Devin Walker-Molaghan: “The lovable douche”
Are You the One?
(MTV reality series)
Northampton native and beloved townie Devin Walker-Molaghan is stirring up the sex pot on Season 3 of MTV’s Are You the One? With his heady bravado, trash talking, ginormous ego, and winking self-awareness, Devin is definitely the season’s breakout star. He’s shining gloriously in the spotlight — and embracing it.
Midway through the season, with his shirt lifted exposing a set of hard abs, Devin gives me a quick head nod and a knowing glance at his physique. “Story?” he asks as we pass near the bathroom at Hinge in Northampton.
So, for Devin, a person who made his fame off reviewing castmates, here’s our take on “BigD.”
I know Devin because my boyfriend worked with him for a stint, and it’s hard not to see him out and about on the Hamp scene. And he’s pretty much how he is on the show in real life. About a month ago I ran into Devin at a “sexy party” held at Hinge. He couldn’t stay away from the stage, save for a make-out sesh with a woman in a sparkly dress. This tongue-heavy interlude took place in the middle of the dance floor. He wore a shirt that dipped deep into his torso, revealing some chest.
At one point, everyone on the floor was getting down with the beat and didn’t realize he had jumped into the crowd for a surf until his face hit the floor with a painful sounding crack. He lay that way long enough to cause concern, but then jumped up with a goofy grin and didn’t skip a beat before once again mounting the stage — this time making eye contact with the crowd before taking the leap. This time, all hands were on deck and he soared over the crowd with an expression of ectasy on his face.
He may be a goon, but he’s our goon. Around town, he’s the handsome player-type we’re always hoping to see land a lady that will set him straight. Are You the One? seemed like the perfect fit. The show is about 20 beautiful, young heterosexuals tasked with finding their perfect match within the cast — a match deemed idyllic by a unique algorithm developed by matchmaking professionals, MTV says. If the cast is able to find the fated 10 perfect pairs, they collectively win $1 million to split between them.
What would Devin’s perfect match look like? Would she be so serene and goddess-like that he had to head down the path toward monogamy? Or would she be crazy-confident like him, and ready to lead a polyamorous life?
It only feels like we should hate him because he’s cocky and competitive about everything, including dating, but we can’t because he’s so genuine. “He’s a douche but he’s so fucking funny and real that I like him,” writes one YouTube commenter under a clip from the reality TV show.
“He’s such a douche, but I can’t help but love him,” writes another.
Some may hate “BigD” for his obnoxious tendencies, but it’s likely people who aren’t paying close attention. He’s brash and holds no punches — he says what’s on his mind and is unapologetically himself. The word ego bubbles up, but what leader doesn’t have that? He’s an aries, after all. “You’re probably going to hate me, but I don’t care!” he bellows in one video-teaser. “Never give up on love!”
“At the end of the day, everyone in here has their own agenda, including me,” he says during a video confessional, during which he hilariously roasts his fellow castmates. “But my agenda is so much smarter. So much better. I’m going to look like a hero and you’re all going to look like idiots.”
This quote came off as one of his more obnoxious moments in the series, but then in turned out to be right. Many of Devin’s castmates dismissed him, until he took the lead of the failure-wrought crew during the second to last lock-in — the ceremony at the end of an episode where the castmates make guesses against the pre-set 10 perfect matches. Despite hours of Devin-led brainstorming, they only ended up getting two out of 10. But Mr. Confidence doesn’t get downtrodden. Using ten red dixie cups, Devin added up all of the clues from the season and asked pointed questions of his teammates, ultimately leading the motley crew to victory. The million-dollar jackpot widdled to $750,000 — split nineteen ways — after the cast failed to guess correctly episode after episode, but that’s still a solid chunk of change.
“I’m a shithead,” he tells viewers during the season finale about his desires to lead the cast to victory. “But I’m not that much of a shithead.”
And despite some diddling around, Devin had his perfect mate pegged early on: Rashida, the only female castmate that brims with as much confidence as he does. A queen for his king, as they agreed — someone to “call him on his shit.”
Devin doesn’t scan the crowd for approval — he leaps unthinkingly with childlike enthusiasm. Sometimes he falls on his face, but he’s strong enough to shoulder the fall. And other times, he soars.•
