So,
oh yeah,
I guess, I guess, like where do we start? I get, I’m gonna start where I start with everybody is basically, okay. We know you were on Zach’s season. How did it happen for you? Were you recruited? Were you like Greer sitting at home one night and nominated yourself? Like how did it happen for you the casting process?
Oh my goodness. So mine was a mix. So before I was on The Bachelor, I was in a six year relationship and then a two year relationship. And during that time, The Bachelor was never on my radar. But when I was Miss South Carolina and competing in pageants, My spray tan artist was Holly Julian, who actually met her husband on the bachelor pad.
And so Holly Julian’s like one of my favorite human beings in this entire world. She’s a phenomenal mother, such a strong woman. And I was back at Miss South Carolina as a former and she was giving me a spray tan. And we were talking about my breakup. and how I was coping with it. And she goes, well, you know, I got Sarah Hamrick on The Bachelor last season.
Do you want me to send your name in? And I was like, absolutely. And then a week later, I got a call from a producer while I was on the gym, in the gym, and that was in June. And then the rest is history.
Oh, okay. So Holly nominated you and they called you. Okay. Yeah,
so Holly got me on the bachelor. I thought her good luck was going to rub off on me, but it did it.
So, at what point you obviously know that that Zach’s going to be the bachelor. Yeah. You, were you a fan of the show? Had you watched it? Did you, once you realized you were going to be on it, like. Okay, maybe I’ll watch Rachel and Gabby season so I can see which guy I’m involved with did Zach appeal to you Did you just be like, all right.
Well, I’m good. I want to go on it I don’t know if he appeals to me when you were watching Gabby and Rachel season. What do you think of? Zach and was this someone that you were Attracted to and somebody thought okay, this could work
So I was a big fan of the show. I think I I’ve watched it For a while in college, I lived with like, one of my pageant coaches.
So my last year college, I lived with like an, an, an older gay guy and we would sit at home and watch Hannah Brown and Peter season together and drink wine and just like talk about it. And then we turn on drag race. So I’ve grown up basically watching the bachelor, but I kind of stopped watching after Matt James season.
And so when I was being casted, I watched all of Gabby and Rachel’s. Season. And Zach was just never on my radar. , he was not one of the guys that I said I was interested in. But I remember when he was casted, I was still really happy with the decision, but I was like, okay, like, let’s see how this is gonna shake out.
Yeah.
And so I was really happy and like Zach is the nicest guy ever. So I, I wasn’t disappointed.
Okay. I, you know, obviously we, we go over the dates with the, the people went on and stuff like that. So you show up you were obviously only on group dates and the first group date that you were on was the bachelor big, the one with a lot of, with the rapper, the rapper
yeah,
the bad bitch energy one.
So you did, so you do that and you know, you had the former alumni show up and, and Tashwan and Courtney and, and Victoria, and I don’t know when you did that, so that’s your first group date of the season. Did you, did you get a lot of time? With Zach after that, did you not, how was it with, with Zach?
Absolutely
not. I think I talked to Zach night one. I talked to Zach at the, that group date. And then I talked to Zach at that rose ceremony. And then I did not get to talk to Zach until the night that I went home two weeks later. And I don’t know what it was. I was begging to talk to him. I tried to. So hard, but for some reason I just was not able to talk to him and during when I got sent home at the Bahamas, I was just kind of like at my wit’s end.
I was like, I haven’t got to talk to this man in almost two and a half weeks. I think I was the last girl to talk to him that night and then I got sent home. So it just was not in the cards for us. We had no foundation to even build a relationship at that point. And that’s why I wasn’t on the season.
Like I didn’t even get to Speak to the man for almost the entire time I was there. .
Crazy. Crazy. Even it’s crazy. Cocktail parties and after parties. You never got to
Oh, I begged. I was like on a mission to talk to him, , but I just kept, I was told like, oh, sorry, we ran out of time. Oh, sorry. Like there’s gotten, there was a point where I like got up to go and find him and I was told to sit back down.
I was like, geez Louise, man. I was like. This is not working out in my favor.
My gosh. I mean, I, I mean, we’ve heard, we’ve heard the stories throughout the years. They, they’re very controlling of who gets to talk to and when, but even on, you know, group date after parties, I, you know, you think that everybody’s going to get time, some people obviously will get more time than others.
