Estimated Reading Time: 26 MINS.
Six years ago this month, MTV entered the modern romantic dating television genre with Are You The One?, a show which mixed the channel's signature formula for reality success with love, money and romance -- something it has done now for eight seasons. Last year, the series opened its arms to the LGBT community with Come One, Come All, and it was just last week that the sexually-fluid season that recieved much attention from both the gay & lesbian community and the mainstream media was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the reality TV category. And the show's success have seen some of its 160+ alumni cross over to the U.S. version of global franchise Ex On The Beach and its long-standing competition series, The Challenge, among other MTV shows.
When AYTO debuted in 2014, it was the same year that two of MTV's most beloved personalities were taken from us much too soon. In a span of only thirteen days that autumn, Challenge legend Diem Brown lost her battle with ovarian cancer, then on Thanksgiving fellow competitor and Real World Back to New Orleans alum Ryan Knight was found dead -- both coming before their last season together on Battle of the Exes 2. The outpouring of sorrow from fellow alumni and the fandom that month was overwhelming and spoke to the power of TV that allowed fans who followed them to that last season in South America to join in the grief of a month none of us have ever forgotten... it's almost as if we lost someone we actually knew, even it was only through TV and social media.
 |
| Instagram @Lexoquence |
From when news of it spread from her home of West Virginia to now, the past seven days have afforded ample time for family, friends and castmates to offer their remembrances of a lady who was taken away from us so soon... one who was one of AYTO's most vibrant and joyous personalities who always made everyone laugh and smile whenever she walked into any room. But Alexis Eddy was more than just that one who had a zest for life: she had a startling backstory involving something that's now become commonplace in mainstream media of true crime, and one who had become open in sharing her personal battles with drugs and addiction and the always tough task of staying sober.
Just as it was during that most surreal month of November 2014, it's always a tough thing for us at DCBLOG to represent the fandom who watches these shows as a voice of reason to say farewell in what is always a most difficult and poignant to compose, both logistically and on an emotional level as one who has followed Are You The One from day 1 and has become good friends with a lot of its alumni - including Alexis herself a few times. But here, we hope to paint as good a brief portrait of her life and the magical time she was on our screens, as we offer this one final and lasting tribute to this energetic & memorable lady of one that friends, family and her castmates knew simply as Lexi.
 |
| Alexis & her dad (@Lexoquence) |
But during this time, there was also another cousin who she considered her best friend, but who spent the last eight years of her life never getting to spend much time with in person. And if it weren't for her going onto national television and to the limitless world of cable, then Alexis would've been still been in the limelight to a degree for what happened back in the summer of 2012. Her cousin, Sheila Eddy, and friend Skylar Neese, were both 16 years old at that time, and were close friends since they were eight. When they were in their first year in high school, Rachel Shoaf, also about their age, joined their now clique of three, and their friendship lasted for some time. But then, something starting happened to the trio.
But in January 2013, Rachel finally came clean that she and Sheila killed Skylar once they led authorities to her remains in the forest. Months later, Shoaf faced the judge and pleaded guilty to the murder... later that fall, Eddy was identified as co-conspirator to the crime and eventually she also take a guilty plea. Both girls were charged as adults and sent to a women's correctional center on the western outskirts of the state, and it will not be until three years from now that they will be up for parole. And the case itself became fodder for the media to consume, being covered on Dateline, Oxygen's Snapped and was the subject of a 2014 episode of Dr. Phil just after the verdicts were handed down... it even got its own telemovie on Lifetime.
It was only part of a season that saw Terrence J. take over as the show's host, and a cast that had their work cut out after what their Season 5 predecessors had to go through earlier that year when Kam, Derrick H. and co. left broke having not achieved their mission of winning love and money by matching up all of the house with their perfect matches. Alexis was part of a group who would have several romances among the twenty-two singles who came to the Big Easy: Diandra, Malcolm & Nurys; Kareem & Alivia; Keyana, Michael & Audrey; Geles & Anthony, Uche, Clinton & Jada; and Joe with his Season 5 ex Taylor, who visited NOLA during the annual visit of the former girl- & boyfriends... and three of those even got another chance on Ex On The Beach.
