East Coast baddie Ryleigh Gregory represents Nova Scotia on Canada Shore

Ryleigh Gregory had never seen anything like it before. After travelling from Bridgewater, N.S., to Kelowna, B.C., to compete on the new Paramount+ reality show Canada Shore, she was greeted by a palatial gated property. Her home for the next few weeks.   

Canada Shore, a reality show inspired by Jersey Shore, gathered contestants from across the country for a summer of odd jobs, bar-hopping and inevitable cabin fever — with a camera crew in tow.

Gregory called me from her hometown of Bridgewater. Even through the screen, it’s clear she’s the same bubbly and fun Nova Scotian girl I saw in Canada Shore’s debut episode. 

As the first contestant to arrive in the house, Gregory started the series on a chaotic note. 

“I’m screaming like a banshee,” said Gregory. “I loved being the first one there for the first three minutes, and then I was like, ‘I want a friend.’”

Like an act of fate, or perhaps by reality-show design, the second contestant to arrive was Emmett Watson, Gregory’s initial love interest on the show. 

“We bonded immediately and had a little extra time alone.” 

Shortly after their introduction, Gregory and Watson’s relationship descended into what can only be described as a messy situationship. Throughout the series, the pair experiences a roller-coaster of ups and downs; navigating communication breakdowns, jealousy and living together. 

“I knew while it was happening that I was being toxic,” said Gregory. “I was finding excitement in the toxicity.” 

While the pair might not be soulmates, their electric dynamic makes for fabulous reality television. The show’s proved divisive; 27 per cent of viewers rated the show 10 stars, while 39 per cent rated it one star, on IMDB. 

Despite mixed reviews, Gregory thinks she delivered top-notch TV. 

Gregory is grateful for her Bridgewater childhood, where she learned how to party and get along with all sorts of characters. She says those years were perfect training for Canada Shore, which she applied for with a self-taped video. 

The casting didn’t come as a surprise to her friends and family. 

“A lot of them saw me doing something like this,” said Gregory. “It was on brand.” 

But Gregory said her off-screen dating habits are different from what viewers see on the show. 

“I was finding a lot of dopamine in a man, which in my regular life is not an issue,” said Gregory. “It’s interesting to watch myself back, I don’t move that way with men at all.”

Gregory’s advice for viewers who see similarities between their own relationships and hers with Watson? “Run.”

“My advice for girls will always be ‘If they’re not obsessed and in love, then it’s not worth your time,’” said Gregory. 

She said viewers can expect tension to escalate the rest of the season. 

“There are some fights,” Gregory said. “I’m definitely involved.” 

As one of Nova Scotia’s representatives on the Shore, she wants to show the world that “We got baddies” on the East Coast.