Hey y’all! It's me, Caitlin Pierce: the creator and producer of Hang Up. Welcome to another Exit Interview episode, where I'll take you behind the scenes with one of the Callers who got the hang up.

So if you’re not caught up and aren’t yet ready to hear who got hung up on, this is your chance to pause and go back and listen.

Today I’m here with… Muriah. She got the hang up after the Phone a Friend date, where instead of going on a date with Timo, she called up Timo’s friend Roxanne. After their call, Roxanne gave Timo her brutally honest impressions of all the callers, not-so-subtly suggesting for Timo to hang up on Cedar.

Roxanne: Absolutely, one hundred percent Cedar.

So Muriah was just as surprised as the rest of us when she got hung up on.

Muriah: I kind of had the rug pulled from underneath me.

Now it’s Muriah’s turn to share her true feelings, and she doesn’t hold back.

Muriah: I might get punched in the face for saying that, and I don’t care.

We’ll talk about all the tea, who Muriah thinks should get the hang up next and why you should always trust a gut feeling.

Caitlin Hi Muriah how are you doing today?

Muriah Hey Caitlin I’m doing well.

Caitlin So at the beginning of the season, we actually gave Timo like a little sneak peek of each of their Callers. We told Timo that one of their Callers was a rock hounder. 

Timo Oh my god, this is hitting all my nerdy. Oh, I love it. I used to collect rocks and semi-precious stones as a kid. 

Caitlin Can you tell us a little bit about rock hounding? How you got into it? 

Muriah Actually, it started when I was just a kid. My mom used to take us out into the mountains. We'd look for arrowheads. We'd look for, crystals and different types of rocks and stuff. So now I'm like, oh, I want to go to the mountain. 

Caitlin What's your favorite rock that you've hounded? 

Muriah Oh my goodness. I would say apatite. It's gorgeously this deep shade of blue and it sparkles and it's just so beautiful. I'm hooked. I'm like, tell me where to go. Tell me what to do. And I'm there. 

Caitlin Yeah, yeah. That kind of fits what we know about you already. Just kind of like, down for anything. And, like, out there in the world doing stuff. 

Muriah As much as I can. Definitely. 

Caitlin So I definitely want to learn more about you outside this show. But before we do that, I really want to talk about the hang up because I was honestly shocked when you got the hang up and you seemed kind of surprised too. Is that an accurate read? 

Muriah Very accurate. I was like, are you kidding me? I was in absolute shock, and I was kind of horrified because they kept the other person who I guess we would have, conflict, together in, in the conversation. 

Caitlin You were kind of going to head to head with Cedar a couple of times on the hotline. Yeah.

Muriah Yeah. As I did state on the show, like, I'm very competitive. And, I wasn't necessarily competing for their affection or time or love, or any of that. I was more on the way of not letting that one person, Cedar, I guess, be the one who came out on top because of the way that they were acting. 

Caitlin Yeah, that's really interesting. You and Timo talked a lot about you being competitive, and I think that was very clear. Can you talk a little bit more about what do you feel like you were competing for? 

Muriah Well. Like I said, I mean, I guess I wasn't competing for their love or time or affection. I was just trying to let Timo know that I'm a good person and that they should choose me over the other people. It wasn't about the prize, you know. It was about the connection. 

Caitlin It sounds like you were expecting Timo to hang up on Cedar. 

Muriah Yeah. Pretty much. They were being hyper arrogant, and I didn't like that. However, yes, I was being arrogant in myself and, like, yeah, “I can get through this and blah, blah, blah.” And then when I got the hang up, it was like, oh, I kind of had the rug pulled from underneath me. I know my worth and that's all I can say really. 

Caitlin Yeah. You and Timo had kind of a deep convo after the hang up. What was that like for you?

Muriah It was actually very mature.

Caitlin Yeah. 

Muriah I am not used to that. Like normally people will like just be like okay, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I'm just going to ghost you. But Timo, actually they told me what they thought about the whole situation. And I really, truly, honestly respect them and appreciate them for doing that. Because a lot of people these days, they just don't care. They're like, okay, whatever. I'm done with you and that's that. 

Caitlin So you got the hang up after the Phone a Friend episode. So you had a call with Timo's friend Roxanne, and then Roxanne went to Timo afterwards and told Timo who she thinks should get the hang up, and Roxanne told Timo to hang up on Cedar. So what was your date like with Roxanne? Did y'all get along? You feel like was there any kind of bumpiness there? 

