Tempted: My Story

by Rick Campanelli, John Meyer

This bombshell memoir by media personality Rick Campanelli tells the story of his public life in front of the camera and his secret life behind the scenes.

“Though nothing came my way without a great deal of hard work, I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my life. Being a mostly open book in the public eye for over thirty years, people think they know me pretty well, but it’s time for me to shed light on a few deep dark secrets that will shock many. Tempted is a story of accomplishments and living life to the fullest but not without mistakes along the way. A cautionary tale of what can happen when you lose control. This is my full story, flaws and all.”

Rick Campanelli’s journey of winning a nationwide contest to become a MuchMusic VJ on the iconic Canadian music station launched him quickly from an unknown Hamilton kid to an on-air national superstar known as “Rick the Temp,” as his warm, affable personality won over millions of Canadians from coast to coast. But while in front of the camera his star was rising, behind the scenes all was not as it seemed. Revealed for the first time ever in Tempted, Campanelli shares the story of the secret demons he battled that nearly destroyed his life.

Genres: Audiobook, Memoir

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2026

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick’s story was WILD.

I grew up watching MuchMusic and absolutely adored Rick the Temp, so learning more about his life was delightful. I’ll admit, there were parts of his story that made me like him a little less, and the more harrowing parts of his gambling story sounded like they were straight out of a movie! The amount of times I had to pause the audiobook to tell the most recent revelations to my husband 🤣

I’m so glad to see that he was able to turn his life around in the end. What a crazy ride!

[Laura Cayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many others have mention before, I too grew up during MM heyday and Loved Rick the Temp and the VJ’s. What a wild ride Rick’s life and been and def he turned it around. I listened to this instead of reading it, took until chapter 5 before I wasn’t hyper aware of his voice in reading mode. Def got less stiff as he went on.

[Kristin Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most Canadians my age, I grew up watching Rick the Temp on MuchMusic. Never in a million years did I think the adorable, humble, genuine Rick Campanelli was hiding a severe gambling addiction. With his trademark humility and “aw shucks” personality, Rick takes us on a wild ride from his unremarkable childhood in Hamilton through his days on TV in Toronto and more. This memoir is well-paced, filled with twists and turns and had me glued to my couch! 5 stars.

[Theresa · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

A soft 4, more like a 3.5.

The thing that brought us and the fans together was when they opened the doors of the studio on Queen and John. We were at street level, so we were accessible to people walking down Queen. At MTV, they were on the second floor at Times Square and almost untouchable. At Much, you got a glimpse of what was going on inside, or you could be part of the environment as an audience member. We weren’t really speaking to young Canadians; we were speaking with young Canadians. ― Rick Campanelli (from: "The Rise and Fall of MuchMusic" by Sara Black McCulloch)

When I saw that Rick "The Temp" Campanelli had a memoir on Libro.FM (thanks to the ARC program!!) I thought to myself "really? Rick the Temp has a MEMOIR? what the hell does he have to talk about" and scrolled on by because I'm not a big fan of the memoir genre anyway. Alas, the siren song of nostalgia called me, because a few weeks later I downloaded it and listened to it and now I'm writing a review of it. And I HAVE to review it, not for Rick... but for me. So, first we'll start with me and then get onto the book.

I think the first 10 years of MuchMusic when it was like REALLY cool and different to Gen X Canadians gets a ton of attention, but Canadian Millennials had our own much MuchMusic. I was probably watching MuchMusic all the time, more than I can remember growing up. The VJs: Rick the Temp, Sook-Yin Lee (an icon to me forever), Rachel Perry, Master-T, Bill Welychka (who I think was the VJ I crushed on the most), Juliette Powell, Namyguni Kiwanuka, ugh, even George Stroumboulopoulos (who later became insufferable), were just always there. I'm not sure if I dreamed I'd ever be able to visit the studio and watch an interview with any musician or band, or if I fantasized being dancing on Electric Circus one day (I don't think I did), but I was tuning in and asking for MuchMusic compilations (MuchDance and Big Shiny Tunes) every holiday season. Now, where am I going with all my nostalgia? This book just made me feel NOSTALGIC in such a deep and pathetic way. I've been watching clips of MuchMusic interviews, concerts, events, etc. almost since I began reading the book and there are so many things I forgot about. Despite loving the channel until I was probably about to enter my first year of university, I didn't really notice it fade away... I just moved on. I dunno, I'm just so nostalgic for that era of Canadian media (YTV, ChartAttack, MuchMusic, etc.). It's gone and not coming back. Even if millennials got the tail end of those things, it was still fun. Bell has to digitize those archives and release them, so much magic in there!

