Starry Magazine interviews Jessica Cimato

Jessica Cimato from You're Cut Off did an interview with starrymag.com . She talsk about her time on the show.  she also campaigning to get for a You're Cut Of reunion show.

Q.  You were just featured on the show "You're Cut Off," how did you get involved with it?

A.   I knew I was signing up for a reality show but I didn't know which reality show I was signing up for.  I thought I was signing up for "The Good Life" and it turns out when I was flown out to LA and brought to The Beverly Center I realized it was actually a different show. 

Q.  Was there ever an indication that things might not be what they seem?

A.   I flew out to LA and I was treated wonderfully, I can't even explain it, they did everything as if I was on "The Good Life," as if I was out there filming that show.  Even up to the second I went to the mall and they said take your credit card, go shopping, and have a great time.  I was like okay, they're filming now and I am shopping at the mall.  It wasn't until they declined my credit card and brought me into a back room that I had any inkling of a major problem.

Q.  When you did realize what was going on, what made you want to stay and stick it out?

A.  What made me want to stay and stick this out was the fact that they said nobody thinks any of you can do it, nobody thinks you have the willpower and none of your benefactors believe that you are capable of changing.  That was just like, alright, now I have to do it! 

Q.  Was there any of the other girls who you really gravitated towards in the beginning?

A. I gravitated towards Gia and Chrissy from the start.  I can't really explain why, I think I was able to cope with Gia because she was rough around the edges and she seemed more my speed.  The other girls were so ditzy, air-headed and obnoxious, it was just not me, I couldn't do it.  The same thing with Chrissy, she was rough around the edges and exactly someone I would choose to be friends with.

Q.  Do you keep in touch with any of the girls at all?

A.  Actually I don't even talk to Gia and Chrissy I do talk to from time to time.

Q.  Is there a reason why you don't keep in touch with Gia anymore?

A.  I guess I saw Gia's true colors, I guess I saw what everybody in America sees, I just saw it a little late though.  She started to piss me off when we were at the house but maybe it was the pressure of being in the house.  I was stark mad too, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Q.  Were there some girls that you didn't want anything to do with?

A.  It's pretty much clear to say that I didn't get along with Erica from the start.  I tried giving Erica many chances and there were a lot of arguments with Erica and other girls in the house.  Including Courtney, sweet Courtney, she would flip out on Erica.  There was a lot that wasn't shown and Erica's personality is an acquired taste, it takes a lot of time to get used to.  She comes out with a little off the wall stuff and a lot of us couldn't handle it because she was just very obnoxious and very snooty, and we were like, you don't have the right to be snooty.

Q.  What was the hardest task or challenge for you?

A.  By far without a doubt the camping trip was the hardest thing for me.  I didn't have my bathroom, I didn't have a bed to sleep in, even in that house I was covered in mosquito bites anyway.  It was horrible, I hated every second of it.

Q.  What have you learned from your experience being on the show?

A.  I definitely learned to stop taking people for granted and to appreciate everything that I have in my life.  I have learned to appreciate my family and what they have done for me.  I can see that there is a change in me as far as that.  Other things it's very hard to change in eight weeks, but being more appreciative, that has changed.  My temper has changed too somewhat. 

Q.  You're a part of Twitter, what makes you want to connect with fans that way?

A.  I get a huge response on Twitter.  I love Twitter, it's a great way for me to connect with my fans, they love to ask me questions.  I love to answer their questions, I love to say what really happened on that episode that night.  Of course I have my nonbelievers who have constant negative comments but you have to have the good and the bad with it.

Q.  You've been campaigning to get a reunion show for "You're Cut Off," is there anything fans can do to help?

A.  There is a "You're Cut Off" reunion petition out now that somebody made and they're trying to get so many signatures on that.  Also making "You're Cut Off" reunion as a trending topic would just show VH1 that there are a lot of viewers.  I know they get the ratings but they probably want to see how devoted people are to the show. 

Sandra's interview with The Candy Shop

Basketball Wives "groupie" recently did an interview with The Candy Shop on blogtalkradio.

She explains her side of the story. It's a good interview

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VH1 Interview: Shaunie O Neal (Basketball Wives)

Basketball Wives Star Shaunie O Neal recently did an interview with  VH1.com about the reunion show which will air this Sunday. She also talks about the show in general and the other girls. She wants to cast married couples for season 2.

 I feel like I’m talking to God because of the way that everyone reveres you on the show: “Shaunie said do this,” “Shaunie said do that…”

That’s very weird.

Is it? It’s kind of fun too, right?

I don’t know, because they’re my friends. It’s really weird and sometimes uncomfortable, because outside looking in, I know it does come off like that. But I don’t feel like that and that’s not how it really is. I think it’s because I’m the oldest and I’ve been in that world for a little longer than the rest of the ladies, they look to me for advice. It’s not that I’m sitting high and mighty like, “You do this, my child, and you do that.” I’m not really a cast member. These girls are put into situations, but what happens at that thing is what happens. These are their real personalities. On a day-to-day basis, I didn’t know what they were doing.  I’d see the call sheets, but I’m in California. I got five kids. It’s not that I put them out there or I told them to do this or do that. There are a lot of producers on this show and several executive producers. I’m not the voice of everything. That’s why it’s important for me to join Season 2 and be more of a cast member. So that, you’ll see.

That said, you are the unifying thread here. What everyone on this show has in common is that they respect you openly.

That is true and I hope I still have the girls’ respect. They know me off the camera, and on camera I’m the same person. Keep in mind, too, that a lot of what the girls do is discussed amongst them, like them coming to L.A. We talked about it — it was never like, “Hey girls, get on a plane tomorrow, because you’re coming here and you’re going to take a cooking class, and you’re going to do this and that.”

