How I ended up on a reality tv show (and why I do my due diligence on instagram messages now).

If you would have told younger me - no - me even 2 years ago, that I’d be a contestant on a reality TV show…. I would not have believed it for a second. I’ve always had a preconceived notion of reality TV (including the people that are on it) as being inauthentic and in it for the drama. So, being on a reality show was never on my mind.. Until I got an Instagram DM in March of 2025.

The message said, “This is the production team from 60 Day Hustle streaming on Prime Video and we’re currently casting for season 2! We’re looking for entrepreneurs with innovative businesses to join the cast and I’d love for you to apply.”

Since then, it’s grown into something far bigger than I could have imagined — a brand that has now produced over 25,000 bags of granola, saving 25,000 single-use plastic bags, and building a community of people who believe food can be good for both people and the planet.

Obviously I thought it was a scam. I get sent a lot of random things that seem cool but are actually just trying to get me to spend a lot of money into something seemingly promising. I literally just closed the message and went on with my day.

But for some reason, I couldn’t get the message out of my head. So later that day, I went back to it and looked up the show, which I had never heard of at the time.

First, I saw that it was indeed a real show, not a scam - good first sign.

Then, I clicked into one of the episodes and…. I saw someone I knew! Not personally, but there aren’t a whole ton of college-aged, female founders in the healthy packaged food space, so I recognized one of the cast members from Instagram. Chiara from a brand called ChiChi.

So I went back to the message and booked a call with the casting director, Izzie, who (spoiler alert) ended up being like a big sister to me during my LA adventure. I remember the call vividly. I was in the Boston Public Library, in the middle of grinding through homework, feeling tired and slightly skeptical.

But within minutes, my whole energy shifted. So many virtual calls feel flat, I’m sure you know the feeling - transactional, impersonal, people just trying to get through another call on their calendar so they can finally close their laptop for the day.

This call wasn’t one of those. Not only were Izzie and Hess (the co-director of the show who was also on the call) warm and real, but they were genuinely interested in me and my story, beyond the granola. And I found myself opening up to them in a way I rarely do to people about the real origins of Rooted Living… all while sitting in the middle of the library.

I left the call feeling a mixture of energized and curious (“will this call lead anywhere?”). And then I just got back to my homework. I had no idea how many dozens or hundreds of people they might be speaking with, so I thought to myself, “let it go from my mind for now, if something progresses, then I can put my attention on it.”

That weekend, I was in the middle of Whole Foods getting groceries, when I got a text from Izzie asking if we could hop on a quick Zoom call. Obviously, I said yes. I went to the tables where people were eating their hot bar meals, put my air pods in, and clicked into the zoom link.

The call went a bit like this:

Izzie: “Rachel…. we are excited to tell you that we would like to offer you a spot on Season 2 of 60 Day Hustle!!!”

Me (over the sound of people chewing next to me) “….are you serious?”

Izzie: “I am. But we need a confirmation on if you’ll accept this spot within about 3-4 days. The show starts filming in 3 weeks in LA. Can you make it?”

Me: “Ummm, I need to ask my professors and talk to my university.” (What I really meant was “I need to talk to my dad”). “How long would the filming be?

Izzie: “Since it’s a competition show, you could be there for 2 days or the full 2 months. So, it depends how long you stay in the competition!”

The second after we hung up, I obviously I called my dad. He went through a very similar process as I did. He first thought it was a scam, told me to be careful, watched an episode that evening, and was like “oh, this is the real thing.”

So, after a week of figuring out about a hundred logistics, including getting funding from a mentor who believed in me so I could stay in a hotel room for however long I needed to be there, having a goodbye party with my friends, I was on a plane to LA - feeling a mixture of excited, terrified, alone, and ready for whatever was ahead of me.

Little did I know quite how insane the adventure was about to become, or that it would lead to me, writing this a year later, back in LA for a project I wouldn’t have believed I’d be doing. But that secret will unfold over the next few weeks to you all ;)

So, that’s how I ended up missing my college graduation to compete on a reality TV show! Life is weird. I couldn’t be more grateful for this chapter.

xx Rachel

To celebrate this moment, I’m offering an exclusive discount on all granola orders.

Use code ROOTED60DAYHUSTLE at checkout.

xxx Rachel

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