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Making a name for themselves. An attempt to create a reality TV series took an unexpected turn when Pretty Wild became a deep dive into Alexis Neiers‘ involvement with the infamous Bling Ring.
In 2010, Neiers was arrested for her involvement in a string of burglaries that targeted the homes of multiple celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge and Rachel Bilson. The model, who was charged alongside Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo, was filming a show for E! at the time.
After getting footage for the pilot, the network originally intended to focus on the lives of sisters Alexis, Gabrielle Neiers and Tess Taylor as they attempted to make it big in Hollywood. Amid Alexis’ legal issues, however, the premise pivoted to explore her connection to the burglaries that resulted in roughly $3 million in cash and belongings being stolen.
The series, which aired nine episodes in 2010, did not return for a second season after Alexis pleaded no contest to felony burglary and was sentenced to six months in Los Angeles County Jail.
Nearly one decade after the show came to an end, the leads reunited on Alexis’ “Recovering From Reality” podcast. During the 2019 episode, Alexis, Gabrielle and Taylor opened up about their respective personal journeys since Pretty Wild.
“I’m proud of how far we’ve all come and I think it’s important to see how we’ve all recovered,” Alexis exclusively told Us Weekly at the time about the inspiration behind the reunion.
Gabrielle, for her part, added: “My wish is to bring people hope who feel like their story is over.”
Their former costar and close friend Taylor gushed about the major life changes that got her to a better place. “I absolutely loved letting people know that deep, dark black hole recovery is possible,” she shared. “We are living proof.”
The trio later experienced a rift in their friendship when Alexis and Gabrielle participated in Netflix’s The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist. In September 2022, Alexis praised the three-part series for allowing her to share her version of events.
“I think the docuseries is so great because in the media reporting up until very recently there wasn’t really a space for the nuance and the complexity of what happened in the crime,” she detailed to Entertainment Weekly at the time. “The story became sensationalized and there wasn’t space to talk about addiction and mental health. We still have a long way to go, but we’re so much farther than we were in 2010.”
Meanwhile, Taylor wasn’t thrilled to be brought up when she opted out of contributing to the doc. “Netflix, this is Tess calling,” she posted via Instagram that same month. “I’m calling to let you know how disappointed I am in your s–tty documentary that I asked not to be a part of, but I’m somehow really a part of.”
In a lengthy social media post, Taylor called out The Real Bling Ring for discussing her friendship with Prugo and her alleged knowledge of the burglaries.
“You guys… I’m really not happy about how much I’m featured in this. As someone who was asked to be involved & DENIED that opportunity, i feel like i am wayyyy too involuntarily involved in this project. We all know they got big checks for this,” she continued. “I as usual, make nothing lol. And it’s not just about the money. But COME ON… If they planned to use me this much, i should be compensated. Am i wrong for feeling this way???? I’m kinda heated writing this, so maybe I’m wrong. But i don’t feel wrong.”
Scroll down to find out where the Pretty Wild alums are now:
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