BY DC CUEVA
Someone who is on everyone's list of the Top 20, 50 or 100 of the reality stars who defined the twelve months is Paulie Calafiore, who joined this MTV family a year ago from a network that was, once upon a time, a corporate sibling when CBS and MTV were under the same Viacom ownership as part of what Disney, Comcast and AT&T's WarnerMedia are now -- a media super conglomerate. And the show he comes from is one that defines summer to both die-hard reality fans and to casual viewers during the broadcast networks' offseason... and come next month, we'll again hear those familiar terms "veto," "head of household" and "evicted" when Season 21 of that show debuts.
Paulie first burst onto the scene on Season 18 of Big Brother in 2016 as part of a twist that offered keys to America's most famous summer share to siblings of past houseguests, as he is brother of Season 16 runner up Cody Calafiore. Two years later, he found himself on MTV in eventually becoming one of The Challenge's biggest names in making the Final Reckoning final as a rookie and just falling short of a second straight trip to the dash for the cash on War of the Worlds when he got eliminated in the regular season finale Purge. But months before, he gained his MTV membership card by being one of the ten singles who formed the first cast of Ex On The Beach USA.
Along the way, Paulie has certainly become one of those figures in reality TV that viewers would love to love, or love to hate. Those who saw BB18 know about his showmance with Zakiyah Everette, his bromance with two-time runner-up Paul Abrahamian, his questionable treatment of the female houseguests including future Challenger Natalie Negrotti and Da'Vonne Rogers, and all that took place that summer. Those who watched EOTB last year saw him click with Lexi Marsella, but that came crashing down like many other romances in the Shack of Secrets. And of course, there's The Challenge and his much-publicized relationship with Cara Maria, which was sealed with tattoos for each other on the first season of How Far is Tattoo Far. And everyone has heard of the news that unraveled with them and Bachelor alum Danielle Maltby in the run-up to the past two seasons, which saw Cara and Paulie break up and then get back together amidst much public attention.
It would be easy for you to either support him or to root against him, and those who saw him struggle in the sea in the semifinal of War of the Worlds had reason to cheer either way or feel for him when he came away empty. But to better understand who the real Paul Calafiore is, you have to know more than just this divisive reality TV personality: there is a side of him who actually is well-spoken even with his Jersey accent, well-versed and has an understanding of the whole world around him, and not just of what goes on in the new section of the reality world he has entered. The title of this post brings to mind the animal which he has used to offer a platform for which he can discuss the things he wants to talk about in great detail: the lion.
Shortly after that season, social blog site Odyssey spoke with him about not just his post-Big Brother life (and with absolutely no idea that a return to reality TV was coming), but focused mainly on how he got to turn his TV exposure to help enact change in a positive way and inspire others in this world. Upon him returning home from California, he started his own campaign The Rise Up to aspire to affect change through positive actions. And Paul then launched a business and clothing line with brother Cody and the fellow Big Brother roommate who succeeded him in the Ex On The Beach house, season 2 original Corey Brooks.
Paulie has long sought a audio/visual platform where he could have the chance to be on our screens more than just during the once (or in BB's case, few times a week) episodes and brief glimpses on SnapChat and Instagram. Last year, he followed in other castmates' lead and launched a YouTube channel, but opted to not post videos of him working out, playing pranks on random people or even give his own recaps of the episodes from his own point of view. But instead, Paulie used his YouTube to post a six-part miniseries called Waking the Lion where he discussed issues relating to mental health and aspects of society that have become prevalent while he has come into The Challenge in that grand way last year. We will not use quotes from him in the descriptions of the videos embedded in this post because, after all, we'd rather let him do the talking instead of us doing it on his behalf.
Ever since it became public knowledge, the relationship of him and Cara Maria has become a topic of endless conversation among fans, especially when the news got out of him cheating on Danielle around the time of him filming Ex On The Beach, and then turning his attention to the redhead while his MTV debut season was airing... and both him and Cara have had to endure plenty of hate in the past year, including her deciding that Twitter was a toxic place and had to deactivate her account. The negativity they have had to endure was the subject of the first of the half-dozen YouTube videos he posted where he dove into the dangers of that and how to not let it get in the way of things.
