SukritiSpending The Money?
Shantrell denied the car and used the money to gift LeShay an iPhone that she wanted from a long time. On the other hand, Maroney used the money to clear off his debts. Although, the first thing that Maroney purchased from this money was a chocolate milkshake for his little girl, who loves ice-cream.
After The Show
The Real helped the two of them reunite. LeShay and Maroney decided to stay in touch after the show as well. After the show was filmed, Maroney told in an interview, “we’ve already been texting, checking in on each other, and talking quite a bit.”
A Friendship Begins
Maroney used to visit them and became friendly with the Brown family. Apparently, he even taught LeShay to swim. Both of them were now becoming close friends who keep each other updated with all the present happenings of their lives. Maroney received a honorary citizenship from Waveland Mayor Mike Smith.
Newfound Fame
After appearing at the TV show, the duo of Maroney and LeShay became quite popular that LeShay’s mother said in an interview, “LeShay is famous! Everyone has been coming up to us every day, asking us about it.” Unlike her mother, LeShay wasn’t excited about all the publicity rather she said, “yeah, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to run bleachers when I go back to school because I missed practices.”
Military Influence
LeShay was strongly influenced by Maroney’s views on the military and she wanted to be a part of it. She attended the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, popularly known as the JROTC. An initial level training, with the aim to teach “students in secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.” She attended the training at Bay High School in Waveland, Mississippi.
Following In His Footsteps
LeShay later explained in an interview about the reason for her selecting JROTC as, “it was very interesting and a challenge, and because I had never done it before. I knew if I joined I would have help from Mike along the way if I needed it, or was confused about anything.” Mike was staying in touch with LeShay regularly and was amazed to know her new phase of life is soon to start.