I love The Challenge. Though my interest has waned at times over the years, it’s gotten good again recently when production moved outside of the Real World / Road Rules pool and started casting from shows like Are You the One?, Survivor, Big Brother, Love Island, and some other international shows. It’s better now because it’s more suspenseful — with all the new blood it’s less obvious who will win each season. Anyway, The Challenge: USA is one of the new offshoots of the main MTV show. It has only cast members from CBS reality shows. One of them from Big Brother, Alyssa Lopez, was maybe job-shamed by someone on Twitter for returning to work at Hooters after the season ended. Alyssa set them straight quickly, noting that reality TV stars need to work too and offering to buy them a drink.
Big Brother and The Challenge reality star Alyssa Lopez was quick to shut down a Twitter commenter who poked fun at her returning to her Hooters job.
On Sunday after a Twitter user wrote, “A certain person from #bb23 is back working at Hooters. đź¤,” the reality star retweeted the comment with one of her own.
“I’m confused why you think I should be embarrassed by this?” the 26-year-old said. “To be able to pay my rent from 2 shifts at Hooters is amazing!”
She continued: “So many reality tv stars have actual jobs. We are normal human beings. I’m just real enough to show it. Come in my next shift I’II buy you a shot.”
Lopez worked at the chicken wing chain prior to being cast on the two reality shows. She’s posted several photos in her uniform and is featured in a Hooters billboard in south Florida, near where she lives.
I went back-and-forth for a hot second about whether the person meant to mock Alyssa. After all, there is no commentary with the tweet and could have just been a fan excited that one of their faves is somewhere they can meet them in person. But no, that “tee hee” emoji makes pretty clear they’re making fun of her job. And Alyssa’s right, why should she be embarrassed by that? It’s a job, it’s her choice, and apparently she can pay her rent from two shifts. That’s amazing; I wish I could do the same. I’m not sure exactly where she lives, but south Florida isn’t exactly cheap. Alyssa’s point — that many reality stars have actual jobs and are normal human beings — is very obvious, but I guess it needed to be said. Most people who appear on The Challenge have normal jobs like this one. They work as servers, bartenders, personal trainers, hair stylists, etc. They seem to do more shift-based work because those jobs tend to have more flexibility than a 9-5 desk job when it’s time to leave for 6-8 weeks of filming. Also, why is this person so titillated by Hooters? Many reality stars become influencers and models and have Only Fans. Working IRL at Hooters is like a charming throwback to pre-social media reality TV.
I find it fascinating how much people often seem to accept what they see at face value and not consider the life behind it, we see people on tv and online and it all looks glamorous (on purpose) and yet they have to pay bills, run errands, etc. It’s a very select few who truly get into the sphere where they don’t need to worry about making ends meet. Yes, sometimes those ends are bigger than others (the actor who recently spoke candidly about the cost of red
carpets, agents, etc.) but it’s important to remember that the lifestyles we are so often being sold are more complex than meets the eye.
More of this honesty please!
I didn’t get the impression that they were making fun of her working at Hooters but just working period. A lot of people do think when you get on a reality show you get a lot of endorsements and appearance fees. Most don’t and still work regularly jobs.
Reality shows do not pay well at all. I know someone that was on this show years ago, and she got $17k. That’s it, for all the episodes. She did get people shouting her name and chasing her in public, but couldn’t afford to up her security.
The original Real World: New Orleans cast got $5000 for the WHOLE SEASON. And no residuals for the millions of reruns and marathons MTV ran for the decade after that. Melissa Beck talks very openly about the challenges of being very famous and very broke at the same time.
She went back to work because she has bills to pay so what? I don’t like work shamers.
Most actors need a second job, I don’t see why it would be different for reality “stars.” But I admire her ability to turn a single stupid tweet into a PR story for herself.
So many people lack any semblance of common sense…of course they have to work. Good for her for handling it gracefully and openly.
One of my co-workers, a fellow assistant-would-have-been-called-a-secretary-in-the-past, did a reality show on a minor cable channel. Didn’t last long, was right back at work. They gave her an unpaid leave, filming was during our slow season.
I always find it odd when people joke about others working… or mock their jobs.
They’re doing work and getting paid for it. What’s it to you?
Does she also do instagram modeling or something? She’s beautiful. Don’t a lot of beautiful young women make a lot of money on-line with instagram? I wonder if she’s also doing that? I am sure she gets a lot of tips working at Hooters. I do wonder what her long-term goals are. She can’t work at Hooters forever, unless she gets into management. Anyways, at least she’s working and not relying on some sugar daddy or something.
even having a sugar daddy is work in itself! you think those sugar babies don’t have to work to keep the daddies happy? you know they do. it’s like the old saying, if you marry for money you will earn it.
LOL true !
Big Brother was such a fun show to watch. But once people realized they could insert themselves in the Houseguests real life. By getting them fired or harrasing their family and employers. It took a dark turn. I wish people would just leave them alone. It’s just a gameshow and once the season is over. Just move on already.