You mentioned that you’re not in the cast. The rumor that spread once Shaq started threatening legal action over the show was that your role was diminished in response. But you’re saying that your presence on the show was always supposed to be minimal?

Absolutely. We wrapped before he did his paperwork. All the episodes were in the can. It kind of was one of those things where he was pissed about the promo and I get it, I totally get it. I had nothing to do with that and he knows that. I’m not the only executive producer, so sometimes it’s just my little hand that says, “Hey can we not run that?” I get overruled on some things and I understand that from the business side. He was a little upset, but he’s fine now.

You talked a little about him on the last episode, but you said nice things like, “We’re so cool.”

Absolutely, we’re cool. He knows me and he knows I would never, ever bash him or anything like that. I mean, what other people say is what other people say. I can’t control that, but we have five kids. I just wouldn’t do that. Plus he and I both know that our goal here is to maintain the best relationship. Of course, we’re human. We have ups and downs and stop talking for a couple of days and go back, but ultimately it’s fine.

As this mostly detached figure, when you do enter the fold and Evelyn and Jennifer inform you what happened, we often see you laughing. You’re relatable from a viewer’s perspective as someone who’s amused by this whole Basketball Wives world.

It is funny sometimes, because it’s just like gossiping girls. We all do it and guys gossip too. So it’s like when your girlfriends come around and tell you about things that happened and you’re like, “Shut up! When? Who? How is her face? What did she look like?” It is amusing. It’s pure entertainment. We have those conversations on or off the camera. It’s real.

Are you enjoying this show in general?

I totally am enjoying it. I had to get kind of used it, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to people talking about my friends and saying they’re groupies and they’re gold diggers and they’re this and that. I have to look at it like those same people are helping to make this show a success. But mostly, hats off to the girls on the show. Not only did they bust their ass, they just gave it to you. That’s a scary thing, because here they are getting all the people’s comments and people’s opinions. Who wants to hear that? But they’ve made this No. 1. They’ve done that.

Your storyline mostly concerned Gloria. You took her aside in the first episode and you said, “We’re cool.” But by the finale, it seemed that everything wasn’t cool.  What had happened between the premiere and the finale?

It was her talking, her running her mouth. The Gloria that’s on this show, I don’t know who that is. That’s a new person to me. The person that I knew was this really sweet girl. She was kind of the quiet one. We took pole-dancing classes together in Phoenix. She’d ask me about the babies, just mom questions or whatever. The Basketball Wives Gloria was very defensive and kind of harsh and cold. I didn’t know that person. Although I have to say when I was around, it was softened a little bit. The girls were just like, “Why do you have us hanging around her? She is nothing like [us]. Why were you her friend, ever? I don’t get it.” And I’m like, “Really?” Maybe she came on defensive because she was ready for us to attack her about her sister, and I get that. But even after she saw that I wasn’t doing that initially, it never was comfortable between us. Anytime I was in town, even if I was off camera and just sitting back as an E.P., it still was real uncomfortable, like the elephant in the room. I think I went into the finale still kind of like, “OK, let’s not even do it, let’s be cool, let’s get through dinner.” But then: her attitude. It was enough already. Like listen, I don’t know what that is, but let’s check it at the door. It’s sometimes better to be quiet and maybe that’s what she needed to do. I walked away from it, brushed off my hands, flicked her off like a fly. She’s pointless. I’m not angry [with] her. She’s one of those people that come and go. You know how they say you’re seasons for some people? She was a short one.

I didn’t realize that you guys were cool before this show. I thought that having her on was building in drama because of allegations regarding her sister.

No, I approached her when we were in Phoenix. Both my husband at the time and her fiancé were playing for the Suns. We were very cool. I gave her her baby shower for her kids with the Suns’ organization. I organized it. I put it together, everything. We talked on the regular. I was close with her whole family, her sister. I helped her put her kid’s birthday party together. I mean, our kids went trick-or-treating together. Everything. We were really cool. So to see that thing that she was giving off, it’s like, c’mon sweetie. I’ve sat up with your family and played Jenga. We made plans for summer vacations and stuff together, so what is this?

Royce had very similar problems with Gloria. She felt she was bonding on that level with her and then she felt like she was thrown under the bus.

I didn’t put the two together, but you’re absolutely right. I don’t know maybe that’s the coldness of her, like she don’t really care about too much about anything.  The whole sister bond thing kills me, because after I met Gloria, I met her sister, and her sister and I became closer than Gloria and I. Her sister would tell me some awful things about her and I never shared them with each other. Gloria never talked about her sister, but her sister definitely talked about Gloria and I never shared that with Gloria because that’s none of my business.

Do you agree with Evelyn’s point made during the “last supper”: that blood only goes so far? That there are certain things that can’t be excused just because of a familial bond?

The crazy part is neither Gloria nor her sister have ever said, “No, that did not happen.” You know? Never. Not once. OK, fine. Maybe you don’t know. You weren’t there, neither was I, but at the same time, don’t say, “Well I got her back no matter what.” So you have her back if it’s true, too?  Just as another woman, that’s OK? So, that was my problem. It wasn’t like I needed her to say yes or no, but to tell me she’s got her sister’s back regardless? I’ve had friends that have messed with guys that they shouldn’t be messing with and I’m like, “If his wife comes after you and whoops your ass, don’t be surprised. I love you to death, but you know you’re dead-ass wrong.” Wrong is wrong all day, blood or not.

Gloria told me that when you pitched the idea of the show to her you told her that it could go either in a very positive way where everyone is supportive of each other or in a very negative, drama-laden way. In your view, which path did Basketball Wives take?

I think it came in the middle. I wouldn’t say that anybody was negatively put out there, but I do think they were things that maybe the girls [regret]. Evelyn being drunk at the party, she probably would’ve rather that not been seen on TV. Royce doing the booty pop, she wants to take that back.

