WEBVTT - My Life as a Reality TV Star 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:08.240 I started reality TV in two thousand nine with Cheeks 0:00:08.240 --> 0:00:11.960 and Roxy, and I had to be convinced to do it. 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:14.640 It was like pulling teeth. When the cameras are on 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:17.200 their on and they're gonna catch whatever they catch, and 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:20.119 when they're off, the mics are on, so they're listening 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:24.800 to everything. We did four seasons of the Rivera's. Then 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:28.400 the fourth season came around, I think because not enough 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:40.200 exciting things were happening drama was being created at going 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:44.159 with Stan, Happy Monday, everyone. Today's episode is going to 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.640 be about my time and reality TV. I'm going to 0:00:47.720 --> 0:00:50.680 tell you, guys about my experience working in the industry 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:54.400 and also about some of the lessons I've learned. Stay tuned. 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:57.240 It's gonna be a good one. This is Cheek Ease 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:06.679 and Chill. Alright, guys, So I've spent several years in 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:10.240 reality TV. Many of you probably know me from shows 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:13.319 like Chicks and Roxy, Chickens in Control, I Love Jenny 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:17.399 the rip Beras, or Cheeks Confidential. I've really enjoyed my 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:20.640 time working on each of these shows. I started my 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:23.680 career because so many people think that, well, my mom 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:28.039 passed and they thought that I started my career after 0:01:28.400 --> 0:01:31.640 she had passed, and that is not true. I started 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:36.080 reality TV in two thousand nine with Cheeks and Roxy, 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.319 and I had to be convinced to do it. It 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:41.880 was like pulling teeth. I was so used to being 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.800 behind the cameras. I enjoyed it. I felt like that's 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:49.120 where I belonged. I always felt that there was something more. 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:52.440 There were things that I wanted to do. And there 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:54.920 would be times when I would pretend to be singing, 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:58.880 like you know, Gwen Stefani in the living room or Shakida, 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:01.480 which were those were my two faves, And I'd be 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:03.320 in the living room I'd been cleaning and I would 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:05.560 sing and I would be like, imagine myself on stage. 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:09.040 Or I would always hear a Lousels people like applauding, 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:12.280 but I always just because my mom's career was always 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.320 like on the rise, Thank goodness, I just felt like 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.360 I'm okay with being behind the scenes and helping my 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:21.200 mom with her career and helping my mom with my siblings. 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:25.720 So when the whole reality TV thing started happening during 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:28.760 that time, I remember one of the first ones that 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:33.000 I really got into was newlyweds Nick Lash and Jessica 0:02:33.040 --> 0:02:36.120 Simpson one they had just gotten married. It was really 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:39.160 cute to see like people on TV in a different way. 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:42.120 This is when I think reality TV was born. They 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:43.920 actually were the ones that started, one of the very 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:47.000 first people that started that in the Osborne's. So when 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:51.240 we were approached for a reality TV show, my mom 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.200 and her manager then said, you know what, this is 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:56.440 a great opportunity for you to spread your wings, for 0:02:56.520 --> 0:03:00.600 you to inspire girls, to show them what you do 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:04.359 for your mother. And Roxy, who was the other co 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:07.640 star on Cheeks and Roxy, Roxy was a radio host 0:03:07.880 --> 0:03:12.480 for Mega here in l A. And my mom basically 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.079 had to convince me that was the only way, Like honestly, 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.440 it was a conversation for like a few months, and 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:19.680 I was like no, no, no, I don't want to 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:23.480 because after Newlyweds and I don't know if it had 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:27.240 to do with the reality show, but Nick and Jessica 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:31.200 divorced and then I knew that the Osbornes were having 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:33.160 little issues here and there. So it just kind of 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:35.720 scared me because I'm like, I don't know, like I 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:38.360 don't want it to cause issues, Like it's better to 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.960 be private back then, right, And Anyways, when my mom 0:03:42.000 --> 0:03:43.760 told me, you know what, you can inspire other young 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:47.000 ladies to be hard working, to go after their dreams. 