But of all the romances that sprang up by the Bayou, it was that of Alexis and Virginia Tech frat guy Keith Klebacher that held the key to a game that, for basically the entire season, had the entire house stumped and never seemed to get out of neutral. The two paired up from the beginning, like so many other AYTO couples have done in the past, and like what's happened to the likes of Shanley & Chris T., Brandon & Christina, Devin & Kiki and many others, it also brought Lexi & Keefa to the Boom Boom Room for some late night fun after lights out. Their relationship was up and down like a good old ride on a Coney Island coaster, including what happened in its last act: him deciding to take her beloved teddy bear Bridget into the backyard and into a burning outdoor grill.The math whiz kid would eventually orchestrate the strategy that gave his cast AYTO's equivalent of 28-3: the single biggest comeback the series had ever seen when the cast made up a 10-beam deficit in the tenth & last matchup ceremony that scored them $1 million. But it wasn't just Keith that Lexi was attracted to: she got to kiss just about every other person in the house - girls included - that brought some spice to a season where everyone was just rolling along with their non-matches the whole season. Her relationship with the man who ran around the house one night scaring people wearing a monkey costume, confessionals that were tailor made for the meme machines and being able to make many bad decisions with cameras rolling made Alexis THE star of Season 6.
Along with that family secret, she got to open up about the struggles she had herself with drug abuse, and and in the two years or so after moving out of the house she also fought those demons to the point that, in recent months, she shared with her social media that she had become sober, and so had her dad back last September. And the next month, Alexis got engaged to her boyfriend Nate Lee with an announcement of it on Instagram... only for that to go away.
It was just on January 2nd that she tweeted, "Wow ok I'm just gonna stop all you boys right now... NO, I'm not going to come lay at your house with you on a first, second, or third date. Social media really got the dating norm all screwy don't it." And last Wednesday, she tweeted to the resident rapper of Season 6, Ethan Cohen, about how one of his YouTube music videos somehow got taken off of the site... but he didn't have any idea that he would have the last contact that any of her former AYTO castmates would ever have with her, and one of the last among anyone in the Eddy family.
Before sunrise in West Virginia the very next day on January 9th, local authorities received a call from her home in Mannington on Thursday morning reporting that a female had entered into cardiac arrest. An ambulance arrived on the scene to get to the heart of what exactly had happened, but after attempts were made to revive her using CPR, the person was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics who were called to the scene along with law enforcement. And soon, law enforcement identified the person as Alexis Renee Eddy.
Just as they did with Michael Jackson, Prince and recently with XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld, TMZ was the first media outlet to report and confirm the news of Alexis' death minutes shy of 2:00 PM Eastern time, some five hours after the fact and after her next of kin & those close to her were notified of her passing before it was made public. Though the initial TMZ report stated that foul play did not play a role in her death, Radar Online received a further tip later in the day from her mom that her daughter may have died from suffering a drug relapse. But authorities continue to wait it out for a toxicology report from the Marion County coroner's office to determine the exact cause of death, which may take some time for an official decision to be made as with most other cases.
And earlier this week, private funeral services and her burial were held in Mannington as Eddy's family and friends gathered in this suburb outside Morgantown to pay their final respects to Alexis. There will be plenty of questions to be asked and answered in the coming weeks & months of what exactly may have happened to Alexis: from the autopsy that will determine her official cause of death to what her health was like in those last hours, and many more. But in the short term, that will be largely in the background compared to the sorrow and compassion those in Lexi's inner circle have felt in the course of the past week.
THE MTV FAMILY REMEMBERS
Upon the news being made official by TMZ and other media outlets, the reaction of Alexis' sudden death was both immediate and widespread, though not on the large levels in the wake of other notable reality star deaths of recent years with Diem Brown, last year's passing of Beth Chapman or The Voice star Christina Grimmie when she was murdered the night before the Pulse Orlando tragedy. But this death also channeled what happened in April 2013 when another West Virginian, Shain Gandee, lost his life in the WV wilderness just after his show Buckwild became a major hit.
Like it has been the case for notable deaths of those we have followed in the world of pop culture during the 2010's, the last Instagram photo that Alexis posted on Christmas Eve three weeks ago have seen well over 1,000 comments posted by fans, followers and fellow castmates in the now one week since her death. And understandably, the Eddy and Efaw families have been the most heartbroken by the death of their daughter, their cousin and their friend.
But those who have also felt the heartache of the past seven days were those who, thanks to being cast onto AYTO, became a second family to Alexis. Her Season 6 castmates were quick to offer their parting thoughts on her, as both the AYTO family and those in the MTV community -- including Zak Jones from Season 7 (who Alexis met at a 2018 club event), fellow West Virginian Ashley Mitchell of The Challenge and Real World, sent their condolences as seen in a sampling of the following posts culled from Twitter and Instagram in the days that followed.
And in a mere coincidence, the 24/7 streaming channel on the ViacomCBS-owned Pluto TV service that airs the first six seasons of Are You The One aired her AYTO season after the news of her death was made public.
