Instagram/@cheynotshy Cheyenne Floyd, Cory Wharton, and daughter Ryder
Cheyenne Floyd, an MTV reality show regular who first appeared on Are You the One and then The Challenge: Rivals III, is currently starring on Teen Mom OG.
Floyd’s daughter, Ryder, was born in April of 2017. But she didn’t announce that her Challenge castmate, Cory Wharton, was the father until Ryder was six months old. Floyd and Wharton flirted during their season on the show together, but say they did not get together until the reunion show. Floyd has said she was dating someone else at the time she and Wharton hooked up, therefore she had to rely on a DNA test to determine Ryder’s paternity.
Wharton is currently competing on The Challenge: Total Madness, but he and Floyd’s co-parenting dynamic is also playing out on Teen Mom OG. Wharton is expecting a second child with girlfriend Taylor Selfridge. His personal life is bound to be a topic of conversation at some point while he and the other Challengers are living in their underground bunker.
Here’s what you need to know about Cheyenne Floyd.
1. Kristyn Cheyenne Floyd Was Raised In Los Angeles & Studied Public Relations In College
Cheyenne Floyd attends the 2019 MTV Movie and TV Awards on June 15, 2019 in Santa Monica, California.
Kristyn Cheyenne Floyd was born in October 1992 and was raised in Los Angeles. According to her LinkedIn profile, Floyd attended Hampton University, which is a private historically black university in Virginia. She majored in public relations, minored in art, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2014.
Floyd explained on her personal website, which was last updated when she was a senior in college, how her family’s extensive travels influenced her career ambitions.
“As a high school student, I began to get involved with photography and realized the amazing feeling of being able to capture a story through photographs. We were blessed to be able to travel all over the world, seeing countries such as Kenya, Hong Kong, Cuba, Mexico and France, with my camera in hand. Not only did I explore and experience such places through my camera lens, I was able to capture my journey through photography. Sharing my photography has made a big impact on me, as I see how my photographs affect others.
I have always felt passionately about helping others around me and helping them tell their stories. In college I have begun to understand and recognize who I am and my talents. Quick on my feet, I found public relations to fit my personality and welcomed the idea of being able to have the opportunity to help businesses make a name for themselves.”
On her resume, Floyd added that she did a lot of volunteer work as a college student. She said she mentored young women through an organization called Girls Inc. in Hampton. In Los Angeles, she worked with disabled children through Kids Enjoy Exercise Now. And while her family was in Nicaragua on missions trips, she helped to renovate buildings.
After college, Floyd’s artistic side won out when it came time to pursue a career. She launched a fashion line called The RUU in 2015. She explained on the company’s website that she decided to open her own business in order to “follow in the steps of her entrepreneurial parents.” The RUU sells hats, fitness apparel and lingerie for women.
2. Cheynne Floyd & Cory Wharton Launched a Non-Profit Organization After Their Daughter Was Born With a Rare Genetic Condition
When she isn’t filming for reality TV shows, running her fashion business and caring for her daughter, Cheyenne Floyd is operating a non-profit organization. She and Cory Wharton launched Rage Regardless Ry in honor of their daughter, Ryder.
Ryder was born with a rare genetic condition called VLCAD (Very Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase-Deficiency). According to the National Institutes of Health, VLCAD is a “condition that prevents the body from converting certain fats to energy, particularly during periods without food. Signs and symptoms of VLCAD deficiency typically appear during infancy or early childhood and can include low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), lack of energy (lethargy), and muscle weakness. Affected individuals are also at risk for serious complications such as liver abnormalities and life-threatening heart problems.”
Ryder had to be fed every two hours for the first six months of her life. Floyd said she wouldn’t have been able to do it all on her own and was grateful for all of the help she received from family. She wrote on the organization’s website, “Ryder had to be watched with close detail, and as a family we realized how much emotional, mental, and physical support is required. If it weren’t for all of the support and love that they were surrounded by, Cheyenne is not sure how they would have made it through this trying period of time.”