Because there might be a, Hey, can I steal you for a sec? But to get, to never get any time with him the whole time you were there is just like, Oh my gosh. So even, you know, the week three date, you were, you know, the football date, same thing that there were a lot of women on that. Yeah.
I didn’t get to talk to him that entire week.
I lost the football game poured my heart and soul in the field. got plummeted to the ground. We lost. I didn’t get to talk to him. I didn’t get to talk to him that rose ceremony night, and then we went to Bahamas and then didn’t get to talk to him on the group day and then, yeah, I think my last, the last thing you see of me is like me like sobbing into Katie’s arms because I had expressed that I was getting really sad that I hadn’t been able to talk to sack and on the show.
I talked really openly about everything that had happened with my my mom but that was the first time I was posed the question of what hurts you more, you, you losing your mom or you losing your dad throughout that. And so it completely like rewired my brain and it really brought to the surface like an abandonment attachment wound that I never knew that I had.
Which I expressed and then so not being able to see Zach and feel like I wasn’t being able to talk to Zach Really brought out like all of that Emotions that I felt like I was never able to process throughout the whole process You know, losing my mother, like pursuing ballet, like going to miss America and then going straight onto the bachelor.
It was the first time I’ve ever had to sit alone with all of those feelings. And I just like broke down into Katie’s arms and then I got sent home.
Well, wait, now I guess. I never really touched on this when you brought it up earlier, but when they asked about losing your dad, meaning did, when he got married so quickly after your mother had passed, did you just, did your relationship just deteriorate with him?
Is that what they were referring to?
Yeah, it, it really. That really created a peg in my relationship with my dad. It never like ruined it, but it did alter the way that I operated at home. Like I, since the day that my mom passed, I, even before that, I mean, my dad wasn’t really around a lot when my mom was getting cancer treatments.
So it was really just me and my younger brother. And at that time, my dad remarried. He ended up, they had their own child together, which is my little sister and I adore her to death. But I made sure that the only person that I was there to protect was my little brother. So, I, we, me and my little brother got out of the house as many times as we could.
And I think, you know, being able to speak about all of that. during my years in South Carolina and being able to champion a cause and like, I’m doing this for my mom. I never once processed the fact that through losing my mother, I lost a part of my dad. And I had never once thought about it until I was posed that question on The Bachelor.
And so being in that heightened environment, coming to that realization and having to process all of those feelings was really, really difficult for me. And that night, I remember I was like begging just go talk to Zach and I was put in a situation where I saw him pull Kat and Kat had already had a one on one and got the rose and I was like, why do I keep, like, it just really brought up that fear of abandonment and not feeling worthy enough and like having, you know, Like men in my life either like walk away or not choose me, which is not true.
It was just emotions that I had to process. And it really just got to the point where it hit an emotional cap for me. And so that Katie’s arms. And I think I snotted all over her pretty dress, but it’s okay.
So that ended your time on Zach’s season. It did. And. Obviously you know, Paradise is coming up, and you’re preparing to go to Paradise.
And then, about two weeks before you leave to go to Paradise, a certain blogger out there, can’t remember who it was, maybe you can refresh my memory. It was you! Oh yeah, that’s right, it was me. Get some information that you are in attendance at a Zach Brian concert in South Carolina,
clearly
on a date with or maybe it wasn’t, I, I was told it was, it looked like one, but anyway that you were on a date with Peter Weber, I put it out there and I said, look, I have no idea what this means.
I have, I have no idea if this means they’re both going to go down there and we’re going to see both of them on paradise. And that’s going to be like a, A couple, one of them’s going to go down there because at that time there were rumors that Peter Weber was going to show up. And then I think about days beforehand, it was just like, it was killed that he wasn’t.
So I was like, I don’t know if I said, look, all I know is that they were at this concert together. I have no idea if this means they’re both going, one of them’s going, whatever the case may be. But you ended up obviously going down to paradise. But since I was the one who broke the story and told everybody what can you fill us in on what that was all about?
And were you, were you contemplating maybe not going to paradise because there may have been You know something with Peter or you just said
yeah,
I’m still going to paradise. I don’t care
so After let’s backtrack a little bit because I feel like this will help explain.
Yeah
after getting off of that season.
I Emotionally processed a lot in my life. It was the first time where I wasn’t I didn’t know if I was going to do Paradise. Like I wasn’t invited to Women’s Health at all. So I was like shocked if I was even going to get the ass to go to Paradise. So it was the first time that I sat in my life without a goal.
