Evan Marriott Looks A Lot Different Today Than When He Was ‘Joe Millionaire’

Evan Marriott looks a lot different today than more than a decade ago, when he was one of the first big reality television stars in Joe Millionaire.

The former reality show star was the center of the 2003 dating series where he pretended to be a millionaire to the women who were trying to win his affection. In reality, he was a construction worker, though in the end, Fox ended up giving $1 million to Evan and his pick, Zora.

This week, Marriott showed up to participate in a panel discussion at the Evolution of Relationship Reality Shows at Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California. The appearance showed that Even Marriott looks a lot different today than when he was a muscular and curly-haired contestant back in 2003. Now he was seen sporting a bushy beard that had just a bit of grey peeking through.

Marriott decided to end his reality television career early, calling it quits after the fame of Joe Millionaire.

“I went back to work. I’m a contractor,” Evan revealed during the panel (via Us Weekly). “I was saying backstage that after the show, you don’t know what to do, where to go with your life. Some friends got together, had a little intervention, a come to Jesus moment.”

Marriott seemed an apt pick for a panel on reality shows. Joe Millionaire was one of the earliest dating reality shows and ended up with some huge ratings.

Reality TV World discussed the show’s success.

“The two-hour finale of FOX’s “Joe Millionaire” reality series was nothing less than a blockbuster for the network on Monday night, with an average of 34.6 million people tuning in. No other show on the other major networks drew more than about 18 million viewers in any one half-hour during the night, according to Nielsen data.

“Fox said the show was the highest-rated entertainment programming on any network, excluding shows airing directly after the Super Bowl, since the finale of CBS’ first edition of ‘Survivor’ in August 2000. The final hour of the show, at 9 p.m., drew a 40 percent share of TV viewers aged 18-49, the key demographic for advertisers. Among women ages 18 to 34 who were watching TV at 9 p.m., 50 percent turned on ‘Joe Millionaire‘.”

Evan Marriott was able to joke about the not-so-youthful appearance he sports today. When asked about his new beard, the Joe Millionaire star responded that he “grew this overnight. All I do is think about a beard and it comes in.”

[Image via The Huffington Post]