What happened to Rima from the Bad Girls Club?

Almost ten years ago, Rima Mellal kept television screens across the country entertained as a cast member on Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club.” Now the former Bad Girl alum has traded in her reality star fame for spiritual healing. Photo Credit: Frankie Fabre

On "Song Cry," Hov boldly rapped the line, "once a good girl's gone bad, she's gone forever." While true in some cases, it couldn't be anything further for Oxygen’s "Bad Girls Club" alum Rima Mellal, 32.

Almost ten years ago, she entertained viewers with the shenanigans that ensued in all things some girls in their early to late 20s were experiencing while living young, wild, and free.

 While her reality tv show fame is ingrained in our memories forever, it's not what she is allowing to define her. This time around, she's less focused on cattiness and trying to prove if she's the "baddest." Her newfound life focus centers around peace from within and how to garner spiritual healing.

Check out our Q&A below to learn more about how her life was pre-Bad Girls Club, her international relocation, and the importance of cosmic sexuality.

I know you're from Chicago; how was your upbringing there?

Chicago is a beautiful city. Chicago is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. It was like a bunch of countries in a town. Having that experience was pretty awesome. But even though there were many cultures, it was still hard to fit into a particular group, so I ended up a little bit in everything. I learned to stand on my own in a place of so much diversity. Chicago taught me about authenticity and survival as well. It hardened my heart, too; it's a rough city; gotta have thick skin. 

How was your life before you got on Bad Girls Club? What were you doing professionally? 

Before Bad Girls Club, I was a secretary at a law firm downtown for a few lawyers, including my lawyer. Before that, I was working at champs sports. And on the side, I was a go-go dancer and was cast for multiple music videos for rappers like Twista and local artists. That's when I had sparked my kindness for the camera. I was known as a local celebrity in Chicago, and I was working on strengthening that. 

Rima Mellal, Photo Credit: Frankie Fabre

Were you familiar with Bad Girls Club before you got on there? Why did you decide to get on the show?

Yes, I was familiar with the show before. But I wish I had studied the show before going on. But I did see a couple of episodes here and there but never an entire season. I wasn't sure at first. My friend called me the evening before the casting call, and it was an in-the-moment decision. I was just like fuck it. I felt like I had nothing going on and just a reason to get pretty and have an experience. 

As viewers of the show, we only saw what the producers wanted us to see through editing. How was that experience being there, and what did you get from being on the show?

I didn't believe I would be on this show. I think I was in disbelief; even after I was inside the house, met the girls, and saw the cameras. Until the 5th day, it hit me that this was real and that I understood how the show worked. I remember feeling like a lab rat in a way. I remember drinking a whole bottle of Jack Daniels and pretty much made a fool out of myself on the show. I got my drinking card taken away. I was only allowed two drinks, nothing over. Later I got it back. It was a very high anxiety experience. I felt very overwhelmed. I wanted to leave; I was passing the time. But it was so exhausting being someone else to survive. I wished I knew about meditation then. It was one of my biggest learning experiences. There were parts of myself there and then parts of myself that weren't there. There were times when I had fun but probably more times crying. It was difficult being away from my son. I think the whole time, I was trying to survive the experience. Sometimes I feel like I left my body and allowed my ego to take the wheel. I'm still processing that time and healing. 

Photo courtesy of Rima Mellal

Do you still keep in contact with any of your former cast members?

Not as of lately. Ashley and Julie are the only ones from my season that I have chatted with recently. But I don't have any beef with anyone from my season, and I wish them all well.  

If you could do it all over again, would you do the show again?

Yes, I would do it again. Just differently. I would be more present. 

When the show first ended, how was your experience transitioning back to the real world and your everyday life? 

