The Family Chantel: I'm Sure Pedro's Not All Bad (Why This Villain Might Be Worth Rooting For Someday)

The Family Chantel star Pedro Jimeno gets a bad rap sometimes, but I personally believe that he isn't a complete write-off as a human being - and I'm going to tell you why. To be honest, I have written negative articles about Pedro, but I've also tried to consider his side of things. I have really tried. So, quite often, I was conflicted.

For example, I could clearly recognize that Pedro messed with Chantel Everett's head before he left her. What I wasn't quite certain about was whether he'd always planned to leave her. Because I had these questions, my work would toggle between positive and negative. I would paint him as a villain, and believe what I was writing - however, sometimes, doubts crept in. Occasionally, I would feel bad about things I wrote even though they were probably true, or, at least, partially true.

Pedro met Chantel when he began to teach her Spanish. He was very handsome - Chantel was beautiful. She was American - he was from The Dominican Republic. Together, they formed a very cute couple. It wasn't so hard to believe it might be real. If Chantel were a more mature woman, like me I suppose, then it would have been less believable. However, these two look like models.

So, Pedro and Chantel are very attractive people, and honestly, their looks haven't hurt them at all. Their images are probably the main reason why fans have responded to them, and enjoyed watching their emotional fireworks onscreen. There's nothing wrong with that. When producers cast films or reality TV shows or whatever, they think about these things. The externals play a role.

However, the fact that both are good-looking people may have masked some issues. For example, Pedro's ulterior motives might have been cloaked by his own glamorous veneer, as well as the beauty of his partner. There's talk that Pedro and his family targeted Chantel. If one believes that version of events, from day one, Pedro knew that he would use, shame and then discard Chantel. If that's true, he's an evil human being. She was very trusting and did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

However, there's no hard proof that this happened. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence that may point to a plan, but no actual proof. Pedro denies using Chantel, saying her used to love her. His former friend paints Pedro as a liar, saying he let his friends mock Chantel in Spanish in front of him. Those friends, as the "source" claims, knew about Pedro's master plan. Pedro says that "source" is dishonest.

Joan Didion wrote:

We tell ourselves stories in order to live."

That's true, we do. We shape the facts, feelings and impressions that we have into forms that we can understand. Often, in the process, we cast ourselves as heroes. Most people do not consider themselves villains. Also, sometimes, when it comes to our own stories and the stories of other people, we get it wrong. No narrative is untouched by bias. The court system is designed to cut through that bias, to give a fairer assessment of a situation. Lawyers are trained to think critically.

In real life, emotion is there, pulling people off course, and pushing them in different directions. Pedro says he never used Chantel. His former friend says he always planned to use her. Who is telling the truth? It's hearsay without more evidence. Only hard facts can establish the truth. Of course, the people involved already know the truth. There will be gaslighting - there will be attempts to hide an unpleasant truth until it can't be hidden. After that, there's acceptance.

A fact is that Pedro left Chantel. He didn't love her anymore, if he ever loved her. I am glad that he left her because the life she would lead with a man who was faking his feelings would be terrible, even if she was fully unaware. By leaving her, he gave her the change to work through her pain, grow as a person and become a stronger, better human being... one who could achieve her full potential. His decision to leave left her distraught and miserable, but it was her only hope for real happiness.

So, whether he planned it or not, I think his choice to leave Chantel was the right one. He could have stayed for the sake of reality fame and the money that is can generate - but he left. He sacrificed his reality fame to leave a marriage that didn't fulfil him. Isn't there a chance that he really fell out of love? Would a true clout chaser give up a reality career that put him right in the limelight? That never computed for me.

His family may have wanted him to use Chantel, but perhaps he grew to love her anyway. Life is complicated. They were together for years. Only Pedro knows the truth but I am personally so grateful that he found the courage to leave a woman that he didn't love, as to stay with her would be the ultimate disrespect. Now, she may not find love but she's free of what's loveless.

I've had negative thoughts about Pedor many times, based on his family's mercenary ways, Chantel's' heartbreak and more. I've also liked Pedro sometimes - such as when he posted his parents hilarious pronunciations of some English phrases, including "Home Depot." I've found him attractive, well-groomed and fit. I haven't always disliked him. It's just that he hurt Chantel so much. It is hard to see a woman in so much pain.