Strange Things About Aubrey O'Day And Pauly D's Relationship

The reality gods were working overtime when they connected former Making the Band star and Danity Kane frontwoman Aubrey O'Day with Jersey Shore's Pauly D (real name Paul DelVecchio). The embattled couple first met while filming E!'s Famously Single. Though they were cast on the show to get tips on how they could improve their dating lives in the real world, O'Day and Pauly D fell in love as the cameras rolled.

Still, they tried to keep the nature of their romance under wraps, until O'Day finally confirmed the rumors to E! News in February 2016. But there's something about this romance that has us perplexed. Aside from the fact that they've been on-again and off-again more times than we can count, we can't get over O'Day's habit of leaving strands of weave and doggy poo all over Pauly D's house and her allegations that he made her follow his strict rules. Sounds pretty cray cray already, doesn't it?

Here are all the strange things about Aubrey O'Day and Pauly D's relationship. 

By July 2017, Aubrey O'Day began to turn the heat up on their relationship of nearly a year-and-a-half. "I want a ring like ASAP! I think I put enough pressure for that to be going down sooner not later," she told E! News.

O'Day had her heart set on the next chapter of her life, including being a wife and a mother, and, at the time, Pauly D appeared to be on the same page. "She's the one for me, so I'm looking forward to the next steps and waiting for the right moment to make all that happen." Sounds perfect, right?

Well, just four days after that interview (yes, we said four), it was reported the couple had called it quits. "Pauly is the one that broke up with Aubrey. She was pressuring him to get a ring, and he was not there yet. They are done. He hopes to remain friends with her, [but] she is pretty upset," an insider told E! News.

So Pauly D went from "looking forward" to taking their romance to the next level, only to dump her four days later? Hmm.

Aubrey O'Day initially remained coy about their relationship, but it was clear she was already head-over-heels in lust with the gym, tan, laundry connoisseur. "[Pauly's] incredibly funny and smart and very talented." she said. "I'm so analytical and I have to assess risk everywhere I go and Pauly's taught me how to lighten up and enjoy life." she told E! News.

But announcing that they were an item didn't mean O'Day was ready to go all in and define the relationship — well, not at first, at least. Despite connecting to one another and describing their romance as a "very funny relationship," she was hesitant to call the Jersey Shore star her boyfriend. "[Our] label is always 'enjoying the moment.' That's the label I feel comfortable with," she explained.

Looking back on her quote, isn't it weird how O'Day went from refusing to call Pauly D her boyfriend to pressuring him to put a ring on it? Talk about going from 0 to 100 real quick!

Being in a relationship with the Dumblonde vocalist was an eye-opening experience for Pauly D. "I never communicated so much in my life!" he told E! News magazine. 

That's cool and all, but then he added, "It's pretty crazy because it was my first real relationship. I've learned so much being in it. I've learned don't assume anything." Wait, did he say it was his first relationship? No way, José. 

What's odd is that a woman named Amanda Markert gave birth to his daughter, Amabella Sophia, in 2013, and Pauly D and Aubrey O'Day began dating in 2016. Does. Not. Compute. Well, according to TMZ, Pauly D and Markert's relationship was described only as "a drunken night in Vegas back in 2012," so who knows how serious it was. Although that description would make sense considering how he generally approached courtship on the original run of Jersey Shore. 

And yet, after becoming a father, and at the age of 35 when he and O'Day began dating, Pauly D had still never attempted a real relationship? Mind blown. As strange as this all sounds, it sheds more light on why things between these two reality stars have been so dang rocky, no?

As a couple, Aubrey O'Day and Pauly D were inseparable, but work and life obligations forced them to spend time apart at the start of their relationship. With O'Day living in Los Angeles and Pauly D a resident of Las Vegas, they were able to stay connected in a rather peculiar way. "We talk every 20 minutes," Aubrey told Entertainment Tonight. "We're best friends."

Pauly D was down for the constant contact at the time, too, chiming in with: "I want to know what she's got going on. She wants to know what I got going on. She's my person. Like, whenever something happens, I wanna tell her. She's the first person I want to tell."

That's sweet and all, but just a wee bit excessive by any standard. Either way, the constant communication worked for the former couple at the time, so who are we to judge?