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:48.920 You know, everything you do for me, I want people 0:03:48.960 --> 0:03:51.480 to see that, and and it'll be to Latin as 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:55.000 in l A chasing their dreams. So I said, okay, fine, 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:57.280 Finally I said all right, And I was so shy, 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:59.120 you guys, I had no idea what the heck I 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:01.360 was doing. In the beginning, I was like, what is 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:05.560 this cameras everywhere? And then with time, I mean, I'm 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.160 I'm a pretty fast learner, so I just started seeing 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:10.760 them like flies on the walls, like there were just 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:13.440 other people there. I stopped seeing them as cameras. You know. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:16.880 The camera men became friends and the sound guy and 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:18.880 it just became kind of like a family because it 0:04:18.960 --> 0:04:23.000 was long as hours of recording, long hours. And I 0:04:23.040 --> 0:04:25.920 really do think Roxy because she was advanced and everything, 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:28.520 you know, she was on radio, she would do red carpets, 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.040 she would go to award shows, and so she really 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:34.200 did walk me through being a star all on my 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.040 own and kind of like stepping out of my mom's shadow. 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:39.440 So she really did help me. And even when we 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.839 were doing interviews for everything. I would just like, you 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:43.880 answer everything, you know, you go ahead and answer. She's 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:45.520 like no, she would push me. She's like, you gotta 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:48.240 answer to girl, and I'm like okay. So I just 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:50.719 started kind of just watching and learning, and I think 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:52.920 I always had it in me. I was just shy, 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:55.560 and I was a little afraid because I had seen 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:59.120 it for so long how the industry can affect people. 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:02.559 I mean, I live with my mom my entire life, 0:05:02.720 --> 0:05:06.719 and I saw how it affected her, how certain comments 0:05:06.800 --> 0:05:09.240 and things like that got to her sometimes. So I was, 0:05:09.279 --> 0:05:11.880 I think more scared of that. But anyways, that's how 0:05:11.880 --> 0:05:14.360 we started with Chickens and Roxy, and then from there 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:17.040 we had a little fall out with Roxy and again, 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:20.320 because reality a lot of it, what works is drama. 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:24.159 So towards the end of Chickens and Roxy, which it 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.240 did amazing, you guys, amazing. We were even on Bravo. 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:31.320 Our ratings were the best on Mundol's back then, which 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:34.479 is now one, and then we had a little falling 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:37.360 out her and I on the show. And I kind 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:39.279 of want to say that it had a little to 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:41.920 do with the production company, to be honest, I didn't 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.359 see it until afterwards. Then after that, you know, I 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:47.360 got a lot of really great reviews, and they still 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.000 wanted to see me and and my family. My mom 0:05:50.040 --> 0:05:52.440 would go on Chickens and Roxy very little Mama was 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:56.080 an executive producer. It was Jenny Rivera Presents Chickens and Roxy, 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:58.440 so she would come. She would do little cameos here 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.640 and they're very like. She just wrinkled. And I would 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:04.680 ask my siblings if they could come on, because they 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.560 were a huge part of my life. So they did. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:10.280 They agreed, and then I wasn't getting paid obviously a lot. 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:12.840 I think for the entire season, I got paid thirteen 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.600 thousand dollars and it was like fifteen episodes, and it 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.560 was a long, long, very long days. But it was 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.599 an investment. So I just saw it that way. I'm like, Okay, 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:23.320 if we prove ourselves in this first season, in which 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:24.880 we did, then we can get more money the next 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:26.560 season and so on and so forth. So I saw 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.159 it as a business transaction, or like I was looking 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.839 at as a as a businesswoman. Should I say any who? 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:34.200 I couldn't pay my siblings, I couldn't pay anybody because 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:36.279 I wasn't really getting paid that much I remember that 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:37.919 the first thing I did when I got my paycheck 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:42.440 with Chickens and Roxy was by my first expensive as mattress. 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:46.359 I got paid thirteen thousand dollars and I spent thirty 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:50.920 on like this badass mattress because I was like, no, 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:52.599 I need to sleep, I need to sleep good. I 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.320 need to rest because I was reading about all this stuff, 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:57.120 how to read good and if you have good sleep. 