These are such highlights, though. Before this interview, you mentioned to me that you wish you could be in the editor’s chair, but maybe that would hurt the show. Maybe you’d end up being too kind to your friends.

That’s exactly the problem. That’s why they won’t let me in the editing room. I’d so be like, “No! No, her boob’s showing. Let’s leave that whole section out!” Or some of the things Eric said to Jen, I would’ve totally never let air. I would’ve been like, “Nope, that’s just mean and I don’t like that. I don’t want her looking like the weakling.” I totally know that it would be some Little House on the Prairie show if Shaunie was in the editing room and unfortunately, nobody likes Little House on the Prairie reality TV.  It sucks, but I’m the same way. I don’t want to watch a reality show that doesn’t have some drama in it. I get the emails all the time like, “You’re not portraying women or women in a positive light and this and this and that.” And I’m like, who the hell is going to watch that? Let’s put it on, and let’s see how long it lasts. Unfortunately, no one likes wonderful, pretty stuff. Unless it’s charitable, which maybe we can do one day, no one cares. No one wants to see the little housewife that just sits at home and has dinner ready and the cookies baked when the kids walk through the door. That’s great. That’s the perfect life.

In the press release announcing Season 2, it says that you’re looking for new wives. What’s your criteria?

I want some married couples on the show just because I think they need to be represented, too. Going into Season 1, Evelyn was picking out a wedding dress and the location for her wedding, honestly, when we were casting.  I was married and everything was OK. Jen’s married. Gloria’s engaged, so we were the majority. Of course, crap happens so that didn’t quite work out. I do want the married couples to be represented in Basketball Wives. I would like the “W” to be crossed out and an “L” there so that the show could be called Basketball Lives, because I get so tired of people being like, “You’re not wives! Blah blah blah.” But at the same time, I do want them to be represented and I do want to show that hey, there are some ladies that are in marriages and are fine with this life. You know, I was fine with it for almost 10 years.

I wouldn’t say that the show suggests anything generalizations about women, per se, but it does show that the basketball lifestyle seems to breed dysfunctional relationships.

And [that’s] not the case. There is a lot of dysfunction, but there are happily married couples in basketball and [they are] totally cool, everything’s fine. I mean, every couple has its ups and downs, even the average trash man and his wife. [The show] does give off, “Oh this is the worst life in the whole world and you don’t want it. Stay away from it.” I’m trying to gather some that say, “Hey, I’m good this is great for me. I’m happy. I love it. I just got in it and we’re awesome or I just got in it and we’re going through some stuff.”

Because there’s so much stress on the show, I always ask all the girls that I interview, “Are you happy?” Are you?

I am, I am. I hope they’re happy too. Yeah, I’m very happy and I’m super excited to just keep going.

VH1 Interview: Royce Reed (Basketball Wives)

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Royce Reed from Basketball Wives did an interview with VH1.com

she talks about her reputation on the show, being a flip flopper, she also talks about being a mother ect

What do you think of the show?
It’s definitely different than what I expected it to be, but Shaunie warned us all of that. She said, “Look, this could be a really positive show, or it could be full of drama. It depends on what you’re dealing with, it depends on what you say.” It’s a reality show, it’s real. It’s kind of like your life being put on blast. You can’t get mad at something you do or something you say, because you said it and you did it. It is what it is.

How does the show differ from your expectations?
I went in thinking we were going to be a group of women who got to know each other and were there for each other. I think there’s certain things that come out looking positive, but then of course you also have your drama. It’s just like real life. In real life you’re thrown into things that you never thought you’d be thrown into. When people say things like, “It’s scripted,” or, “They set this up,” it’s really not that. Yeah, they say, “You’re all going to dinner,” but what we talk about, what we do, what we say, that’s us.

When your name was coming out of everyone’s mouth as soon as the show started, I thought, “OK, we have our star.” Did you get that sense?
I didn’t want stardom as a result of a pool party. I don’t want it to be because of the way I was dancing. If I broke out, I wanted it to be about something different. But, again, if I didn’t want that to be seen, then I shouldn’t have done it. Hindsight is 20/20, and when I look back on it, at least I have a memory that I can show my little one when he gets older and be like, “You know what? Mommy did some crazy things and I’m not going to hide this from you, but learn from my mistakes.” I still had fun, so I’m not going to say that I regretted it or I’m ashamed of it, because it’s not that. Did I take it too far? Yes. Do I regret it? No. You learn from it and you move on.

Evelyn, Jennifer and Suzie called you out on that incident almost immediately. Did you feel like they were ganging up on you?
I was shocked. I was a little bit hurt because the day after the pool party everyone was still OK with it. Then two days after, when it hit the Internet and it started getting all this backlash, I kind of did feel like I was thrown under the bus. I just had to realize even though I’ve known these girls for eight months or whatever, we were never friends. It wasn’t a situation where I should have expected these girls to hold me and give me a hug and say, “It’s OK, we know you didn’t mean it that way.”

Did you buy their story about guilt by association — that your behavior might reflect badly on them?
I think they felt like that in the beginning, but now they realize after getting a lot of backlash for certain things they say or they do on the show, that it’s kind of like they were the pot calling the kettle black. I’m like, “Remember? Y’all were telling me what not to do and what not to say, but now y’all getting a taste of it.” Now they’re calling me saying, “I don’t know how you’ve dealt with this because I’m having a hard time not cursing people out!”

Are you specifically referring to the pictures of Evelyn?
No, I’m just saying in general. The whole thing with the pictures of Evelyn, I think is an effed up situation. I have no idea how I would react if something like happened to me, because I think it’s totally on a different level than me dancing at a pool party. She’s definitely standing strong, because I would probably be a hermit in Hermitville somewhere. I can’t imagine something like that happening to me. I commend her on the way she reacted to it, and I’m just wowed.

