In a new interview with VH1, Ashley from Rock of Love Bush talks about being eliminated, her feelings for Bret, her friendship with Farrah, those “lame” brunettes remaning on the show and being back with her son’s father.
How accurate was your portrayal on TV?
That was exactly me. I said how I felt. I talked about the people I talked about because that’s what I’d say about them in real life. Like, if I ever saw Natasha walking down the street, I’d say, “Wow. That’s a man.” Or, “Wow, Mindy really looks like a gopher.”
What about picking a fight with Marcia because she was brunette? Is that something you do in your daily life?
It wasn’t really that. Marcia was obnoxious and a really drunk, annoying person. She just happened to have brown hair, but even if she had blonde hair, I still would have made fun of her.
I don’t know if it played out differently in real time, but from what we saw on TV, it seemed like Bret gave you the opportunity to stay and you chose to eliminate yourself. Is that what happened?
I think Bret gave me the chance to stay, but at that point I was sober and I realized that I didn’t want to date Bret Michaels. I wasn’t drunk for that elimination like I was for all the other ones. I just wasn’t feeling him anymore, and it was like, if he wants to keep people like Taya, Mindy and Beverly around, why am I still here?
Did you feel like an endangered species as the last blonde standing?
Oh god, yes. I felt like killing myself. Seriously, if I didn’t leave, it wouldn’t have been good for my mental health being around those girls. They were just so lame. They seriously sat around and talked about pillows and cereal. Taya was crimping her hair. I didn’t think crimpers still existed. She had a crimper! That’s how I know she was 1986 prom queen. She was trying to say she was 27 or something. Yeah right. My mom had a crimper.
Did you find Taya to be as condescending as many of your peers did?
I think Taya was just there to rep Penthouse. I don’t know if Penthouse paid her. I don’t know what the deal is. I didn’t even think Penthouse still existed. I know it’s a strip club, but I didn’t think the magazine still existed. I think that she was there just trying put it back on the map.
Have you been dancing since the show started airing?
On and off. I don’t really have to do that anymore. I kinda just do my own thing. I dance maybe once every couple of weeks if I get bored sitting at home. But I usually stay at home with my son now.
What was it about Farrah that you were able to connect with so intensely?I don’t know. The second that I saw Farrah, I was like, “That girl is gonna be my friend.” She was just funny, pretty, smart, witty. She’s me. Farrah and me are like the same person. I feel like she’s my sister. We talk every single day. I went on TV thinking I was going to date Bret Michaels, and I walked away with some really good friendships.
Who else are you tight with?Me and Brittanya are friends. I talk to her a lot. Really, I don’t talk to anybody else from the show. I would not want to walk into a club with any of those other girls. I would feel embarrassed.
I definitely wouldn’t want to cross you. I might wind up with salsa in my suitcase.
The thing is that I don’t like when people act like they’re better than me. Mindy and Taya were trying to act so much like they were. They were in high school, like, 30 years ago, but those are the kind of girls in high school who hated me because all their boyfriends wanted me. I think they wanted to sit around and talk about me and Farrah because they were jealous of us. I think they wanted to be us. I could talk about them all day long, but it’s more fun to throw salsa in Mindy’s suitcase. It’s not like I ruined anything. All her stuff sucked, anyway.
On the lighter side of things, you were really good with the kids during the babysitting challenge. People were surprised.
I think people look at someone like me with fake boobs and blonde hair and tattoos and think, “Oh, she’s trash.” People don’t understand that I’m a full-time mom. I have my son every single day of my life. I had my son when I was 19-years-old. I’ve been a mom for a while. I know what’s up. The longest time I was away from my son is when I was on the show and I knew he was in good hands because he was with his dad. At least the show gave me the chance to change people’s minds about what a mom is or looks like.
Can you shed any light on what went down in Bret’s room on his bus that made Kami freak out and leave the competition?
She thought that this was The Brady Bunch. Like we were just gonna go back there and play Scrabble. I’m sorry, but if you go on a bus with a guy who you’re supposed to be dating and you go to his bedroom, what do you think is gonna happen? She got a little bit upset that she saw Bret doing some stuff with me that…I don’t know. She has a kid, she knows what’s up.
You had a hard time dealing with the fact that your ex James was going to be on the show. Was there a lingering relationship that you wanted to keep hidden?
No. James and I were not together when we were on the show, but when you have a kid with somebody, the situation is a little different. I love James. I’m with James now. I’ll always love James. At that point, I was looking for something different, but sometimes you don’t realize that what you want is right in front of you.
So you’re back together?Yes.
Plus, you’re no dummy. You know going into it that when you talk the way you do, some people are going to have issues with it.
Of course. Of course there’s going to be backlash. But I’m not going to sit there and hold back because I want people to like me. I have things I have to say and I have opinions. If you don’t like my opinions, don’t watch the show. If I wasn’t on Rock of Love and if Farrah wasn’t, what would have been the f***ing point of watching? I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but looking back on it, we were the people on the show that made it fun and interesting. Nobody wants to sit and watch Taya go, “I’m a Penthouse Pet.” Or watch Mindy…I don’t know. What did she ever do? I don’t even know if Bret cares about the show anymore. I think he’s just like, “Whatever.” I think Rock of Love maybe should have ended on Season 2, but I guess it needed to go out with a bang, with some characters.
