NOVEMBER 19, 2009 -- San Diego fitness trainer Renessa Williams is quick to point out that the word “reality” is loosely applied when it comes to Reality TV shows. She experienced the drama first-hand as part of the third-season cast booked on the Bravo Network offering Work Out.
The show’s hook: The boss of a Beverly Hills uber-gym is a sexy-but-scary lesbian. The show is not a contest. Nobody gets voted off or eliminated—but one male trainer did get fired. The boss lady interacts with the trainers, and in one episode takes her female minions on an all-lesbian cruise.
“I cried myself to sleep one night on that cruise,” says Williams. “Some of them were pretty aggressive.”
On another episode, it appeared that Williams “hooked up” with another male trainer. “It was all in the way they shot the scenes, and then how they edited them,” she says. “There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors involved.”
Nonetheless, Williams says doing the show was a huge positive. “I have to say, I loved having the cameras follow me around,” she says. “That was a huge motivator to be strict with my diet. We were often in swimsuits and sports bras, on display for the whole world to see.”
Another plus: Williams was training her L.A. clients while taping the show, and sometimes got them on TV. And, she says the show generated publicity, “that you’d have to say you couldn’t buy for a million dollars.” Several San Diego clients hired her because they saw her on the street and recognized her from the show, she adds.
The South Dakota-born blonde—who is an impressive scrapbooker—moved from L.A. to San Diego last year after the show. She “followed her heart here” (read: a boy). They are currently married.
“I love San Diego much better than Los Angeles, and I think it’s the people,” she says. “Everybody you meet here has a fun story. And downtown San Diego definitely has a great young professional networking scene.”
Williams trains clients in her East Village live/work loft. She recently signed on to be a fitness specialist at Paradise Village in National City. But for individual clients she’s got a nifty deal: unlimited personal training for $199 a month. Yes, you can train with her every day of the week for that price.
And don’t worry—no one will be filming you.