In Case You Live Under a Rock

First and foremost, I would like to thank Sarisha for giving me this idea lol.

#SurvingSophia

Though the bird app is a miserable platform, there is no better source for entertainment news, as everything you see on your Instagram and Tiktok feeds stems from there. Anyways, you're probably wondering: who is Sophia, and who had to survive her? The following is what I've been able to piece together.

Fellow Canadian, Sophia Nur managed to scam several influencers (and D-list celebrities) out of a collective 11 mill. After hours of sifting through Twitter threads and screen-recorded Twitter Spaces, it turns out that she didn't have an elaborate plan; people are just dumb. I consider myself to be pretty up-to-date with popular culture but I'm not gonna lie, I've never heard of half these people. Those affected include Jeff Wittek, the iconic Denzel Dion and Rickey Thompson, Nezza, Alec Holden, Mayosworld and Suzy Antonyan.

In Nezza's retelling, she explains that she assumed Sophia was cool because she was presented as a mutual friend. Turns out, Sophia never actually had connections to these people. She was able to finesse her way to the top by relying on the ignorance of rich people.

Jeff Wittek

If you don't know who Jeff is, he's a member of David Dobrik's Vlog Squad. The reason why no one questioned Sophia is because she claimed to be his PR manager (and ex-GF). She had a pretty strong case and was clearly well-researched because not only did she know his schedule, but she even knew some of the building units he owned. She used that information to make people believe that he leased one of them to her. Jeff said that he gave her his credit card information after she told him that her friend was a victim of a recent sexual assault. I'm not sure if Jeff was aware that she was using his name to social climb at the time, but I'm assuming he wasn't. Nevertheless, why he would give his credit card info to a stranger is beyond me.

Ricky & Denzel

Internet stars Rickey Thompson and Denzel Dion befriended Sophia under the pretense that she's close with their mutual friend Suzy Antonyan. Sophia shared fake stories with them about how Jeff Wittek was terrible to her and that her mom left her alone in LA. After hanging out on multiple occasions, the three of them planned to attend the Jack Harlow concert in Las Vegas, as she claimed she could get them VIP access because she was dating the rapper. Sophia was supposed to book the flights, but when Rickey and Denzel got to the airport, there were no tickets to be found. Thinking it was a miscommunication, Rickey and Denzel covered the plane and hotel expenses expecting a reimbursement that would never come.

Jack Harlow

So where does the Kentucky Rapper fit into all this? There were several rumours surrounding Jack Harlow sexually assaulting, stalking and impregnating Sophia. It's not that having a close connection to Jack Harlow is that far out of the realm of possibility, but based on what's been uncovered, it's safe to assume these rumours aren't true. There hasn't been an official statement from Jack on the situation, but he tweeted a thank you to his fans for being loyal around the time #SurvivingSophia was trending. Of course, there's a lot I didn't cover, like her alleged Netflix show and her scammed entry into the VMAs, but I think you get the gist. Sophia is nothing more than a manipulative stan from Toronto and all this could've been avoided using common sense. #StrangerDanger!

The Kardashians' Latest Romantic Endeavors

Have you not been Keeping up with the Kardashians? Honestly, that's understandable, but let me catch you up.

Kim & Pete

I'm starting with this one because it's the only one I actually care about. When I first saw that pic of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson holding hands on a roller coaster at the end of last October, I remember thinking, "why is 41-year-old Kim sneaking around New York with a 28-year-old when she has four kids at home and just went through a messy divorce?" But then I thought about it some more, I realized it was kind of iconic. Imagine divorcing Kanye West and then instantly hooking up with one of Hollywood's most popular men. Not to mention having one of the best shapewear companies in the game. Miss Kardashian West is really winning at life.

Khloe & Tristan

I've tried to keep up with this one, but literally every day there's something new; lawsuit here, misplaced guilt there. Basically, Tristian Thompson and Khloe Kardashian got back together in January 2021. Not only did they survive cheating allegations from model Sydney Chase, but they even considered exploring surrogate options for their next child together. However, the couple split up again just after Father's Day. It was later revealed that the Brampton native allegedly had another baby with someone who wasn't Khloe. Tristian has yet to claim the child as his own.

Kourtney & Travis

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker got engaged this past October.

It's Brutal Out Here

One thing about me is that I LOVE concerts. Now that we're allowed out of the house, I've wasted no time making up for lost time in seeing my favourite artists perform live. As long as Miss Omicron leaves us alone, I'll be attending nine concerts by the end of this school year. So, believe me when I say I've had my fair share of anxiously sitting in Ticketmaster waiting rooms. In the age of bots and excessive scalpers, buying tickets to see your faves is more expensive than ever. Because of this, I've turned to supporting smaller artists with more niche fan bases (I was able to see R&B/Soul artist Pink Sweat$ at Rebel for under $40 including fees). But of course, I still love my mainstream girlies, which brings me to Olivia Rodrigo's Sour tour. I understand why she felt the need to "not skip steps" but I also don't understand. Miss girl knew she could sell out stadiums and yet decided to be in her Lorde era and play small venues in highly populated cities. Not only did this mean limited tickets, but it also meant super expensive resale. I've seen GA tickets for upwards of $3000. Congrats to those fast enough to get face value! I can't wait to (hopefully) see her in Vancouver this coming April (even though her live performances have been pretty mediocre so far, but that's a conversation for another day).

The Return of Big Time Rush

I've been a fan of Big Time Rush for over a decade now. I remember seeing the show on Nickelodeon and instantly becoming obsessed with the band consisting of Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega and have been manifesting their reunion since their split in 2014.

The band recently changed their profile pictures to a red circle, which hinted that the band was getting back together. Since announcing their reunion, they've toured with Jingle Ball and released their new single, "Call it Like I See it" which isn't the best pop song, but it's pretty consistent with the rest of their discography. Of course, nothing will ever touch the modern classic "Boyfriend," or come close to "Any Kind of Guy," but I'm excited to see what they'll do next. Though James and Carlos are alleged Tr*mp supporters, I feel like I've allowed more for less (see Problematic Fave Dilemma).