Like I’m not trying to work to be a professional dancer. I’m not trying to be Miss America right now. I’m not trying to get on The Bachelor. So I was like going to therapy. I was like working on myself. I was working through all of these issues that The Bachelor really brought to surface. And. Once I got the call for Paradise, I was like, okay, like I’m prepared.
Now, leading up to Paradise, I found out that my job wasn’t going to let me keep my position if I did the show again. But I was at this point where I was really wanting to make this decision for myself and start a new chapter in my life. And so I had already told my job that I would be leaving my position before I went on Paradise.
And Peter and I got connected. He was going to be in Charleston and invited me to go to the Zach Bryan concert. I didn’t know what it was at first because I had heard the rumors about him and Kelly. I was like, very hesitant, but I was like, you know what, like, let’s see what happens. And that was honestly, honest to God, that was one of the best dates.
And I think it was, it was a date. It was the best date. I think I’ve ever been on. I mean, we went to the Zach Bryan concert, like, it was so easy. We ended up going Wait, was that the
first time you had met him?
Yeah. Oh,
okay.
All
right. Yeah. was the
first time I met him.
But you had spoken and I’m assuming messaged each other before and we’re talking before that.
Yeah. Okay.
Exactly. And I didn’t, I remember at that concert, so many people were coming up to him asking for photos that my friends knew I was on a date with him. Every time they saw. someone post on their story of, Oh my gosh, I’m with Peter at the Zach Brian concert. They’re like, did you take this photo?
And I was like, yes, I took every single one of those photos. So I was just like going around, like, I was like, it’s a little assistant. You
were his Instagram girlfriend. Yeah,
I was. It was, but we had dinner before, so we got to know each other, we went to the concert, we ended up meeting, like, all of my friends at my favorite bar in Charleston, and then we ended up going to a silent disco afterwards.
So being able to do all of those things with someone, like, you gotta be really comfortable. But it, like, came to the point where he, he told me he wasn’t going on Paradise, and I was like, I’ve sacrificed. So much to be able to do paradise. Like I can’t back out, like I’m doing it for myself. And then from there, it’s just like.
It was really just like life took us in different directions. So he was making decisions for himself. He didn’t want to do the show. I was making decisions for myself. I was like, I need to do the show. It’s like two weeks out. I’ve already quit my job, you know, like I, I gotta ride this thing through. And so that’s kind of what happened there.
So I guess one of the questions I wanted to ask was your living situation. When you got back from filming Zach season. I guess my question is when, at what point did you move to New York? Is it, was that not until after you got back from paradise filming? Was it Zach’s film? When was it?
Yeah. So that was like another wrench.
Like I went to paradise. I really put all my cards on the table. Cause I was really looking for someone. I quit my job. I filmed paradise for three days and came home to, I was living in Charleston still at the time. So I came home to my apartment with no job and. Like, no relationship to show from my time on Paradise.
Or anything really to show from my time on Paradise. Which is a really shitty feeling. And I remember waking up in my hotel room the night that I got sent home. And I had the biggest panic attack of my life. Because all I could think of, what did I just give all of my life? my life up for because I really gave every part of my life up to be there for paradise.
And so when I came back, I got really scrappy. I started doing freelance marketing, and then I was applying to jobs in that time. And I knew I wanted to move to New York. So again, like, I made the decision for myself to go to paradise, made the decision for myself to move to New York, and I just kind of made it happen.
I don’t know how I ended up two months later. getting my dream job here in New York City. And I kind of just, the day I signed my job was the day I signed my lease. And then a week later, I was in a U Haul driving through the night to move to New York City. So, I mean, I went from having the biggest panic attack to having the biggest panic attack.
Of my life waking up the day after I got sent home from paradise, just like feeling like I gave up everything for nothing to a couple of months later, like, honestly, it sounds so corny, but like living my dream life. And it’s all because I chose myself every part of the way
you’re a real go getter.
That’s what it sounds like, like, cause most people, most people in that position would probably sulk a little bit longer or maybe even never get out of that funk of. Holy shit. Oh no. I’ve just done two shows. And I’m scrappy. Yeah. And I’ve just done two shows. I don’t have anything to show for it. I just lost my job.
I’m in South Carolina. I don’t know what to do. And then like you literally, you know, pull up your bootstraps and boom, you’re in New York and you get your dream job. I mean, that’s not a lot of people can say that. I
mean, I, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I’ve spent my whole life, like, having to be independent. Like, I worked really hard in college.