When Evelyn, Jennifer and Suzie informed you that Gloria might not be as cool with you as you were with her, did you feel that they genuinely thought you should know what was up, or did you feel like they were just trying to stir up drama?
I know a lot of people are saying, “They were just trying to stir up drama, they were trying to start something when they’ve been talking about Royce since the first episode, blah blah blah.” If you look online, there’s actually a video of Evelynn and I where we had lunch together, and I told her my issues with her, she told me her issues with me. Evelyn never pretended to be my friend and she said it all to my face. Same thing with Jen, although she did reach out and we did the whole makeover thing. And I never have a problem with Suzie. With Gloria and I, things were different. Gloria and I went cake-tasting for her wedding, we had dinner, we talked on the phone all the time. We were actually being cool. We were talking about taking the kids on play dates to theme parks, so for her to have that conversation on the phone with Jen that I never knew about, and for her to basically deny us having any type of relationship and being cool with each other, I felt like she was doing it because she was trying to become friends with them. She threw me under the bus. I totally understand where she’s coming from when she talks about Matt and his camaraderie and his teammate thing. However, when it came to just us, she was so down for hanging out. When I see her interviews, I’m like, “Are you kidding me?” That’s the part I thought was really fake. If you don’t like me, just say you don’t like me.

Are you that straightforward? Would you admit to disliking Gloria?
I cannot tell you anybody that I just absolutely hate. I can name like two people that I really dislike, but I can’t even really say that I just dislike Gloria. I never knew her well enough to say that she was a friend, or anything more than an associate. She was an associate, but I thought she was straight. I thought she was cool. For me to say that I don’t like her would make it seem like she was my friend or something like that, but it was never that. It’s just I don’t do Gloria. If I see her I’ll be cordial. Maybe. But outside of that, she was an associate. So no sleep lost, no love lost, it was an associate and that’s it.

Do you get angry when you hear the stuff Gloria has said about you?
Seeing it just makes me feel stupid. I’m not even going to lie, it makes me feel dumb. I really felt like Gloria was going to be that real chick, and she was going to be the one that I was going to be closest to.

It seemed like the dividing line was when you were talking about associating with the players as a dancer. She kind of took exception to that and thought you were being flip.

Gloria and I had talked about that outside that dinner, and she said she was good. We were talking how it’s cool in high school for the football player to be with the cheerleader and the basketball player to be with the dancer, but when you get in a professional setting, it’s the complete opposite. Now we’re become groupies or gold diggers or whatever. My thing is, look, this is our job. If you fall in love, you fall in love. Nobody’s going to tell me that I can’t be with the person who has my heart. I know that at some jobs you can’t date a co-worker, but people do it all the time. Someone may end up losing their job, but they live happily ever after. No, I didn’t get the happily ever after, but I got a relationship that was completely happy with for a couple of years, and that I would not take that away from myself for anything. We got the best blessing out of it, which is our little boy, and I have no hatred towards him. I get angry about the situation that’s out there right now, but I can’t change that. You deal with what you have to deal with. But for her to sit there and act like that’s the turning point for her, it was not. If it was, then why was she calling me the next day and why were we talking even after that conversation about, “Let’s hang out, let’s have play dates, let’s go shopping, let’s do this, let’s work together on some events,” you know?

I kind of felt like there was an implication that you fooled around with guys that were attached?

Absolutely not. I’ve dated one basketball player, period. I’ve only been with one basketball player, period. And that’s my son’s father. All these rumors that go around…I heard that I had a relationship with Dwyane Wade. I’ve met that dude one time in ’07, I was three months pregnant, and I took a picture for him. After I took the picture he held out his hand to say, “What’s up? Thank you.” And that was it. That’s the only time I’ve ever come that close in contact with him. So for that to go around is ridiculous. I don’t how people come up with stuff, but I don’t lose sleep over it because I know what’s true and the people involved know what’s true. It is what it is.

Is it flattering at all to have your name in so many people’s mouths all the time?
I don’t know if it’d say it’s flattering. It definitely makes me relevant. Definitely it’s what put me on the show. So I’ll be thankful for that. I know there are a lot of people that are mad I’m on the show, and I’m like, “Well you should have kept my name out of your mouth!”

What about the other women? Do you like them?
I actually do like Jen, Evelynn and Suzie, Erika and obviously Shaunie. There’s different types of associates that you have in your life. You have different kinds of friends. Evelyn is that girl that if she doesn’t like you, she is going to tell you straight up, she does not care about your feelings at all. Suzie is that girl that you can party with until the sun comes up. If I need someone to talk to and cry on someone’s shoulder and not feel like I’m a wimp or something, that’s Jen. Granted if we never taped this show, I probably would have never become friends with these girls or even associates, but I’m happy that I did. Now that we’ve gotten to know each other, we’re actually all really, really cool.

What’d you think about Evelyn and Suzie questioning your motives for wanting to volunteer at the homeless shelter on this week’s episode?
I didn’t know that’s how they felt about that at the time, but if they felt like I had an ulterior motive, then that’s sad. I work with a lot of charitable organizations, but I don’t do that so people see that Royce is a part of it. I don’t do things to tag my name to it. The whole soup kitchen thing, I do that back at home. I go just to go. I don’t tell people that I’m going so I can have cameras in my face. Every month even, I ride down certain streets in Orlando and I’ll just give somebody $50. If you walk with me in Orlando sometimes, they know me because I just go talk to people. It’s something that keeps me grounded. I’m not into big charities where you have to go and spend a thousand dollars a plate and go to Africa or something. I don’t do that. I’m the one that when the commercial comes on TV like, “Adopt this child, send $10 a month and you’re helping a child,” I’m that person. I was really shocked that they would think that I had ulterior motives. I thought they had fun. I thought they would get something out of it.