0:06:57.480 --> 0:06:59.839 You know. I was like always into these holistic things. 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:02.960 So I bought myself my mattress. My mom was like, 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:06.800 what are you doing. And then with the rest of 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:10.680 the money, I helped my then boyfriend by a car. 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:13.680 So I was really left with not a lot, but 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:16.560 a lot of experience, a lot of experience. I matured 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.320 so much during that time with Chickens and Roxy, and well, 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:22.000 Chickens and Roxy came to and end, unfortunately, even after 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:27.280 it's amazing success. That's when they approached us Mundos and said, 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:28.800 you know what, we would want to see more of 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:33.000 the family. Let's do a family reality show again. I 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:35.800 was like hesitant. I'm like, Mom, I don't know, I'm scared, 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:37.800 like I don't want it to cause issues. So we 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.000 all had a family meeting, and my mom said, this 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:41.960 is a good opportunity for all of you to make money. 0:07:42.040 --> 0:07:45.160 You will all get paid, all the responsibility won't following 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:47.240 your sister. So the kids were like, all right, cool, 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.280 I'm gonna get paid and you know, we can kind 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.480 of tell our story. And Mom was like, the only 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:53.480 way that I'm going to come out more is if 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:58.239 you pay us the big bucks. So my mom negotiated it. Finally, 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:00.960 I was like, okay, we had a family eating and 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.040 we're like, we're not going to let this get between us. 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:07.200 If someone is feeling uncomfortable, then we have to say 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:10.960 it and we'll end it. That was like our biggest thing, 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:13.240 and we were all on the same page. For me, 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:14.520 it was like, if we don't have this meeting and 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:16.120 we're not on the same page, I don't want to 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.560 do it because to me, my family was always the 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:21.640 most important thing and still is. So anyhow, we went 0:08:21.680 --> 0:08:26.120 with I Love Jenny. It fucking did amazing. We did 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.200 two seasons and then they wanted to do a spinoff 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:32.160 show because obviously I was making some money, I was 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:34.640 saving and I wanted to open my own business. So 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.080 I opened Blowed Me Dry, which is my very first baby, 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:39.599 my hair salon, which was like a you know the 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:42.559 dry bar. You know, they're huge when I started coming out, 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:45.280 so I wanted my own spin on it, so I 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.160 called it Blow Me Dry, the reality show. The producers 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:50.520 knew that I was doing this, that I was opening 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.000 up my salons, so they're like, okay, well, while we 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.160 are on off season with I Love Jenny, let's do 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:57.880 a spinoff show with cheekies showing the process of her 0:08:57.920 --> 0:09:00.679 opening up her salon. So that's what we did. That's 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.920 where Cheeks in Control came about, and it did so 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.679 good as well, um I was signed up to do 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:13.200 another season. It was also replayed on Bravo, which was great. 0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.679 It did really well and that was fun. It was myself, 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:21.520 my manager, my friends that I had. Then during that time, 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:23.839 when we were on off season, that's when my mom 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.240 and I started having the issues, and so my mom 0:09:27.280 --> 0:09:31.400 canceled my show. She told Mundos, We're not going to 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.679 do another season of Cheeks in Control. Of course, I 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:35.840 was devastated because I was like, how am I supposed 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.080 to make money? Like I just got let go from 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:40.560 my job with my mom. It was a really horrible time, 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:42.760 but it really did help me. I had the salon 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:45.080 at least with everything we had had made from cheeks 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:47.719 in control, and I love Jenny. I was able to 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:49.720 open my salon, so I felt a little better. I'm like, Okay, 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.079 well I did this, you know, I have something to 0:09:52.120 --> 0:09:54.040 show for it. So I was a little happy, but 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:56.560 of course I was sad. Anyways, the reason I'm telling 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:59.080 you guys all over this is because people get confused 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.360 that I started my career maybe my singing career, yes, 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.080 but it's something that I always wanted to do. And 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:05.800 I explained that in one of the episodes here on 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:09.559 Chickens and Chill, but in reality, like funny, right, in reality. 