Macy Gray didn’t approach MTV’s Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets the way some of her castmates did. She admits that resulted in some tension, particularly with Tyler Posey.
Speaking to Us Weekly exclusively ahead of the show’s premiere, Gray, 56, said she and Posey, 32, butted heads on multiple occasions.
“I wasn’t really expecting a lot of emoting and talking about our feelings,” she told Us. “I just wasn’t really in that headspace when everybody else was I guess. A lot of times, they would set us up to get all emotional and maybe disagree a little bit. Me and Tyler went at it a couple of times actually.”
This was Gray’s first reality TV appearance, and the “I Try” singer clashed with Posey, who was more open with cast members than Gray cared to be.
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“I just remember wanting to have fun and just bulls–t around and then everybody got heavy,” she explained. “Tyler is very open so he’s always ready to get deep and stuff. Sometimes, I’m just not up for it.”
Gray added that the entire experience was an adjustment for her, saying, “It was definitely new for me. I haven’t had roommates in a really long time. I knew who everybody was but I didn’t know anybody personally.”
Not everyone had a tense experience with Posey. Singer Ally Brooke told Us that she and him became friends on the show.“I had such unique relationships and I value each relationship that I have with everyone,” she said. “It’s tough to pick. One of the closest would be Tyler for sure. You’ll see that on the show.”
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As for Gray, she came away more impressed with Kim Zolciak, who she already knew as a Real Housewives of Atlanta fan. She said the two spent “a little bit of time together.”
“I like Kim. I’m a Housewives fan. I don’t think they really present her like she is,” she added. “She’s just a real person. She’s a mom and she’s just a really cool person. She’s super cool.”
Even if Gray and Posey didn’t always get along on the show, Gray didn’t leave the experience with any hard feelings.
“But I really kind of fell in love with everybody,” she said. “I liked a lot about everybody.”
Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets returns for its eighth season — and its first on MTV — on Tuesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Mike Vulpo
