Editors note: Tasha Wilkie, a 19-year-old college student, is a major reality TV fan. So much so she has studied it in academic settings, traveled to charity events to meet cast members and even gathered autographed pictures to sell for diabetes-related charities. Wilkie was diagnosed with Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes in 1998. She organized a July 19 meet 'n' greet at two locations with cast members from Survivor, Big Brother, The Mole and The Amazing Race that our reporter attended. Visit Reality 4 Diabetes for more information on this remarkable person and her fundraisers.
Let me just start off by saying that while I don’t have scads of experience with the glitterati (unless you count hanging out with various punks in my misspent youth), reality show folks must be some of the nicest people around. Even the ones about whom we loved to make snide comments. That said, today’s drinking game is every time I report that someone is “SO NICE in person,” or that they’re the “SWEETEST thing,” in this piece, feel free to imbibe.
The day started out at Deer Park High School, and I have to say, never having done anything like this before, it was a bit surreal to walk onto a high school athletic field and suddenly be confronted by 70 or so people that you’re only used to seeing on the box at home. Bizarre, and funny. The regular folks played in mini-challenges with the reality people. I teased Joel Klug about trying to run down the nine year old girl in front of him in the basket catch (huge slingshot launcher as contestants try to catch the projectile-type game). He later joked back that he had taken it easier on her. I guess that competitive spirit is hard to shake.
But the real action was happening among the waterfight people and on the volleyball court. Lex, Rob Mariano, Rob DeCanio, and others were conducting ongoing water war maneuvers using balloons, buckets, supersoakers, and the hose itself. We’re talking about a bunch of overgrown kids here. The funniest was when they ganged up on Rob Cesternino while he was focused on the volleyball game he was playing. I was also accused of setting up Jake Billingsley and Ken Stafford when after we chatted for a while, I asked them to give me a nice shot, and then just as they posed for me, Lex and his band of merry pranksters came up over me from behind and got them. The picture I ended up with is moments after they were doused. Jake is the SWEETEST, a wonderful, real man. We had a nice chat about how he is, in my opinion, a stand-up guy the variety of which we need more in this country. Ken is SO NICE and very friendly, very approachable. Although I admit my mouth was a bit dry when I first started to chat him up. Frankly, he was even more attractive then I remember him as being on Thailand (which was pretty damn attractive).
On my way out, I saw Marcellas coming down from the stands, and by this time, having had nice chats with (among others) Sean Rector (still too funny), Rob DeCanio (the best), Brennan Swain (very nice of him to try to get us our own reality channel, don’t you think?), Andrew Hyde (the sweetest kid) and Ken (also too sweet) from TAR3, Elites’ very own intrepid reporter Joe (so very nice and Bill too, later) of Guido fame, and the wacky and great (and almost complete) cast of Mole2, I was feeling a bit bolder, so I shouted at him, “Marcellas, have you been hiding up there all this time?” And yes, I know that sentence runs long. He admitted he had. Within a few minutes, we were laughing and cracking up like old friends. Jason Guy came down and joined us and I admitted to him that I felt weird. We talked about the surreality of the Reality event, and I told him that I felt compelled to explain to everyone that I met, that I really wasn’t of the internet/stalker/freak variety (whatever you say, Mick) and that I felt pretty dorky asking for pictures, etc. Jason’s laughing response “Oh, no, you have to, I still ask a lot of them for their autographs. That’s why we’re here, we all like the attention.” Jason and Marcellas were both SO NICE and just the SWEETEST things.
The day was hot, which may have contributed to the urge to splash water on everyone in sight. By the time I made it to the second event, a signing session at Dave and Buster’s in my no A-C car, I was a mess. The signing session was fun, with more opportunities to chat with people, and take pictures. I had fun asking many of the BB2 and BB3 folks what they thought about the nookie in the house, and most of them seemed to find it scandalous that Dave and Amanda went for it after little more than a week. Sheryl was just as nice as we all remember. Nicole from BB2 especially wanted me to let ElitesTV know that she appreciates their brand of coverage. Good on ya, mates. I met Bill with Joe (Guidos) at the signing and they both send their best. The Mole cast was again hilarious and friendly, I love them all and can’t help wishing that ABC would realize what a terrible mistake they’ve made by not sticking with the show. Let’s all write ABC today and say that WE WANT OUR MOLE BACK. And forget Ahmad Rashad—I think they should replace Anderson Cooper with one of the former Mole cast—or maybe a rotation of them. Let’s face it, these are the smart kids of RealityTV, and I personally want to nominate Rob Nelson, Darwin Conner, Bribs Bribiesca, Al Spielman, and Myra Brown for the job.
