ThinkSoul25
Reality television
Chelsea Settles: MTV’s New Plus-Size Reality Star
So a few days ago at the gym I happened to turn to the Wendy Williams show. Usually I don’t watch her show, but lately I’ve enjoyed watching the gossip and loving her witty personality. Now I will admit that sometimes her guests are so annoying, but other times they actually intrigue me; which is what happened the other day, one of her guests actually caught my attention. The guest I’m talking about is MTV’s new reality star Chelsea Settles.
Settles made an appearance on Monday’s episode of Wendy and discussed her new reality show. Of course her appearance on Wendy is quite different than the show because she lost a lot of weight. She looks pretty good now that she lost weight; even Wendy said she looked sexy now. But prior to losing weight, her new show basically documented her overweight journey and move from Pittsburgh to LA in hopes of making it in the fashion industry as a stylist.
I usually don’t like watching a lot of MTV’s reality shows, but this one with this Chelsea Settles girl has some potential. I could tell from watching the show that her weight has kept her back from a lot of things, including being more outgoing and perhaps dating around instead of settling for the jerk she is with. On Wendy we learned that Chelsea has only had one boyfriend for the past 5 years; that is crazy! While watching her show we 
learned that she stays with him because she thinks nobody else will love her. Mind you, this guy has cheated and is in the army, but she settles (haha, no pun intended) and doesn’t leave him.
I’ve never in my life had a weight problem as drastic as hers, but it’s fascinating see the emotional drama in the situation. I mean I felt so sorry for her when she couldn’t get in the club for her friend’s birthday party. The bouncer wouldn’t let her in because she was big compared to all the other hot girls. Of course Chelsea stormed off and then got ridiculed by a bunch of drunk people, which then caused her to go cry and finalize her decision to lose weight and move to LA.
The episode was pretty good and at one point I got so pissed off at her lame ass boyfriend Rory. He had the nerve to attempt to deter her from moving to LA and saying she wouldn’t fit in out there. He wanted her to just move down to the military base with him and get married, have babies, and just be happy the way she was. WTF? This guy has cheated on her and then says he wants to marry her in order for her not to move to LA. She’s 24 and deserves to go for her dreams. Like seriously what is up with her man, who does that?! I was so upset because I know so many men that just want to settle down and talk about us having a future. I’m like woah! I’m young, single, and once I graduate in Summer 2012 it’s on! No commitment, just me starting my fabulous new life and on a journey with new friends. When I’m ready to settle later in my twenties, then I’ll think about slowing down and committing. But I think everyone deserves that time in their 
life to find themselves, go out to clubs, travel, find their career, and just live life! So I’m so happy Chelsea didn’t listen to her boyfriend and decided to jet set off to Cali. You go girl!
I like this Chelsea Settles chick, and last night’s premiere episode was an hour long, but it’s worth checking out. Like I said, I couldn’t imagine having major body issues like that. I couldn’t believe it was her first time going to the gym; I go to the gym 5 to 7 days out the week, so it was mind blowing seeing someone not work out on the regular. But she has a lot of issues surrounding how she got overweight, so I’m sure we will see more in the next few episodes. It’s unlike MTV to have a plus-size reality star, so I’m interested in seeing how this show will play out.
Check out the show at MTV’s site. I’m telling you, this show has potential. I strongly believe everyone deserves to live their life, be young, be fabulous, and go for their dreams. Don’t just live life being complacent and especially don’t settle for some lame relationship when you want to be young and go explore the world. Get up and make life happen!
http://www.mtv.com/videos/chelsea-settles-ep-1-ive-always-had-this-dream/1672104/playlist.jhtml
Related articles
- Chelsea Settles Previews Her New MTV Docu-Series (VIDEO) (aoltv.com)
- Meet Chelsea Settles, MTV’s Plus-Size Reality Star (aoltv.com)
- TV’s New Plus-Sized Heroine (huffingtonpost.com)
- Chelsea Settles (variety.com)
©Jasmine McGee.ThinkSoul25. http://thinksoul25.com
ENGL 3084: Final Visual Narrative and Documentary
Earlier in the semester we worked on visual narratives and it was fun! I had the chance to go down memory lane and talk about my move from Denver back home to the DMV. I’m glad to be back home and I don’t really miss Colorado too much.
