Age of Attraction star Pfeifer Hill opted against attending the official season 1 reunion special.
“I always try to stay true to myself even if that means doing things a little bit differently,” Pfeifer, 23, said in an Instagram video shared Wednesday, April 1. “I never want to speak on a podcast that doesn’t feel like an authentic choice or one that I’m not enthusiastic about.”
She continued, “I want the first time that I speak out about the show to be on a platform that aligns with me and is one of my choosing. I want to tell my story on my own terms.”
Most of Pfeifer’s Age of Attraction costars reunited for a tell-all special that aired via show hosts Nick Viall and wife Natalie Joy’s “Viall Files” podcast elsewhere on Wednesday. According to Pfeifer, her decision was not about Nick, his wife or their show.
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“This is not shade to the hosts of the podcast, anyone who went on the reunion or anybody who listened,” she stated.
Pfeifer appeared on season 1 of Netflix’s Age of Attraction, a reality TV dating experiment where single contestants date without knowing their partner’s age. Pfeifer left the show in a relationship with 43-year-old single dad Derrick Fleming.
Derrick appeared on the Wednesday reunion, where he confirmed that he and Pfeifer were no longer an item.
“Unfortunately, we’re not together anymore, but it ended on good terms. We talked it out and it is where she was in life,” Derrick exclusively told Us Weekly. “Obviously, the distance was a big challenge, as well. I think once you get back in the real world with anything, you have your friend circles and people you listen to and they can influence you. We ended where we still communicate. I’m so thankful for the experience and [I have] nothing bad to say about it at all.”
Pfeifer was the sole Age of Attraction participant who did not attend the “Viall Files” reunion, claiming that the production schedule overlapped with her recent trip to Japan with her new boyfriend.
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“One of the beautiful things about being human is that we’re all different, we can accept that and appreciate people for who they are,” she said. “I made a different choice because, for me, that choice upholds what I believe in, which is authenticity to myself.”
Pfeifer further debunked speculation that her decision was the result of a tumultuous breakup from Derrick.
“Derrick and I ended on good terms. I have no bad blood with anybody in the cast,” she stressed on Wednesday. “I just wanted to leave it that way, honestly. Hashtag: Protect Your Peace.”
Age of Attraction is now streaming on Netflix. A second season has already been ordered.
