Anastasia Miller Discusses Mental Health Impacts from Challenge Appearance

Anastasia Miller recently reappeared on Mike Lewis’s Podcast where she discussed her experiences on The Challenge and The Real World. During the conversation, she revealed the mental health struggles she endured after her appearances.

Despite spending a longer time on The Real World, the show seemed to be less damaging. She mostly discussed her relationships with her roommates. Most of these interactions, especially the positive ones, didn’t make it to air. She also revealed her explosive fight with her boyfriend during the filming of The Real World was intentionally confusing. At the time, Anastasia was addressing concerns around his drug use. However, she didn’t want to openly say this on television. As a viewer, we saw a very unclear storyline.

I highly recommend listening to the full podcast to hear Anastasia’s full story, especially as it pertains to CT and The Challenge. Anastasia confessed she should have never done The Challenge. She filmed shortly after The Real World, but she’s also not an athlete. This plays into her character on the show.

Mostly, her story revolved around her hook up with CT. While CT was nice to her at first, he was quick to ignore her and play into production’s story. Anastasia had no knowledge of The Challenge, nor did she know CT’s relationship with Diem. She just knew CT was nice to her and she was attracted to him. Production saw this storyline and tried to edit Anastasia to be a disposable whore.

She tried to leave the house after she hooked up with CT. She was uncomfortable and it felt like most people were ignoring her. Likely, they needed to get rid of someone and she was the rookie causing waves. It was Diem who talked her into staying, encouraging her to take control of her own story.

At the elimination, her anxiety was raised by complication stemming from a hemoglobin deficiency. This is why she gets lightheaded, especially when suspended upside down for a long period of time. While most of the cast rolled their eyes during this incident, Jordan actually jumped over a fence to ensure she was getting treatment.

Then, she lost the elimination. Both production and TJ mocked her. She left the show to deal with the emotional baggage, and it was psychologically damaging. Anastasia even discusses her battles with depression and attempts at suicide.

Fortunately, she is in a much better place now. It took her years to get there, but she is past her MTV debacle. She also admits that she has some role in her portrayal. Production provided alcohol, but she chose to drink it, and she didn’t ignore CT at first. However, she didn’t fully realize production’s intent with the story.

Sarah and Susie talk about mental health a lot on their podcast. Production doesn’t give cast members any resources after filming, yet they love to showcase people during emotionally difficult situations. Anastasia was likely cast on The Real World because she was dramatic and showed emotions during her audition process. She admitted the shows didn’t cause her mental health issues, but they amplified the severity.

It’s very brave for her to speak so candidly about her journey with mental health. As production moves in a more socially-conscious direction, it seems they’re still exploiting people while they’re emotionally vulnerable. Many people have had bad experiences on the show, and we’re lucky Anastasia was able to get help. Until production finds a way to be part of the solution, they’re only causing problems.