When first heading onto Ex on the Beach, Challenge vet Cory Wharton thought it was a chance to find a new relationship. “I suck at relationships. I need all the practice I can get and I feel like this show gives me a good opportunity to work on that,” he tells Us Weekly.
However, he wasn’t searching for love. In fact, the 26-year-old shies away from the L-word altogether.
“I’m scared of the word love. Let’s be careful when we say that about this show! Love is a strong word, right? We want to find that next step in our lives. That’s love for some people, that’s just dating for others,” he explains. “I want somebody to be able to be almost like a best friend and for me to start living my life with, but love … be careful now. I’m not going as far to say love.”
During the season, Cory’s ex from Vendettas, Alicia Lavida, arrives. While he can’t say much about how their relationship will play out on screen, Cory’s life completely changed after the show wrapped when he heard from another ex — Cheyenne Floyd. Upon arriving home, he learned Cheyenne gave birth to a daughter and he was the father.
While he knows the critics will have comments, he only cares about one thing going forward: making his daughter Ryder proud.
“As long as she knows that I love her more than anything else and that’s all that matters. I’m not gonna be able to live up to this ‘perfect dad’ stereotype, but I know one thing is that I love my daughter and she loves me, so we’re gonna rock this thing out,” he tells Us.
Ex on the Beach premieres on MTV Thursday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Carly Sloane.
