While plenty of reality stars make a living out of the dramatic TV genre, these former
Bravo stars have exited their shows to pursue new adventures. Let's find out what everyone's
favorite cast members have been up to since leaving their shows.
The Wirkus twins were regulars on Bravo's Summer House, which follows a group of young
professionals enjoying weekends in the Hamptons. However, when Season 3 aired in 2019, Lauren
and Ashley Wirkus were noticeably absent from the scene. The ladies issued a joint statement
to explain, saying,
"Much has been speculated about the Summer House cast over the last few days. Regretfully,
we can confirm that we will not be full-time cast members for the third season...We depart
Summer House with nothing but good wishes to those at Bravo, and to the cast and crew
for helping to create life-lasting memories over the last two years."
"You know my sister likes to make an entrance and she made one."
Despite no longer appearing on the show, both Wirkus twins have been extremely busy. Ashley
welcomed her first baby, a little boy named Dean, in May 2019. Meanwhile, Lauren announced
her engagement in March 2020, and it seems as though she's finally found a man more reliable
than Carl.
Since leaving The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Taylor Armstrong has faced a lot of
tragedy. She filed for divorce from her first husband, Russell Armstrong, in 2011, alleging
that he had verbally and physically abused her. Russell died soon after those allegations
were made public. Taylor faced a lot of public scrutiny in the wake of his death, but as
she told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live!,
"I have a titanium mesh implant holding up my right eye right now, so I don't know what
more radiographic evidence you need than that."
Taylor found love again and wed attorney John Bluher in 2014. She's also been busy raising
her daughter from her first marriage, Kennedy, who turned 14 in 2020. In July 2019, Armstrong
sparked rumors about a return to the Housewives franchise when she replied to a fan on Twitter
who had suggested that original cast members return to the series. Armstrong tweeted in
response,
"That would be amazing, the OGs back together xo."
Cross your fingers, Real Housewives fans.
Below Deck Season 6 star, and New Zealand native, Ross Inia made the headlines in December
2018 when the Bravo alum was reportedly arrested for disorderly intoxication and battery during
a night out with Below Deck Mediterranean star João Franco.
According to Deadline, the pair had been drinking in West Palm Beach, Florida, and documenting
the night on social media via Instagram Stories. Inia reportedly spent a night in jail, but
was released the following afternoon after posting a $15,500 bail.
It's also been reported that Inia's love life has gotten a little more complicated since
appearing on Below Deck. One of the most demanding charter guests in Season 6 was a woman named
Krystal.
So when Inia posted some loved-up looking selfies with the former yacht guest on Instagram,
questions were asked, especially since Krystal had been married when she appeared on the
show. During the Season 6 reunion episode, Inia let slip that at some point he allegedly
hooked up with Hannah Ferrier, Below Deck Mediterranean's chief stew.
Luis Ortiz left Million Dollar Listing New York at the end of Season 5. Having become
a super-successful real estate agent, Ortiz decided he wanted to pursue other ventures.
The Real Deal revealed in November 2016 that the mogul was transitioning into property
development by joining Empire Capital Holdings, a real estate investment firm. In a since-deleted
Instagram post, Ortiz said,
"It was time for me to transition to the other side of the business and become a principal,
an owner and a developer myself."
During a guest appearance on Million Dollar Listing New York in Season 6, Ortiz announced
that he was moving to Paris, but the broker-turned-property developer returned to his Million Dollar roots,
and appeared in several episodes of Season 8 of the show. He also welcomed a baby girl
called Leela, and moved to Puerto Rico with her mother, Nikita.
Since leaving The Real Housewives of Atlanta, twice-divorced Lisa Wu has continued to work
in the entertainment industry. She appeared in the TV movie London Mitchell's Christmas,
and had a leading role in the movie Professor Mack. Additionally, Wu co-wrote a book called
When the Cake is Made. The fictional story's official synopsis explains,
"Three women, three disaster weddings, one dress burning ceremony and a connection that
is deeper than anyone could imagine."
Wu's Instagram profile describes her career as
"A Lil' bit of acting, producing, writing...and brokering to sell u a house in between."
During an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wu called herself bi-coastal and said,
"I still love Atlanta...My kids are here."
Jo De La Rosa has pursued several new ventures after leaving The Real Housewives of Orange
County. In 2014, The Daily Dish reported,
"[De La Rosa] went on to be successful in her new, current career as a marketing and
ad sales exec."
"Try to let them know, former reality girl's trying to make a comeback, and just see who
would support it."
Since then, the former singer has discussed launching her own lifestyle brand. According
to her Instagram, her site will provide fashion and beauty tips, and exclusive insights into
her personal life. In January 2019, the reality star broke off her engagement to Mark Lovette,
the CEO and founder of media company Empire Digital. She wrote on Instagram,
"Starting over is hard. Posting on social media pretending like your life is 'perfect'
going through it for me was even harder. Sometimes you need to step away, figure out what the
hell you’re doing with your life, cry until you can’t cry anymore. Then one day, you
wipe the tears from your eyes and you're able to stand back up trusting that God or whatever
you believe in has you as you start your life over again."
