Hailey Best, the former Miss North Carolina of 2011 who grew up in the city of Goldsboro, is now co-starring as an assistant in the reality series “Psychic Tia” on A&E.
Best left her small town of Goldsboro almost a year ago to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a singer and actor in New York City. But right away she learned things are a little different when you’re looking for opportunities in the Big Apple.
During her search for a day job to cover her expenses while auditioning for roles, she landed a position as an assistant to Tia Belle, a psychic medium prominently featured on the popular A&E series, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” As a result of her work there, Best is now co-starring in Belle’s new reality series “Psychic Tia” on A&E.
Working as a psychic’s assistant on a reality show was not anywhere in Best’s personal plans for the future. There probably aren’t too many professional psychic mediums or spiritual advisers in North Carolina, and there are probably even fewer people there who believe in their abilities.
Online psychic programs and other clairvoyant services tend to have a very exotic and cross-cultural image in general public, something that Best was just not used to in her small town. “She’s very different,” Best said referring to Belle. “Unlike anyone I was used to in North Carolina, that’s for sure.”
Best studied opera performance at Meredith College and the UNC School of the Arts high school program before moving to New York to audition for a career in Broadway.
“It is pretty funny though, because most of my friends are waitresses or nannies or they cater as their day job,” said Best. “And I’m like, ‘I work in a psychic shop, OK, cool.’ ”
Tia Belle owns a spiritual psychic store called The Craft in Totowa, New Jersey, where she sells sage, candles, healing jewelry, spells and bath salts. In the back, Belle also offers her clairvoyant services as a tarot card reader and psychic medium that can “crossover” and speaks to the deceased.
A&E first caught wind of the psychic through their reality series “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and decided to create a spinoff TV show revolving around her day-to-day business. The first season of the show is currently airing on Saturdays at 10 p.m.
Best’s responsibilities as a psychic assistant include scheduling Belle’s appointments with her clients, collecting account information and “saging” Belle’s store throughout the day, which requires burning a roll of sage and waving it around to get rid of bad spirits and negative thoughts.
“True skeptics are not going to change their minds, and you’re not going to be able to change their minds, so I don’t even waste time on that,” Best said of nonbelievers.
Best, who recently also recorded a country music album, was also once skeptical of “the outer realm” and all things New Age, but working with Belle has swayed her general opinions.
“The more that I watch Tia, and the more change that I see in her clients, from when they come in the door and when they leave, has made me believe that she does have some sort of gift,” she said.
“Now, do I understand exactly what her gift is and do I believe wholeheartedly that she can see the future and those kinds of things? Not necessarily yet, but I do believe that she definitely has a gift to talk to the deceased because her medium abilities are just amazing.”
I guess she doesn't realize there are psychics and mediums North Carolina including myself.
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