When you danced at Evelyn’s birthday, that was through with your own company, right?
Yes, Fantashique. It’s primarily a burlesque dance company, but that’s not all we do. I have to concentrate on something so burlesque is what we concentrate on, but we also do weddings and we do churches also, and we do birthday parties. We’re trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, modern, all that. We do a lot of clubs, but I don’t want people to think that’s all we do.

With all of the drama that you went through on the show, did you come out of it happy?
Yeah! I came out of the show very happy. I was proud of myself, and I stayed true to Royce. I made my mistakes, I learned from them, I moved past them. I didn’t say stuff that I thought sounded good, because I believe that people can see through B.S., and I believe that people can tell when you’re just trying to be politically correct. If that’s not how I feel, then that’s not how I’m going to say I feel. I kept it real and I was Royce 100 percent of the time, so what you see is what you get.

VH1 Interview: Gloria Govan (Basketball Wives)

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Here is the vh1.com interview with Gloria Govan from Basketball Wives. In this interview, she speaks about her marriage with Matt, why does her other cast mates think differently about her marraige, she also discusses about Royce.


And how do you feel about the show? Do you feel like your portrayal is accurate?

To a certain extent. I didn’t know the women coming into the show, so I think sometimes I may come off a little naive. I may come off as the shy-girl-in-the-background type, which is not my personality at all. I’ve never had a problem telling anybody how I feel. On the show, though, I’m being me, 100 percent real the whole time so there’s no surprises. I haven’t seen any surprises.

Speaking of naive, that’s what Shaunie labels you as at one point, and she’s piggybacking off of Evelyn and Jennifer sentiments about your relationship. What do you think about that?

I think it’s unfortunate. I don’t think I’m naive whatsoever. For me to say that I’m the only person that Matt’s ever been with, that would be naive. But I know the man that I’m with. We have our ups and we have our downs just like everybody else does. We’ve made mistakes but we’ve grown from them and moved past them, but I definitely wouldn’t say I’m naive. I’m aware that Matt is surrounded by groupies, being away from home as often as he is, but I know the kind of man I’m with and I trust him. I think I’m very fortunate in an unlucky way — Matt having lost his mom, I think, has really opened his eyes to how important family really is. I don’t think he’s willing to jeopardize it for anything.

What did you think of the fact that Jennifer and Evelyn seem insistent on pushing the point that he’s not as faithful as you seem to think he is?

You have these grown women who have been in the game for so long, and you would think they would say, “Hey listen, Gloria, I’ve been there done that for the past 10 years and here are my stories, here is my advice, take it for what it’s worth and good luck.” Instead they have to be so persistent and try to taint our relationship. I look at it as being bitter and jealous. I’m 10 years younger than most of the cast members on the show, I’m 24-years-old, and I’m in a respectful, loving relationship, I’m getting married in August, I have two beautiful kids and a family who loves me, and a lot of them are missing a majority of those components. It’s natural for them to be envious of what I have.

They’ve gone as far as to suggest that they have, maybe secondhand evidence, that Matt has been unfaithful to you. Do you have any response to that?

No. I think that they’re just very scarred individuals who don’t have anything else better to do than try to create misery. They would be happy if I was where they are now, and that’s unfortunate. If you’re someone who thrives on someone else’s misery and you’re trying to break up a happy home, I just think it’s kind of sad.

On the show, regarding Matt’s personal business you said, “If you go digging for dirt, you’ll get your hands dirty.” Can you explain what you meant by that?

If someone is saying, “Matt is this and Matt is that,” and you break into e-mails and you look in phones and you find nothing, I think that satisfaction becomes overwhelming and you assume this role of being a detective and an investigator. You start to lose who you are. I’m definitely not going to say that Matt is perfect. Who is? But I don’t worry about Matt being on the road. I don’t.

What did you think about Matt saying the show “disgusted” him in a recent interview?

Matt is very opinionated. I just asked him to make sure that he pinpoints exactly what disgusts him next time. That’s just such a broad and vague comment that it could be interpreted in any way. It didn’t surprise me, though. Matt has told me several times that he doesn’t like the show. It’s not necessarily about my role, but just how bitter the other women are. Bitter and angry and just jealous. He’s just like, “That’s not a good look, that’s not who you are, that’s not who you represent.” I think he’s more concerned about people thinking that I run in this kind of circle, because I don’t. I can’t say that I was disgusted by the first episode, but you know, I wasn’t really a fan.

Oh, really? Has your attitude changed since then?

No. I mean, I’m still not a fan of the show. I joined the show after Shaunie approached me last year in Phoenix and she had been pretty persistent over the summer about it. She said, “Hey, listen, the show is not going to be about drama, it’s not going to be about groupies. It’s about independent women trying to come out of the shadows of their significant others.” I was all about that. I’m involved in several charities, I’m an entrepreneur myself. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so I was definitely willing to show people that we’re not gold diggers. We don’t shop and spend all day at the spa. We don’t have six butlers and four nannies and personal chef. That’s not what this life is about.

Even with the drama, I do get the sense that you all have your own stuff going on.

I think the show maybe touches on those things, but I don’t think it’s the main focus. It’s supposed to be about friendship and showing people we’re a support group for one another, and that definitely doesn’t come off in the show. That’s unfortunate, because we really are a support group for one another. We’re not catty, cliquey people. We’re all in the same boat together, so we’re all very respectful of people’s situations.

Are you referring to the people you’re on the show with?

No, no, no. My friends. And not just my immediate circle, but majority of the women in the NBA.

Your storyline isn’t exactly drama-free, though. When you talk about Royce you say to fraternize with her would be like sleeping with the enemy.

