The Chantel family star Pedro Jimeno sometimes gets a bad rap, but I personally believe he’s not a completely discarded human being – and I’ll tell you why. To be honest, I wrote negative articles about Pedro, but I also tried to consider his side. I really tried. So I was often conflicted.
For example, I could clearly recognize that Pedro messed with Chantel Everett’s head before leaving her. What I wasn’t sure was if he always planned to leave her. As I had these doubts, my work alternated between positive and negative. I portrayed him as a villain and believed in what I was writing – however, sometimes doubts arose. Occasionally, I felt bad about things I wrote, even though they were probably true, or at least partially true.
Pedro met Chantel when he started teaching her Spanish. He was very handsome – Chantel was beautiful. She was American – he was from the Dominican Republic. Together, they made a very cute couple. It wasn’t that hard to believe it could be real. If Chantel had been a more mature woman, like me, I suppose, it would have been less believable. However, these two look like models.
So, Pedro and Chantel are very attractive people and honestly, their looks didn’t hurt them at all. Her images are probably the main reason why fans responded to them and enjoyed watching her emotional fireworks on screen. There’s nothing wrong with that. When producers cast movies or reality shows or anything else, they think about these things. Externals play a role.
However, the fact that they are both beautiful people may have masked some problems. For example, Pedro’s hidden motives may have been covered by his own glamorous veneer, as well as by his partner’s beauty. There is talk that Pedro and his family were targeting Chantel. If we believe this version of events, from day one Pedro knew he would use, shame and then discard Chantel. If that’s true, he’s a bad human being. She was very trusting and did nothing to deserve this kind of treatment.
However, there is no concrete evidence that this happened. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence that could point to a plan, but no real proof. Pedro denies using Chantel, saying she loved her. His former friend paints Pedro as a liar, saying he let his friends make fun of Chantel in Spanish in front of him. These friends, as the “source” states, knew about Pedro’s master plan. Peter says “source” is dishonest.
Joan Didion wrote:
We tell ourselves stories to live.”
That’s true, we do. We mold the facts, feelings, and impressions we have into forms we can understand. Often, in the process, we present ourselves as heroes. Most people don’t consider themselves villains. Also, sometimes when it comes to our own stories and other people’s stories, we got it wrong. No narrative is free from bias. The judicial system was designed to eliminate this bias, to give a fairer assessment of a situation. Lawyers are trained to think critically.
In real life, emotion is present, knocking people off course and pushing them in different directions. Pedro says he never used Chantel. Her ex-friend says he always planned to use her. Who is telling the truth? It’s hearsay without further evidence. Only concrete facts can establish the truth. Of course, the people involved already know the truth. There will be gaslighting – there will be attempts to hide an unpleasant truth until it cannot be hidden. After that, there is acceptance.
The fact is that Pedro left Chantel. He no longer loved her, if he ever loved her. I’m glad he left her because the life she would lead with a man who faked his feelings would be terrible, even if she wasn’t aware of it. By leaving her, he gave her the opportunity to overcome her pain, grow as a person, and become a better, stronger human being… someone who could reach her full potential. His decision to leave left her distraught and unhappy, but it was her only hope for true happiness.
So whether he planned it or not, I think his choice to leave Chantel was the right one. He could have stayed for the reality fame and the money it could generate – but he left. He sacrificed his fame in reality to leave a marriage that did not satisfy him. Isn’t there a chance he really has fallen out of love? Would a true clout seeker give up a reality TV career that put him in the spotlight? That never factored in for me.
His family may have wanted him to use Chantel, but perhaps he grew to love her anyway. Life is complicated. They were together for years. Only Pedro knows the truth, but personally I’m very grateful that he had the courage to leave a woman he didn’t love, because staying with her would be the greatest disrespect. Now, she may not find love, but she is free from the unlovable.
I’ve often had negative thoughts about Pedor, based on his family’s mercenary ways, Chantel’s disgust, and more. I also liked Pedro sometimes – like when he posted hilarious pronunciations of some English phrases for his parents, including “Home Depot.” I found him attractive, well-groomed and fit. I didn’t always hate him. It’s just that he hurt Chantel a lot. It’s hard to see a woman in so much pain.