Darva Conger: From Reality TV to a Quiet Life
Darva Conger went from being an unknown ER nurse to a household name overnight after winning the controversial reality show Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire in 2000. The show, which drew 23 million viewers, ended in scandal when it was revealed that her groom, Rick Rockwell, had a restraining order against him—an allegation he denied. The fallout led to a media frenzy, during which Conger was labeled a "gold-digger" and even posed for Playboy. However, her life today is a far cry from the whirlwind of fame she experienced 25 years ago.
Now 59, Conger is a mother, a nurse anesthetist, and living a quiet, fulfilling life. Looking back, she recalls how the opportunity came about unexpectedly. At the time, she was working at a hospital in Southern California after serving in the military. Following a recent breakup, a doctor mentioned that a producer friend was casting for a new reality show, and her fellow nurses encouraged her to sign up.
"You should do it!" one nurse told her. Initially skeptical, Conger laughed off the idea. "I looked at her and said, 'I'm not doing that! It's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of!'" she recalls. However, after persistent urging, she reluctantly agreed to provide her number to the producers and was eventually selected as a contestant.
For Conger, the appeal was simple. "I was just interested in the free week in Vegas," she admits with a laugh. "I didn't think it was going to be real. I thought it would be a set-up. People would laugh at it for a few minutes, and nothing would come of it."
What followed, however, was a life-altering media storm. In the two-hour special aired on February 15, 2000, fifty women competed for Rockwell’s $35,000 diamond ring. When he selected Conger, they were married on the spot in front of an audience of 1,000 people. The premise alone was controversial, but the scandal that emerged afterward turned Conger's life upside down.
The revelation about Rockwell’s past legal troubles led to intense public scrutiny, and Conger quickly sought an annulment. She was bombarded with press attention, and the sudden fame left her feeling disillusioned. The show’s fallout painted her in an unflattering light, with tabloids labeling her a gold-digger despite her immediate efforts to distance herself from the marriage.
Eventually, Conger retreated from the public eye and focused on building a stable career. She pursued a career as a nurse anesthetist, a path that allowed her to regain a sense of normalcy. Today, she enjoys a much more private and peaceful existence, raising her child and working in healthcare.
Reflecting on the experience, Conger acknowledges how drastically her life was changed by a decision she initially dismissed as a joke. "It rocked my world in ways I never could have anticipated," she says. However, she has no regrets about leaving the spotlight behind. "I have a laid-back life now, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything."
While Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire has faded into reality TV history, Darva Conger remains a fascinating example of how fleeting fame can be—and how life after the limelight can offer its own kind of fulfillment.