What I mean by that is Royce is Dwight Howard’s baby mother, and Matt is on the same team as Dwight Howard, so being friends with Royce is not worth messing up Matt’s team camaraderie. If Royce comes over here and we’re all buddy-buddy and Matt’s around, that could really end up messing up Matt and Dwight’s friendship.

Regardless of weather or not Royce is a nice person, this overrides that?

Yeah absolutely, yeah. You’re talking about something long term. You’re talking about a championship. You’re talking about my fiancé’s career, his friendships. That definitely precedes my friendship to Royce, absolutely.

Was this always your concern with Royce, or did you develop it after getting to know her?

It was a concern immediately with Royce. I feel Royce’s actions sort of justify why women, wives and girlfriends in general should be concerned with the proximity or the availability that cheerleaders have to basketball players.

Obviously the reason she was so aggressive in the boxing ring is because everyone had sort of informed her of your opinion of her. Did you feel betrayed by everyone at that point?

Not necessarily betrayed, I just think that they realize that I’m not going to conform to their little group, and so I think they try really hard to make me the black sheep or the outsider. Which is fine. I don’t have a problem with that, it was just kind of funny that they try to make it seem like I’m the only one who feels this way. They’re so quick to tell Royce, “Oh, well Gloria said this,” but in turn, they were agreeing with me or it may have been that they started the conversation and I just chimed in a little bit. I just think it was everybody’s opportunity to say, “Now we have a way to turn the tables.”

Was it disappointing or stressful at all for you that you were made out to be the black sheep?

I wouldn’t say disappointing, no. I actually like being the black sheep. I like representing who I am and letting people know that I just don’t conform to peer pressure and everything. Was it stressful? To a certain degree. That kind of stuff doesn’t bother me, though. I graduated high school obviously and graduated college, so those high school cliques don’t stress me out whatsoever.

I’m sure that you don’t want to get into it about your sister’s alleged affair with Shaq, but did that add any level of stress as well? The fact that you were coming in with people already whispering about your family?

No. Like I said, in the show, they already formed their opinions and they’re already friends with Shaunie. And although I’m friends with Shaunie, I can’t say that we talk on the phone or we text each other. We are cordial, but she’s not invited to my wedding. She’s not that type of friend, so it didn’t bother me. You guys have already formed your own opinions, and I’m not here to change that. I’m here to say you’re not going to talk about my sister in front of me and think that that’s OK.

This show kind of presents you as a minority. Certainly you’re the only person that isn’t jaded about your relationship. You seem to be the only person who believes in the possibility of monogamy. In the overall scheme of basketball-wifery that goes beyond this show, are you a minority?

No, not at all. That’s unfortunate, too, because I think that the cast members of the show stereotype all athletes and put them all under this one umbrella because they were scarred and they were disrespected and they were in a relationship that was unsuccessful. So it’s easy to point the finger and say, “Well he cheated on me, so because everybody plays basketball, they cheat on wives, too.” And that’s not the case. We all have to deal with the same stuff, the groupies, and we do all have to deal with the concerns of possible infidelity, but that’s not the case whatsoever. There are tons of relationships that are great and healthy and respectful and have been long term, so I am definitely not a minority on the league, but definitely on the show.

Knowing what you know about the way the show turned out, would you do it all over again?

No. No, no.

Would you participate in a second season?

No.

Wow. I think you might be the first person on VH1 to have a taste of reality TV not to want more of it. You talked about Shaunie presenting the show as a way for you to break out and show your independence. Do you feel like you’re living in Matt’s shadow?

I think being married to somebody that casts such a big shadow is difficult and Matt has been in the limelight since he was 18. It’s difficult to stand on your own and say, “Well, wait a minute, I’m not just Matt’s fiancé, I’m Gloria.” If I had my own limelight coming in, then it would be a different story. But I think trying to create or establish some sort of individuality is always challenging.

You mentioned your charities and the fact that you’re an entrepreneur, can you talk about that a little bit?

I’m the executive director for Athletes vs. Cancer, which is Matt’s foundation, and we do a lot of events that’s not just cancer based, but we do a lot of events that help underprivileged children or for young women who had children who don’t have the supplies that they need. We’re also doing something with Hoop Connection, which helps provide scholarships to underprivileged children or children who maybe have the potential but don’t have the outlets or the networking skills to go out there and get a scholarship. I just got on board to do one of the Florida Children’s Hospital’s biggest events next year, also. My parents own night clubs in California and that’s something both my brother and I are looking to do in Orlando. I actually have a baby product out. It’s a mattress that should help prevent SIDS. There are a lot of things that the show doesn’t portray or doesn’t show, so that’s frustrating.

VH1 Interview: Tyra Sanchez ( Winner of RuPaul Drag Race 2)

In this VH1.com 

interview, Tyra Sanchez who won the 2nd season of RuPaul Drag Race talks about winning the show, shw reveals that she is bisexual, she also states that her name is not a reference to Tyra Banks, she also talks about her behavior on the show.

Congratulations on winning, Tyra! You seemed…outrageously shocked.
I think I was more relieved than shocked. What happened to me before coming here you would think was impossible. If I told the world my story, no one would believe it. I went through a lot of hard stuff. For the moment, I was happy, but when the cameras were off and we went back to our rooms, I cried the whole night.

Why?
You pray so much for a better life and for better things to happen, and they never do. Then when you least expect it, they do happen. I didn’t have a place to stay, I didn’t have a job, I was basically living on someone else’s floor. I would cry and pray everyday. One day, I just stopped praying and I just talked. I talked to God. The next day, World of Wonder called. It was amazing. Everyone looked at me as a bitch, but it wasn’t me being a bitch. It was just like…I have to win. I can’t go back home to that. It was a relief.

