MILF Manor Season 2 stars Christina Best and Jami Amaro didn’t know what they were in for when they unknowingly signed up to romance younger men – and their dads – on the TLC dating show. The reality personalities opened up to PopCulture.com about how they and their children reacted to the season’s twist after being surprised by the age gap premise.
“We didn’t know what to expect coming off the boat,” said Jami, 51. “And all of a sudden these guys come and I’m like, ‘Wait, is that my son and all of his friends? What are they here? What’s next?’”
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Christina confessed that the women didn’t even know the name of the dating show until just before filming began. “But what do you do? You roll with it,” she told PopCulture. “At the end of the day, we know who we are as individuals. That’s how I go along with it. And I didn’t make up the word ‘MILF’.”
The 46-year-old feels that the polarizing word can be “over-scrutinized in a way,” reminding the world, “Listen, as moms, we can be fun and sexy, and we’re not that old!”
When it comes to her son’s reaction to his mom being on MILF Manor, Christina revealed, “We’re very close, me and my son. So he was supporting me on the show. Again, I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear anyone call his mom a MILF, but he’s a very strong individual, and he kind of rolls with the punches like me. So as long as I’m happy at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”
Jami, likewise, tried to balance being a “respectful mom” with being “respectful to [herself]” and embracing the “unique opportunity” she was given on the show.
While the mother of three agreed that her preferred version of MILF would be “Mom I’d Like to Friend,” she admitted it’s not a term her children haven’t heard in reference to their mother before. “Because my kids are adults and I have an amazing relationship with all three of them, they respect me and the things that I do,” she shared. “Just me going on the show, I was given a blessing from my children and my family: ‘Go for it and do your best, and be yourself.’”
“I know putting ourselves on a show called MILF Manor will cause judgment,” she continued. “We can’t be upset about that [and will] roll with the punches. But the reality of the situation is everybody has a story and you don’t know anyone’s backstory. So less judgment, more kindness would be better for this society.”
While Christina initially found herself drawn to the “confidence level” of the younger men during filming, Jami admitted she related more to the shared experiences of their dads. “The conversation is different with the dads than it is with the sons,” she told PopCulture, confessing that when it came to the younger men, “I found myself more being like, ‘Do you guys need any water?’ or ‘Did you guys put suntan lotion on?’”
Without revealing too much about their romantic journeys this season, Christina hinted that she and Jami learned “you can find love on reality TV.”
Jami added of the experience, “It was absolutely insane. I couldn’t even believe it. It was just the craziest experience ever. … But it was just an amazing process and I’m so grateful that I got to do this.”
MILF Manor airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.