When filming ended, I went back home and focused on my son and my toxic relationship. I was recommended to audition for the love games show. But the day of my flight to LA was the day after my surgery to wire my mouth shut. When the show aired, I healed from my surgery, and I started to get bookings from all over the U.S.. so I did that for a pretty long time. Club appearances, magazines shoots, radio interviews, hosting fashion shows, meet and greets, etc. I did what most bad girls do after the show. Soak up their 5 min of fame. I didn't think about cultivating anything from my experience of being on reality tv star because I was so exhausted from it. Those dreams and hopes died when I experienced the show. I no longer had the fire in me to explore more tv. As the saying goes, it will make you or break you. Sometimes I feel like it broke me, and I'm still working on that part of my life. It's beautiful chaos; that's would I express it.

Photo courtesy of Rima Mellal

I'm sure dealing with feedback and comments online may have been a lot when it first came to readjusting to life post-Bad Girls Club. What are some things you did to center yourself and get to a good place mentally?

I've always been someone who didn't care what people thought of me or said when I was around that age, so I used all that energy to block all those things out. I knew it came with the terror. It did have me look at people differently. Over time, I learned that what people said about me was just a reflection of themselves or what they were internally struggling with and had nothing to do with me. Keeping that mindset helped me a lot. 

You now live overseas in France; what caused the international move? What do you like about living there?

My partner Demonte is a professional European basketball player. After falling in love and growing a family together, I decided to follow him wherever he went. I always wanted to leave Chicago and experience the world. And what better way to live life to the fullest than to travel to different countries learn their way and cultures. I enjoy meeting new people here and experiencing the challenges of adjusting to a new place. 

Do you miss living in the states? Would you ever move back?

Yes, I miss the states from time to time. We usually visit every summer. And we do plan to go live back in the states once we figure out where we would want to live. Either when Demonte intends to retire or before. 

Photo courtesy of Rima Mellal

You've embarked on a much-needed spiritual journey as a spiritual life strategist focusing on cosmic sexuality. What brought this journey, and for those who don't know what is cosmic sexuality? Why is it important for people to tap into cosmic sexuality? 

 Learning about relationships brought to sexuality and knowing how sexuality has a cause and effect in our day-to-day life with ourselves and the people we choose as our partners. When I was having trouble with my relationship, I started to seek answers on how can something so right go wrong. I learned there is so much more to relationships and sex. Cosmic sexuality is about our sexuality & spirituality on the highest level. It's about understanding our energetic and physical connection with our sexuality and interactions. It starts with inner healing and intimacy. People need to tap into cosmic sexuality because much of what we know about sexuality has been explained to us by society and media. When we tune into ourselves and begin healing from our past, we can discover what we really want and what is possible for us sexually. It's about honoring the relationship with ourselves and connecting with another that has done the same.

What are some lessons you teach clients regarding spirituality, and how can it be applied to their daily lives? 

I teach people to use their discernment when it comes to the choices they choose to make and tap into their uncommon common sense. Be their investigator and sit with their life and self. To see the things we usually don't want to see. We see them, but we act like we don't fulfill an illusion or fantasy. But later, usually, the things we choose to ignore or keep in the dark come to light eventually, and what happens then. We need to be fully present with ourselves and everything that's in our life. We are constantly moving and changing, but we take a moment to be in the now. And we don't take a moment to look back into our past to see how it affect us directly. I help bring awareness to the inner child and all that has involved that child inside of us. So we can further heal those parts to captivate our most genuine desires, dreams, and the person we indeed are. I love strategizing and organizing the external and internal. It sparks joy, and I hope I get to give that same joy to my clients. 

What's the inspiration behind WildChild Healing?

I was looking for my passion, and once I had a passion for helping others through my life experiences and teachings, I searched for a name. And one-day wild child healing whispered itself into me. What inspired me to create this was wishing I had these teachings and support growing up. I hope I can be that for young women.

Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you and your story?

 I'm just getting started. I know I have been on this journey for a while now, but I feel like I'm just touching the surface. I'm starting to collect things about my life to write a book slowly. I would love to deepen my creativity with my artwork, so retreats and start a podcast with my partner to help couples who have also been in difficult situations and know how to move forward. More retreats. And maybe, just maybe, one day, I'll follow my dream to be an actress or do something with the camera. 

Photo Courtesy of Rima Mellal