Brianna LaPaglia wants to date a New England Patriot, like Cardi B
Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia chats with USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa about the New England Patriots and wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ partner Cardi B.
NEW YORK – Taylor Swift, Cardi B . . . and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia? The Barstool Sports personality, who just completed a run on the Fox reality competition “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” is single and ready to mingle. Specifically, she’s ready to date a football player and join the WAGs — wives and girlfriends of professional athletes like Swift (engaged to the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce) and Cardi (who just welcomed a son with the Patriots’ Stefon Diggs).
“Hopefully I’ll get to a (New England) Patriots game and maybe we could be ‘WAGs’ together one day,” Boston native LaPaglia, 26, tells USA TODAY of a potential meetup with Cardi B.
“(WAGs) are having so much fun and you get to be in the (luxury) box with everyone,” muses LaPaglia of WAG perks enjoyed by Swift and Cardi. “There’s free drinks and you’re like, ‘Go sports.’ That’s fun.”
Sure, you’re also thrust into the spotlight of dating an athlete who competes in America’s most popular sport, but a famous boyfriend and resulting scrutiny are nothing new to LaPaglia. She made headlines on her BFFs podcast in 2024 when she alleged that her ex-boyfriend, country star Zach Bryan, offered her $12 million to sign an NDA about their relationship. LaPaglia also accused him of emotional abuse.
Bryan, 29, has never publicly addressed LaPaglia’s allegations. On Nov. 18, the singer posted a candid essay on his Instagram regarding his mental health struggles and said that he has been sober for two months. LaPaglia, who spoke with USA TODAY prior to Bryan’s essay, says that she wasn’t surprised the NDA was a topic on camera during her stint on “Special Forces,” but was taken aback by how much it was highlighted.
“That’s reality TV and that’s what people want to hear about,” she says. “Also that story is what touches people and what makes me relatable or someone to look up to. So I don’t get mad when it’s brought up, but I’m definitely moving forward and getting past it. And I think ‘Special Forces’ was me closing that chapter.”
LaPaglia, who didn’t train for the competition which puts celebrities through military-style physical tests, survived on the show until the finale. Olympian Shawn Johnson East and Gia Giudice, the daughter of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Guidice, emerged as the ultimate victors after the last challenge. Teresa also competed on the show but quit early on because she couldn’t bring herself to watch Gia, 24, fight combat style during the show.
“I think Gia and I were the most physically out of shape going into this,” LaPaglia recalls, noting that the two eventually formed a tight bond. “(Gia) works out, but she wasn’t running. So we were in the back a lot and we were pushing each other to stay.”
While the show didn’t inspire LaPaglia to embark on a fitness journey, it did pique her interest in future reality TV gigs.
“It was really fun to make connections and for the viewers to be able to see it,” she says, noting that she also became close with Johnson East and her husband, Andrew. “I don’t ever wanna be tortured again. But it did open up the doors for me to wanna do more reality TV and get more involved in these worlds. We’re in the talks and it’s not the last time you’re going to see me.”