When Dr. Will Kirby eliminated Maria-Grace Cook on the Tuesday, February 4, episode of Deal or No Deal Island, she had some harsh words for the reality TV legend.
Now, M.G., 21, tells Us Weekly exclusively that the two are friends and he even hired her to work in sales at his aesthetic dermatology company, LaserAway.
After Will, 52, faced the banker at the conclusion of the episode and earned the right to eliminate one of his fellow players, he blindsided M.G. by choosing her. Once M.G. exited the Banker’s Temple, she didn’t mince words when telling the cameras about Will.
“Will is just garbage as a person. It’s not just a character or an act, he truly is not a good person,” she said. “There’s still nine other contestants in the game and I think all of them deserve it except Will.”
Speaking to Us after her ouster, M.G. revealed that Will reached out to her after the season wrapped.
“I got an email, and he was like, ‘If you want a job, I’ll give you a job and you’ll make money and you could move to LA,’” she said. “So I did, and I just ended up watching all the episodes with him, including last night.”
‘Dr. Will’ Kirby, Joe Manganiello and Maria Grace Cook on ‘Deal Or No Deal Island’ Monty Brinton/NBC
Though it wasn’t shown on camera, M.G., who was a firefighter in South Carolina before meeting Will, said that she actually talked to the former Big Brother winner about the possibility before her elimination.
“We had multiple conversations in the game, but [being] friends isn’t for reality TV,” she said. “But he tells me that he has a really good company, he could set me up with a job because I was trying to transition out of the fire department EMS. I never thought that was true.”
She also amended the statement she made on the show after her elimination.
“Dr. Will as Dr. Will, he is a garbage person,” she said, adding that was not the case “outside in the real world.”
Will isn’t the only player that M.G. has stayed in touch with. She also texted with Dickson Wong after the most recent episode aired, apologizing for calling him a “dumbass” for eliminating her showmance partner, Storm Wilson.
“We stay in touch,” she said. “I texted him and was like, ‘I love you, Dickson, I’m sorry,’ but in that moment he kind of deserved it.”
As for Storm, he told Us in January that he visited M.G. in Los Angeles and that she “may or may not” be coming to Austin where they would discuss the future of their relationship.
“He’s been nothing but great to me. I’ve been nothing but great to him,” she said. “We are friends, though. We had a lot of real world talks when he came to LA and I don’t plan on visiting Austin anytime soon, but we do still stay in touch but as friends.”
Deal or No Deal Island airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