Muriah No, I didn't feel any bumpiness whatsoever. I think Roxanne and I hit it off. I thought it was fluid. Roxanne even said that we should get together and, like, hang out and stuff like that. So I was like, yeah, you know, like, that'll be cool. 

Clip: 

Roxanne: I wish you very good luck in this next round, and maybe I will be meeting you soon.

Muriah: Yeah, hopefully that would be great. 

Caitlin So that moment when you heard Roxanne tell Timo that Timo should hang up on Cedar, how did you feel knowing that you actually got the hang up? 

Muriah I feel like Timo made a mistake because, I’m 100% real, 100% genuine, straightforward. I know what I want. I know what I like, and Cedar seemed fake to me, inauthentic. And I did not like that. And I think that's why we clashed so much. But, you know, like I said, I mean, it it was all up to Timo.

Caitlin Why do you think Timo made that decision? Does it make you think differently about Timo?

Muriah I…To be honest, I don't know. Maybe Timo likes that kind of arrogance and that kind of fake mentality. I don't know, because I don't really know Timo. But I, I knew from the beginning that Cedar, I knew that we were going to clash. And it's because they are fake. 

Caitlin When you say “fake,” what was giving you that that feeling? 

Muriah Like they were very boisterous and very like, arrogant, as I stated before. And it just it didn't seem real. It didn't seem natural. And I might get punched in the face for saying that, and I don't care at this point. 

Caitlin We know you are down to get in a mosh pit, so I don't think you're worried about getting punched in the face. 

Muriah I am not. I am so not worried. I'm like, I can handle my own even though I'm 5'2", 105 pounds, you know, like I'm tiny. But I get mine. 

Caitlin Yeah, we know you're tough. So the three callers remaining are Billy, Cedar and Salix. Do you have any predictions on who might win, if they're going to take the cash or the vacation? Who will get hung up on next? It sounds like you think Cedar will definitely get the hang up next. 

Muriah You know, in my own dark soul, I hope Cedar gets the hang up. I really hope Cedar gets the hang up. The other two. I do know that they were better people for Timo. I don't know, but I'm thinking they might have chose the vacation because that's what I wanted. You know, like, I would have taken the vacation with Timo instead of the cash. That's just me. I'm a hopeless romantic, so I'm hoping the other two got to take the vacation with Timo. One of the other two, I should say. 

Caitlin So after this, how do you feel about meeting Timo at the reunion? 

Muriah I'm curious. I would look forward to it. Even if we're just friends, like, because I don't know what the outcome of this is. I don't know who they chose, I don't know, if they're in a couple or what's happening right now, but I'm just, I'm down for anything. I'm down for friends. Definitely. 

Caitlin Thank you for sharing all that I know. Right after the hang up, we don't get a chance to hear everything you're thinking and feeling. So I didn't know what direction you were going to be like, where you had you landed after that. 

Muriah I didn't start things on fire. I didn't break open buildings and anything like that. My heart wasn't broken, I was just, I was in shock, but I got over it. 

Caitlin I want to learn more about you and your dating life. I feel like the main thing we know about Muriah is that she's competitive. She's tough. You do roller derby, you play basketball, you get in mosh pits. But signing up to be on a reality dating show shows that you also have a soft side. So your dating life outside this show, what are you looking for in terms of romantic relationships? 

Muriah I hate dating, but, I'm definitely open. Like I said, I'm a hopeless romantic. Like, if it comes down to anything, you know, I will wine and dine her and like everything I can because that's just the type of person that I am. However, I'm not really putting myself out there at this point. I was on a couple dating apps. I mean, I still am, I just haven't returned any messages. I haven't, like, been active. Because I don't like dating. I don't like that, weird, like "hi," you know, like, "where are you from?" And like, telling everything about myself to everyone. And I get that even online with the women that I'm talking to, it's tiresome. Like, I have to repeat myself. I'd rather, like, copy and paste something just so that I can send it, you know what I mean? It's like I don't like doing all of that. However, when it comes to rock hounding, I will dig and dig and dig and dig and dig until I get that one crystal. Until I get that one gem. And I guess that's what it's like here in the human life, you know, like, I'm too old for this already. Like, I just, I want my one and done, and that's it. 

Caitlin So it sounds like you're out here, like digging through the rubble, trying to find some gems. But previously to this, what have been some of the kind of big lessons you've learned about yourself through dating and romantic relationships? 

