'Siesta Key': Madisson Hausburg On Dating Producer Boyfriend Ish
Siesta Key surprised basically everyone when Madisson Hausburg revealed she was dating Ismael "Ish" Soto, who is not only more than 20 years older than her -- but also the show's former producer.
On Tuesday night's episode, things get even more explosive as Madisson introduces Ish to her dad, who makes it clear to the pair he 100% does NOT approve of their relationship.
"Is he a father figure to you?" Madisson's dad asks her during the episode before really throwing stones. "I think [the relationship] is a mistake, he's too old. This guy is going to be an old man when you're 39 years old. My hope would be that you would keep an open mind."
Now, Madisson is getting candid with ET about Ish, even going so far as to say an engagement is on her mind -- with or without her father's blessing. And she says having cameras rolling as her dad met Ish was certainly not easy.
"That was really hard, you know, it's obviously a hard conversation to have anyways, and I have to give the show credit and production credit that it was all caught very organically on camera and I have to give Ish props for coming into this situation because he easily could have said no... I have agreed to do this on camera and I have agreed to be truthful about my life and he wants to be with me and so he said, 'All right, if, whatever you want to do, I'm all in,'" Madisson shared when she came to ET's offices.
And though that scene was filmed months ago, she admits her dad still hasn't totally come around.
"He is coming around slowly but I think I need to give him more time than I was initially wanting to," she says. "Obviously, I want my dad to approve and want him to welcome my relationship with open arms and I didn't get that and I am still working on it, but I am learning that I need to also give him some space and time with that and I can't just expect him to come around right away.... but hopefully, it's working in that direction where we are making progress. Maybe I am being naive and hopeful."
Even though the public only learned about the relationship during Siesta Key's premiere, the 25-year-old says her romance with the 46-year-old has been going strong for about a year now and they are absolutely thinking about the future.
"Now [our conversations are] a lot of family, like, where are we going to live, the big questions. It's like if we are going to talk about those things, no better time than now, and if that's not in the cards for us, then I think it needs to end sooner rather than later," she explains, also noting that they "absolutely" talk about engagement.
"You won't see that on the show yet.... but yeah, that has to be in the cards at some point," she adds before saying it could "maybe" happen in 2020. "He's a good guy, he makes me happy."
Over the course of the past two seasons of Siesta Key, we've seen Madisson in two other major relationships: one with co-star Brandon and one with a guy she brought onto the show because of their relationship, Ben. But her bond with Ish beats them both.
"This one feels a lot more mature and there's probably a reason -- because he is 46 years old, but it feels like solid," she explains. "Obviously, he knows what he wants and I feel very confident in what I want and I know I'm still young and I will grow but I want to grow with Ish and he wants that too."
Of course, some fans were hoping Madisson would get back together with Brandon, who famously cheated on her during the series. It's something Madisson said she really did consider before she pursued Ish.
"So, we did consider it legitimately," she confirms. "I don't know that I gave it the full amount of effort that he did, I think he really did want to get back together and I was like, 'Yeah,' because I needed closure and I don't think it was going to work out at all."
The reality star notes her friendship with Brandon is going strong these days though and he's now back together with his ex-girlfriend, Camilla.
"We're good, I will always respect Brandon and I think he would say the same about me," she says. "We actually watched this premiere together and him and Ish were side-by-side taking shots together, so, progress."
As for what's to come on Siesta Key, we're going to see a whole lot more of Ish, including something Madisson hopes doesn't create "waves" in their current relationship.
And if you're wondering why Madisson claimed she was "late" in the extended promo for the season, well, that's going to be a big storyline too.
"There is a scare," she confirms. "I won't tell you what exactly happened or what the outcome was but yes, yeah, it was intense... it's going to be hard [to rewatch] for sure, it's definitely one of the more emotional things I went through on the show this season, rewatching that, in some ways, it might be therapeutic."
To watch our whole chat with Madisson, which includes her talking about why she once almost broke up with Ish, check out the full interview above.
Siesta Key airs Tuesday nights on MTV.
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