Being within close proximity of each other for 24 hours a day on the set of Famously Single meant they had little to no privacy. "You don't get any 'cute time,'" Aubrey O'Day told Entertainment Tonight. "You take your makeup off at night, and then you want to run to the kitchen and get a late-night snack and then he's seeing all of it."

That wasn't the only issue with co-habitating so soon in their romance. O'Day told the program, "So when we're going to bed and we're kissing, there's a camera on us ... I mean, we had therapy sessions on when it would be appropriate to sleep together."

A therapist had that much control over their intimacy? The cringe!

Pauly D also "joked" that since cameras were on them at all times while filming Famously Single, they "already have a sex tape now!" while O'Day added, "A few." Oh lawd. Let's just hope that footage never sees the light of day.

In spite of their 2017 split, the estranged couple joined WE tv's Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars in 2018 to see if there was any hope for their romance. It was actually Aubrey O'Day's second appearance on the show. The first time, back in 2015, she showed up with her then-boyfriend, Travis Garland, but that's a story for another day.

Prior to the show's premiere episode, O'Day caught up with TooFab and said, "Going into it [the show], I was in a point with my relationship where I felt like I was suffocating and losing my identity." She added, "I had my friends and family all telling me I was losing myself, I wanted a new environment, fresh perspective, therapy and a chance to be in a heightened environment and observe other people's process."

Because the reality show was filmed over a short period of time, O'Day said she didn't leave with all the answers she was looking for, but she learned an invaluable lesson, adding, "I learned that you should never lose yourself in someone else for love and not to diminish my shine to make someone more comfortable," she said. "And that if they expect you to, you need to run."

Their relationship lasted from early 2016 until July 2017, and Aubrey O'Day later described the duration of their romance as "torturous." Even Pauly D was shocked by her description, calling it "an interesting word" in an interview with Page Six. "If it was tortuous [sic], why would you stay in a torturous relationship?" he asked quizzically. Good question, Pauly D. As for the answer? Who knows.

Ironically enough, while O'Day felt tortured, Pauly D pointed out that he was the one who eventually pulled the plug on their relationship. "I think that's a little bit fabricated but if that's the way she feels, it's a good thing we're not together anymore," he said.

We have to admit that his logic makes sense there, however, knowing how these two operate, we wouldn't be surprised to see them patch things up and get right back to gushing about each other again. That is... as soon as Pauly D is done playing the field with his O-Day-look-alike rebound.

Looking to gain some closure from their failed relationship, the pair joined the Season 11 cast of Marriage Bootcamp: Reality Stars (via Radar Online). Upon first entering the house, they were taken to the room they'd be sharing. "Look at this mess," Pauly D said as he stepped over a ton of props, including blonde hair extensions, balled up clothing, and fake dog poop, which were placed by producers to recreate some of the pair's co-habitation issues. "It's a lot like home!" the Las Vegas DJ proclaimed.

When a counselor questioned them about the reenactment of the room, O'Day admitted that the props were a lot like their living arrangements at Pauly D's pad. "I could be more, like, clean, and, um, like, aware of everyone's environment," she said.

Too bad Pauly D wasn't really convinced that O'Day could turn into a neat freak overnight. "So one day she'll feel that way, but then she'll go right back into the mess and not respecting my home" he said. "It's not even respecting it and keeping it dirty, she, like, ruins things. She doesn't care about it."

So not only was it nearly impossible for these two to get along, but they were living in squalor, too? Oh Em Gee, y'all.

O'Day told Us Weekly in September 2018 that their rocky relationship had "no healthy dialogue. There was no progressive communication."

And she didn't stop there. She also dropped a bombshell by adding, "There were rules and the rules needed to be followed and when they weren't, you were punished." Hold on — Didn't she tell E! News back in 2016 that Pauly taught her "how to lighten up and enjoy life?" Something doesn't add up here.

That contradiction aside, why would O'Day put up with the unbearable state of their relationship for so long? She told the publication, "I come from an abusive childhood that I'm still processing and I think that person inside of me that hasn't quite healed was attracted to the chaos of constantly proving yourself to someone and when they were disappointed in you, fighting harder for their approval."

If O'Days allegations are true, their relationship did not sound healthy at all. We hope they both can finally find peace in all areas of their lives, whether they're together or apart.