Real Estate BSc Honours alumnus Jack Taylor is one of the latest new additions to the reality TV show Made in Chelsea. As the new season gets underway, he shares his experience from the show.
Why did you choose to study Real Estate?
It was the only thing I was interested in really. I watched Selling Sunset and it sold me the dream. Since my first year of university, I got a part-time job working Saturdays at a little Real Estate place in London so I have been involved in the Real Estate environment. It was a great experience as I got to see how everything worked and gain knowledge I could bring to some of the modules we went through which was great.
How did you get involved with Made in Chelsea?
My brother has been on the show for six years and so has my sister-in-law so I have been around it for a long time. The show really wants authenticity so I had quite a natural introduction.
What has the experience been like?
It has all been unexpected and expected all at the same time! Because my brother has been through it, I kind of knew the ins and outs a little bit, but doing it yourself and being thrown into it is something else. I thought it wasn’t for me because I am quite introverted but for some reason when you are there and in front of the camera, you forget about everything else and get sucked into it and I felt quite natural. As soon as I did my first scene I was excited to do as much as possible, and I am excited to be involved in the new season because I have gotten over the nerves and just feel more comfortable.
What have your favourite moments been on the show?
It all feels like a blur now! I had an argument with my sister-in-law on air and in my first episode I did have a dance battle with my brother. For the last episode we did a fancy dress event and I went as a gladiator. That was fun until I realised I couldn’t move in the outfit and I thought I looked good until I got there and instead of wacky and wild outfits like mine everyone was in quite proper and classy old timey outfits. There have been so many great moments but I am just enjoying meeting everyone and getting to know the people I already know better.
How has it been watching yourself back?
I do struggle to watch myself back, especially when an episode is coming out and I cannot remember what I said but I am getting more used to it now. Me and my best friend watched the first episode together and I felt so weird. But then we did the same thing for episode eight and nine and I felt so different, as it just felt more normal. It is a weird experience but for some reason you do get used to it quite quickly.
What has the media attention been like?
The media has been fun, but with episodes like when I had a fight with my sister-in-law, I started to get some hate. I have dealt with my brother getting a lot of hate during his time on the show so I thought I’d be prepared but I was still quite nervous about peoples’ reactions. I do actually find their comments funny as everyone has their wild theories and I have learnt not to take anything personally. You can’t fight fire with fire, so I just laugh at it. You could solve world hunger and someone would have a problem with it, so you can’t win.
What is next?
It is hard to make plans with Chelsea so it is exciting to see what comes next. I would not trade it for anything at the moment and want to make the most of it the best I can.
Find out more about studying Real Estate BSc Honours at the University of Westminster.