Life After Hunger: Catching Up with the Stars of Russia’s Pioneering Reality Show

Life After Hunger: Catching Up with the Stars of Russia’s Pioneering Reality Show

You asked, and we delivered! We couldn’t resist your requests to share where the participants of the reality show “Hunger” on TNT are today. We admit, we were also curious to find out how their lives turned out, but finding information about the “hungry” participants proved to be extremely difficult.

Some former participants have faded into obscurity so much that they don’t even have social media profiles. However, we were fortunate enough to gather information about most of the heroes. We’re sure that the fates of some participants will surprise you.

The Reality Show “Hunger”, Season 1

12 participants were sent to Berlin. They lived in a house where everything was available except food and money. Occasionally, the project’s heroes went out into the city in pairs to earn some money and buy food. The winner, who lasted 100 days on the project, received a lifelong monthly salary of $1000.

Alexander Konstantinov — Winner of Season 1

Alexander Konstantinov, a former paratrooper who worked as a bodyguard for a criminal boss, had all the chances to become the project’s winner, and he skillfully used them. The “hungry” participants affectionately called Konstantinov Shura, and fans of “Hunger” considered him the most handsome guy on the show. Alexander was loved for his spontaneity and sense of humor; he never engaged in open conflicts. During the show, Alexander lost 20 kilograms.

Life After Victory

Winning “Hunger” secured Konstantinov a lifelong salary of $1000. Thanks to his winnings, Alexander fulfilled his long-time dream of becoming an actor — he enrolled in the paid faculty of the Russian Theatrical Institute named after Shchukin. Today, Konstantinov is a theater and film actor with a filmography of over twenty films. “Hunger” forever changed the artist’s views: Alexander became a vegetarian, and sports took one of the main places in his life.

Personal Life

The show not only gave Konstantinov a stable income and his dream job but also arranged his personal life. After “Hunger,” Alexander started a relationship with Karina Sabirzyanova (although their feelings sparked even during the project). Soon, the young couple got married, and they had twins — Klim and Olivia.

Karina Sabirzyanova

Karina was considered the most beautiful girl on the project… and the most capricious. All participants loved her, but no one took her seriously. Except for Konstantinov: even during the project, Alexander made it clear to Karina that he liked her. And when Sabirzyanova seemed to start reciprocating, her boyfriend unexpectedly flew to Berlin, kidnapped her, and proposed marriage. Karina was so shocked that, without hesitation, she agreed and voluntarily left the project, breaking poor Shura’s heart.

Life After the Show

Sabirzyanova lasted a month on “Hunger.” Returning to her hometown of Kazan, Karina and her fiancé had a lavish wedding. It seemed that the girl’s life was unfolding exactly as she had dreamed. However, even during the filming of the series “Life After ‘Hunger’,” Sabirzyanova made it clear that she was unhappy with her husband, as they had nothing in common, and her agreement to marry was a hasty decision. Soon, she left him for Alexander Konstantinov. And you already know the happy ending to this story.

Zuriko Nazadze

If we’re talking about who the show’s fans believed in the most for victory, it was undoubtedly Zuriko. The guy was born in prison and grew up in an orphanage. His difficult fate touched the hearts of millions of TV viewers. Many were sure that, having gone through such hardships, Nazadze would cope with “Hunger,” take the main prize, and finally realize his dreams — build a house, start a family, and have children. But this did not happen.

The Transformation

The cheerful, open, and kind Zuriko turned into an embittered, aggressive tyrant whom all the project participants feared after just two weeks of hunger. Nazadze began to talk more and more about his departure, and, fearing for his mental health, the organizers decided to send Zuriko home after just 20 days on the show.

Life After the Show

Despite not winning the show, Zuriko still received a prize — thanks to “Hunger,” he found his biological sister, whom he had never seen. Nazadze said that this project helped him look inside himself and understand his weaknesses. The guy admitted that his mind was clouded in “Hunger,” and he stopped thinking adequately. After that, Zuriko decided not to participate in reality shows anymore and to live a normal life. Which is what he is doing.

Lyubov Gaykovich

Gaykovich came to the “Hunger” casting with her best friend. At that time, the girls stated that they would go to the project only together, and if only one of them was chosen, neither would go. As a result, Lyuba was offered a place on the show, and she, breaking her promise, agreed. On the project, Gaykovich did not shy away from the cameras at all — she walked around naked, spoke rudely, and behaved provocatively. Moreover, in the past, Lyuba worked as a stripper in the USA (which, by the way, allowed her to earn good money in Berlin as well).

Departure from the Show

Gaykovich left the project after 42 days — in a “duel” with Ksyusha Kozlova, she clearly overdid it. Lyuba cruelly insulted her opponent; at some point, things reached such vulgarities that even the loyal producers of TNT had to cut them from the broadcast. Of course, after that, viewers sent the rude Gaykovich home.

Life After the Show

By the way, her best friend never forgave Lyuba for her betrayal. After returning from the show, Gaykovich tried to make amends, but soon their communication faded away, which the ex-“hungry” participant greatly regretted — her best friend was the only close and dear person to her. As one of the most scandalous participants in the project, Lyuba remained in the spotlight for a long time due to online discussions and cemented her questionable success by posing for Playboy. Over the years, Gaykovich has not changed at all: she remains the same hooligan who does not recognize any rules.

Personal Life

Lyuba is not married but has been in relationships. In 2012, she gave birth to a son, Maxim.

Nikita Golubev

Another contender for victory and the main rival of Alexander Konstantinov — Nikita Golubev. Both made it to the very end, but only one of them won. Despite the competition, Nikita and Alexander became friends from the very first days of the project. At the time of the show, Golubev was a regular at club parties, a medical student who nevertheless dreamed of becoming an artist. Nikita’s talent for drawing was recognized not only by the participants, whose portraits he enjoyed painting, but also by the residents of Berlin — the guy sold his artworks on the streets of the city, earning money for food.

Life After the Show

While Konstantinov’s life changed completely after winning the show, Golubev returned to his previous life — as if those 100 days under the gaze of dozens of cameras had never happened. In 2007, Nikita graduated from Pirogov Medical University with a degree in pediatrics but did not want to work in the profession and became an artist, as he had dreamed. Despite the fact that Golubev’s works are successful, he became truly famous only recently, thanks to his drawings… on dirty cars! Nikita became a real internet star; photos of cars with his masterpieces have been seen by every second network user. Golubev was even invited to “Evening Urgant,” where he told how he came up with the idea of drawing on other people’s cars. In short, know this: if you see an incredibly beautiful landscape or animal with the signature ProBoyNik on a passing car — it’s the work of Nikita Golubev.

Natalia Syutkina

Hairstylist Natalia dreamed of giving her six-month-old son the best, which is why she went on the show “Hunger.” Initially, Syutkina seemed too shy and modest to the other participants, but in just 10 days, she opened up and became the life of the party and the soul of the company, earning the nickname Sweet Adventurer. Participants were released from the house quite rarely, but this did not prevent Natasha from falling in love with a resident of Berlin — once her chosen one even spent a whole day in the “Hunger” house; they just didn’t show this day on air. Alas, their love story did not end in anything — Syutkina left the show on the 78th day and flew to Russia, and he stayed in Germany.

For more information on reality shows and their impact, you can visit Reality TV Revisited.