Raine Michaels, the star of Netflix's new series 'Calabasas Confidential', gets candid about growing up as rocker Bret Michaels' daughter and stepping into her own spotlight on reality TV.Show Caption
Count Raine Michaels out of the "Calabasas Confidential" drama scrum.The 26-year-old model-daughter of Poison frontman Bret Michaels won't stir up scandal or party hard on the Netflix reality series, which premiered May 29, following influencers and nepo-babies in the bougie California enclave."I know that being in the midst of the drama will obviously get you the most attention," Raine tells USA TODAY. "But someone has to be the voice of reason. Or it's going to be chaos everywhere."Raine has been there, seen that in her lifetime, growing up with her rocker father and mother, actress/model Kristi Gibson, often on the tour road. Raine and her younger sister, Jorja Michaels, now 21, were adorable features in the 2010 VH1 series "Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It," which followed the father-of-two balancing rock stardom with family life."My sister was honestly more of a star of that reality show. She had no filter," says Raine. "I was like nine or 10, in that preteen phase of my life."A typical series scene featured Bret proposing financial incentives to his towheaded oldest daughter to seek straight A's at school."He was like, 'I'm going to give you $20,' and I was like, 'How about I get $100 for each A?'" Raine recalls. "I always had a business mindset."Bret Michaels' feet are not beloved on FeetFinder. Raine doesn't want to knowThe financial headspace − and special parental relationship − is on display in "Calabasas Confidential" Episode 7 during an intimate scene at Bret's Los Angeles mansion (where Raine still lives and is in no hurry to leave)."He gives me life advice and I bring up the fact that I might be looking into a new career path, which is FeetFinder," says Raine, laughing about the fetish website "where you sell feet pictures.""It's a joke, by the way," she adds.Before Bret realizes his daughter's foot-content creator career dream is a jest for the cameras, the loving father spins his wheels, recovering from his surprise to even manage encouragement."He was so heartfelt and supportive, like, 'Yeah, whoa, whatever you want,'" says Raine, who said the conversation turned into dad-TMI quickly. "He actually started talking about how his feet have negative 11 reviews on FeetFinders. I was like, 'Oh my God!'"Raine won't watch dad Bret in 'Rock of Love' reality dating show: 'Put yourself in my shoes'Though too much foot info for any family member, the scene does show that Raine can speak to her father about anything."Every dad is a rock star in their own right, but my dad is really a great dad," says Raine. "Sometimes, I'm like, 'Shut up, Dad, I don't need your advice.' And then I'm like, 'This guy actually might have some stuff figured out.'"Bret, however, didn't give great advice about starring in a reality show, telling his daughter, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do.""That doesn't mean much," says Raine. "You have to take that with a big pinch of salt."Raine has only seen snippets of Bret's stint on the infamous VH1 reality dating show "Rock of Love" (2007-09) where fans vied to be the rockstar's girlfriend."Put yourself in my shoes," says Raine. "That's my dad, and there's a lot of girls making out with him and saying some crazy things. I don't need to watch my dad in that setting."Ford model Raine comes into "Calabasas Confidential" as the highest-profile participant, partly because of her famous father, who is back in the spotlight after pulling out of the President Trump-backed "Freedom 250" concert series.She's one of four "Confidential" stars with famous family members, along with Hercy Miller, the son of rapper Master P; Preston Pippen, the son of Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen and reality show star Larsa Pippen; and Jodie Woods, lookalike sister of model Jordyn Woods.At 26, Raine is 'like a grandma' to 'Calabasas Confidential' kidsRaine also gets the series' top billing due to her modeling work. At 18, she won a coveted spot in the famed Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition for 2019."I still have the magazine framed in my room; my mom and dad have it framed. It's so cool," says Raine. "That was really my first real step into the spotlight."The sensible daughter of the rockstar is also the oldest of the "Calabasas Confidential" group, which includes singer, DJ and influencer Kimora Lewis, 23, and Dylan Wolf, 24, known as the "Malibu Cowboy." Rather than do shots on her 26th birthday last month, Michaels did Pilates with friends and visited a wolf reserve."I'm 26. I'm like a grandma to these people, who are like 23 or 22. They should be partying," says Raine, who is not sure how she's so level-headed. "I don't know what happened. Maybe my dad partied the party genes out in the '80s. Because he didn't pass them on to me."
