Patti Stanger

A high-powered business exec used to getting her way, Patti Stanger possessed the immense self-confidence and wickedly sharp tongue necessary to become a reality TV titan. She paired her corporate marketing experience with the matchmaking talents passed down by her mother and grandmother to form Millionaire's Club, the wildly successful dating service aimed at the incredibly wealthy. Her business acumen as well as her shark-in-stilettos persona made her a natural media figure. While her real-life company's bottom line boomed, the streamlined Hollywood look at her work, "Millionaire Matchmaker" (Bravo, 2008-15), blossomed into guilty pleasure television. A leading love and dating expert, Stanger hosted her own radio show, wrote a best-selling book and made countless appearances on a variety of TV and media platforms. While Stanger drew professional criticism for her personal life - her long-term relationship ended with a broken engagement in 2009 - as well as her dating advice, which leaned heavily toward traditional gender roles, fans flocked to the outspoken CEO and her arsenal of brutally honest zingers. Flashy and not afraid to tear someone down to size on camera, Stanger was the rarest breed of reality TV star: savvy enough to control her own image as well as to maximize its profitability.