora took their cuts of his cash, the former construction worker says, "I invested in real estate. It helps that I have a father that's an investment banker." Oh, and he's found a new, cleaner line of work. No, he's not back to underwear modeling. Starting March 17, Marriott will host Fake-A-Date on GSN (formerly known as the Game Show Network).

It's just a guess, but more viewers will likely see Marriott's new dating show than Fox's Joe Millionaire 2, which bombed heinously. "I thought it was a great show," he says of Joe's sequel. "Why the rest of America didn't open their arms up and welcome David Smith is beyond me. Because it was the same damn show."

Could that be why we didn't care? "I just don't think you can duplicate things twice," the hunk replies, blissfully unaware of his redundant speech. "When there's an original, [people] don't like to see a duplicate come in. That's one of the reasons I've had such a good time. America has embraced me and accepted me, and they've kind of named me the original Joe Millionaire. I don't think anybody wanted to see anybody else take that title."

Our favorite reality TV stud may be dim, bless his heart, but at least he's not one for false modesty.