The fact, like, I paid for pageants all by myself. Like, I’m not afraid to, like, work really hard. And I had a great career in Charleston. I remember when I came back, I was like, I have no money. I don’t have family that can help me through this situation. And I remember when Susie was off of The Bachelor, she used to post a lot of videos of her waitressing.
And I was like, I was in South Carolina, like I was on The Bachelor. I was like, but I need money. And so like, I really had to check myself and I got all of these marketing clients. But then also at night, like I was waitressing and I was like, you know what? This is for a season, like I’m going to be really humble.
And I would. Waitress and take photos of people in my apron because they recognize me from The Bachelor. And then I would like work on my marketing clients in the morning. And I was honest to God making more money doing that than I was at my full time marketing job. And like really putting myself through the ringer of just like working really hard and being humble about it, checking my ego of like, I’ve accomplished all of these things, but that doesn’t make me better than any of the people that I’m working in this service industry with.
And like really being humble and working hard, like I, I ended up where I needed to be at the time. So no matter like how hard things in life can get, as long as you persevere and keep pushing through, like there’s always going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. So, yeah, it was, It’s quite the journey to get to New York, but
yeah, and you know, just to, just to backtrack a little bit, we still have to talk about your three days on paradise because they were very eventful, especially on television.
So when we saw you arrive there and we know everybody that arrives on paradise comes with a date card. You immediately knew you wanted to ask Tanner out. Now, I don’t think, I don’t think they even showed you talking to anyone else, but it’s possible you did and they chose not to show it. Were, did you talk to multiple people?
Were you open to others or you knew I just want to ask Tanner out. And if that were the case, we know that people talk beforehand on paradise. Had you ever exchanged messages with Tanner? Did you know anything? Or was he just a guy that you saw? And you’re just like, yeah, I just want to ask him out.
So leading up before paradise, like the one person that I was like dying for them to go, I found out wasn’t going.
And then I had like Peter,
who was that?
No, it wasn’t Peter. I think like it takes me a lot to really like someone. And the only person that I found myself like really, really attracted to was Spencer’s twice from Gabby and Rachel season. But I found out he’s not going, we ended up being like, we’re good friends now.
But once I found out he wasn’t going, and then once I found out Peter wasn’t going, I, Paradise had already started filming and I was at my best friend’s house, Kat Velasco. She’s a country singer. And she was literally going, at this point, I kind of knew who all the guys were on the beach were. And she goes, who are you, like, who the hell are you going to ask out?
And I was like, Kat, I do not know. Like at that point there was, Not a single guy on my radar. And so she’s like, okay, give me your phone. We gotta look up who these boys are. So I kinda go through all the Instagrams of the boys. And I was like, well, Tanner’s really cute. And, and, and she’s like, let me look at his Instagram.
And then she gives me my phone back and she’s like, good luck, I just liked his last four photos. And I was like, no, it’s like, you like, internally melt. You’re like, oh my god, you did not. And then he liked my story. And And then he left for Paradise Clubbing. So at that point, I was like, Okay, he’s cute. He liked my story.
So like, he must think I’m kind of cute. And so I got there and like, truly, I was like, You know what? We’re I had nothing to lose and he was truly the only person that I was interested in. And I did not talk to a single other guy, which I should have because I probably would have found out it was Kat’s birthday, but
I don’t
know, I just kind of, I really just went for it.
Well, that was the next thing I was going to ask is that turned into a whole thing because you go and ask him and he immediately. Well, I think he went and talked to Kat and she wasn’t happy because it was her birthday and he’s, he was in a, you know, whatever you want to call it, a relationship with her at that time, or they were seeing, they were the ones that were, I guess, coupled up at that time.
And so she wasn’t happy. You guys go on this date. And just obviously the way it was edited was, I remember it was one of, you know what, I’ll give them credit. It was one of the better editing jobs they had ever done because they’re showing cat on the beach being miserable. That the guy that she’s coupled up with is on another date.
And then every time they cut to you on your date, you guys are literally in the throes of passion and making out. And I was like, this is really good editing. I’ll give, I’ll give them that. But it was very like. They really played that storyline up and actually Kat just recently last week went on she’s all batches podcast and said like, she never had anything negative to you.
