Digital Revenue Generation Guide - 25

It was kind of interesting in those situations where the guys would treat you like “one of the guys” and the girls would treat you like “one of the guys.” Yeah, yeah, yeah [laughs]. That’s usually how it works. Initially, Tila said, “I don’t know about dating a girl who doesn’t wear high heels and makeup.” But by the end of the series she was saying that you were the best of both worlds. And that just goes to breaking down stereotypes, you know? Tila was basing it oﬀ of what she sees about somebody, but then she realized it’s a combination, mentally and physically. I broke lots of stereotypes about butchier lesbians. When you were going into the ﬁnal decision, how were you feeling at that point? a child where I wouldn’t talk to anyone about my problems. That led me to do a lot of problem-solving myself. As I got older and wiser I learned that talking to people is much healthier. Unfortunately, I signed a huge contract stating I wouldn’t open my mouth to anyone until the end of the show, or I would be working for MTV until I was 127. It was pretty diﬃcult at ﬁrst, but it actually became a little fun teasing my friends every time the show would come on. It was doubly diﬃcult because I couldn’t date either. Oh, the price we pay for love. When they announced that they had broken up, was a part of you vindicated? Did you secretly think, yeah, that wouldn’t have happened if you had picked me? I was feeling good. I was always conﬁdent during all of the eliminations just because I felt like I had a lot to oﬀer and I felt the connection that Tila and I had even though the cameras weren’t always on us. We had a diﬀerent connection than anyone else did. I just had that conﬁdence, and it just kept me there until the end. When it was just Bobby and I left, there was a 50-50 chance. Either I was going to get it or I wasn’t. I knew it was one or the other. At that point there were only two options. I love how absolutely outraged fans still seem to be that Tila chose Bobby over you. At this point, how do you feel about her decision? I was a little shocked that it happened so quickly. It just seemed strange to me. One minute Tila is in love and the next, she has another show already. Whoa. I know I said earlier to move on if someone doesn’t like you, but geez, that’s fast, Tila! Sorry, Bobby. There have been a lot of debates over this. Why do you think Tila picked Bobby? I have to respect her for her decision. Do I think it was the right one? No. I think Tila picked Bobby thinking that I was too “settled” in my life. You know, a good job, a tubby dog, a house, blah, blah, blah. She obviously didn’t spend enough time really getting to know me. I like to live by the seat of my pants. I love traveling and getting into all sorts of crazy fun. She said she thought my life was settled? I like to think of it as stable. I think a lot of lesbians were shocked. Were you crushed? Bobby was a really sweet guy. There was this childish innocence to everything that was new to him, and that happened to be a lot. Like sushi, for example; he hadn’t eaten sushi ever before this show. I eat sushi every day so I guess that’s why that sounds absurd to me, but Tila found things like that endearing. Whatever. It seems she enjoyed the fact that Bobby was this big kid that she could show the world to. I guess he’s like that for a reason though, because look what happened when it came time to deal with her “crazy” lifestyle. Poor Bobby ate all that bull cock and balls for nothing. There was a lot of debate off-screen about how real the show was, which happens with all of these dating shows. How real was it to you? Was it an act for you or were you living your emotions the way that they seem on the screen? I was totally blindsided by the ending. Even Bobby was in shock. We both thought Tila was going to pick me. I wasn’t crushed though. I was sad, but I wasn’t crazy in love or anything. I try to approach every obstacle I face with optimism. I believe that if you’re in a relationship with someone and they don’t choose to be with you, then you should walk away with your head held high and let go. You can’t make someone feel something they don’t. No need making yourself unhappy trying. Instead, spend time with yourself and begin the healing process. That’s what I do. Did you feel foolish for pouring your heart into it and then getting rejected on national TV? When I got there you can see how I’ve changed, as a viewer. You know at the beginning I wasn’t trying to be all out there, making myself look crazy, trying to get attention. It wasn’t there for me in the beginning. It was like, I don’t really mind, whatever. I don’t really care if you pick me. And then once I got to know her, I started changing my ways. I moved in, I put a kiss on her on the camping trip. I just stepped it up a little bit because I realized I really did like her. So, it’s not scripted. Everybody thinks it is, but it’s really not. More or less, the producers are just coaching us, like, stay on track. They know what the viewers want to see. Were there people who you think played a little bit differently on TV than they did in real life? I had absolutely no regrets about this show. I chose to be on TV, so I knew what could happen. My dirty laundry out for everyone to see. Whatever. I don’t see it as being rejected. I know she had a tough decision to make. It’s like picking your favorite dessert, molten chocolate cake, or tiramisu. You like both, but you can only have one. You couldn’t talk with anyone about it. How did you cope? No. Everything that you saw was the way it was. I mean people were as crazy as it looks. What was your hope going on this show? Initially, what were you thinking? I like to believe that I’m a pretty headstrong kid. I like to say “kid” ‘cause I’m getting up there. I used to have this thing as 34 | curve Initially, I was thinking, “All right, I’m just going to go there and have a great time,” like it was going to be a big party. You know, I’m living in a house with a bunch of women, so whoo-hoo. And then it ended up being more than that. I

Digital Revenue Generation Guide

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