Your reaction to winning was 100 percent genuine?
It was. If I’m performing, I hold my breath. My mom’s always saying, “Girl, let your breath go!” At that moment, it was just like, are you serious? Are you f***ing kidding me? Is this really true? It was just like, “Oh my god, I’m gonna pass out.” It’s happened before. I won a pageant and I was being crowned and while I was being crowned, I fell out. I ended up getting crowned in a chair. It was funny.

You mentioned your reputation as a bitch. At one point, it seemed that everyone had targeted you, but that changed, right? You were sort of able to turn your persona around. How?
I think after the bridal episode, when I made it clear that if you have a problem, you should say it to a person, instead of saying it behind someone’s back. That’s just gonna create more problems. But if you address it right there, the problem will be solved right there. You might argue, you might fuss and fight, but it’s gonna end right there and then you’ll get along better. Being aware that I was aggravating some people made me stop. Of course, it was a competition, so if my singing was distracting you, I should still be able to sing. But they said, “Play it fair,” and I did. I did everything the right way. I listened not just to my critiques, but to the critiques of the other girls.

So, looking back, when you were singing “Halo,” that was strategy?
No. I hadn’t heard Beyoncé in forever, so when I finally did, it was like, “Oh, OK.” And when I’m working, I’m always humming or singing. The funny part is when you see me twirling with the veil, only Morgan and I were in the room.

Oh wow, I really thought you were distracting them on purpose.
But if I’m distracting you on purpose, distract me on purpose. It’s a game. It’s a competition. Say the Chicago Bulls play the L.A. Lakers. If defense is dancing around while offense has the ball, and the guy with the ball watches and messes up, that’s his fault. That’s not the other team’s fault. When I found out that I was distracting, it made me want to sing more. If you’re letting my singing bother you, that’s on you, not me.

Jujubee said that calling you out in front of the judges did you a favor. Do you agree?
I think all the girls did me a favor. They tried to make me look worse than I am in front of the judges. When they did that, I thought, “Two can play at this game.” I set out to prove that I wasn’t who they said I am. I think I did that. Yeah, I can be bitchy at times. Who can’t be bitchy? Everyone has their bitchy moments. I actually think that made them look bad. It made it look like they were ganging up on me, and it made it look like I was working on myself, maturing and becoming a better person.

Beating up the girls during that last scene was fun, though, right?
Yes. It relieved some much-needed stress that for weeks I had held in. I didn’t do anything intentionally to harm them, it was all accidents, but it was fun. If they want a fight scene, you have to give it to ‘em for real.

Has the beef cleared up with you and Raven? What did you think about her mirror message?
There’s no beef. At that time, I didn’t know that was something Raven says all the time.

It’s obvious that you like your fashion convertible. Can you explain what draws you to that?
I like to be comfortable. Like what I have on now [for the reunion], I can take these [wings] off and have on a simple, black dress. You never know where you’re gonna go. You may want to go out as a glam god, but then by the end of the night, you might want to be plain and simple. So, you can always switch it up.

One thing I never got a sense of on the show is exactly how your son came to be. Were you in a relationship with a woman?
Yes, for two years in high school, my 11th grade year and my 12th grade year. He was born the first week of my senior year.

Are you bisexual?
I don’t know how to answer that. I am, but I’m not. I can’t be in a relationship with a woman, but I’ll have sex with a woman. I can’t deal with women as far as being with them everyday. I can’t do that. Being with a guy is easier. I’d rather just have sex with a woman, if I see a woman that’s really, really cute. Some women will have sex with me, but a lot of them won’t.

Do you prefer to have sex with women or men?
Men. But some women turn me on.

Beyoncé?
No. She’s like a sister or a mother.

You said on the finale that you might watch this show with your son. Did you?
No. I don’t think he’s ready to handle that yet. Eventually, he’s going to find out because I got custody of him this month. I just want to take my time. Plus, I don’t think he’d sit and watch it. His girlfriend is Dora the Explorer, not Tyra Sanchez. If it isn’t animated, he won’t watch it.

Drag Race is pretty colorful, though.
It is, it is, but there’s too much talking. It just wouldn’t be funny to children.

When Ru calls you “the other Tyra,” that’s a reference to Tyra Banks, right?
I think so.
Is your name a reference to Tyra Banks?
No. It was my niece’s name. Her name was Tyra Nicole. She was born early, so everyday, her milk would come back up. It would get stuck in her throat and she would turn purple. She would, like, die everyday. The ambulance would come and then she’d be OK. That happened for about a year, until she was able to drink milk on her own.

So she’s OK?
Yeah, now she is.
I
t’s kind of crazy you went through the entire competition without having to lip synch for you life.
Yes. That kind of scared me. During the first season, Nina Flowers went through the entire competition without having to lip synch for her life, but she didn’t win. And I wondered, “What if that’s me?” Sometimes I wish I would have been able to lip synch for my life. That way, during the finale, I wouldn’t have been so nervous. I would have been down that road before, knowing what was going to happen. But for it to be my first time, I was almost petrified.

You talked about having a drag mother. Does that mean you’re part of a house?
It’s more like a family, but I am in a ballroom house, too: the Mizrahis. Jasmine Couture is my mother. My drag family is like my family, because I don’t really have my biological family – not all of it, really. I have my two sisters and my mom and that’s it. But my drag family is the House of Sanchez. It’s been around for a long time and we’re everywhere: Georgia, Texas, New York, California. My grandmother was in Janet Jackson’s video for “Rock With You.” We’re really tight. You would think that my drag mother gave birth to me.

I didn’t realize that was still going on – it all seems so Paris Is Burning.
Well, my ballroom house is serious, but my drag family is more serious. The house is just a house. You meet up at the balls. Some people hang out after, some people don’t. But my drag family is: every time I wake up, I see you. Every time I need something, I call you. You’re always there.

