Megan Wants A Millionaire - Cancellation

Cancellation

" To conduct background checks on potential cast members for 'Megan Wants a Millionaire' 51 Minds Entertainment hired a well-respected investigative firm called Collective Intelligence, which has done similar work for more than 90 production companies involving hundreds of TV shows on virtually every major network. According to Collective Intelligence, Ryan Jenkins' criminal record in Canada escaped notice not because of any lapse on their part but as a result of an error by a Canadian court clerk."

—Allan Mayer (of public relations agency 42 West),
a spokesman for 51 Minds.

An arrest warrant was issued for contestant Ryan Alexander Jenkins as a suspect in the murder of Jasmine Fiore, a 28-year-old swimsuit model who had recently moved to the Los Angeles area from Las Vegas. Fiore's body was found in a suitcase near a dumpster in Buena Park, California.

On August 19, 2009, VH1 placed the series on indefinite hiatus. The network also released the following official statement:

Ryan Jenkins was a contestant on Megan Wants A Millionaire, an outside production, produced and owned by 51 Minds, that is licensed to VH1. The show completed production at the end of March. Given the unfortunate circumstances, VH1 has postponed any future airings. This is a tragic situation and our thoughts go out to the victim’s family.

Although VH1 officially stated the show was on hiatus, it gave strong indications that the show would never air again. All mentions of the program, beyond the single statement above, were removed from VH1.com. The remaining run of the series, reruns, and previous episodes were also removed from the iTunes Store, cable video on demand services, and the network's schedule.

On August 20, Jenkins was formally charged with Fiore's murder, and VH1 canceled Megan Wants a Millionaire a day later. The search for Jenkins would end three days later on August 23, when Jenkins was found dead in Hope, British Columbia, Canada reportedly having hanged himself. The next day, VH1 not only formally announced the cancellation of Megan Wants a Millionaire, but announced that the third season of I Love Money, on which Jenkins was reportedly a contestant and the grand prize winner, would not air.

It subsequently emerged that Jenkins had not only been charged with assaulting Fiore, but had been convicted two years earlier for assaulting a woman in Calgary. Neither of these incidents had not been disclosed to either VH1 or 51 Minds. In a statement, 51 Minds said that had it known about Jenkins' past, he would have never been allowed on the show.