In the wake of her fiery dismissal from Bachelor Pad 3, Houston reality starlet Erica Rose seemed to be doing some soul-searching when CultureMap spoke with her.
"When I graduated from law school in May, I was looking in two directions — towards more television or towards being an attorney," she said during a phone interview from Los Angeles. "On this year's Bachelor Pad, though, I felt much more removed from the situation. After being on a number shows in the past few years, maybe the novelty of being on TV has sort of warn off."
"There's no way in hell I'd do Bachelor Pad again," Rose said. "In fact, this whole thing [with Stagliano] has made me realize I'm ready to move on."
After the on-air collapse of her friendship with fellow contestant Michael Stagliano, Rose has decided to distance herself from the entertainment biz for a bit and will pursue her law career in Houston.
"There's no way in hell I'd do Bachelor Pad again," she emphasized. "In fact, this whole thing [with Stagliano] has made me realize I'm ready to move on."
Rose admits she still does harbor a long-term vision of returning to TV down the road with her own Judge Judy-style courtroom show. But one with less reality sniping.
Roe and Stagliano haven't exchanged words since they left Bachelor Pad, although Rose said Stagliano has sent several apologetic text messages stressing that his efforts to eliminate her were purely strategic, that she was only targeted because she wasn't in his alliance. (Click to read more on his reasoning.)
"We're just on totally different pages," Rose said. "Friendships are more important than alliances. I just don't buy the excuse . . . We'd see concerts and go out to lunch when we were in LA. That's what was so hard for me. Even before this season started, he'd say things like, 'Let's help you win this time' and swear he'd have my back.'"
Rose explained that she "felt pretty alone" this season as compared to her past experiences in the dating competition.
"I made some good friends the last time I was on the show," Rose said. "I'm friends with Holly and Blake and recently went to their wedding. People were nice last season, but this year, they were a bunch of snakes. It's just not the right place for anyone who takes friends seriously."
In spite of her TV woes this summer, Rose said she was optimistic about her future. "Watching Monday's episode, I realized I was able to maintain composure during my closing speech, even in a situation like that. I actually feel like I'll make a good attorney."
As for her ongoing strife with Houston's other reality star, Kalon McMahon? Well . . . yeah, it's still there.
"He's always so friendly and sweet when I see him in person, but then he goes and says all these mean things in interviews," Rose said in closing. "I'm tired of fighting with all these guys, to be honest. It's not fun."
