Maya From 'Ex on the Beach' Isn't Letting the STD Rumors Get to Her

If you didn't watch last week's episode of Ex on the Beach, I'm not really sure where to begin, other than by saying that Maya is BAE and Kareem is total trash who, pretty much everyone agrees, deserves to be kicked out during tonight's Cut or Crush ceremony. 

But to back-track a little, Season 2 of the MTV reality show is bringing the best stars of past reality shows to see if they will sink or swim when their exes appear out of nowhere and try for a second chance at getting back together.

Last week, all eyes were on Maya Benberry (formerly, the winner of Catching Kelce) after her ex Kareem proved himself to be total scum and spread insane STD rumors about her to their friends and the rest of the cast, just because Maya refused to give their relationship another shot. 

It all started when Kareem ran his mouth to his cousin Ashley, who used to be Maya's friend too, and said that he never liked Maya, considered her a "snob," cheated on her more times than anyone could even count, and finally, that he had just gotten with her "as a bet." Wayyyy harsh, Tai!

If any of the above wasn't enough to crucially drag his ex, Kareem decided to one-up his game and spread some rumors, you know, just your average Tuesday night fun. This time, he blabbed to Murray (of What Happens at the Abbey) to say (and I quote):

"The real reason Maya hates me, and I've been trying not to bring this s--t up because I don't want to taint her image, is because my teammate told me she had something that wasn't curable. And I literally never dealt with her again."

What Kareem probably wasn't thinking (TBQH, was he thinking at all?!) was that Murray was going to go straight to Maya to confront her about these rumors. And Maya understandably broke down crying, then lashed out at her ex, while the girls (specifically Farrah) rallied behind her to kick Kareem out of their space.

All this because Maya wouldn't go out with Kareem again! Seriously, his energy is toxic. And then after he was sent to his room by the girls, he sat there acting like he was the one who got hurt! Boy, bye.

When he's not out destroying Maya's reputation because she didn't take him back, Kareem is a football player. More aptly, he's just a player in general and hasn't even played football since college.

But all of those rumors that Kareem started, including the one where he said he just got with Maya as a bet, happened in the context of his football team, since the two had dated in college.

But Kareem wasn't even Maya's last football player, as Catching Kelce fans know that show was all about finding a new girlfriend for NFL star Travis Kelce.

It's hard enough to be on camera 24/7 and even harder to know that the whole world is watching the nasty rumors your ex spreads about you, but Maya seems to be handling it all with admirable grace and, dare I say, chill.

Just today, her Instagram stories are all about how "hate keeps [her] motivated" and how she just wants to "make sure to stay true to myself." But she also admits that the negativity can get to her. "We live in a world where people get a kick off of .... trolling you! I've been bullied before a lot, so it doesn't bother me as much," she wrote in response to a follower on the 'gram.

If anything, I think she should follow the advice she wrote on her own blog a few months ago, in a post called "Dealing with a Petty Ex." Honestly, it feels like she wrote it for her future self. 

"I've been blessed to walk away from 80 percent of my relationships on good terms....[but] the other 20 percent have made it their mission to make my life a living hell. Ironically, they broke up with me but yet are the petty ones," she begins. Yes, this is all resonating.

Maya continues, "One thing that I have learned and mastered, is that other people's opinions of you are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. So what if someone thinks you're crazy, petty, a liar, unstable, etc, if you know the truth, so the f--k what?"

It seems like she's really managed to take her own advice to heart and is now living her best life. The blog post ends with the following wise words: "So all in all, f--k what other people have to say about you. Their opinions don't pay your bills, put gas in your car, cuddle you at night, feed you, so why care about them? The best way to be petty is to glow the f--k up and make your ex and his hater friends hate you more!" Preach!!! 

See what happens with Maya and whether Kareem gets kicked out (fingers crossed) tonight and on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on MTV.