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:13.240 I started reality in two thousand nine, you know. And 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:15.520 I was even my mom and I were on Latina 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:19.080 magazine on the cover together in two thousand and eleven. 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:21.559 So it's like I was already like on the road, 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:26.680 you know what I mean, Like I was already what 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:36.199 I'm doing now. I was very fortunate that I didn't 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:40.160 have to like quote unquote rent friends, like people that 0:10:40.200 --> 0:10:42.080 I had to pay to be on the show, like 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:47.120 everyone that was on the reality show where my real friends. Unfortunately, 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:50.040 a lot of the people are almost all of them 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:52.360 that were on the reality show with Us with Me, 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:55.560 should I say, are no longer in my life? A 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:58.840 lot of things happen, and that's a whole other episode, guys. 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:02.080 But one that I do want to talk about specifically 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:04.480 is Gerald. For those of you that don't know who 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.240 Gerald is. Gerald was a friend of mine for a 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:09.720 very long time, and he was a huge part of 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:13.560 the reality show and he helped a lot because he 0:11:13.600 --> 0:11:15.440 was always with me. Honestly, helped me a lot with 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:19.120 my siblings, with my businesses, my friends too. Also a 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:22.240 friend that's no longer in my life, Ellen, she helped 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:24.040 me a lot with with Blow Me Dry. She was 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:27.280 the manager, so they all came out. We did the 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:32.240 whole thing, like interviewing people for their positions and interviewing 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.600 people for like management. It was just it was really cool. 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:39.679 It was a really cool experience. And I don't know exactly. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.559 I think it was a series of things. There were 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.760 things that I think I said that hurt him, that 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:48.720 bothered him, that I apologized for and then I understood. 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.400 I'm like, okay, well maybe like you know, messing around, 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:54.840 but it was I think a little too harsh. So 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:58.160 I think that was like the beginning of the end, 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:00.720 and there were things I think that were bothering him 0:12:00.760 --> 0:12:03.480 for a long time. I think he felt used with 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.199 the reality. He felt like a cast member. I should 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:10.520 be getting paid. That's the last I heard. I was like, okay, 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:12.959 Like he lived in our house, like we helped each 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.880 other out a lot. People always ask what happened with Gerald? 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:18.960 In reality, that's the truth, that's really what happened. I 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:23.880 think he felt unappreciated and underpaid, because we're not really underpaid, 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:27.080 because he wasn't getting paid. He was just like invited, 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:28.800 like ky Chicks, is going to do this today? Or 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:31.120 do you want to come? Or sometimes he wasn't even invited. 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:32.680 He was just a part of it because he was 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.160 my best friend and he was in a lot of 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.040 scenes with me, and he was funny and he made 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.240 it funny and people loved him. So maybe he felt 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:42.400 like I should have paid him, and maybe I should have, 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.120 but it was really in that at that point, out 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:48.320 of my control because I hadn't have a say in that. 0:12:48.800 --> 0:12:52.040 My mom was like the executive producer. I think he 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:54.640 got paid a little bit. I'm not too sure the 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.760 producers handled that, but not what he felt that he deserved, 0:12:57.800 --> 0:12:59.839 and we really never got to talk about it. We 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:04.920 just drifted apart, and sadly we have no communication and 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:08.280 it's been years and everyone always asks me about that. 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:12.840 You know. I've always kept my circle very tight and 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:17.000 I never really let people in when I was especially 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:19.280 when I was doing the reality I do feel like 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:21.560 some people try to come around to be on the 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:26.480 reality show, but I was very protective of my space, 0:13:26.960 --> 0:13:30.400 of my sibling space, you know. So it was really 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:33.760 like my true core friends that were on there. It 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:35.400 makes me a little sad, to be honest, when I 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:36.920 think about it, because I'm like, damn, we had a 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.000 beautiful time, like especially with my friends and stuff like that, 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:41.920 and they're no longer in my life. But I'm happy 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:44.040 that I have the reality show to look back on. 