We're confident that whatever De La Rosa does next, she's sure to capture the attention
of avid Bravo fans.
Season 4 of Summer House showed Lindsay Hubbard getting closer to a new guy, but fans of the
show won't have forgotten Hubbard's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Everett Weston. Despite
their stormy relationship, which often ended with massive arguments in the Hamptons each
summer, Weston and Hubbard seemingly couldn't stay away from each other. Until now, that
is. According to Hubbard herself, Weston has moved on for good. She explained on The Daily
Dish podcast in February 2020,
"Everett is very seriously dating this girl and they live together. They're probably gonna
get engaged fairly soon."
The woman in question is Courtney Cavanagh. In a romantic Instagram post in September
2019, Weston wrote,
"It’s been a memorable last year since we started this journey together...I couldn't
be more excited for every new adventure that each sunrise brings...Cheers to many more
with my dream girl."
Basically, it sounds as though the couple's relationship is getting very serious. Meanwhile,
Weston's LinkedIn profile reveals that he's currently a regional sales manager for Rapid
Ratings International, as well as an advisor for Spotfund Technologies. Weston is also
listed as an investor in Loverboy, the drinks brand started by Summer House stars Kyle Cooke
and Amanda Batula.
Kelley and Amy Johnson delighted fans of Below Deck by bringing their wholesome brand of
sibling friendship to the boat. Both Kelley and Amy have parted ways with the show, but
they've both been keeping busy. Drawing upon his background in the Marines, Kelley started
a YouTube channel called That Military Guy. Describing his channel, Kelley wrote,
"I have served in the Marines, been on a reality TV show, and been a Captain on yachts. I am
going to share with you my strife, the mindset of a former military member trying to make
it in the civilian world, and what steps I'm taking to better myself."
With his videos, Kelley is hoping to use his platform as a reality star to help other people.
Meanwhile, Amy has reportedly found love since leaving the show. In 2016, Below Deck chief
stew Kate Chastain told The Daily Dish,
"I'm really sad that Amy's not here, but I also know that she has a really gorgeous,
younger South African boyfriend, and they are working on a yacht together, so she has
sailed off into the sunset and is very happy."
Amy returned the love when Chastain announced her retirement from Below Deck on Instagram
in February 2020, and wrote in the comments section,
"Proud of you and excited to see you rock your next chapter!!! Just please don't run
off to Canada. Love, your loyal stew."
Before Kate Chastain became Below Deck's resident chief stew, Adrienne Gang was in charge of
the interior and everyone knew it. Gang left the show at the end of Season 1, after she'd
ruffled a lot of feathers.
But since finishing her stint on reality TV, Gang's life appears to have calmed down considerably.
In October 2018, the former chief stew got married to chiropractor Dr. Andrew Danks in
a beautiful beach wedding. According to The Daily Dish, several Below Deck stars attended
the wedding, including Jamie Jason and Chandler Brooks.
Gang also revealed that she's since moved on from being a chief stew, and instead works
as a yacht chef. In January 2018, she took to Twitter to explain,
"I chef all over. Currently in the Bahamas as a chef on yachts. I'd love to go back!"
The former stew also revealed that she still watches Below Deck, but tweeted in February
2020,
"No secret that I'm not a Captain Lee fan."
She's not much of a Kate Chastain fan either, which could make for a very interesting reunion.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles has featured a plethora of cast members over the years,
and one of its most memorable real estate agents was Madison Hildebrand. When we last
saw him on the show in 2016, Hildebrand had to get his jaw wired shut after his teenage
cousin accidentally clipped him in the face while jumping off of a diving board. Hildebrand
didn't return for Season 11, but he continues to work in real estate.
Unfortunately, Hildebrand's luck hasn't gotten much better, as the Malibu agent required
additional surgery after breaking even more bones. Speaking to The Cheat Sheet in April
2019, Hildebrand revealed,
"I was cooking and chopping in the kitchen. I went to turn, but didn't see that my dog
Prince was laying right under my feet...I fell down hard on my left hand."
While Hildebrand managed to protect his dog from getting hurt, the real estate mogul needed
extensive surgery to repair the damage to his hand. Hildebrand was faced with further
heartache when his beloved dog, Maya, fell ill. As he wrote on Instagram in March 2019,
"I caught a flight home, from my own hospital surgery journey, just in time to go straight
to the ER to see her; she hung in there for me!"
Alex McCord and her husband, Simon van Kempen, completely changed their lives after leaving
The Real Housewives of New York City at the end of Season 4. They moved to Australia with
their two children in 2014, and McCord told The Daily Dish in 2017,
"When Simon and I moved to Australia, we both decided that this was a time of midlife reinvention...Simon
decided to go to law school, and he's halfway through at this point. And I decided to get
a degree in psychology."
McCord certainly appears to be happy with her life now, and seemingly shaded her time
on the reality show in her interview with The Daily Dish. While discussing her pursuit
of a science-based degree, the former reality star said,
"I won't age out of it. I don't need boobs or Botox for it. I'm fascinated by the way
the brain works."
Van Kempen and McCord's bold move to Australia certainly demonstrates that anyone can reinvent
themselves, at any time.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your
favorite TV shows are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.