"Lighthearted Entertainment and the whole "Are You The One?" family is devastated by the news that our girl, Alexis Eddy has passed away. She could brighten any room and make the saddest of souls laugh out loud. She will be our Perfect Match forever."
● LIGHTHEARTED ENTERTAINMENT Statement - Twitter @LightHeartedTV
"MTV is deeply saddened to hear about the tragic loss of Alexis Eddy. Our hearts go out to her family and friends during this difficult time."
● MTV Statement - Twitter @AREUTHE1
"Our AYTO family is broken without you and will never be the same. Rest easy now baby girl. We love you Lexi from the bottom of our hearts. No one ever did it like you."
● ALIVIA HUNTER SEASON 6 - Instagram @aliviahunter
"My heart hearts💔. I can't believe you're gone. Rest In Peace you beaituful soul. My prayers and love goes out to you and your your family and all of my castmates ♥️ We love you."
● AUDREY DIAZ SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @audreydiazz_
"Let's all send a prayer to Alexis Eddy's family & friends♥️ It's extremely sad hearing that she passed. She was such a dope person and she'll alwyas be a part of our AYTO family #RipLex"
● CLINTON MOXAM SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @mr.moxam
"I don't have words for today. @lexoquence you were the missing puzzle piece to our family. No matter the BS our cast has gone through, our love for you has never changed. I love you so so so much babygirl and my prayers go out to your family & loved ones. Season 6 will never be complete without girl. RIP angel we love tf out of you."
● DIANDRA DELGADO SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @diandradelgado_
"I'm at a loss for words. Alexis you were so genuine, caring and full of love. Your energy will be missed. Lost a part of my family today. RIP @lexoquence"
● DIMITRI VALENTIN SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @dimitrivalentin_
"Thank you for the joy you brought this world. Rest easy angel ♥️"
● GELES RODRIGUEZ SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @gelesann
"RIP beautiful. My heart is breaking knowing that we lost a beautiful soul. Alexis you were definitely one of a kind and I can't believe you're gone. I'm sending love and prayers to you and your family."
● JADA SIMONE SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @ayeejaee_
"I never know what to say when something like this happens. Seems like the people fighting the hardest battles on the inside are some of the brightest beings on the outside. Always trying to make other people better because they know what it's like to feel pain. Going to miss you Lex. RIP"
● JOE TOGERSON SEASON 6 - Twitter @joe_torgerson93
"This shit got me fucked up mann, life is so short 😞"
● KAREEM FATHALLA SEASON 6 - Twitter @Kareem_Fathalla
"we didn’t deserve you. the most beautiful soul i’ve ever encountered. this news is devastating. i hope you’re watching over all of us. our auto family will never be the same. miss you always 💘"
● KEYANA LAND SEASON 6 - Twitter @keyanaland
"Rest in the sweetest peace to the girl who had the biggest personality in the room and was always authentically herself. You will be so missed you were loved by so many. I will never forget the memories we made in New Orleans. ♥️ Family forever."
● NICOLE SPILLER SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @niicoleamber
"Yesterday was a very hard day, we lost such an incredible, outgoing, carefree, gorgeous friend inside & out @lexoquence ♥️ today I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for being such an amazing soul to everyone you met! We’re all going to miss you so much and I’m especially gonna miss your kisses 😅 I tried hard to get a video of our iconic kiss since I know that’s one of our favorite memories together!! I’m gonna miss us clanking teeth and you letting my annoying self style you. Sexy season six won’t be the same without you. Rest easy beautiful 🙏🏽♥️"
● NURYS MATEO SEASON 6 - Instagram @nuryskmateo
"Shocked and heartbroken hearing the news this morning. We lost a major part of our AYTO6/MTV family today. Every single person had their own personal relationship with Alexis and she impacted so many in her own unique way. I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to have known Alexis Eddy in this lifetime. Please check on your friends, even the strong ones. Life is so short. I love you, rest easy."
● UCHE NWOSU SEASON 6 - Story on Instagram @unwosu
"The world is darker without you in it. If you were here we’d be telling each other that things are fine, and I hope you’re somewhere beautiful where they finally truly are. I love you so much @lexoquence ❤️ my sweet friend, my angel girl."
● ZOE PUGH SEASON 6 - Twitter @ZoeInWonderland
"The world lost a beautiful soul today far too soon. Her upbeat personality and heart of gold are hard to come by these days. Love and miss you, @lexoguence"
● CAM VINEY SEASON 7 & Fellow West Virginian - Story on Instagram @cam_viney
"Being on MTV/AYTO (no matter the season) bonds us all in a way no one else can understand. Today we lost a bright ass beam of light. Rest easy Alexis. Sending prayers to her family + friends 🤍🙏🏽 Life is short, love your people while they’re here."