Rage Regardless Ry was founded to help support families raising children with metabolic conditions. Floyd and Wharton also explained on the site that they wanted to raise awareness and knowledge about VLCAD. Floyd also shares updated about her daughter’s life on her YouTube channel, “Cheyenne and Ryder K.”
3. Cheyenne Floyd Said She Became Pregnant After Hooking Up With Cory Wharton Only Once & Had to Wait Until Ryder Was Six Months Old to Confirm Wharton Was the Father
Cheynne Floyd explained on Teen Mom that she and Cory Wharton were attracted to each other while filming The Challenge: Rivals III. They never acted on it during filming, but Floyd said they hooked up several months later after the reunion show.
Floyd was dating someone else at the time. After realizing she was pregnant, she was not sure which man had fathered her child. Wharton explained on the Domenick Nati Show in 2018 that Floyd informed him when she learned she was pregnant, but neither of them thought he was the father because they had gotten together only once. “That hookup turned into a baby,” Wharton said. “We didn’t think it was mine because it was only one time but it ended up being mine. Crazy, right? That sperm knew what they wanted! My sperm went right up and created a baby and now I’m here.”
Baby Ryder was born in April 2017. But the DNA results were not complete until Ryder was six months old, The DNA confirmed Wharton was Ryder’s father. Wharton and Floyd shared the announcement with a family photo on Instagram in December 2017.
Wharton wrote at the time, “God has given me the biggest blessing in my life, my daughter Ryder K Wharton. I want to say thank you Cheyenne for being such an amazing mother. I look forward to co-parenting with you and giving Ryder all the love in the world. I can’t wait to watch you grow up and be there for you every step of the way, love you Moochie !!!”
4. Floyd Previously Expressed a Desire to Have More Children With Wharton, But the Two Have Never Officially Dated
Cheyenne Floyd and Cory Wharton are co-parenting their daughter, but they have never been in a steady romantic relationship with each other. Their relationship dynamic unfolded in front of the cameras when Floyd was asked to join the cast of Teen Mom OG in September 2018. Floyd received criticism from some viewers who did not understand why she was on the show; Floyd was 24 when Ryder was born.
Wharton has also been featured on the reality show. He and Floyd admitted during the finale of season seven that they hooked up again at least once. It happened on Halloween 2018, which marked the one-year anniversary of when they discovered Wharton was Ryder’s father.
During the reunion show, Floyd even went so far as to say she was open to having a romantic relationship with Wharton and was willing to wait for him to come around. Wharton became visibly emotional as he talked about how much he loves his daughter, referring to Ryder as a “blessing,” but indicated he was not ready for a committed relationship with Floyd. However, both said during the reunion that they would be willing to have more children together down the line.
Wharton again left that option open in an interview on the Domenick Nati Show. “I mean, the door is never closed, right? When you have a kid with somebody that door is always open. Me and Cheyenne are going to have to deal with each other for the rest of our lives whether we like it or not.”
5. Cheyenne Floyd Says She, Cory Wharton & Taylor Selfridge Are Part of ‘One Big Dysfunctional Family’
Cheyenne Floyd gets along with Cory Wharton’s girlfriend, Taylor Selfridge. Floyd explained at the beginning of season eight of Teen Mom OG that the three of them have created “one big, weird, blended, dysfunctional family” as Selfridge is currently pregnant.
Floyd told E! News, “I actually helped them plan their gender reveal and gave them all the vendors and places to call. People hear that and they’re like, ‘You helped your child’s father plan their new child’s gender reveal?’ and it sounds so weird but it works for us… I would take our situation over us hating each other any day.”
As for co-parenting with Wharton, Floyd admits there are ups and downs. She admitted to In Touch magazine that it’s not always easy, but that she and Wharton always remember that Ryder’s needs have to come first. “I think with coparenting, you have to have a strong communication with the person that you’re dealing with, and you have to have forgiveness. Putting your pride aside is definitely a big thing, and to just remember that the goal is … for Ryder to grow up in an environment where no, her parents aren’t together, but in a sense they work together for her.”
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