cast. "There was no management, no talent agencies, and no representation. [We were scammed] for so many deposits [by people] pretending to be agents or management, or who might've represented a couple of girls in the pageant circuit. [BeforeBalenciaga, who first competed onreturn, says the show's budding success was still new to her and her fellow castmates — all of whom had to learn for themselves how to commodify their art for the series' mainstream audience.
"When we came along, we didn’t know what our market value was or what our worth was. We didn’t know how much the clubs were bringing in based on our names being on a reality show," Balenciaga continues, referencing other contemporary reality show casts, like the stars of, whom she says were pulling in higher rates for personal appearances despite doing a fraction of the work.