● BRIA HAMILTON SEASON 7 - Twitter @briakristaaal
"🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 You will be truly missed Alexis! Rest In Heaven!!"
● DERRICK HENRY SEASON 5 - Twitter @ImDroc15
"What the fuck 😭😭😭😭 @lexoquence RIP my girl. There are no words."
● BRIANA LaCUESTA SEASON 2 - Twitter @blacuesta
"No no no 💔. Just talked to Alexis recently. So kind hearted and fun with a great sense of humor. This is truly heartbreaking. Rest In Peace, Alexis. 😞"
● BRETT FERRI SEASON 7 - Twitter @MTVbrettski
"Y’all my heart is broken! I loved this girl. Such a sweetheart! Ugh. God bless her& her family🖤🖤"
● BRITNI THORNTON SEASON 3 - Twitter @BritniNicol
"This hurts. A lot. There was not a better personality and more outgoing person to ever appear on AYTO. Of the few times I met her she was the brightest, funniest, and happiest person in the room. Thinking about her family today."
● HAYDEN WEAVER SEASON 5 - Twitter @HaydenPWeaver
"I wish you all could’ve met Alexis. She was just so fucking cool even beyond AYTO. Her soul is truly one in a million and there will never be anyone like her. Rest easy Queen"
● KARI SNOW SEASON 8 - Twitter @KariselleSnow
"You were a beautiful spirit @lexoquence gone way too soon! May you Rest In Peace sweetheart ❤️💔"
● HUNTER BARFIELD SEASON 3 - Story on Instagram @gelesann
"Love and prayers to @lexoquence friends and family & AYTO fam today. Beautiful soul, RIP 💔"
● GIANNA HAMMER SEASON 5 - Story on Instagram @giannahammer
"Damn it’s a sad day for the AYTO fam, so sorry to anyone that was close to Alexis💔 heartbreaking, sending love."
● KENYA SCOTT SEASON 7 - Twitter @Kenyaa_NOT
"Truly heartbreaking when someone so young with such vibrancy leaves our world too soon. RIP @lexoquence My heart goes out to all her family and friends 💔"
● MARIA ELIZONDO SEASON 7 - Twitter @mariae296
"What awful news this morning. My heart goes out to Alexis’s family, friends, and the entire season 6 cast or Are You The One. Her and I talked about our pasts with addiction and were rooting for each other in our recoveries. Another taken too young. Rest In Peace, beautiful 😭❤️"
● NOUR FRAIJ SEASON 8 - Twitter @QueerGirlzSlay
"My heart goes out to the AYTO fam and everyone else who knew Alexis.... 23 is too young. Sending warmth and positivity to anyone affected. RIP angel... Call your loved ones, let the people you care about know you care... you never know what could happen. 😣😓 💜"
● PAIGE COLE SEASON 8 - Twitter @_PaigeCole
"This is absolutely heartbreaking. Prayers to @lexoquence close friends and family. You’re so amazing, may you Rest In Peace"
● SAMANTHA McKINNON SEASON 7 - Twitter @RamBamSam18
"Praying for your friends & family. This is heartbreaking. Rest in paradise love."
● TAYLOR SELFRIDGE SEASON 5 - Story on Instagram @taylor.selfridge
"This is absolutely heartbreaking. Prayers to @lexoquence close friends and family. You’re so amazing, may you Rest In Peace"
● TYLER O'BRIEN SEASON 5 - Twitter @tylerobrienn
"Rest In Peace to this beautiful soul. I'm praying for your friends and family to get through this. You were such a great spirig and I'm blessed to have the encounters that I did have with you."
● TYRANNY TODD SEASON 5 - Story on Instagram @itsall_abouttee
"I cannot believe Alexis Eddy passed away. I am so sad about this. She was so fun and sweet. We really lost someone special with her. I'm so sad to hear about her passing. It's really devastating that a person can be here one day and the very next they are gone. It's a terrible pain to lose a person and it makes me think how very lucky we are to have the ones we love in our lives."