The main event in a very long day was the silent and live auction at the Cincinnati Convention Center that evening. Unfortunately, the event was not as well attended as I thought it would be. I began to be afraid for Tasha, that she would not make enough money for Diabetes Action Research. I began to be afraid for the people auctioning their personal and valuable items, that they would not get as much as they were worth if there wasn’t enough money in the room (heaven knows I had stretched the week’s budget just to attend). Fortunately, the fans in attendance were serious fans. Nothing went for less than $100 that I recall, and most went for much more. My main man Lex’s cool batch of stuff, including the AirKenya blanket he nicked from the flight home, and which he described himself as being huddled in waiting outside the airplane WC the whole flight, went for close to $400. Way out of my league. The Big Brother gang pooled their stuff, which included the last of Marcella’s ducks from last year. When bidding was sluggish, Marcellas himself bid $300 as the duck was very special to him. In the end a fan won the lot, but Marcellas was at least pleased to have driven the bidding upwards. However, this tactic backfired when Rob Mariano ended up buying his own signed pictures. Ouch. The biggest fan/donor of the night, had to be ‘Beth,’ a mysterious Mole fan (are there any other kind?) who bid close to $600 for Bribs’ original Mole journal from the show, and later, $1,000 on a compendium scrapbook of all the people in attendance that two very crafty friends of Tasha, the organizer, had made. So, hopefully, Tasha’s cause made up at the auction what it didn’t get in ticket sales. And a good word is necessary for John Carroll, who, if I didn’t get to talk to him it’s only because he was so busy helping making sure the event ran as smoothly as possible, and it was obvious that with his own event just past in Omaha for Camp Kindle, he is the real philanthropist’s heart of the Survivor gang.
Now I have to take a moment and tell you about what was, for me, the highlight of the day. Those of you who’ve known me since early days of this reality surge know that there was one Survivor who I had always admired more than any other, who I defended to the death when people were being unkind and rushing to judgment, who I’d love to see a gig in a smoky club with (including our respective spouses, of course), who I just plain think is cool. Lex van den Berghe is the ultimate ambassador of Survivor. He is the master of fun, Loki the Norse god of mischief, the ringleader of what looks to be an ongoing traveling circus of post-Survivor and Reality TVers appearances. But he is also kind to the fans, a gentleman, with not a bad word to say about anyone. He also is obviously looking out for the other younger and perhaps less mature members of the caravan. Everyone looks up to him, fans and cohorts alike. He along with many others at the event are representing the genre with class.
Other anecdotes: I had Jan and Helen (Survivor Thailand) at my table and they are a hoot. They were holding up copies of that Playboy and hiding all but the ‘J_’ and He_’ on the cover headline with their hands and saying it should be them. It was cold in the oversized and underpopulated ballroom, all the women in their summer couture freezing, so Jan borrowed my Hawaiian shirt (everyone had gotten dressed up for the evening event—but I had just driven up that morning and never thought to bring a change of clothes—social faux-pas) and poor little Emily (she’s very petite and looks even younger in real life—I mistook her at first for Tasha or one of her friends!) from TAR2 wrapped herself in a tablecloth from one of the unused tablecloths from the back of the room. Aaron and Arianne are gorgeous, the best looking couple-who’s-not-a-couple there, and they’re really funny and nice. Eric Ouelette is extremely sweet and cute as ever. Chiara was pleasant and even poked fun at herself. Heather from Mole2 is the one who is responsible for Ryan’s even getting on The Bachelorette. A shout-out to Helen’s friend Danielle! Rob Mariano is a big sweetie. Oh, and Brennan wants to remind us all to write “I Want Reality Central!” on our cable bills every month. The Q and A sessions were lackluster, but a few gems came out. My favorite: when asked about ‘feelings’ in the house, Marcellas told a story of having a nocturnal emission dream while sleeping near Roddy (Marcellas told me I could print that story). Which brings me at last to the end, because what’s left are the stories I can’t or don’t think I should write. Not that there’s many, but a few. Ah well, I’ll put them away with my signed memorabilia, souvenirs of a great and enlightening day with the kind folks of Reality TV. Who are the SWEETEST, and SO NICE.
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