What happened with him deciding to go all out in that "Judgement Day" Purge challenge and him paying a big price both physically and mentally is the latest in a long chapter of big moments for Paulie. In the second video below, he discussed the topic of failure and offered key points in how to handle defeat and turn that into eventual success... something he will have to look to if and when he goes on The Challenge again (which is definitely a sure thing).
Everyone these days gets judged on how they look, what they say and of course how they act... and social media has made this even more prevalent. In video #3. Paul looked at how people pass judgement in the digital age and, as the video's description notes, "...and how quickly people pass this judgment before even knowing anything about what they're passing judgment on!"
In two other videos, he was joined by a pro in the World Beauty Fitness & Fashion, Nikki Alliegro, and founder of Push Past Paralysis, Melissa Meleske, as they discussed the topics of confidence and the mentality of trying to make no excuses on the way to success.
For the last video in the series, Paulie then delved from discussions of encouragement and success to a subject of a serious matter that has affected so many people, including him.
A topic that has dominated the dialogue in many aspects of our society has been suicide, and it has also been found in two recent stories that took over British TV. Last week, the UK's equivalent of The Jerry Springer Show, The Jeremy Kyle Show, was taken off air and then axed by British network ITV after a recent guest of the talk show committed suicide days after a recent taping. And earlier today, reports circulated that two other past guests of Kyle's show also killed themselves.
Earlier this spring, a man who lived with War of the Worlds finalists Georgia Harrison and Theo Campbell on Series 3 of Love Island UK in 2017, Mike Thalassitis, hung himself in a North London park shortly after filming Series 10 of Ex On The Beach UK, which was then shelved out of respect for his family. The two scandals have brought into focus whether production companies for reality TV series are doing enough with helping cast members with their mental health.
Paulie is not alone in having dealt with suicidal thoughts, and it was something he dealt with several years before he went onto Big Brother. After receiving plenty of messages on social media, he addressed this serious topic and gave insight into how to overcome them and appreciate life.
This spring, Paulie expanded upon those YouTube Ted Talks with a second podcast series, The Lion's Mentality, with friend and CEO John Vagueiro of Adapting Social, an entrepreneur-first design and marketing firm in New Jersey. The site's description notes, "The Lion's Mentality is here to provide you with a ferocious mindset that will have you smashing any obstacles that stand in your way. We bring together successful minds who share their stories of what inspired them to achieve their dreams and overcome the life traps so many fall victim to. We are a dedicated pride and together, we all become stronger."
Those who've shared living quarters with Paulie in his four series have joined him and John on Lion's Mentality: Corey, BB19 champ Josh Martinez, "Ninja" Natalie Duran and EOTB1 ex Joe Torgerson, plus BB20 houseguest Rachel Swindler, fitness models Whitney Johns & Aubrey Destremps, and YouTuber's girlfriend Sammy Rickey. All of those podcasts are a must listen in not only gaining some reality tea, but mostly for a different and more meaningful purpose.
It is true: this man has embraced a role that others have taken turns to relish on The Challenge: the resident villain. He continues to encounter plenty of haters along the way with being cuddled up to a two-time champion who also has gained much notoriety since, and undoubtedly those detractors were relieved that he couldn't make it in the last purge.
But if you've been able to sample at least some of his thoughts on YouTube and his podcast, and the many chats he has had with the endless array of audio- and video-related media that covers MTV Reality on a regular basis, then you've gained a better understanding of not only Paulie Calafiore the reality TV star, but Paulie Calafiore the person.
There are a lot of sides to him after what we've seen the past three years, and even before that as a son in a New Jersey family of Italian descent, a college soccer player and even someone who's even a huge fan of Bruno Mars - and where he even karaoked one of his tracks. But most importantly, there's that one side of him that Paulie hopes to project the most: someone who's driven, motivated, very passionate and caring to others.
A lot of those who have watched and listened to him on YouTube and his many podcasts agree that their opinions of him changed into a positive one than a negative, and that is refreshing for someone who's been to the end of both of his Challenge seasons and is primed to carry this show into its next generation, perhaps even win a title. It should and will happen soon enough.
- I AM DC
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