The Celebreality Interview - Leilene

Oh, Leilene. It’s hard to know where to even start so here are some facts that are further explained in the interview below:

• She’s stripping again.
• She’s planning a trip to Hawaii with Heat.
• She’s producing a movie that Buddha tried out for.
• She feels like she hasn’t made any progress in her oft-chronicled problems with men.

But at least, you know, she’s still got Buckwild and Saaphyri as friends! She talks about all these things, as well as stripper strategy, her “limited intellect,” that pinky-swear and much more below!

How was your time on the show?

I didn’t really know what was going on. As usual! (Laughs) Other people would be in their own rooms, scheming up their own plans. I pretty much was just hanging out with Saaphyri and Buckwild and…Heat sometimes, too. Everyone seemed to have strategy sometimes. Except for me.

Really? Kissing Heat during the Power Outing wasn’t strategy?

No. I did start liking him. Beforehand, Saaphyri and Buckwild said they thought Heat was better for me. A lot of people don’t know that Saaphyri, Becky and I are really close friends. We developed a strong bond after Charm School. Becky and I spent Valentine’s Day together last year. They stayed with me in Vegas for a whole week. We almost all died in a car crash together, too. We argue a lot, but it’s like sisters. The whole experience really upset me because I didn’t want to put my relationship with them in jeopardy for the sake of money or entertaining people on TV. I don’t have a lot of people in my life. I have my kids. People seem to think I’m surrounded by people, but that’s not the case at all.

OK, but to a viewer, it looked like you were interested in Buddha, but then you went on the Power Outing and seduced Heat to stay in the game, and then when that was accomplished, you dropped him.

I was and am still attracted to Heat. Buddha and I had met at the Reality Awards a few months ago and exchanged numbers. We never dated, but were getting to know each other and he had been quite cordial and gentlemanlike. He’s got a lot of deep and philosophical views and stuff. I just thought I had a mental connection with him because we had spoken and had more rapport. He’s just a friendly person. [After the show taped], he auditioned for a feature film that I’m producing and we had closure. He said, “I am so sorry about a lot of things.” He told me to my face that he called me a hoe and said that I wasn’t very smart. He also said that I hurt his feelings, that he thought we were going to develop a friendship. Who can help having a crush on a guy? He’s got a great bod and a nice, great smile. He’s a beautiful person. It was just nice to talk to someone. I feel like I suck with men, just talking about this.

It seems like they’re you’re weakness.

Yes. Men are my downfall. F***. In Flavor of Love, I was getting out of a relationship. I had bad timing on Charm School, too. I had just gotten out of a really physically abusive relationship. On I Love Money 2, people thought I got eliminated because I slept with somebody. I didn’t sleep with anybody. I got eliminated because I wanted to get to know somebody.

So we’re watching this problem come up on TV repeatedly. Do you feel like you’re progressing at all or learning from your mistakes?

No! I’m not! It’s a learning process. The one thing I couldn’t do on Charm School was pick a guy. And I still can’t! I saw someone said on a blog that they felt a Leilene spin-off coming on. About what? Finding a man? Why don’t you try to teach me how to pick them first?

What are you going to do about this problem, Leilene?

I don’t know. I’m on Match.com right now. I really am. I’m trying to be proactive, here. Also, I’m off to Hawaii with Heat in a bit. We talked the other day. He asked me if I was OK after the second episode aired. I was like, “Not really.” We talked for six hours. He told me that our kiss was real, and I feel the same way. It just sucks, the circumstances we were in. I felt like we were Romeo and Juliet. It was kind of tragic, you know?

Tragic is the word for it. Wasn’t the comment about treating the show like a strip club a declaration of strategy as well?

I meant that I didn’t want to have emotions. It didn’t mean everything I do was going to be in a stripper way. I sunbathe because I sunbathe. I sleep naked. I don’t like material rubbing up on me. People on message boards seemed shocked that I went topless. It’s like, are you kidding? Angelique’s allowed, and she’s a stripper, but not me?