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.480 I'm like, Okay, well we live those moments. It was 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:49.520 nice and should just happens. You know, you just dripped apart. 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:53.000 You change, you grow, and some people are meant to 0:13:53.000 --> 0:13:54.800 be in your life for a certain season of your 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.920 life and then they're not meant to move on with you. 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.240 So that's what it is. For those of you that 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:02.560 always ask about Gerald, you know, I'm sure you can 0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.080 find on on Instagram. You can ask him. I have 0:14:05.400 --> 0:14:08.079 no bad blood towards him, like I wish him the best. 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.480 I want him to do well, and I want all 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.520 my friends to do well. Those that where my friends 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:16.640 and are no longer in my life, but I'm grateful. 0:14:16.679 --> 0:14:19.800 I'm grateful that they were there, especially during some hardass times, 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:22.760 and I've learned to accept it. I've learned to accept 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:28.560 that ship happens, and you grow and sometimes you grow apart. Okay, 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.000 so now let's talk about happy times. So a lot 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:34.160 of great things happen on the reality show. A lot, 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:36.320 Like I said, we got to go on vacation. We 0:14:36.360 --> 0:14:39.640 did a lot of extreme sports that I don't think 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.360 I've ever done because a lot of Latin families don't, 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:43.920 you know, do a lot of things we were able 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.320 to do through the shows. Um, and I got to 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:48.520 do it with my favorite people, my family, my friends, 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:52.120 my brothers and sisters. One of my favorite episodes is 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:54.760 when we went to Hawaii with my mom and it 0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:58.240 was like, I think, our very first family vacation, our 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:01.240 first and our last. You guys, my mom wasn't one 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:03.680 to vacation. She didn't know how to vacation. All she 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.760 ever knew was work, work, work, And my grandpa is 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:10.360 like that till this day. So my mom just I 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:13.600 think took after him. So I remember being on vacation 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.400 and they forced her to do things that forced her. 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:16.920 But we're like, okay, we're gonna go do this today 0:15:16.960 --> 0:15:18.720 and she's like okay. Like, for instance, I think she 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:21.440 was so scared. It was so cute to see my mom. 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:23.600 Like my mom wasn't scared of anything. She was fearless. 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.600 She was a badass woman, you know. But when she 0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:27.720 jumped into the ocean and she was with the sting rays, 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.280 she was freaking out, like she said, what is this? 0:15:31.320 --> 0:15:33.080 I think it was just too much for her, and 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.240 it was just so cute to see her laugh. I 0:15:35.280 --> 0:15:37.600 think we were like also swimming with like the dolphins. 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:40.280 Those memories I'm never going to forget because I saw 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.360 my mom in a different light, like a little girl, 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.760 just so excited but scared, and it was our vacation. 0:15:46.800 --> 0:15:50.000 We were all together. It was just really really really nice. 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:52.920 It's one of like the highlights for me. And there 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:54.800 are certain things that I'm like, Damn, I can't believe 0:15:54.840 --> 0:15:56.280 I did that. I wish I wouldn't have come out 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:58.320 like for instance, I don't know if those of you 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:02.440 that have watched the Verras remember when we did a 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:05.680 mud run. It was hard as hell. You had to run, 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:08.400 you had to go through all of these obstacle courses, 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:11.320 and well, in the middle of it, I had to 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:13.680 go to the bathroom, and of course the cameras are there, 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:16.400 and of course you have your mic on, and I 0:16:16.400 --> 0:16:18.360 had to go number two. And I'm the type of 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:22.000 woman that if nature calls, I'm gonna handle business. I'm 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:23.880 not the type that's like, oh, I don't use public questrooms. 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:26.200 I don't like public questrooms. They're not my my, my favorite, 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.600 you know, I don't prefer them. And you know, I 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:31.520 do the whole toilet paper and the toilet seat covers 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:33.680 and all that stuff. But anyways, we didn't have that. 