MARIE MINKSSS IS STEPPING INTO HER MOMENT — AND SHE’S DOING IT HER WAY
Written by: Greg Lewis
Published on September 17, 2026, 10:55p.m. EST
From Chicago to Baddies Gone Wild: Dominican Republic, Marie Minksss is turning a reality-TV debut into something much bigger.
With music, entrepreneurship and motherhood all part of her story, the 27-year-old newcomer is determined to make sure viewers meet the woman behind the television moments.
For Marie Minksss, getting the call that would introduce her to a much larger audience almost didn’t feel real.
Born Chelsea Walker, the 27-year-old Chicago native has spent her entire life in the city she calls home.
But now, her personality is traveling far beyond Chicago as she makes her television debut on Baddies Gone Wild: Dominican Republic.
When the opportunity first arrived, Minksss admits she wasn’t exactly convinced.
“When I first received the call, I honestly thought somebody was prank calling my phone,” she says. “I was just ecstatic because I always knew God had a bigger platform for me and it finally came.”
For Minksss, reality television wasn’t about creating a character for the cameras. It was an opportunity to turn the volume up on something she already believed was there.
“Everything I offer on the show is authentically me,” she explains, “so it felt good to be recognized as the star I always knew I was.”
PRESSURE, PERSONALITY & A PLAN
Walking into a reality television house can be unpredictable. Personalities clash, friendships form quickly, disagreements become public, and viewers dissect nearly every interaction once the cameras stop rolling.
Minksss knew what she was walking into.
Although she admits to being nervous, she entered the experience with her own expectations rather than allowing the environment to completely dictate what she would get from it.
Before filming, she says she wrote down what she wanted from the experience and leaned into manifestation.
“I believe in manifestation, so I wrote down everything I wanted and I was given just that.”
Once the show reached viewers, however, another side of reality television kicked in: public perception.
One label in particular caught Minksss off guard — “bully.”
She pushes back against that characterization.
“I am NOT a bully,” she says. “I came into the house wanting to play pranks and definitely spice it up. I felt like I was giving entertainment more than anything.”
For someone who entered the house ready to have fun and make television, seeing her actions interpreted differently was surprising. Still, Minksss doesn’t seem interested in allowing every online opinion to change how she views herself.
“I’ve never been called a bully a day in my life, so that was shocking that people felt like that about me,” she says. “But hey, you ain’t popping if you ain’t got no haters.”
And despite the reputation reality television houses have for chaos, Minksss says her experience wasn’t defined by hardship. Instead, she found herself learning from the women around her.
“The house was everything I expected it to be,” she says. “The experience itself helped me broaden my horizons as a woman because I got to meet women who were from different places and different backgrounds.”
Some of those connections survived after filming.
Minksss points specifically to her friendship with Becky London and her connection with the women viewers have come to know as “Pressure Pack,” or “Team B.”
“We have a group chat and we all literally talk to each other every single day,” she reveals. “I wholeheartedly believe the bond we grew with each other during this experience will be a long-lasting one.”
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
Reality television fans have long questioned just how “real” reality TV actually is. Between editing, storylines and production, audiences often wonder how much of the drama happens naturally.
According to Minksss, Baddies Gone Wild didn’t need much help.
“I feel like Baddies Gone Wild was super organic, and that is what made our show so special,” she says.
In fact, she claims production sometimes had the opposite problem.
“Honestly, production would tell us, ‘Calm down,’ because of how passionate we were about our feelings and respect in the house.”
It’s that authenticity that Minksss believes could ultimately give the season longevity beyond its original run.
“I believe BGW Season 2 will be one of those shows that people go back and rewatch because of how authentic it is.”
For Minksss, authenticity is becoming an important theme — both on camera and away from it.
And television is only one piece of the story.
FINDING HER “FLOW STATE”
Long before viewers were introduced to Marie Minksss on television, she had already found another way to express herself: music.
Her first released record, “Flow State,” wasn’t created as a carefully calculated introduction to the industry.
It came from something much more personal — beef.
“My song ‘Flow State’ was actually a diss track I wrote about a lil beef I had in my previous life,” she explains.
But what started as a response to a personal situation eventually became her introduction as an artist.
“I wanted it to be kinda an introduction of myself to the world,” she says.
“I wrote it myself, so everything I say on the song, I felt it, and it really is Minksss.”
There wasn’t an elaborate rollout behind the record either. She recorded the track, sat with it for a few months and eventually decided it was time.
“I just pressed ‘release’ one day.”
The casual release, however, carries a story that goes much deeper.
Minksss says she began rapping in 2021 while incarcerated. During that period, music became an outlet — a place to put her thoughts, personality and experiences into words.
“I personally am a big fan of music myself, and I feel like music is just you talking your ish and popping it,” she says.
That realization connected music to something she already knew about herself: she loves to communicate.
“I always felt like my passion was talking and public speaking, and doing music brought it to the light.”
Her life experiences have also given her plenty to talk about.
“I’ve lived a very rambunctious life,” she says. “I’ve lost a lot of loved ones and I’ve learned a lot of lessons in my life journey.”
Instead of separating those experiences from her artistry, Minksss wants them embedded in it. Her goal is to make music that women with similar experiences can hear and recognize themselves in.
“I wanted my music to be relatable to my girlies who feel me.”
BIGGER THAN ONE MOMENT
Reality television may be introducing Marie Minksss to a new audience, but she isn’t looking at it as the final destination.
Music remains part of the plan, and so does entrepreneurship.
Minksss says she eventually wants to continue developing her clothing brand, Pretty Prestigious, while remaining open to whatever opportunities come next.
“I am genuinely excited to explore every opportunity God will open the door for,” she says. “I love being on reality TV and I love doing music.”
But if she had to choose the lane currently giving her the biggest rush, television has the edge.
“I do think that I am most excited about reality TV because it’s really fun and I love being able to just showcase me.”
That simple phrase — showcase me — may best explain the Marie Minksss approach.
There’s no complicated reinvention. No attempt to convince audiences that the woman on television is completely separate from the woman at home. Instead, Minksss appears to be betting on herself, imperfections and all.
And when the cameras eventually move on to the next fight, viral clip or breakout personality, she wants her own story to stand for something deeper.
Before entertainer, artist or entrepreneur, there is one title she places above everything else: mother.
“I want to be remembered as an amazing mother first to my only child, Autumn,” she says.
It’s an important distinction in an industry that can quickly reduce people to their wildest television moments.
Minksss wants people to remember the full picture — the woman who took losses, learned lessons, kept going and remained herself throughout the process.
“I want for everyone to remember me as authentically me and blessed,” she says. “I have eaten every L that I have taken to the chin and still I rise.”
From incarceration to recording music, from Chicago to reality television, Minksss’ story has already traveled through several chapters. Now, she has the opportunity to decide what comes next.
And whether audiences love her, misunderstand her or debate her every week, she plans to keep showing up the same way.
“Any room I walk into, whether I am loved or not, I still shine,” Minksss says, before closing with a line that feels unmistakably hers:“I always stand on business — even if I only had nine toes.”
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