I guess the idea behind the outcry was that you had changed that aspect of your life as a result of Charm School.

I appreciated everything about Charm School, but it’s not like what I learned on that show disappeared. I’m still a charitable person. Just today, I tried to adopt and rescue a puppy and I got outbid. I still do a lot of charity work and charity apperances, and I’m still a good person, but I’m not a good person because I sunbathed topless? It’s OK for Cindy Crawford to do something like that, or people who live in Europe who aren’t even famous, but it’s not OK for me?

What did you think about Buckwild’s plan for you to eliminate yourself? Did you feel betrayed?

At first, I figured, OK: if one of us gets the money, it’s better than anyone else getting it. We’ve thought that way since Charm School. I just trusted my friends, and that’s why I didn’t really have strategy. I figured if I went with them, I’d be OK. But then, I changed my mind and I told her that. I feel so stupid about that kindergarten pinky swear. That’s the one thing I regret: the pinky swear.

Why was it essential to let Heat know the plan on the Power Outing?

We were so emotional, arguing in front of him and he just went, “OK, what’s up?” I couldn’t contain myself. It was like: you asked, I’ll answer. It was already going on in front of him.

So you made it through that and then Saaphyri, your girl, eliminates you. Did you feel betrayed then?

No, because I had explained to Saaphyri that I wasn’t happy with my life. I had to go back and dance to pay for school.

So you’re dancing now?

Yes. I’m dancing at a place called the Lodge. I like it because a lot of people who go there are couples. It’s more burlesque-oriented and a pin-up-type thing. And there are more featured entertainers. It’s more like entertaining people who are happily married who go there for the show.

So it’s a high-class joint?

Very much so. Very different. You’re not gonna catch me dancing anywhere else.

And this is to pay for school? What are you studying?

Film. I’d like to produce reality TV so I can make the real money. Right now I’m producing a feature film. It’s a psychological thriller. The working title is In Storage and it just got picked up for distribution. I want to be like Tyler Perry, Robert Rodriguez, Tina Fey and Quentin Tarantino. They just took control and have power of their own careers. Not too bad for “limited intellect,” huh?

So you have this conversation with Saaphyri about being down and out, and she kicks you off anyway.

She just didn’t think it was the right place. I just try to be non confrontational I don’t like having my temper out because it’s really scary, and I was just mentally over it. As a true friend, Saaphyri knew that I’m at a point in my life when I’m just looking for real love. I’ve had money before, and I know how to get money.

But who is Saaphyri to say what’s right for you? And if that was the case, why didn’t you just eliminate yourself so that the other team could get rid of Buddha, like they wanted?

In the end, I didn’t want to go out a quitter. I’ve got my own brain here, I really do. When I tried to leave earlier in the episode, the producers asked me, “Do you really want to leave?” I told them no because I really needed it. At the same time, I didn’t want to ruin my friendships. A lot of women don’t like me. A lot of women don’t want to be my friend.

You’re still friends with Buckwild and Saaphyri?

Oh, hell yeah. I just saw Becky the other day and she told me that she loves me. But she was saying that on the show, too. It’s always been that way. When we met on Charm School, she said, “You know I really like you, but since we’re competing, I don’t like you.” With this show she said, “You know the drill, right?” And I said, “Yes. Because we’re competing, you’re going to be a total beeyotch. Got it.” But in the end, I was OK with leaving because even though the money they offer for these shows is great, but taxes are a bitch. It’s like, this is so not worth it. Can you up the ante to a million maybe?

On the show, you said, “I’m a troubled person.” Do you really feel that way?

I do. I felt like from Charm School, I got put on a pedestal. But I don’t want to be a role model. I’m just trying to fix my life.

Keep in touch with Leilene via her MySpace and her official site.

Related content
I Love Money 2 show page
I Love Money video and extras

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 7:46 pm