It was never about you. She was never mad
at you. Yeah. I knew that too. But to me, it’s like. I don’t function well in drama. I just kind of like let it ride out and I was so hands off in all of that. My first priority was just like making sure Kat was okay and then I was like okay let’s just like see where the cards fall.
And so Tanner’s and I date, our date was really great. Like a lot of connection. I was really happy with it. But then after the date, I think I had no idea until watching the show back that Tanner ended things with Kat. I thought Kat ended things with Tanner. And so it was because that’s what Kat told me.
Well, in her mind she did. I don’t think she really spelled it. Yeah, and I, and still like you just never know the way things are edited. So I wanted to give Tanner his space to kind of, work through that. And so we did have like a lot of talks, a lot of conversations. I had no clue that he was also talking to Jess and Rachel.
And I, I remember the rose ceremony. I mean, I was getting anxiety about it because I saw him like hanging out with them. And so I don’t know. I just remember talking to Aaron Bead the night of the Rose ceremony and he came up to me and he was like, yeah, like Tanner told me. And unless something goes absolutely chaotic tonight, like you’re getting his rose.
And I just, I really felt so confident that. We had gotten through that and like, we were actually going to start to make it work. But obviously that was not what’s happened, but I think that truly was for the best. Like Tanner’s a great guy. We’re like friends now. And if it wasn’t going to work through that, it was never going to work in the real world.
Yeah. I was going to say like, once he maybe made it known or you realized, Oh, him and cat are no longer a couple. And I think that might’ve been right around the time that cat showed interest in John Henry. You probably thought like, okay, well, he just went on a date with me. The girl that he was kind of coupled up with before me, he is now not seeing.
I gotta be the one that I’m going to get a rose. And then he ends up giving it to Rachel of all people who I don’t even, I mean, I think they may have kissed at that point or something like that, but it was kind of, as for viewers, I remember being a little shocked, like, wait a second, why didn’t he give it to, why didn’t he give it to Dobby that seemed like they had this great date, they clearly had a physical connection here.
Did he ever give you a reason either? Out there in Mexico or after the show, like why he didn’t pick you over Rachel.
He, I was, I was honestly really, really shocked as well. Cause like right before the rose ceremony, we had like, we had like a cute little moment. I could tell things were like a little bit off, but I just thought he was stressed.
So I never got a reason in Mexico and like, we’ve. We’ve connected, but I think he just told me he’s being pulled in a lot of different directions and was doing what was best for him. And I’ve, like, heard in podcasts that, like, after our date, he felt like just that, that spark wasn’t there anymore, and that’s, like, completely valid.
I did, like, on our date, I opened up to him about everything with my mom, and I remember telling him, I’ve been through really hard things. If you’re not into me. It’s not going to hurt. I can get over it. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my time here And it really sucks. That’s exactly what happened.
But also looking back, I don’t think there was anybody else on that beach I really would have connected with. So I don’t know what I really would have done. And also like, I mean, looking back, it was a really shitty situation for me. And it was a really shitty situation to have to come home to, but it made me scrappy.
And I would, I don’t know, I mean, I probably would have been here where I am. And New York now, but I don’t know, I don’t think I would have changed anything looking back.
Well, that’s good. And like I said, you get eliminated there and we’ve already discussed like what happened with you when you got back and you’re just like, I, you know, I’m going to move to New York and you, you put in some work, like you said, doing restaurant and waitressing.
And then you just decided I’m going to go to New York. You at some point, you know, connect with Greer and you guys end up moving in together into New York. So You talked earlier about the fact that you have your dream job in New York. I tell everybody what that is, what you’re doing now. We see, you know, you have absolutely some really great content that I think you put out on your Instagram.
Like there’s people in this franchise that, that try, and I think there are others that are just better at it. And I think your content, even though it’s not, you know, designed for, Someone like me. It’s more for, you know, women out there. I, I can appreciate it. Yeah. I can appreciate someone who puts out actually good content.
That’s like professionally shot and it’s done. And the, and the stories are really good and it looks good. Like the aesthetic of it, the aesthetics of it, make it, you know, pop when you, and you’re going through someone’s Instagram story. So I’ll give you huge props for that. I think you and Greer both, I mean, you do, you guys both do absolutely really good jobs because, you know, You clearly have some professional photographer or videographer doing your stuff because it’s really good.
