Reality TV Romance
Are ‘Big Brother’s Natalie Negrotti & James Huling Still Together? Showmance Update
It’s been six years since Natalie Negrotti last appeared on a reality competition show, but she’s back for Season 38 of The Amazing Race, where she’s competing alongside her sister, Stephanie Negrotti. This installment of the race around the world features teams of past Big Brother contestants and somebody outside of the franchise whom they have a preexisting relationship with.
Negrotti made her reality TV debut on Season 18 of Big Brother in 2016 before going on to appear on three seasons of The Challenge. During her time on Big Brother, she struck up a showmance with fellow houseguest James Huling.
But are the two still together now? Scroll down for everything we know about their relationship.
Are Natalie Negrotti and James Huling still together?
No, Negrotti and Huling’s relationship fizzled out shortly after their time on Big Brother. Although they briefly dated outside of the show, they split shortly afterwards and things turned ugly.
The former couple took their issues to social media in April 2017. One issue at-hand was over a GoFundMe that Huling helped create for Negrotti’s family back in Venezuela. He publicly questioned whether or not she actually sent the money to her family members, and she fired back in a post on X.
“Recently, there have been misstatements of fact made concerning the amount of funds that Natalie received from the GoFundMe account that she used to aid her family in a time of dire need,” the statement from Negrotti’s attorneys said. “Natalie personally ensured that every penny she received from the account went straight to her family, all of which is documented through records and receipts. Thus, any statements to the contrary are intentional or reckless statements made without regard for the truth which amount to defamation and are actionable under Florida law.”
Huling, who said he received a cease and desist letter from Negrotti, replied, “Who does stuff like this?? I haven’t spoken to this person in 4 months.”
He also posted a now-deleted video in which he accused Negrotti of cheating on him with her ex-boyfriend when they were together.
What is Natalie Negrotti’s sexuality?
Negrotti came out as pansexual in 2018 on an episode of The Challenge: Final Reckoning. Her decision to publicly come out came after she accused castmate Kayleigh Morris of outing her on social media while the show’s previous season, The Challenge: Vendettas, was airing.
“I am pansexual and I’m okay with that now,” Negrotti said on the show. “Kayleigh, she outed me for being a lesbian on Instagram. I wasn’t ready and I haven’t even got the opportunity to tell my whole family. She just did it in a really malicious way and that’s not fair to me. but I know that I’ll never forget and I’ll never be her friend.”
In February 2019, Huling and Negrotti got into another social media spat, which began with a comment he made about her sexuality. “I actually asked her in the beginning of our relationship about the possibility of her being gay,” he claimed. “She got really offensive even though i told her I’d be supportive and it is okay. Maybe in the end that’s the WHOLE reason why things didn’t work out. I’m happy for her. #teamnatalie.”
In a since deleted tweet, she replied, per Us Weekly, “Asked me if I was gay? Stop using my name to stay relevant. Don’t worry I’ll be coming out with the truth. And things didn’t work out because you didn’t work. You are lazy. And I can’t be dating a child nasty ass.”
Did Natalie Negrotti date Johnny Bananas?
Negrotti and Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio had a showmance on The Challenge: Vendettas, which filmed in 2017. However, drama ensued on the show when a rumor surfaced in the Vendettas house that Morris had kissed Bananas before his showmance with Negrotti began, leading to tension among all parties.
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Still, while the show was airing in January 2018, Bananas and Negrotti were spotted looking cozy on an apparent date night in New York City, seemingly letting viewers know that whatever happened on the show was continuing IRL.
However, the time Negrotti and Bananas both returned for The Challenge: Final Reckoning in the second half of 2018, they were no longer an item. In 2022, rumors that they had rekindled their relationship surfaced after Negrotti posted a cryptic TikTok that featured a mystery man’s hand.
Some fans thought it was Bananas in the video, but he quickly shut down the speculation. “I’d rather put a campfire out with my face,” he commented.
The Amazing Race, Season 38 Premiere, Thursday, September 25, 9/8c, CBS
