SPOILER ALERT! The following interview gets into details on the entirety of Hulu’s Got to Get Out. Please don’t proceed further if you don’t intend to know major events of the season, including who wins.
Over two decades, Omarosa has become a reality TV staple across a myriad of environments. She’s done battle in the boardroom, dodged eviction, and even led her own dating show. But the icon went from House of Villains to a very different house in Got to Get Out, a new Hulu series that takes reality TV veterans and newbies and locks them in a house, tasking them to find a way to escape with a cash prize in tow. When Omarosa went to film the new show, it marked her twentieth year in reality TV. But there was one major hurdle that had her nearly getting out of Got to Get Out before it even started.
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“I didn’t think I could do the show, even after we said we might, because I’m in law school,” she reveals to Parade exclusively. And so I was thinking, ‘It’s shooting in the middle of the semester. I’m not going to be able to do it.’ But thankfully, the network, the production, and also my castmates, they worked with me. So I was able to do my classes about four hours a day. I was away from all the action doing class. I mean, that’s a little secret nobody knew. But I was able to do that, and now I’m graduating from law school next month.”
Despite the time she spent hitting the books, Omarosa had plenty to say about her time on Got to Get Out, including some of the show’s biggest moments. Check out her thoughts in our interview below.
Related: Omarosa Breaks Silence on the ‘House of Villains’ Tambourine Incident
How was Got to Get Out originally pitched to you? And how did it match up to expectations?
My agent, we knew that this was my 20th year in reality. So I was looking for something different. And everything he was pitching me wasn’t really vibing. And then he came to me with this concept, 20 people in the house, a million dollars. I’m thinking, “Oh, I’m going to eliminate all those folks. I’m going to run out the money with the money.” But the more you get into it, it’s a little more difficult than that, because there is no elimination. There is no elimination, which is different than the shows I’ve competed with before. Everybody, every week, somebody went home.
Here’s the other thing, and this was the catch. I didn’t think I could do the show, even after we said we might, because I’m in law school. And so I was thinking, “It’s shooting in the middle of the semester last semester, I’m not going to be able to do it.” But thankfully, the network, the production, and also my castmates, they worked with me. So I was able to do my classes about four hours a day. I was away from all the action doing class. I mean, that’s a little secret nobody knew. But I was able to do that, and now I’m graduating from law school next month.
Congratulations! So wait, was there a little nook in the house for you to study? Or were you taken out of the house for certain hours in the day?
I’m really grateful. Hulu put a little workstation for me in this massive walk-in closet. Everybody in the show and production knew not to go in this area because I had to do this class. If I didn’t do this contract law class, I would not be graduating. It was that serious. And so they worked with me. I was able to do the show. And so there are some scenes that you don’t see me in because I’m literally in class, doing my work, getting cold-called by the professor, briefing cases, and trying to turn in my homework without failing this class. And I will tell you it’s the first B- I ever got, because I’m in the middle of shooting a show while it’s going on.
You probably had the biggest reputation going into Got to Get Out, given your reputation on reality TV. Second to you is probably Spencer Pratt. What was it like getting to interact with another unscripted icon?
I like villains. I like Spencer. I loved playing with him. I loved all his antics. Every time he upped his game, I upped my game. When he changed his strategy, I evolved my strategy. We played off of each other. Believe it or not, we shared information behind the scenes that may not have made it. There was a lot of dynamics. He’s married; I’m married. There were times that we went off and we lamented about being away from our spouses. So there was a very human side. But we also recognize that being the most senior of the reality stars that we had to bring our game. And I will tell you, Spencer brought it, and I brought it. And I think we represent it well for the vets.
You were also working closely with another veteran in Kim Zolciak-Biermann. What was that dynamic like?
First of all, we were blessed with the largest suite in the house. So we had the primary bedroom, so it was massive. And they put housewives and Big Brother stars in there. It was me, Kim Zolciak and Cynthia Bailey, and this amazing model, Lindsay. We could have had a separate reality show going on in that suite. The “West Wing,” is what we called it, because all the drama went on there. I know you saw what happened when Spencer tried to come in our bathroom!