I
don’t it really well There’s there’s I will say there’s some if it looks like a model photo shoot with like a background Yes, but for the most part it’s it’s really just like me and my camera or like anybody that I can hand my phone to
Really? It’s
all about I was it’s all about the crop if you can crop a photo Well, you can make anything look good
Okay.
So I mean, like I said, your, your content, Greer’s content, I mean, really, really good stuff. So tell everybody what, what job do you have in New York? What is this dream job that you have?
Yeah. So I have become over my lifetime, whether it’s through dance or through pageants. really obsessed with health and wellness.
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and right after I competed at Miss America. And so, you know, being someone who’s had an eating disorder in the past and like having an autoimmune disease and then now my autoimmune disease affects my metabolism. So the way that I viewed my body and how my body functions and working out, has completely shifted.
So I work out to be healthy and to actually like have my body properly function. And so through that, I’ve really fell in love with holistic health and wellness. And so whenever I was applying for jobs I knew I wanted to work marketing for a wellness company and I work, I’m the brand and social marketing manager for within WTHN.
They’re a holistic health and wellness company. rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. They started off as an acupuncture studio, but now they have e commerce products and some of your favorite stores. It’s really bougie health and wellness surrounded by really empathetic people. It’s female founded CEO.
And I work with a team of all women, which is completely so inspiring on a day to day basis. So I get to show up to work, be creative. I get to help women become healthier versions of themselves. And I get to work in health and wellness, so I am just so blessed and so happy with the job that I have and the people that I get to work with on a day to day basis.
So we know after speaking with Greer a couple weeks ago, obviously you guys moved in together in New York, you collaborated as well. With white rose swim to launch your own bikini. I believe serene Did to all three of you Just really I mean straight fire bikinis all three of you that you guys created and were able to do that now that Launched a couple last weekend or two weekends ago Tell people about the bikini that you created I believe it’s called man eater
Yeah, it’s a little sassy.
Yeah, it’s
it’s okay. Go ahead. Explain and tell people how they can purchase it. Because I noticed, you know, after I had Greer on, I noticed that Maria purchased Maria was posting pictures from stagecoach in Greer’s Instagram. Bikini that she had created. I was like, wow, look at that. It’s already spreading.
Yeah,
we’re able to send our kinis to a couple of
friends.
Nice. But yeah. So for me, it’s like after pageants, I really just like delve into health and wellness and I have an amazing personal trainer and photographer back in Charleston. And I just found a new hobby and like doing beach bikini photo suits.
And so getting bikini ready and like sharing my health and wellness tips. has really become something that I’ve loved to do on my own social media. And then like people always come and ask me for advice on that. And so when I was approached to do this collaboration with white or swim, I was immediately excited.
And so I knew I wanted a bikini that really matched the trends that were going on. So I did a reversible cheetah print that has a really unique design. So it’s cheetah on one side, red on the other. It’s cut in the perfect form that makes all of your womanly assets look really nice. And it’s been a way for me to just really celebrate the body that I am able to work and function in and not the body that I’m able to look good in.
And it’s been really exciting. I love having creative endeavors. I love being able to work with a team that really inspires my ideas for photo shoots, my ideas for bikini designs, and then being able to celebrate that. So we are walking in a bikini fashion show this Thursday, which I’m really happy. It’s been, it’s been different for me because the last time I’ve walked in a bikini on stage is whenever I was prepping for pageants.
And so. I’m really proud of myself because I’m not walking on stage and 0 percent body fat like I used to prepping for pageants or I don’t have the body that I used to when I competed at Miss America, but I have a healthy body that supports every function that it needs to and that my thyroid is actually breathing and being able to be celebrated and function properly and not.
you know, being able to function off of 0 percent body fat. And so I’m just really proud of myself and how far that I’ve come from, you know, having an eating disorder and like going through that and looking at your body as something that could be one or prioritized or called beautiful or under 110 pounds where a man can lift you above your head.
And now being here, I’ve created a bikini that really celebrates like the shapes of being a woman and I get to walk in it and the body that I have and curated now just to live a healthy lifestyle and not live in an aesthetic lifestyle. So
yeah,
it will be a fun little moment. I was going to say,
that’s going to be great.
And then you can, people can purchase your bikini by just going to your Instagram. There should be a link there. I’m assuming.
Yeah, there’s a link in my bio and you can purchase it on white rose swim. It’s reversible. And then we also have a cheeky bottom and a moderate bottom depending on. How much do you want to show on the beach?
