Unapologetically Driven: A Conversation With Sebastian Melrose

Photographer: Heegeun Dennis Lee

Stylist: Sean Azeez

In this digital frontier, influencers are no longer just creating content—they are cultural architects, industry disruptors, and the new face of brand power. Today, influence lives in the hands of creators who understand that the marketing game has been rewritten and are taking it by storm, one post at a time.

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This feeling is one that Bathgate’s quadruple threat, Sebastian Melrose, is in tune with. His latest venture, WhatsUp Vodka Iced Tea, in collaboration with fellow reality TV star, Casey O’Gorman, is a juxtaposition of an active lifestyle and social community that encapsulates two of his key passions: fun and fitness. “We were in Spain, getting drunk, having fun, but every single morning, we would wake up and do a 10km run no matter what state we were in, so we really want to challenge people to have a good time but also get active. Fitness can be enjoyable.”

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Early promotions for WhatsUp run and paddle clubs are beginning to surface across his combined Instagram and TikTok audience of over 800,000 followers. The venture is yet to officially launch; however, its digital footprint is already gaining traction. Seb is no stranger to the spotlight—his story starts on the track. At just 16, he launched into the world of racing, making an early mark with a top 20 finish at the renowned Formula Ford Festival. From there, his rise was anything but ordinary. Within four years, he was behind the wheel for BMW in Germany’s elite VLN series, and later, racing under the iconic Porsche badge. Naturally, I was curious to know what sparked his passion for racing in the first place. “Dario Franchitti, the motorsport legend, is my godfather, and at the time, he had just won the IndyCar Series. Watching him in his element, I knew it would be fantastic to learn the ropes and follow in his footsteps. Growing up, I went to Disneyland and thought I wanted to be an orca trainer until I realized you needed to be good at science, and I almost drowned, so yeah, that dream was short lived,” he laughs.

Eager to take his career to the next level, Sebastian decided to take a yearlong break to expand his profile and gain sponsors and opportunities. His search resulted in an unexpected invitation for a new show, Wild Love. “They sold it to me as, because you race cars, you’d be a great fit for the show. I thought it was a perfect concept.” Little did he know it was a dupe, and he would be joining a cast of nine sexy singletons for the fourth season of the Netflix reality favorite, Too Hot to Handle, a raunchy social experiment that rewards deeper connections while banning contestants from raunchy antics, with rule breaks resulting in large sums of cash being cut from the $200K prize fund. Once the ploy had been exposed, Seb described the feeling of comprehending what he had actually gotten himself into. “Everyone was at least 6 foot 5, built like a Spartan. And then there was me. A Scottish kid with a dad bod, 5 foot 10 on a good day, depending on the shoes, so I thought I might struggle here, but I knew I had the Scottish charm.”

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The 27-year-old cheeky heartthrob didn’t take long to win over the cast—or the spotlight. Armed with sharp wit and undeniable charm, he quickly earned a reputation as one of the priciest contestants of the series. With piercing blue eyes, a mischievous grin, and a baby face that masked his quick thinking, he carved out his role as the show’s dark horse—talking his way both into, and out of, trouble with effortless ease. “I was a very ugly kid, so television was not even on my radar, but because of how I looked, I had to be charming; it’s how I survived,” he laughs. Staying unapologetically true to himself proved to be Seb’s secret weapon. That unshakable authenticity carried him all the way to a runner-up finish, just behind castmates Jawahir Khalifa and Nick Kici. “It was all such a shock. I wasn’t expecting to do so well. I ended up getting the girl I wanted, but also the one everyone else wanted.”

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He speaks of a castmate and former relationship with Kayla Richart, a connection that blossomed from playful flirting on-screen into a two-and-a-half-year romance off-screen. The fan-favorite couple eventually parted ways last year, prompting a wave of speculation and swirling rumors. But what followed was far more intense than just tabloid chatter—public opinion shifted dramatically, and Seb suddenly found himself cast as the villain. “My whole career has been love, love, love. And for it to turn to all hate for something absolutely bonkers was pretty scary. That’s when I realized like, wow, you’re moments away from an eruption if you do something wrong. There are millions of eyes on you, just a scroll away.”

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I wanted to know how he sees the formative experience now and how it impacts him moving forward. “I used to care so much about what people thought about me because I wanted to remain loved. Be loved. But then I realized not everyone is going to love me, and that’s okay. It’s made me look at life a lot differently. I appreciate my family and friends a lot more, and I’m really focused on my personal growth.”

It was an unexpected chapter in the journey of the Scottish influencer—one marked not by fame or followers, but by faith. Guided by a spirit of openness and an unwaveringly positive outlook, Seb’s path of self-discovery took a profound turn last year when he reaffirmed his faith and embraced life as a born-again Christian. It was a monumental moment of clarity and conviction—one I was eager to explore further. “My friends invited me to this event called the Big Church Fest, and I felt quite awkward at first, like vulnerable, because it was very loud, passionate worship, and I’m from more of a traditional Catholic background. Everyone knew so many facts about the Bible, and I didn’t have a clue, and I thought maybe I’m not that Christian. At the end, I just felt this wave of love and happiness overcome me, and also a little bit of guilt. It all kind of hit me at once, an awakening, like I had just been saved, and it felt so liberating, felt on top of the world. And ever since then, my life’s completely changed.”

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Seb recalls those darker moments with light-hearted chuckles and a calm, steady tone—a contrast that gently masks just how difficult it must have been at the time. He credits his ability to stay grounded entirely to his faith and inner resilience. “My faith keeps me aligned, so nothing really affects me anymore. It’s all in God’s plan for me, so I’m much more chilled when challenges come. Even if it’s not perfect, it will work out.”

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After skyrocketing to celebrity status—and becoming the guy everyone loved to hate—the question naturally turned to what’s next. His answer was grounded, self-aware, and laser-focused. “I understand that any given time, the love can be ripped away from me again, so I am really dialed in with everything I want to achieve. I want to go back to my first love next year, racing, and merge it with influencing to show it from a different angle and take people on my adventures behind the scenes, but I am super grateful for everything influencing has brought me.”

If there’s one thing that stands out about Seb, it’s his unwavering determination to succeed, not just for success’s sake, but to build a legacy he can truly be proud of. “When I put my mind to something, I want to be the best. There’s no other option. I have to be the best. If I’m not winning Monopoly, the board’s getting broken—nobody’s playing,” he laughs. “That’s how I live my life. I always try to be the best at everything. I just want to be authentic, take care of the people I love, and be successful. I’m always up for a challenge, and somehow, one always seems to find me.” With equal parts humility, hustle, and heart, Seb’s next chapter is already writing itself, and the world will no doubt be watching.