VH1: No decision made about the future of reality show starring murder suspect

VH1’s ‘I Love Money 3′ may not air

LOS ANGELES — The future of a VH1 reality show featuring a man charged with murder in his ex-wife’s death remains unclear.

A VH1 spokesman said no decision has been made on whether or not to run “I Love Money 3,” the not-yet-aired competitive reality series that includes Ryan Alexander Jenkins as a participant. Jenkins is the fugitive “Megan Wants a Millionaire” contestant suspected of killing Jasmine Fiore, whom he married in Las Vegas in March after production for that show wrapped.

Jenkins was one of 17 bachelors vying for the love of former “Rock of Love” contestant Megan Hauserman on “Megan Wants a Millionaire” before VH1 pulled the reality dating show off the air and iTunes and eliminated all mention of it from its Web site. In the three episodes that aired, Jenkins was billed as the “smooth operator” from Canada worth $2.5 million.

The “I Love Money” series features contestants from various VH1 reality shows competing for cash. The network had not yet scheduled “I Love Money 3,” so it was likely to air sometime in 2010, the VH1 spokesman said. Both shows are produced by 51 Minds. A spokesman for the production company declined to say how far Jenkins progressed in the competition.

51 Minds insisted Thursday that it commissions background checks on all contestants on its reality shows, but it didn’t turn up the troubled past of Jenkins, the 32-year-old investment banker who was sentenced to 15 months of probation in 2007 on an unspecified assault charge in his hometown of Calgary, according to the Alberta, Canada, Ministry of Justice.

Fiore and Jenkins were briefly married in a quickie Las Vegas wedding this year and had been fighting in recent months. Fiore’s mother, Lisa Lepore, said Jenkins and her daughter “had a big blowout” in May and fought because he was jealous of her ex-boyfriends. Jenkins then went to Mexico to film “I Love Money 3″ but struggled to get Fiore back when he returned.

Prosecutors said they checked into a San Diego hotel on Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again. A reward was offered Friday for information leading to the arrest of Jenkins, who is believed to have fled to Canada and is the target of a federal arrest warrant accusing him of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

VH1 is owned by Viacom Inc.

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