I was about to say! You talk about evolving your strategy. Pretending to take off your pants to prevent him from coming in there might be evidence to that!
[Laughs.] I mean, it was so much craziness that went on. Like I said, they would have to do a spin off for our suite. But no, I really got to know her. And she was going through a lot while we were shooting the show. She was going through the divorce and some really tough times. So I went out of my way to make sure she smiled, that she laughed, and that she knew that we cared about her. And we really did bond. Same with Cynthia. I got really close to Cynthia on the show. And even now, being able to call and talk with them throughout the week, I mean, it is the gift that keeps on giving.
Let’s talk about Cynthia. What was your reaction when she worked with Stein to get out and split over $300,000 between the two of them?
Because of what was happening with me, I was locked in with Cynthia, and then I would have to go do class. And then was locked in with Stein and his strategy. And then I was away when they were doing a run. I did not deserve a piece of that money or that action. And I’m so happy that she got out and was able to get out with money. I was happy that I got out with some money too. So I don’t think it’s a loss. I applaud her that one of my roommates was able to do it. Certainly, I wish it was me. But I’ve done enough of these shows to know that when it’s your time, is your time. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But you live another day to apply those lessons to a new show.
We see a couple of attempts of you getting out. One particular comes when you follow “Doodles” (AKA Nick) to the hamster wheel to try to get in on his and Athena’s escape plan. Was that always going to be your strategy, to try to follow what others are doing and hope you get cut in on the plan?
I had to pivot. Because most of these folks have watched me over the years. They’ve been watching me on reality shows for 20 years, and I’ve done over 100 shows. So they kind of clocked my strategy. I had to pivot in this game, and I started doing investigations and surveillance. I didn’t get an exit clue, right? I didn’t get a strategy. So it wasn’t my game to lead. I had to find a way to get intel, get information, and make it work for me. And Doodles just happens to be one of those people that I did extensive surveillance on, and I made it work for me. And, look, in this game, all’s fair. And you saw what I did with that information. Information is power in reality TV. So, I just started gathering as much information as I possibly could so I could evolve my game.
We saw you make a couple of runs outside, showing off your former track star skills. As frustrating as it might have been to not get out, what was it like to get outside of the house for a brief time?
I made a good run for it. There were some runs that I knew it was just for fresh air. But that particular one, I was going for it. And I really wanted to show that even at this point in my career, I’m still committed to making good TV, to giving good game, and making sure that my fans know that I gave it my all. I have no regrets about this show. And I’m just really, really blessed that I was able to even do it with everything that was going on in my life at the time.
Speaking of the money, you end up walking out with a little over $40,000, split among you and the 15 people who made it to the end. What was your reaction to that, considering all your prior efforts toget out?
There’s always winners and losers on the shows that I do. And I got to know some of the stories of my housemates. And it actually feels really good to know that everybody walked out of there with something, because everybody had a different need. Everyone had a story. Some of them were authentic stories, like Rob’s mom and somebody’s child and that sort of thing. And then there were others that who knows what they’re going to do for it. But for me, I felt really good being a part of a cast where we all walked out. It was a very good, feel-good moment.
To your point, you were spending a lot of time away from the rest of the cast due to your studies. But what’s moment you wish had made the final edit for us to see?
We had competitions! And I understand that they didn’t have enough time to show the actual comps. Some of those comps, they were very physical, and I was very successful at [them] So we did a lot of comps. And one of the particular comps that gave us an advantage was one that my team did. It was Doodles and I. But there were eight competitions that we competed in to give us advantages or to put more money on the clock.
So you had a challenge basically every day?
It’s like Big Brother, every day. But yeah, that’s something I wish people got to see.
Related: Omarosa and Spencer Pratt Lead All-Star Cast of New Hulu Reality Series ‘Got to Get Out’