Now, onto to the real review... or what I can muster to write in my nostalgia-filled stupor.

First of all, good for Rick for discussing his gambling addiction and maybe lightening the burden of whatever squeaky-clean boyband image he's felt the need to present for the last 30+ years. Especially at a time when sports betting and online gambling ads are everywhere, it feels very relevant. However, his experience at MuchMusic (didn't watch him on ET Canada, sorry) was so interesting to read about, by the time I started watching MuchMusic he was solidly "the Temp" and learning about he really persisted to work at MuchMusic (in any capacity!) and end up as a VJ was super endearing. His thoughts and insights on the decline of MuchMusic were so interesting, especially realizing that he KNEW MuchMusic was selling out with the introduction of certain shows! I never would have guessed that the flagship show MuchOnDemand was seen as a sell-out move by him! Crazy! Knowing that he could see the beginning of the end with the hiring of aspiring actors as VJs, the focus on anything BUT music, the introduction of MTV Canada (I completely forgot about their first iteration until reading about this, not the one Dan Levy was on), playing music videos less and less, and the Canadian media succumbing to merger after merger. He really knew what was up and left at a perfect time. I don't even think I remember when he left, as a devoted MuchMusic fan... I guess I had already checked out, like most of their audience by then, only tuning in to watch the iconic Video on Trial. Which also should have signaled the end of MuchMusic to me... ANyway, this is just rambling. I'm glad I picked this up despite my initial misgivings, but it's really sent me into a nostalgia spiral I might not recover from. All the best to Rick and may this inspire other VJs to write memoirs. I will read every single one of them.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any Canadian teen who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s watched MuchMusic. It was our staple station and our pulse on new music. Rick the Temp was part of our everyday lives. He was the VJ who greeted you after school and introduced you to new and exciting music. And honestly, as a teen, I thought he was called Rick the Temp because he was hot 😂. Many Canadians were first introduced to the Backstreet Boys through MuchMusic and Rick’s interviews over the years.

His novel felt nostalgic, taking me back to a different decade, before the internet and social media, when our attention was focused on the TV. And I was here for it!!

Rick’s personal story was not what I would have expected. From the behind-the-scenes world of MuchMusic to his relationships and marriages, I found it fascinating to get a glimpse into the life behind the familiar face on our screens. What struck me most was how, even when faced with adversity and the consequences of his actions, it took time for Rick to fully recognize just how overpowering his gambling addiction had become and what truly was at risk.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a life. Who knew?! This book was nostalgia for the glory days of Much Music and then Rick's wild life in there.

[Lindsey Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second I learned that Rick the Temp—as he’ll always be known to me—was writing a book, I was over the moon. This man helped shape my childhood; his endearing, boy-next-door personality came through during his entire run on MuchMusic and later on Entertainment Tonight Canada.

I was expecting stories about celebrities, and while I certainly got those, there was so much more to this book. We get the story of how he became “Rick the Temp,” the highs and lows of his marriage and its eventual ending, and, most importantly, his very candid account of his struggles with gambling.

This book was raw, vulnerable, funny and incredibly honest. I already loved my favourite VJ from my childhood, but somehow, I came away from this book liking him even more.

Rick the Temp forever. ❤️

[Marian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This began well and continued downhill towards a dark world about gambling addiction and the impact on the author's most important relationships. I loved the beginning about family, friends, the author's Hamilton neighbourhood, and success at Much Music. His rise to fame then faded with a cautionary tale about gambling, poor choices, and failed relationships. It ended on a positive note to present day but I hope that he remains committed, for his family and for himself.

[JR · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Having grown up with much music during my teenage years, Rick the temp was someone who was a daily staple in my music journey that I was just coming into. I was excited to read this.

Very insightful and candid memoir, it touched on growing up and then being in the spotlight, but the bright shiny object that was this book was obviously the secret gambling addiction. I, as I’m sure many, had no idea this was happening right underneath our eyes, as this was a problem of his for 20 plus years.

You could tell that was the proverbial load off his back he wanted to detail in this memoir, and it came across as genuine and gave some good details into a gamblers thinking and the lengths he would go to satisfy that itch.

