Newcomer West Wilson is definitely the breakout star of Summer House Season 8. Viewers are swooning over his budding romance with Ciara Miller (although the midseason trailer indicates some trouble in paradise). His Midwestern nice guy persona separates him from some of the, let’s say, less likable men who joined the cast in recent seasons. Not to mention, Ciara’s former love interest Austen Kroll. Overall, the addition of him and Jesse Solomon has been a breath of fresh air.
Naturally, viewers are curious to know more about him. In addition to his romance with Ciara, a big part of West’s storyline is navigating unemployment. Before joining the show, West was cut in a round of layoffs. What did he do for work before Bravo? Has his newfound fame changed the direction of West’s career path?
What did West do before joining Summer House?
As we know from his LinkedIn profile, West attended Montana State University, graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. The Missouri native also played football as a defensive back throughout all four years of college. In a spotlight piece about his college football career, interviewees gushed that West was universally beloved on campus for his fun personality and ability to talk to anyone. He was praised for naturally having a positive impact just by being himself. Some things haven’t changed.
In addition to football, he made YouTube videos throughout college. In his MSU bio, he mentions travel as a passion, as well as making videos. Naturally, West forged a career that tied his major and extracurriculars together. His passion for sports is very evident in every episode of Season 8 so far.
After college, he interned for Pandora in the summer of 2017. Then, from 2018-19, he worked as a production assistant for Major League Baseball. That same year, he co-hosted a YouTube show called Napkins, which he described on LinkedIn as “opening the doors to the food, people, and culture of New York City”.
The longest position he had so far was working for Bleacher Report. He started in August 2019 as a social producer. Then in April 2020, he was promoted to video producer. Unfortunately, after about four years of working at BR, West was let go.
How did West end up on Summer House?
West was approached to join the show by Lindsay Hubbard. According to his cast bio, he initially met HubbHouse on a night out. Becoming unemployed made it possible for him to make the most of that connection and join the show. That’s a silver lining to a crummy situation- especially for viewers. Summer should be fun, and West brought that to the house this season, even while going through a difficult time.
Of course, West was paid for appearing on the show. As of now, it’s unclear how much the newbie’s salary was. But based on what we know about Summer House cast salaries, he presumably wouldn’t make as much as OG cast members like Lindsay. Or Ciara, who joined the show in Season 5.
What does West currently do for work?
Throughout the season, West has struggled with the job hunt being more difficult than he anticipated. But luckily, we know from his Watch What Happens Live appearance that this story arc has a happy ending. West is currently employed as a Sports Social and Editorial Producer at Complex. Judging by West’s celebratory Instagram post, he started the position at the end of August 2023.
He also told BravoTV.com that we’ll see this play out on Season 8. Recalling celebrating with the cast and crew, he said, “Seeing people who I hadn’t known for that long be super supportive and happy for me was a special moment that I’ll like remember forever.” Even if he and Ciara don’t end up happily ever after, viewers who’ve grown fond of West will be thrilled that his summer ended on a high note.
Will West be on Summer House next season?
As of now, Bravo has yet to officially renew Summer House for Season 9. It seems likely, especially to show the aftermath of Lindsay’s split from Carl Radke. If there is a Season 9, fans will surely want to see West come back. Since his job at Complex is based in New York City, we imagine he should still be able to make it to the Long Island house on the weekends.
TELL US- ARE YOU ENJOYING WEST ON SUMMER HOUSE THIS SEASON? WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HOPING TO LEARN ABOUT HIS BACKSTORY?
