The Celebreality Interview - Kristy Joe

Is it possible to be too charming? Only on VH1, maybe. Kristy Joe got the boot from Charm School this week for not evolving enough, even though if you think back to Rock of Love 2, she’s come a long way (she spent most of the season in tears; she spent most of her time on Charm School cracking up at her surroundings). Below, Kristy Joe contrasts her time on both of the shows, explains why she knew she couldn’t possibly win this thing and talks about what it was like to be one of the relatively normal people living in what she calls an “insane asylum.”

I really liked you on this show.

Thank you. Rock of Love was such a bad time in my life. The whole thing was negative for me. I came off as this psycho train wreck. I’m so embarrassed to watch it. Charm School was the real me.

I feel like you were so different between then and now that you did transform. I take issue with them saying that you didn’t evolve.

Yeah, but by the time I entered Charm School, I had everything together. I soon realized that the better story would be for them to show you how they transformed a train wreck over the course of Charm School. I called it from Day 3: I knew, I wasn’t gonna win this. I figured, I’ll be a filler.

Was that frustrating for you, then, to be even asked on the show in the first place?

Well, yeah, because I had the illusion that I could actually win the money if I tried hard enough. I thought I was trying. I just wanted the money to go back to school, to be honest. Otherwise, I wouldn’t put myself through that hell again.

Was it hell?

This time, no. I didn’t really get in fights with anyone. I stayed out of everything. But another reason I do these shows is kind of semi-charmed, because I get to do appearances on the weekends and then stay home with my kid all week. Being on TV keeps your face out there.

Was the difference this time just your emotional state, or did it have to do with the dynamic shift from competing for a man to competing for money?

On Charm School, the general philosophy was, “I already don’t have money, so if I don’t win, who cares?” But with Rock of Love, it comes down to love and hearts and egos. That’s a whole different animal.

It seems like early on in Charm School, you flew under the radar. Was that a conscious decision or just editing?

I’m kind of a shy person and I didn’t know half the girls. So going in, I took some time to feel them out and learn about their characters and who they were friends with. A lot of it was like, “Wow! Really? You’re really that psycho? OK, I’m gonna stay away from you.” A lot of the girls were loose cannons, and you never knew what they were going to do or when they were drinking, what they were going to say or throw at you.

You seemed to have a better sense of humor about this show than a lot of the other girls.

I think because I knew I wasn’t going to win. I just thought, “F*** it. Get your camera time. Move on.” Why make an ass of yourself if you don’t have to?

It seemed like you did learn things, though. Like, as a result of the make-under episode, you said that you never realized how much you relied on your looks for conversation.

Honestly, I wasn’t really into any of those guys. So I was just kind of asking them questions or whatever, but I couldn’t have cared less. Really, I don’t think I rely on my looks. I have a good personality and I like to hang out. I mean, that lesson was fun. It made me feel like I could be myself and people weren’t getting to know me just because of my looks. That is something I do have a problem with. Guys will flirt with me and they don’t get to know who I am. The funny thing is that the guys were following me around the bar all night anyway, talking to me. They didn’t show that.

What did you think of Destiney calling you out for not needing Charm School?

It was like, “What?!?” From left field. She and I have been cool. She hated me on Rock of Love, but when her dad passed away, I sent her a card and a gift to let her know that was all water under the bridge. So we were fine. For her to do that, it was like, “What the hell?” It turns out that she thought I was this rich girl who was just coming to hang out and not learn anything.

Did you learn anything, though?

I did. You wouldn’t think that these shows could teach you anything, but they have a way of bringing out your weaknesses and you do learn things about yourself. I actually did end up going back to school.

What was the issue with your financial aid? You said you couldn’t get it on the show.

I had two foreclosures because the market went back $400,000 on two of my houses. So I owed like $1.2 million and I had to let those go because of astronomical mortgage payments. I just depleted my savings and my credit got f***ed. I got accepted to school for architecture and I couldn’t go because I couldn’t get financial aid. Now I’m just going to community college, which is going to take a lot longer. I’m going for architectural design.

What was up with Riki saying that he hated you when the show started?

We got into it at the reunion. He kept pushing me about being married and it got a little heated, but I apologized because I knew he was doing his job. He didn’t really know me, though. He just knew the Kristy Joe from Rock of Love.

I liked during the spitting incident that you still had your fat neck on and were mugging at the camera.

I was just trying to make light of it. I didn’t know what the hell was going on because it was so left of center. I felt like I was in an insane asylum. What’s sad about it is that a lot of us have gone through something traumatic. Some of them just don’t know how to deal with it. I think some of them shouldn’t have been on Charm School, they should have been with Dr. Drew. In Charm School, I felt more like a viewer than anything.

That must have been fascinating.

It was neat to watch, but also sad. I am a mom, so the mom part of me wanted to nurture. One thing I realized was that the people who fought the most were the most alike. Had they taken the time to get to know each other, they probably would’ve been friends. Lacey probably would have had a lot more respect for Dalls if she knew what Dallas has been through. She’s a cancer survivor and she’s been through some s***. Had Lacey known that, she might not have attacked her so hard. But then we couldn’t have a peaceful show, now could we? It’s a catch-22.

You didn’t have beef in the house, which more or less means that Lacey never got to you. How’d you avoid that?

I knew she was full of s***, because I talked to her when the cameras weren’t on her and she as her normal self. I started watching her when the cameras were on her and I was like, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She tried it once or twice with me and then said, “You’re like Sam [from Rock of Love], I can’t manipulate you at all. You don’t buy into it.”

Why did everyone else fall in to her clutches?

Alcohol. I think there was some other beef before with Lacey. I know that Heather and Lacey’s stemmed from outside of the show. There’s a lot of drama between them. But something came out during the show that made me have a lot of compassion for Lacey. She’s struggling. I think she takes a lot of anger out on other people because she doesn’t know how to deal with it. We had a moment where she broke down and I got to see the real her. My problem with her before that was that I knew that her manipulation was just for fun or to f*** with people, but that’s just not right. Be yourself and people will actually like you.

I thought it was really candid of you to say during judging, “I want people to like me.”

I don’t remember saying that! Maybe I meant that I don’t want people to hate me for being too cruel. You have to find a balance. With words, you can’t take things back. I learned that from my ex. It affects people even more than hitting. Bruises fade and you can wipe off spit, but sometimes people carry things you say with them forever. And these girls are emotional, anyway. Some of them are on the verge.

It sounds like you’re doing so much better than you were before.

Rock of Love 2 was a real eye-opener. It made me reestablish goals and look in the mirror a little bit harder. It brought out such a weak part of me and I always thought I was so strong.

Visit Kristy Joe’s online store, The Happy Polka Dot.

Keep up with Kristy Joe via her FamousVH1Friends.com profile, her MySpace and her official site.

Related content
Rock of Love Charm School show page
Charm School videos and extras

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm