There was a month-long period in 2016 when Taylor Selfridge’s friends thought she was living with her grandmother in Florida with a broken phone.
In reality, she in was in the Dominican Republic looking for love.
Selfridge was there to film “Are You The One?,” an MTV dating show where 22 men and women compete in challenges while getting to know each other and figure out which other cast member is their “perfect match,” as determined by matchmakers. If the 22 cast members pair up perfectly, they split a $1 million prize. The fifth season premieres 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Selfridge, 22, didn’t tell many people she was appearing on the show, and had her mother cover for her by telling them she was in Florida and couldn’t be reached. The Battle Ground High School grad, who grew up in Battle Ground and Yacolt, now lives in Lake Stevens, where she is saving up money in hopes of moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling.
More than fame or money, she said she went on the show to try and find love.
“I can’t find it on my own, so I might as well have somebody help me,” she said. “We have matchmakers, so I felt like I had a good chance.”
She can’t say what happened during filming of the show, however she did enjoy trying to date during filming more than in the real world. A big reason for that is because during filming, cast members aren’t allowed to have their phones. There’s no access to TV or the internet.
“Trying to date without having a phone is literally the best thing ever,” Selfridge said. “People get sucked into their phones. In normal life, you can go to dinner and sit there not having a conversation because of your phone. You really get to know the people you’re with (when you don’t have a phone).”
Selfridge said she noticed pretty soon into filming how much more she was connecting with people in the house when nobody had a phone to look at.
“That changed my perspective on a lot of things,” she said. “If somebody’s talking to me about something or telling me a story, I try to not look at the phone. I don’t even really want the phone anymore.”
While Selfridge enjoyed getting rid of her phone for a month or so, she wasn’t allowed to have any contact with the outside world.
“My mom’s my best friend,” she said. “A lot of times, I wanted her advice or wanted to talk to her. It was hard.”
Selfridge said she and her fellow cast members generally got along, which is good, as all 22 of them lived in the same house and had to sleep in the same bedroom.
“It felt like we were at summer camp, just having us all in there,” she said. “There were a lot of bedtime stories.”
For the first two weeks, Selfridge said she didn’t get much sleep. Once she adjusted to the loudness, though, she was able to settle in. She got used to all the cameras about a week after arriving in the Dominican Republic.
“I was expecting it to be a little crazy. After you get there, it’s a lot different than what you can picture,” she said. “Having cameras around at all times, I thought there would be private time, but there’s not. They’re always there.”
Even with cameras filming her for a month straight, and doing so in the potentially risque world of an MTV reality dating show, Selfridge is excited for the show to start airing. She’s not too worried about watching it with her family, either.
“My parents knew what I was getting myself into,” she said. “They’re prepared for whatever is aired. I don’t think anything would be embarrassing. They support me through whatever I do.”