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:35.360 We were in the woods. You guys were in the 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:38.800 woods doing this damn mud run, and memoi was I 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:40.520 had to go to the bathroom. So I went behind 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:42.560 a bush and I told the producers and I looked 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:44.720 at the cameraman and I'm like, you're gonna stay right 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:47.240 here and I'm gonna go handle business. And I thought 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.080 they were going to cut it out, and I think 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:50.560 I asked them to cut it out and they're like, no, 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:52.960 absolutely not, we're not going to cut it out. And 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.000 you know what's crazy. I was an executive producer on 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:58.560 The Rivera's and I was like, no, we're not gonna 0:16:58.560 --> 0:16:59.960 cut it out. It was like, it's funny, we're not 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:01.920 gonna show where. I'm like, okay, well, don't like I 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.680 don't want to hear the noises because I was pooping 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.840 in the woods. You guys with cameras all around. I 0:17:07.960 --> 0:17:11.080 hit of course. But anyways, that's one thing that I'm like, 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:13.040 oh my god, I can't believe I did that on 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:18.240 like national television. Always reminding me of something. She was 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.240 a huge fan of the reality show. Okay, so she 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.840 said that I didn't remember this, and it's probably true 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:27.119 because I love white bees. So anyways, I guess I 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.399 took off my underwear and I wiped my ass with 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.960 it and I just I left it there. I still 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:34.960 can't believe it I'm talking about. I'm like, oh my god, 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:38.760 that's not ladylike chickens, but it neither is pooping in 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:43.680 your pants, so whatever. And then there's the ugly part. Guys, 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:47.160 there's the ugly part behind the scenes of reality where 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:51.160 I don't blame the producers or the networks because it's 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.720 just what people want to see. And that's where I 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:59.000 decided it's time to stop with the reality because I 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.439 don't want it to cause issues between my siblings and I. 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:04.440 After the last season of I Love Jenny, which I 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:07.680 believe was the fourth season, my mom had barely started 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:10.560 recording the fourth season if I Love Jenny when she passed, 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.919 so we had to basically finish it. That was tough, 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:15.399 and we took a break after I Love Jenny, and 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:17.800 then people kept asking and asking you guys, we want 0:18:17.800 --> 0:18:20.240 to see you guys on reality again. We would get 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.639 comments all the time. The network came and gave us 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:25.480 an offer, and I talked to my siblings and again 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.240 we're like, okay, this is an opportunity for everyone to 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:30.679 make some money, to save some money, to start your 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:33.960 own businesses, and so we all agreed, and that's when 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.520 the Riveras were born. The core of the show was 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.359 my siblings and I and then a little bit of 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:43.359 like my extended family, and that kind of was an 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:47.040 issue because again, people felt that they weren't getting paid 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:50.160 I think enough for the work that they were doing, 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.920 which I get but again that was kind of out 0:18:52.920 --> 0:18:55.640 of my hands. I was an executive producer, and I said, 0:18:55.640 --> 0:18:56.919 the only way I'm going to do it is if 0:18:56.920 --> 0:19:00.240 I'm an executive producer and I can watch that soaked 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:02.560 and stuff before the air. Because I wanted to make 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:04.439 sure that I took care of our family. That was 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.399 the most important thing to me. So we did four 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:10.840 seasons of The Rivera's so it was doing really good. 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:13.240 The first three seasons were good. We were chilling, like 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:16.080 there was a lot going on, so there wasn't really 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:20.000 like it wasn't necessary to cause drama because everyone wanted 0:19:20.000 --> 0:19:21.840 to know what happened after mom and how we were 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:25.199 handling everything, and it was just a lot selling the 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.520 house and everything was on the reality show, just a lot. 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:32.879 A lot happened, me getting married and engaged, and just 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:36.560 a lot. And then the fourth season came around and 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:39.040 she started getting a little weird. Not a lot was 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:41.840 going on. It just the same old stuff. Jackie was 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:44.399 living very far. She had her children should take him 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:46.320 to school. It was getting a little frustrating for her 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:48.280