Yeah, but yeah
nice Well, I mean that is I said when when Greer came on and I saw that and then I saw Maria wearing Greer’s and then So all are all three are you serene and Greer walking this? in Thursday’s Walk, whatever it’s called, swimwear. What’s it called?
All right. Like a bikini fashion show. A fashion
show.
Yeah, yeah. Okay, nice. Okay. So that’s perfect. So, yeah, so I’m
teaching Greer all of my pageant spins. I
was going to say, did she have to walk us? I mean, I know you have to, you’re, you’re literally being in pageants. You’re literally taught. how to walk. There’s a certain way to walk. I, I, by the way, my
favorite thing to do, I do it on the treadmill every single day.
That is like, I, you know what, I, I have a little tie to the pageant world. I judged miss Dallas two years ago and it was the first time I’d ever been involved in anything pageant related. I’ve never done it. I’ve never been asked to be a judge, but I was asked to be a judge and I told, I’ve told the story many times.
I’ll tell it to you again. I found a whole. Newfound respect for any woman who enters pageants and puts herself out there like, like those women did, because you know, the day before the actual pageant takes place. It’s when you get to interview them. And I was like, this has to be the most nerve wracking thing.
A woman walks out, she has her back turned to us and then she turns around and we have two minutes to fire questions at her. She doesn’t know anything about us. We just have her bio in front of us. We ask whatever questions we want to ask just to get to know them a little personally. And I’m just thinking, Oh my God.
These women must be scared shitless just standing there and having to just on the top of their head. They have no idea what we’re asking. They might have an idea based on what they put in their bio and they think, oh, they might ask about this. But for the most part, I think most of the women, there were like 33 women that we had to go through that day.
And I was like, all due respect to them. I mean, that is, that is not an easy thing to do. And then the next day was, you know, the actual pageant and. You know, it was very hard to judge. I like, I, you know, this is my first time doing it. I’m asking the other judges, like, what am I voting on here? And what am I judging them on?
It’s so hard because a lot of them are obviously very good looking. They all look great in bikinis. I don’t know what to, you know, what is it the way they walk? Is it the way they present themselves? And it ended up being for me. And I don’t even know if you’ve heard this from other judges in, in competition for me, because they all looked good, they had great bodies, they answered their questions well for me, honestly, it came down to when I saw them walking on the stage and turning around, it was all about who exuded the most confidence to me.
That was, that was what I voted on. I had nothing else to go off of. Because like I said, they were good looking and they all look good and their hair was done and then they smiled. I’m like, you know, obviously if you weren’t smiling, that was a negative for me, but they were, they were all smiling and they’re walking.
It’s just like, it was just a, does she have the it factor when she was walking? And that’s, and that’s what I went off of. And I don’t know, is, is when you were on the pageant stage, is that what you felt you had to convey? To win over a judge.
Yeah. So also Miss America is very different. So yeah. So our interview is 10 minutes long and they ask you a lot about all of the work that you’ve done with your platform.
So I had to speak about the work that I’ve done with be the match. They ask you a lot of political questions. So I got hit with a lot of restaurant questions. I think my, the question that I won with was about bakers in Colorado who got, who denied a same sex couple a cake and whether or not I agreed with that decision.
My Miss America question was about foreign policies with Russia and how do we better that connection. So Miss America is like a, it’s a different intensity level. So you have like a lot of politics, a lot of work that you have to do outside of the pageant and then you have talent. Yeah. So it is a little bit different where you, you feel like you have to be a little mini CEO.
Whereas Miss USA, like you really just have to show up as the best version of yourself and the hardest part for that pageant is forgetting about the perfectionism of it all. So they are like two different little rodeos, but I’m excited to be in your shoes. I’m judging Miss Oklahoma’s teen. So I get to see the little teeny boppers in June and I’m so excited to go like love on those girls and, and hear more about their lives.
Yeah. No, that’s yeah. It was such an experience. It was such an eyeopening experience for me, having never been involved in it and just, you know, knowing about pageants by seeing it on TV, but actually being there and seeing these women be vulnerable and knowing everyone’s putting themselves out there.