Having just met Rick at a book signing while promoting this memoir, I have to say he is the same person he portrayed on TV. Just a down to earth, super nice guy who spent multiple minutes with each person in line, which I thought was great. 3 AND A HALF STARS!

[Jeanelle d'Eon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick the Temp and MuchMusic were such an important part of my childhood. I loved reliving those days through this book.

All that gambling wrapped up pretty quickly at the end.

[Mallory Comeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teen who grew up with Much Music, this was really interesting. It was nice to hear Rick again and learn about his life then & now.

[Jennifer Goldsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m in my 40s from Canada, so I grew up with Rick the Temp! This book was raw and emotional. Kudos to Rick for sharing his story and I’m glad to see he came out the other side.

[Amanda andRaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you were a teenager in the 90s with a copy of Big Shiny Tunes 2, aspiring to be on Electric Circus, following the sacred holiday traditions of Fromage and the Tree Toss, then you will be shocked to learn that Rick The Temp turned out to be a lying, cheating, gambling degenerate. Also an international criminal with mob ties. He’s very honest and insightful about all of it - making this an interesting memoir.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading bios/autobios and memoirs. By the time Campanelli was on MuchMusic, I wasn't really watching it and haven't followed his life or career since. But I know who he is and was curious about his story. It's a quick read and I'm not sorry I read it.

Campanelli opens up about his rise to fame and the personal struggles he faced behind the scenes. He is/was known to Canadians as "Rick the Temp" and became known after landing a job as a VJ at MuchMusic in the 1990s. He went on to work in entertainment television, interviewing celebrities and building a successful broadcasting career.

While things looked good on the outside, Campanelli was dealing with a serious gambling addiction. What started as an interest in winning eventually spiralled into compulsive gambling, mounting debts and difficult situations. For example, in 2008, he was detained by U.S. Homeland Security while returning from Las Vegas over unpaid casino debts. The memoir talks about how his addiction affected his finances, career and personal life.

It was interesting to read about his love of music and how creative he was to turn it into a career. I had watched MuchMusic so I enjoyed his descriptions of what it was like to work there and what it took to stay working in the industry. I recently read Denise Donlon's memoir so it was interesting to get another perspective of working there (they were at different levels). I also like reading about getting the inside scoop into the entertainment world and it sounds like Campanelli experienced quite a lot.

I didn’t have an opinion of Campanelli before reading this book but I didn’t find him all that likeable by the end. I found his relevations quite surprising and unexpected. I’m not a gambler so I have a hard time understanding how someone can risk throwing everything away for the thrill. He seemed okay knowing he was potentially hurting people and would be pretty shady to get what he wanted/needed.

While I appreciated his honesty, at times I thought he shared a little too much, especially when talking about his relationship with his first wife. I couldn’t help wondering how she felt about him airing their dirty laundry (like his cheating and having a "mistress") for everyone to read. What was also surprising is the lack of photographs, given what he does for a living. The only one is one the cover.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2026/10...

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Many of us from my generation will forever know him as “Rick the Temp” in the 90s but others may know him more recently on Entertainment Tonight Canada or Breakfast Television. I was very much looking forward to his newly released memoir as I (along with many others, I’m sure) used to have a teenage crush on the Much Music VJ - who acknowledges he had that boyband look to him.

This was such a great title - leaning in to his forever nickname - as well as some of the darker moments that he reveals in this book. I was expecting stories about his journey to Much, and trips down memory lane with behind the scenes nostalgia but was curious what kind of tales this wholesome-looking guy would have. I was shocked, to say the least. Not a spoiler as it’s in all his promotions of the book, but he had a huge gambling addiction that went down a dark path - among other things that happened in his life.

I also loved how local it was. He didn’t shy away from keeping things general and vague, maybe trying to cater to a broader audience. Rather, Rick names buildings, addresses and areas incredibly familiar that we may have essentially been neighbours at a point in time!