Have you seen the quality of your life improved since the show?
I’m still in the same position I was before, but now it’s because I want to be, not because I have to be. I don’t want to rush and move and be on my own. I’m taking my time, and my drag mother is there to help me, so I’m gonna let her help me. I’m not staying there for ever. It’ll be one or two more months, and then I’m going to move out on my own.

VH1 Interview: Raven (RuPaul Drag Race 2)

Here is the VH1 interview 

of Raven who came in the 2nd place on RuPaul' Drag Race 2. In this interview , Raven discusses coming in 2nd place on the show, she also talks about her experience being on the show, her rival with Tatianna ect

Was this a good experience for you?
Yeah. I enjoyed it. I don’t enjoy the aftermath of not being able to go to Disneyland or go and have a drink at the club. Now it’s just people on you. You’ll be standing there posing with someone in a picture, and while you’re doing that, someone’s sticking you in the back or pulling your arm, and you’re like, “Hold on. They came to me first.” People are so rude.

It seemed like you were really pissed to have lost to Tyra.
I was.

What was up with you writing on the mirror, “Keep your eyes on the stars, you’ll never be one”?
Everyone who goes to my shows knows that’s how I end every one of my shows. I say it before I tell the crowd goodnight. Yeah, it could have been a little bit of stab, but I also know that my friends who go to my shows know that’s how I leave the show. I was leaving the show, that’s why I wrote that on the mirror. Why not? Plus it made for good TV.

Are you still pissed?
No. I was really upset, though. It’s one of those things where you come so far and you hear no and you’re like, “F***.” That’s what really irritated me, but I’m over it now. If we would have filmed this reunion right after, I’m sure there would have been a lot more resentment.

What helped you get over it? Time?
That, and the fact that I can tell myself I’m a winner. We all made it here out of thousands of submissions. We all won in our own right. I think just finally realizing I didn’t win, let her have it. I mean, who won the last American Idol? Everyone remembers Adam Lambert, but they do not remember the winner.

Kris Allen, but point taken.
Thank you for totally s***ting on what I was saying. I felt like I made my mark, I did my job and I went from lip synching twice early on. I think that’s very amazing that I went from the bottom to the top.

I know this is weird to ask, but being that you seem to really get the TV aspect of it all, did the good TV in Tyra’s hyperventilating reaction to winning ease the blow of losing at all?
I took that in two ways: I took it that she could finally stop playing the part and go back to being her and I also took it as she knew she was going to win, so she had to overreact.

You think it was an act?
I do. I did then and I do now.

Any bad blood?
Not at all. We haven’t really talked. I keep in touch with Morgan, Juju, Jessica, Sonique and Pandora. Those are the only ones I’ve really kept in contact with. Shangela, I see every once in a while. There could possibly be bad blood with Tyra, actually, but it’s not a big deal.

Obviously, your rivalry with Tatianna was a huge part of your storyline. What do you make of it all, looking back?
The thing was that I was just upset, because I saw so many people putting so much into their transformation. With Tatianna, I was seeing the judges living for something that wasn’t…polished. I think she’s beautiful. I think she’s gorgeous. I just wanted to see more, and that was something that really started to chew away at me.
Y
ou felt like it came too easy for her?
Yeah. And everywhere you looked were other people doing so much work. In my interviews, I was always being questioned about Tatianna. So it was like, OK, I’m gonna help create this story to make it better. It’s a f***ing TV show. And that’s what kills me when I see on Facebook, “Get rid of Tyra. Get rid of Raven. They’re bitches.” You want to watch a show that’s a bunch of people running around nice and kissing?

You weren’t there to make a crotch-full of friends.
Exactly. I can’t believe I said that.
I
love it, but I don’t know what it means.
I don’t either.

Tell me about the Britney Spears-fan hate. I thought that might be an association from your past: did you once know a Britney fan who did you wrong or something?
No. It stems from people who are avid Britney Spears fans, and who think she can do no wrong. What I told Tatianna was that you couldn’t go watch Britney Spears sit on the edge of a stage with a guitar or piano, sing a song, no pyrotehnics and enjoy it. She has to have all this s*** going on around her. When I go to a concert, I like to see Imogen Heap or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I like to see someone who can sit there, do a set and make it amazing. I’m not saying that I haven’t been to a Britney Spears concert, because I have. The point that I was trying to make is that Tatianna likes things that are just pretty. She doesn’t look for anything deeper. It really pissed me off.

Do you think you were unnecessarily hard on Tatianna?
I’m hard on myself. I own up to it when I suck. My chicken sucked and I admitted it. When I do something bad, I can admit it. I’m not the type of person to sit there and say, “I’m the bomb! I’m perfect.” When I should get validated for something, I want to be validated. When I do something that’s bad, smack me on the hand and I’ll fix it.

There’s a sort of crickets-chirping part of Untucked where you mention having humility, but taking to you, I can see it.
A lot of people say that. In the rock and roll episode, when I got to meet Terri Nun, when I came back in the room they asked, “Did you love her?” and I said, “No, she loved me.” Who wouldn’t say that? Think of meeting someone you love who proceeds to talk you up. You’d do the same thing. I did see some comments that were like, “There goes Raven being humble again.” I’m actually a very humble person.

And yet, your reputation as a bitch persists.
It’s a TV show. And that’s why when I see people who are like blogging about how I’m such a bitch and how they hate me, it’s like, OK, you’re the only one allowed to be a bitch? You bought that franchise? Just because I’m speaking my mind and giving my opinion when it’s asked for, I’m being a bitch. OK. Change the definition and stick my picture next to it. It’s so funny how other people are allowed to be bitchy, but we aren’t.