And you’re just like, man, this is so tough. I, I like felt bad, you know, not picking somebody to win when there were 33 women, clearly 33 women can’t win. You know, I got to choose rank your top five. I’m like, really five. I have to rank like it’s impossible. Like
it is crazy. They’re all impressive. I feel like coming home.
from pageants and then immediately jumping into the bachelor and then I’ve been single for about two years. So into dating life, I’ve just had to relearn how to be a normal person. Like, it sounds so stupid, but it’s so true. So that’s been a fun experience. Like not everything has to be an intense interview or like you have to like spill your life gut secrets.
Like you’re not being judged for any of that.
Well, yeah. When I was talking to Greer, I talked about this whole notion about, I hear all the time that it’s so impossible to, you know, dating in New York is the worst. Are you experiencing that as well? Does it just suck? Because,
Yeah, I went on a couple of dates when I first moved to New York and then took a little hiatus.
I thought I found something. The guy lasted like two months. That didn’t work out. And then I’m slowly but surely like, entering the dating scene again, but I’m like truly so ready to find my person. It hurts.
Wow. Not really.
That’s been really dramatic, but I feel like I’m, I’m at a point where I’ve I am in such a comfortable place of living the life that I want to live.
I’ve done the work. I’ve like emotionally processed a lot of my life. I’ve become really secure in who I am and not only emotionally, but financially job stability wise that like, yeah, I’d like want to share that with someone. And honestly, when I was on the bachelor, like I was really unsure of who I was and I was.
Filtering what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to live. And I’m just at such a secure place where I feel like I’m open. So I’ll meet someone soon.
I’ll say this, any guy that is interested in Davia, I don’t have a lot of guys that listen to this podcast, mostly. Yeah. Can you clip this?
I’m going to PSA.
No, I’m going to say like, this is literally, I can’t imagine any guy who is interested in dating you in the future. They need to listen to this podcast. I think this is like literally an hour and five minute dating profile of yourself to where you get to know everything about Davia. And at this point, like, I mean, everything that you explained, everything you talked about in this, like this needs to be something that any guy who’s interested in you needs to listen to, because it’s almost like you don’t have to, you know, so you won’t have to repeat yourself.
But I think this is such a good presentation of yourself, which is why I think, yeah, Hey. Any guy out there, listen to this and, and you’ll know that Davia is a catch and it’s all here in this hour and five minutes that we recorded. So, Davia, thank you so much for coming on. And again, For the first 20 minutes of this podcast, being very open and sharing your story that I, like you said, most probably 98 percent of batter nation had no idea about, or at least knew the depths of it.
So I really appreciate doing that. Good luck with the bikini line and everything, the fashion show that’s going on Thursday. Good luck with everything. We’ll obviously be in touch. So take care. Really appreciate it.
Thank you. I appreciate it. And if anybody’s interested in learning more about bone marrow donation you can find lots of great resources.
You can even sign up for the registry. Getting on the registry is just as easy as swabbing your cheeks and milling it back in. So you can go to be the match. com and learn more about that process. Or you can DM me on Instagram. I’m happy to share. So I’m just have to say that as well.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
Thank you so much again for coming on. Really appreciate it. And yeah, we’ll be in touch.
Thank you. I was so excited to be on. You’re the best. It’s my first podcast ever for bachelor.
Oh my God. I didn’t realize it was the first. Okay. Well, good. I’m glad I, I’m glad I was the first. I really appreciate you doing that.
And again, we’ll definitely have you on in the future at some point too. Love that. Okay. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much to Davia for coming on. I will repeat this until I stopped doing podcasts. And that is everybody’s got a story. And just because the bachelor chooses not to focus on some people’s stories doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting ones out there.
And Davias is about is probably top five of contestants who barely got airtime on the show or got airtime and you just don’t know enough about them. But those first 20, 25 minutes of her telling her background and what she went through, you didn’t get that at any point during the bachelor or bachelor in paradise.
So that’s why one of the reasons I wanted to have her on, I knew she had a story. Just doing the research on her. The more I dug, the more I was like, wow, she’s been through some stuff and I want her to share that. And she did. So thank you so much to Davia for sharing that. Thank you all for listening.
Please follow on Apple podcasts, rate and review, please hit play. It’s the only way it counts as a download. The daily roundup was posted a couple hours ago. Sports daily posted an hour ago, your transcript for both this interview and the daily roundup. is up on realitysteve. com after this podcast post.
So you can go, you don’t have time to listen. You can go read the interview. So again, for Davia Esther Bunch, I’m Reality Steve. Thank you all for tuning in and I will talk to you tomorrow. See
ya.