I only really ever listen to audiobooks if it’s a memoir, and this was a good one to hear him tell his story in his own words. I took a peek at the physical book hoping for some accompanying photos (there weren’t any 😔)

[Ml Lalonde · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would probably be a mistake to say that a book was “compulsively” readable where 90’s Much Music VJ Rick “The Temp” Campanelli comes clean about his gambling addiction, interaction with organized crime and lying and cheating dirty doggery. But here it is. Fresh faced boy band friendly Rick was hiding a sordid side that, quite frankly, makes me question why he felt compelled to share it at all. RIck does not sound like a stand up guy. Finishing this felt a little like finishing Prince Harry’s “Spare”. Where previously I had a generally good impression of him, now I’m always going to be watching for signs that he’s fallen off the wagon. A bit ick. This memoir was more mess than message and would have benefitted from more years of gambling sobriety and deep reflection.

[Mima. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. I'm always drawn to autobiographies, but often find myself losing interest about a quarter of the way through and start to skim..but this book was compelling and really told a story, as opposed to simply drawing a timeline. I think that's where most autobiographies lose me. Not to mention that I'm part of Generation X, so MuchMusic was an important part of my younger days. I think one thing that really surprised me was how hard Rick worked in order to be a part of Much at all. I guess I assumed he went for an audition, got the job, and that was it. He did an impressive amount of work to get his foot in the door. Great book. If you were a MuchMusic fan and are a little nostalgic for the 90s, you should check out this book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up with MuchMusic (RIP 💔) and LOVED Rick the Temp. Parts of this book felt very nostalgic and brought me back some great memories (like my mom letting my sister and I skip school to drive us 2.5 hrs to be in the “Much environment” for an interview with The Moffatts)
*Only reason I’m not rating this higher is the random s3x bits that reeeeeaaally didn’t need to be added lol

I loved listening to the audiobook narrated by Rick and hearing him talk all about his early life and behind the scenes at Much. God I miss those years spent with Much in the background!! Very happy to hear he made it through some really dark times 🤍🤍

[KarenP · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes peek and all the familiar names — although, honestly, that ended up being a much bigger part of the story than I expected.

When Rick started confessing his lies and affair, and… well, there went the charm. 😬 I found myself looking at him very differently, and definitely not in the way I expected. The more he revealed, the more disappointed I became. It’s funny how quickly a little charm can evaporate with honesty - there are times when he was a real douche (old school Canadian insult) but I give him credit for owning it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the audio version, there's an error (around Chapter 21) where a couple of the paragraphs are repeated at least three times. Not sure if the Libby app was glitching.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was crazy. The upbringing was very relatable, i.e. friend groups, religion, timelines, etc. Truly nostalgic for me.

That said, I dropped a star because he cheated on his first wife and seemed uninterested in the pregnancy/birth of his first son . As another reviewer mentioned, he became less likeable as his story went on.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25. Much Music was a huge part of my life. I’ve met Rick a few times as well as a bunch of the other VJ’s. I loved reading all the stuff about Much Music, I even remembered some of the stories he told.
Reading about the addiction and the lies and everything else was a shock and sad. That’s not why I gave the rating I did. It was because I found some of it repetitive. Could have used better editing. That made some of it boring to read.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written and so interesting. I’ve been a fan of “Rick the Temp” since his early days on MuchMusic. I had that channel on every single day and I remember when he joined the network. I had no idea about his struggles with addiction and I was shocked to hear about all the trouble he got into with it. I really enjoyed hearing all the stuff about his days at MuchMusic as that channel was such an important part of my life growing up.

[Cristin SD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely a blast from the past for me having gone through my teen years loving Much Music and Rick the Temp, excited for new videos and interviews with my favourite artists. The writing kept me intrigued and I found learning his story fascinating. Loved the ride (most specifically his genuine love and passion for music and his journey at Much), thank you for sharing, and best of luck in the future.

[Enid Wray]

I am not the target audience for this book - seeing as I am not of the MTV-MuchMusic generation… and it is clear that they are the target audience.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me access to an audiobook copy.

DNF

[To Read Pile · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I commend Rick for having the courage to share his story.

If you are of a certain age, the Rick the Temp journey will bring back fond memories.

It was a little long and drawn out, but overall a great read.

[Katee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I spent a lot of time editing this in my head. The ghost writer likes lists and descriptors more than I think Rick normally would.

[Orit Tordjman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mix of pop culture and the reality of addiction. Rick bares it all and his story reels you in and wanting to read it all to find out what happens next.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[elle · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

It takes a lot of courage to admit you’re an addict. Rick is very vulnerable in his storytelling, he really opens up to the audience.

[kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way my jaw was on the floor for some of these stories. A whole new side to the baby faced, boy-band-ready Rick the Temp we grew up with.