It's my journalistic duty to let you know that Siesta Key star Kelsey Owens have met before. In 2018, MTV asked me to announce the premiere of Season 2 at their headquarters in Times Square, and Kelsey and I met briefly there. Ever since, we've exchanged DMs as the seasons have gone on, but this is our first official interview, and I can't wait to share it with you all.

In part one of my multiple part conversation with Kelsey, we talk about the photoshoot drama that went down in Episode 5.

In parts two and three, we discuss her feelings about Max Strong, what her friendship with Chloe Trautman is like now, what happened when a fan almost choked at her table, and Kelsey gets honest about the trolls online.

OK, on to part one!

Let's discuss the photoshoots. Were you aware that Juliette kind of turned it into a competition?

It's funny how I try to keep my mouth shut. I don't know. I would say the island was something [we did for safety concerns around] COVID, so I had to be there. I wouldn't say it was exactly just “Sam's trip.” Before going on that trip, [Sam and I] FaceTimed, and [they didn’t air the part of the] conversation where Sam was like, “You should go and do a photoshoot on this island. It's a great opportunity for both Juliette and you to shoot your bikini lines.”