Muriah Wow, that's a big one. They've pretty much all cheated on me. So I do, I will admit, and I tell everybody that I talk to, that I do have trust issues when it comes to people constantly on their phones and like hiding stuff and being shady. That's like huge red flags for me and I will not put up with that.

Caitlin And when you were younger, was that something that you would put up with? 

Muriah Unfortunately, yes. I'd be like, “okay, well they're just talking to their friend, blah blah blah blah blah.” And I'd have these, gut feeling, you know, my intuition and my intuition would be like, “no, they're cheating on you, this and this and this.” And I'd be like, “no, shut up. You know, like, it's not true.” But in the end, it ended up true that they were. And I just, I can't anymore. It's like, okay, just be honest with me. Be straight up. If you have feelings for someone else or you're attracted to someone else, that's okay because we all have that. Just be open and be honest with me and we can work through it.

Caitlin Yeah. And I think it's interesting because I think particularly in queer relationships, we're more open to, you know, like you said, like acknowledging that these other feelings happen and, you know, are maybe more open to different types of relationships. And so I'm really sorry to hear that was, that's been so much your experience. 

Muriah Yeah, no, a lot of them, they turned out to be poly, which is not my thing. And like, I'm not going to put down poly relationships whatsoever, you know, like, as long as communication is there, as long as it's stated from the beginning. But for me that that doesn't work for me. I'm like, you're mine and that's it. If you want to venture out and be with other people, then we need to break up.

Caitlin You've said that's something you would put up with more, and now it's not. What was kind of the turning point for you?

Muriah I've been doing a lot of emotional growth throughout my relationships. This last one. She totally messed me up. I gave up pretty much everything for her. All my finances, my savings, everything went into her. And she ended up cheating on me. And lying about it. And then, to be explicit, after the fact that I was gone for, like, a week. She did this new sex move on me. Brand new. We were together for about two years at this point, and this came out of nowhere. And of course, I enjoyed it. I was like, okay, I was going with it. And and then I found out that her ex girlfriend was there taking our dogs on hikes and spending the night. And she lied about everything. 

Caitlin Damn. 

Muriah And so finally I was like, what's this? You know, like, this is new and blah, blah, blah. And like, she was like, oh, well, this person was here and they spent the night and they took the dogs out on hikes. And I was like, are you fucking kidding me? And so that's pretty much what broke me. And we ended up breaking up. And of course, I put everything of mine into her place. And so she ended up throwing everything of mine out of the door, like physically, literally. I was homeless for a while. 

Caitlin Oh my God. 

Muriah I had never been there before. Like, I always had my own place. I was always on my own feet. And this bitch just completely fucked me up. So like, now I'm like, nope, I'm not moving in with you. Nope. You're still talking to your ex? Nope. I have all of this I wouldn't say really resentment because I've been working through it. But there's just things, boundaries I guess that I will not do. Red flags. And as soon as I see that I'm like nope. 

Caitlin Thank you for sharing that. That's that's really awful. How how long ago was that? 

Muriah Right now this would be about two and a half years ago. 

Caitlin Okay. So pretty recent. 

Muriah Yeah. 

Caitlin Wow. 

Muriah And I've been single this whole time. I'm just like, nah. 

Caitlin Obviously a lot of people are going to hear this. Is there a type of person that you are looking for that you want to describe? 

Muriah Well, someone who's into adventures, the outdoors, rock hounding. Someone who is willing to communicate maturely. Someone obviously, that I’m physically and spiritually, energetically attracted to. Hey, she's out there somewhere. Supposedly. I'm an old lady already, so let's go. I'm ready.

Caitlin All right. Mature, cool, hot people who like the outdoors. This is your sign. So if you want to reveal your real name and where they can find you, this is your chance. 

Muriah Wow. Okay. Awesome. Whoo hoo! Freedom! My name is Natashia Ortega. First name is spelled n a t a s h i a. You'll find me under Natashia Ortega on Facebook. TikTok is Raynbo Starr and I do have Snapchat which is Raynbobayb. If any of y'all are out there, what's up? Hit me up. 

Caitlin And your signature laugh. Also, I feel like that's an important part of the show. 

If you want to see photos of Natashia aka Muriah, subscribe now to our newsletter at hangupshow.com. Or you can wait until after the reunion, when we’ll post pics on Instagram at hangupshow.

Hang Up is created and produced by me, Caitlin Pierce.

Our host and story editor is Zakiya Gibbons.

Our sound designer, mix engineer, and story editor is Ben Montoya.

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