Aaryn Gries, a 23-year-old college student from Texas, made mainstream media headlines over the summer for spewing racist and homophobic remarks inside the Big Brother house.
For the first time ever, I found the houseguests so repulsive, I skipped the post-season interviews and un-followed most of the cast on Twitter immediately following the Big Brother 15 finale. But, I came across a recent interview with Aaryn yesterday, so I thought I'd share with my fellow Big Brother fans.
Aaryn's post-eviction interview with Julie Chen was intense. Not to mention the loud boos courtesy of the live audience. Aaryn says it was the worst moment of her life, adding, "It really opened up my eyes and shocked me."
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"I didn't realize how serious the things that I said has been taken up until that point," continues Aaryn. "It was really hard for me because I don't have any hate in my heart for any specific race or sexuality. It's really difficult to defend yourself – especially when you said things that were horrible."
Aaryn didn't do herself any favors when she blamed Texas for her ignorance.
"I was raised on a ranch by a very old-fashioned family," Aaryn says now. "But what happened around me doesn't represent everything around Texas. I'm doing everything I can to change my actions and those of people around me. When I hear anyone talking like that, I correct them immediately." How chaste.
Aaryn claims she's been in and out of depression since Big Brother, adding, "My dad said the experience changed me – he feels I'm ten years older since I got out of the house."
These days, Aaryn plans to return to school in January, though she isn't sure if she'll return to campus or take online classes. "I'm not scared of going to Texas State," she insists. "I'm not scared of showing my face anywhere. I'm doing what I can and owning up to my mistakes. I'm not going to hide from them."
One peek at Aaryn's Twitter tells me that "owning up to mistakes" really means "blaming CBS's editing" however. She must be taking PR lessons from fellow housemate Amanda Zuckerman these days. Amanda, too, can't stop bitching about her edit. Cry me a river, girls. Seriously.
Aaryn refers to Twitter as "so much hate" and "really overwhelming" so I guess her tweets aren't her fault either. #SideEye Yet she claims all the Big Brother fans she's seen face-to-face have been nice. "No one said anything negative."
Aaryn pretends to be unaffected by the loss of her modeling contracts, but she boasts that her PR firm is helping her apply for TV jobs. Beyond finishing school and acting, Aaryn hopes to travel and experience different cultures.
"I've clearly been living in a bubble," Aaryn says. "And I need to change that."
TELL US – DO YOU BELIEVE AARYN IS OWNING UP TO HER MISTAKES AND TRYING TO BE BETTER?
Photo credit: CBS
