Tonya Cooley

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Tonya Cooley
Birthdate:	January 7, 1980 (1980-01-07) (age 28)
Birth location:	Visalia, California, U.S.
Measurements:	32C-24-36
Height:	5'4"
Weight:	112 lbs
Eye color:	Blue
Hair color:	Blonde
Natural breasts:	No, as acknowledged on TV; 32C
Orientation:	Straight

Tonya Cooley (born January 7, 1980 in Visalia, California) was a cast member on MTV's reality television series, The Real World: Chicago, the 11th season of The Real World, which aired in 2002. She has since been a regular on the spin-off Real World/Road Rules Challenge, participating in six challenges as of 2007. She also posed for Playboy as a Cyber Girl of the Week and appeared in an episode of the Cinemax adult series The Erotic Traveler.

Cooley was placed in a foster home at the age of 12. She has 1 sister and 3 brothers.

1 The Real World: Chicago
2 Challenges
3 Non-reality TV appearances
4 Reality shows
5 References
6 External links

[edit] The Real World: Chicago

Tonya Cooley hails from Walla Walla, Washington. She had never interacted with African-Americans and gay people, and had rarely been apart from her boyfriend, Justin. She did not socialize as much as her housemates, who often alienated her. She was hospitalized three times during the season because of kidney stones, and even left to go home for about a week. She got into arguments with Theo, including one which a glass was thrown, as well as Aneesa, and former best-friend Cara. Her constant use of the phone when talking with Justin upset her housemates. Her breast implants were also a subject of much conversation.

[edit] Challenges

[edit] Battle of the Sexes

Though not most notable for her appearance on this season, Tonya competed and was the eighth girl to be voted off. Tonya is most remembered from this season for not going to Puck's wedding. The reason some people consider her a "different Tonya" in this season is because she asked her friend Ruthie to vote her off so the girls wouldn't have to deceive, while in Battle of the Sexes II she had no problem with not stepping up for captain so Ibis Nieves could go home. Another reason is because she would not compete in the Battle of the Opposite Sexes challenge where you would have to remove an item of clothing if you answered a question wrong, while in Battle of the Sexes II she showed her breast by the pool while not competing.

[edit] The Gauntlet

For the next Challenge, Cooley became friends with Coral Smith, and became playful with Challenge veteran Veronica Portillo. In the early stage of the game, she injured her leg during a challenge, and had to wear a leg-cast while waiting for a comprehensive assessment of her leg. This scared her Real World team, and opted to vote her into the Gauntlet. Angry and upset, she proceeded to the Gauntlet and lost. This would be third time she would be sick or hurt in front of the MTV cameras. (In Battle of the Sexes, she also had to wear a leg cast, but it did not affect her position). Also, she refused to participate in a challenge that involved nudity, contrary to her actions in later years which included posing for Playboy.

[edit] Battle of the Sexes 2

In this Challenge, Cooley flashes her breasts more often. She becomes more of a nuisance to the girls, more specifically onetime friends Coral, Veronica, and Rachel. However her determination and marked improvement on the challenge did not go unnoticed. She even went as far, in a challenge requiring the competing teams to procure a cell phone encased in a block of ice by melting it, to put rocks in her mouth to try to melt it. However, her inability to step up as a leader as well as her waning prowess also did not go unnoticed. Her notable argument with Road Ruler Tina Barta became a staple on the show. She was voted off toward the end of the Challenge.

[edit] The Inferno II

In this Challenge, tensions arose between her and Tina Barta. Fellow Bad Ass team member Beth Stolarczyk instigated an animosity on the part of Robin Hibbard toward Cooley by telling Hibbard that Cooley bragged about a relationship she had with Hibbard's boyfriend, Road Ruler Mark Long. Hibbard angrily excoriated Cooley, who denied Stolarczyk's allegations, to which Hibbard responded by calling her a whore and a liar. When Cooley confronted a sleeping Stolarczyk, she was coy and refused to answer. In a fit of pique, Cooley took Stolarczyk's luggage and valuables and threw them all in the pool. Stolarczyk left the show as a result and took legal action. Veronica Portillo, Rachel Robinson, and Tina Barta began to harass Tonya, who referred to the three as the "Mean Girls." In the challenges, Tonya fluctuated from remarkable to disastrous. She won two Infernos, sending two girls home, and made it to the final challenge, but her team lost.

[edit] Fresh Meat

She was partnered with Johnnie. Their pair was fourth to be eliminated, but Tonya improved greatly on this challenge. Even though she and her partner did not win any of the challenges during Fresh Meat, they came close several times. She claimed on her appearance on MTV's True Life that Fresh Meat would be her last challenge.

[edit] The Inferno III

Despite claiming that Fresh Meat would be her last appearance on the Challenges, Tonya participated on the third Inferno as part of the Bad-Ass team. Before filming the Inferno III, Tonya got married.

[edit] Non-reality TV appearances

Tonya starred in episode 2 (Lost in Ecstacy) of the Cinemax series Erotic Traveler on February 9, 2007 ^[1]. The series is typical of late night Cinemax (soft-core pornography), and featured her nude and engaged in simulated sex, oral sex and fondling. She currently (2007) appears as a celebrity interviewer in Girls Gone Wild commercials.