Here is my visual narrative called “The Urban Nomad.” Be sure to check out the PDF and let me know your thoughts!
Below is also the final documentary about my brother Jamile McGee and his life after So You Think You Can Dance. I had a great time filming with him and the family, but I’m glad the process is finally done.
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- ©Jasmine McGee
ThinkSoul25
Reflective Post: Up Close and Personal with Life After Reality TV
While working on my rough draft of my documentary about life after reality television, I realized that there weren’t many documentaries on this subject. Throughout the course of my documentary I’ve had the position as an insider on my subject. Over the years I’ve seen my brother’s career rise and dealt with the “So You Think You Can Dance?” obsession from outsiders.
I can recall so many encounters with people obsessed with SYTYCD and individuals who were hungry to have their 15 minutes of fame. It’s sad to see how many people are willing to do anything in order to have their time in the spotlight, even if that means attempting to ride off the coats of others. Even though my brother has achieved a certain amount of acknowledgement in the dance/entertainment industry, I’ve never been the type of person to just ride off his success.
My role in this documentary and in my interactions with my brother’s dance career and “15 minutes of fame,” has been a role of support and knowledge. I aim to let others know about the reality of a dancers life and how shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance?” only help a dancer so much in their career. Being on a show like that doesn’t guarantee success and it shouldn’t be the main mission for a dancer. In my documentary Jamile briefly talked about how he strives to make a name for himself that is based upon his amazing talent and character, not riding off the SYTYCD claim to fame.
I gathered quite a bit of material for my documentary but had to shorten it in order to meet appropriate time length for my Multimedia Composition class. This topic of a dancers life and coming off a reality show, is a topic that can easily be an hour long documentary. I’ve collected a lot of footage as an insider on this topic, but one day it would be interesting to possibly talk to other dancers as well. I haven’t felt any discomfort when discussing the subject and shedding light on the reality of the aftermath following reality television. It’s been fascinating!
My hope is that people will begin to discuss more about reality television and the truth about being on season 1 of “So You Think You Can Dance?” It’s a shame how so many of the dancers from the first season have sort of been forgotten by the producers, yet they have had successful careers around the world. Interesting…
Thinksoul25
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Reflective Post: Life After Reality Television
As I approach the final two weeks of summer classes, I’ve begun preparation for my documentary. I’ve chosen to do a documentary about my brother Jamile McGee and his life after being on “So You Think You Can Dance?” In 2005 he wowed audiences with his amazing dances moves on the first season of SYTYCD and six years later he has a wife, a passion for choreography, and a dream to live a stable yet exciting life.
I found this subject interesting because many people over the years have always asked me about his career and what it’s like having a brother that is rich. Whenever people find out my brother was on SYTYCD, they always assume his must be rolling in money. The life of a dancer is one that has it’s up and downs; the glitz and glamor of reality television don’t ensure riches.
I personally know a lot of my subject for my documentary; I mean come on now, I am his only sister. I’ve helped him out a great deal. From managing his social media sites, networking, helping him with his website, and just being a support system; I’ve been there through all the years. Within the allotted time I will inquire about life after reality television and show my audience that reality tv doesn’t guarantee fame or happiness.
This documentary is going to be concise. I have done some research about life after reality tv and also this obsession with desiring fame. So many people want to be in the public eye and be famous, but it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. Reality television sucks. It’s fun to watch but the aftermath is brutal. The great thing about Jamile is the fact he never planned on being on reality television. He just happened to audition and from there things took off. He doesn’t like to live off his “So You Think You Can Dance?” days, he prefers to make a name for himself as a choreographer, husband, and a normal guy that loves to dance.
He may have toured all over the world, petted lions, eating fine cuisine and stayed in luxury hotels, but he is still a normal person. Jamile doesn’t have a lingering desire to be famous or on a reality show again, he just wants to make money and build a life for him and his wife.Now that’s reality.
©Jasmine McGee
ThinkSoul25
