Interview with Moana Dixon: From ABC's The Bachelor Paris

I am not a huge TV fan, but I admit I watched The Bachelor Paris religiously. The cast of girls were amazing. You never had a dull moment. America tuned in to corky Kristen, wild Tara, and the beautiful girls like Jehan and Courtney. The heat was on when it was down to Moana and Sarah- two completely different girls after one man's heart. I'm sure some of you watched The Bachelor Rome and thought it was just as good, but not me. The only part I liked was watching the girl who considered herself a princess go psycho on the bachelor. Speaking of bachelor, Travis blew that guy out of the water! So there, that is why I think that The Bachelor Paris was the best season from the ABC series. So, let's find out what the leading lady, Moana, has been up to!

SM- What are you doing now?

MD- For the past 3 years, I have been speaking publicly and working on a memoir project with another writer as well as a ghost-writer. However, in 2006, I founded a non profit foundation called "Soul Movement". It is a foundation that is funded by artist for artists by supporting upcoming creators in low income communities. We are working on our first fund raiser this year. I am also getting ready to launch my jewelry line in March on www.Moana-Dixon.com.

SM- Wow, Busy I see. I can't wait to see your jewelry collection! Would you say you grew from your experience on the show?

MD- I never expected for the experience to be so impacting, however I did a tremendous amount of introspection and self discovery while in Paris. I felt that we all went there with pieces of ourselves that we needed to find, and I did find mine... The year following the show was one of the most painful and difficult years of my life. But I think that I'm really in a good place, and that it was all with purpose. Looking back on the show, the words from my mom ring in my head "Don't tell me who you are... just show me". I really feel that character is not something that you can tell anyone you have, if at the end of the day, you make choices that do not match your campaign. Considering that I am the only person I can speak for, I've really devoted myself after that experience to making a conscious effort to speak less about my own character and simply harness the following insights #1 do what is right #2 remain true to my heart and be honest with myself #3 don't speak it, live it!

Uhmm, I can put that on a flip chart if you want me to... joking

SM-Actually, that would be wonderful! Isn't it funny how simple life can really be? I guess it's human nature to make it difficult? Okay, what is your best memory from the show?

MD- In all honesty, so many of them are bittersweet. But life is about relationships, and if there was a testament to what "really happened", I have become very close friends with about 5 of the girls including Susan (who lived with me for a few months after the show aired). I cooked quite a bit for the girls and we had dinner parties and a hell of a time laughing and telling stories that would make you cry laughing. It was a lot of fun living in the house and getting dressed together and doing the girls hair and makeup with and for them. We often say that we wish we could do it all over again without the guy or the cameras. There are a lot of "one liners" that still live on from the "Paris Days". We've spent the last year's holidays together in New York, Boston, Miami and LA and are planning another trip to Vegas in a few months.

SM- How exciting! I tell you, you can't break a woman's bond with another lady! Back to the show, your desire to stay true to yourself was apparent in the show, was it hard for you to stay strong at times?

MD- In such a controlled environment such as "The Bachelor" you really have to hold firm to who you are. Before going into it, I made a commitment to myself to never talk about anyone other than myself, and if I did, I would communicate whatever it was to that person face to face. I was very vocal about that. I never got involved in trashing the other girls or many of the other circumstances that were manipulated by the producers. I had to fight really hard for that. In an effort to do so, I realized that my separation from the pack had made me a perfect target. In the theory that there will be a pack, there will be a leader, there will be an outsider, and there will be a hunt, the basic commonalities of any isolated social environment remained true in the house, and it shifted often from one girl to another. That was very stressful and created an unsafe environment. It's never easy to be in a place where you cannot trust anyone.

A line from a piece I wrote years ago states: "The centrifugal force of my life is understanding." I try really to live that by being honest with myself-even when it hurts deeply. Strength is cultivated through growth that usually comes from a place of pain that is deep enough to merit the growth; and it is never easy but necessary, in my perspective. Despite the "emotionally unstable" image that they tried to present on the show, I am an extremely grounded person who is very centered and yes-strong. I do not feel that tears are a sign of weakness or instability rather that they express, passion and a connection to the heart that seems so void in our world today.

SM- Wow, could you be my mentor? Very wise words you speak! Okay, let's get dirty. Who was the messiest girl in the house?

MD- I think that the younger girls were a little on the messy side, however it was really difficult to be organized. The house was very cramped and we had a TON of luggage!

SM- I bet, with that many stylie girls! Now the burning question, have you spoken to Travis since the show?

MD-Yes, I have-quite a bit.

SM- Awesome! Would you go on another reality show?

MD-I really loved the filming and production, however I truly disagree with the post production process. I just don't feel that there is any context to "Reality TV." You have to understand that the viewing public does not understand complexity, so they take small pieces of a person and build an image around that one facet in order to tell the story they are writing. They take real people, put them through intense psychological exercises, throw them in situations that have been produced to maximize their strengths and weaknesses, manipulate them for or against each other, and then cut and paste it together to tell a story that is sold as entertainment. It creates a show that is more often than not, not how it happened. The public needs to remember that it is TV, and you cannot believe everything you see on TV! So, that being said as for "Reality TV" : that's a negative ghostrider!

SM- Like I said before, spoken from a wise woman!

There you have it, Moana is still the strong and confident lady she was on the show. I want to thank her for taking the time to answer my questions as well as being so incredibly nice. Remember, her jewelry line coming soon and also check out her website. I'm not sure, but I think they are taking applications for next season's The Bachelor- could you be accepting the next rose?