Hailey Chivers, 24, talks about her “The Real Word” and “The Challenge: Battle of the Exes” experience. Her ex-boyfriend Thomas Buell auditioned for “The Real World”, and at first, they contacted her just to get a little background information on him. The show surprised the couple and asked her to appear on the show during the middle of the season.
Chivers agreed and flew to San Francisco to join the rest of the cast. The whole premise of the show was seven strangers living together in one house with no outside communication. Just as the contestants learned the rules, all of their exes joined the show, making the total number of people 14.
“Then the drama ensued,” Chivers said.
She recalls the hardest part of living in a house with your ex and 12 other strangers was acclimating to not having normal distractions in life. The show created an unnatural environment by preventing contestants from using their cell phones, watching television, and making contact with the outside world.
It was the worst time to not have someone to talk to. Chivers continued to watch her ex-boyfriend date someone else while they all lived in the same house. There was no escape from the drama.
With this contract, one might wonder why someone would sign up to be on reality television. While Chivers recalls it being a tough experience, it is not one she regrets. Chivers dedicates the show to teaching her not to bottle up feelings even if you’re scared to have a confrontation.
“I would call it not a good experience but a growing experience,” Chivers said.
Other than the emotional life lessons, she also gained a new outlook on culture. Each person in the house was from a different part of the world, with all races and sexualities. The group included: a lesbian, an expecting mom, a model, a filmmaker, and people with gages and tattoos or plastic surgery. Being all stuck together for a certain period of time, you learn to accept quickly and not judge.
Once the show and the relationship were over, Chivers and Buell developed a friendship that would lead them to enter another reality show. “The Challenge: Battle of the Exes” was about “The Real World” couples entering to win $125,000, split between the couple, by completing a series of challenges.
Chivers and Buell were the only couples to have met before the reality show. They met and dated while attending high school, which created a history between the friends. This time around was more enjoyable for Chivers because she and Buell had an understanding of how they would attempt to win.
Although they had a strategy, that plan ended within the second episode. Buell got mouthy with a big competitor, forcing the couple to face the elimination round. Chivers, being the smallest girl on the show, could not compete with the strength of the other couple facing elimination.
While short-lived, Chivers appreciated “The Challenge” more. They were surrounded by a beautiful jungle in Panama, pushing themselves to accomplish outrageous competitions. Not only that but also the relationship drama had come to an end.
“Crazy to wake up one day to find myself tight-roping across two skyscrapers 500 feet in the air while dragging my ex in a pulley above my head in episode one,” Chivers recalls.
Now that she has had her fifteen seconds of fame, Chivers is done with reality television. Although she watches the current seasons of “The Challenge” and cooking shows like “Chopped”, the appeal of the shows has decreased after knowing how much editing plays a role. Buell is continuing to participate in the shows, but Chivers has retired that lifestyle.
“I’d rather be behind a camera than in front of it,” Chivers explained.
Now Chivers is a public relations student at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has moved on from Buell and now resides with her long-time boyfriend Sam Tackett. She is a thrill-seeker, yoga enthusiast, and lover of animals. She looks forward to using her experience on television to help her tackle the next stages of life.