● LAUREL STUCKY The Challenge on Twitter
"Alexis Eddy was one of my favorite AYTO cast-members ever. My heart is shattered for her friends and family💔"
● JEMMYE CARROLL Real World & The Challenge on Twitter
"My heart is absolutely shattered.. as an MTV family we are one and we lost a very important part of that today. Any thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Alexis💔 may you rest easy beautiful girl, rip"
● LEXI MARSELLA Ex On The Beach on Twitter
For more elaborate tributes beyond just 280 characters or their social media stories, the castmate who had the last contact with Alexis was the aforementioned Ethan, who tweeted nearly 24 hours after talking to her: "Literally talked to Alexis yesterday about how much better her life is sober. Just don't even know how to feel right now. Can't believe we'll never have another heart to heart convo." The next day, he posted the following video of her from his SnapChat, which was then followed by tributes from Malcolm Drummer and the one who was Alexis' perfect match on that historic night in New Orleans two years ago, Anthony Martin.
One day I woke up to a snapchat of Lex rapping one of my songs. She said she practiced weeks to get the lyrics right. She was perfect. Look at her. pic.twitter.com/r54APyNe71— Emoney (@EmoneySunset) January 10, 2020
You was the only one who understood me 🤦🏽♂️This is the Alexis Eddy I will always remember ♥️ RIP my lady @lexoquence pic.twitter.com/eEiSxFCr1n— Malcolm Drummer (@Mackemdrummer) January 10, 2020
Blessed to have had you as my perfect match. Wouldn’t change it for the world ❤️ you’ll forever be missed. Rest In Peace beautiful 💕 pic.twitter.com/Jx4xQZnezc— Anthony Martin (@TheRealAnthonyM) January 10, 2020
But the most poignant of all the tributes being paid by the MTV family came from the one who Alexis was the closest with in the AYTO house. And just as it was more than five years earlier when Jemmye Carroll had the solemn task of saying farewell to her former boyfriend Knight some two weeks after C.T. Tamburello did the same to Diem Brown, Keith offered one last tribute to Alexis nearly two years after their roller coaster relationship.
● KEITH KLEBACHER SEASON 6 Instagram @keithk93
"When I think back to my time on MTV, the most memorable part of it all was the experience, and most importantly the people. It truly creates a family amongst you all, and with people you likely never would have met or befriended if not for the show. In the end, of those 21 people I met, the person I was closest to was you. You were an upbeat, happy, goofy, mess of a person and that's what was so infectious about you. Yet, no matter what, somehow you always pulled everything together and managed to make things work out. Like you always said, "This is fine, everything is fine." You inspired happiness in everyone you interacted with and when you were not out to get me, you were very supportive and caring. What people saw on television was an inaccurate balance of fights and happiness between us, when in reality things were much better than everyone knew. In that house, it felt like I was the king and you were somehow both the queen and my militia. When we won the show in the end, while I received the majority of the credit, I never would have been able to do it without your support and for having my back when everyone questioned and doubted me. Ultimately, you wanted to help everyone and that was my favorite trait about you.
Although we tried to have a relationship outside of the house, in actuality, we were completely wrong for each other. Fortunately, we did get the chance to try in a more "normal" setting and I am glad we did. The man I am today is undoubtedly better than the man I was two years ago and believe it or not, you had a huge impact on that. Whether it was just believing in me, or fighting twitter wars and defending me on my behalf. You allowed me to learn a lot about myself from both the pain and happiness experienced through our strange relationship and although we didnt talk anymore, we were on good terms and only wanted the best for eachother.
With that said, thank you for allowing me to meet your family, see where you grew up, attend the Mannington fair and your family reuinon, and most importantly, drink a shit ton of bud light with you. I speak for everyone when I say you will be missed and we will never forget you.
As for everyone else, please dedicate your thoughts and prayers to Lex's mother, sister, grandmother and step father during this time. While I sure many are upset, they are the ones who likely are hurting the most and truly wanted the best for her. Thank you to my family, my AYTO family and my girlfriend especially for being supportive and allowing me to heal and grieve during this time. I couldnt have gotten through this without the help of you all."
 |
| Alexis' last Instagram picture (@Lexoquence) |
The obituary penned by her parents for the Times, and then reposted on the website of the website of the funeral home where those services for their now late daughter were held earlier this week for reads like this: "She was a sweet and gentle soul that lit up any room she entered with her radiant smile. She didn't know a stranger and made everyone around her feel important. Lexi was the sun and the moon and the stars."
The words of her dad Todd and fellow parents Denny & Efaw echoed what everyone else has gotten to say about Alexis Eddy: she was quite the person who lived such a fascinating life that, unfortunately, ended much sooner than we all thought... but what a life it has been. You will be missed, Lexi.
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
No comments:
Post a Comment
Got something on your mind? Let us know! But please be mindful and do not post spam or negative comments (due to that, all comments are subject to blogger approval... and we reserve the right to disable these sections if things get way out of hand).