MTV's "Siesta Key," Please Get Out Of My Town
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MTV's "Siesta Key," Please Get Out Of My Town

Sarasota is built around community, values, elegance, and culture. Not this.

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MTV's "Siesta Key," Please Get Out Of My Town
Herald-Tribune

Last week, MTV unveiled its newest chapter in the "beautiful people living on a beach" saga with the brand new "Siesta Key." Centered on the aforementioned island of Sarasota, Florida, "Siesta Key" tells the story of a group of 20-somethings facing the sun-soaked drama only hot, boring people seem to have.

Alex is just too hot to stay committed. Juliette thinks Brandon is "so hot but too hard to read." Kelsey's mother is dying. You know, typical 1% problems.

After a shockingly vague and secretive marketing campaign, "Siesta Key" has finally hit the airwaves...and I know at least a few 50,000+ people that aren't too pleased about it. The entire city of Sarasota, Florida--of which Siesta Key is a small portion of--has vocally expressed disapproval of their beautiful town forever now being associated with the tone MTV projects.

It's all this town has been talking about the past month and as a Sarasota native, former classmate/friend to some of the cast, and even Siesta Key beach-front resident for the briefest of moments, it's impossible to resist talking about it.

Let's dive in...

Leading our ensemble is Siesta Key's very own Jay Gatsby in the form of Alex. With a beach front mansion, stubble beard, and his own personal boat, the women of Siesta Key flock to him while the men of Siesta Key could only ever dream of inheriting such a life. Add in a quick wit and Casnovian charm with lines like "rainbows are awesome, but they aren't as pretty as you" and even I have the insatiable urge to rip off my panties.

Juliette is Alex’s girlfriend, at least according to her. It’s unclear if Alex feels the same way especially now since his high school sweetheart, Madisson, is back in town after graduating from school. Juliette's jealousy of Madisson quickly turns confrontational and Madisson's undying love for Alex puts herself in the middle of a love triangle that Alex doesn't seem to care about. Like at all.

Kelsey is the new girl in town who left her modeling career to come back home to take care of her dying mother. Alongside her is her boyfriend Garrett, a character I literally do not have a single thing to say about as the show has nothing for him to do at this point besides having "abs for days."

Chloe is crushing super hard on Brandon but Brandon only seems to be vying for Chloe's friend Amanda's affection.

The pilot episode concludes with all of these characters merging together at Alex's big pool party. To save you time, energy, and IQ points, the party basically goes down exactly how you might think it does: Everybody thinks new-girl Kelsey is hot. Chloe is hurt by Brandon's ignorance. Madisson can't stand the sight of Alex and Juliette. Juliette confronts Madisson. Blah blah blah.

The drama isn't interesting and the characters are far from endearing, but I suspect you already knew that. The leading problem found in "Siesta Key" is its bland portrayal of a classified paradise for the glamorous. The first bit of exposure to this idea is found within the series' opening lines,

"Welcome to Siesta Key, our secret paradise. The island is small but our crew is tight. The kids here are wild. There's a lot of money...and even more drama."

It is true that Siesta Key is primarily reserved for the more wealthy--and Alex throwing a pool party to uphold social status falls right in line with the Siesta Key elite--but there is a bit more to this paradise MTV is hoping flies under the radar.

Despite what MTV is claiming, Siesta Key--and all of Sarasota, Florida for that matter-- is not known as a raging party spot but a gorgeous town ever-so-slowly reaching capacity with families and the elderly.

Yes, there are some that do abide by this raging lifestyle, but what has me along with every other Sarasota citizen worried is this slanderous exaggeration of a city committed to culture, the arts, elegance, and family values.

In fact, "Siesta Key" opposes so much of everything the city stands for, the challenge to conceal any amount of anger towards it is a challenge I know most of Sarasota has found impossible to accomplish.

This is just a small portion of our annual "Embracing Our Differences" outdoor art exhibit. Beginning in the spring, located in the heart of Marina Jack, local schools come together to produce artwork centered around breaking the divide found in race and gender. 15 minutes away from Siesta Key, by the way.

Or how about when our downtown shuts down every Saturday morning to unleash the end-all-be-all of farmer's markets? Less than 20 minutes away from Siesta Key.

Or how about the Siesta Key Kids Fun Run that occurs literally in the exact spot where this series takes place? Spend just one day here and it becomes abundantly clear that this glamorous life of sex and partying is not what this city is about.

Sarasota is built around community, values, elegance, and culture. MTV falsely painting a picture of this city is something I fear not too many people outside of Sarasota realize.

In microscopic defense of the series, there is a percentage of the population that does behave the way MTV would like you to believe. Having the best beaches anywhere in the world just ten minutes from your house brings a certain party environment that does exist if you know where to look. I've attended beach-front mansion parties like Alex's in the past.

I've also had to endure the boring, snobbish chatter at a debutante ball. I was even a member of the elegant Ritz Carlton Beach Club growing up. And must I recapitulate that I literally went to high school with and know members of this cast? If you know the right people, Sarasota/Siesta Key can absolutely be the premiere paradise for wealthy partying and general debauchery.

But again, this must be reiterated, the ratio of average people to whatever "Siesta Key" claims is devastatingly outnumbered. Ask any young person how to party here and the answer is immediate,

"Get in the car and drive somewhere else."

Fresh out of high school, I immediately left Sarasota to pursue my life elsewhere. In classic teen angst tradition, I needed to discover who I was meant to be without my "lame" hometown dragging me down. I found myself in the clutches of that self-discovery in Orlando where I furthered my education, career, and social circle. Over the years, Orlando became my home and Sarasota became a distant memory.

So why then am I so furious about "Siesta Key" potentially damaging the image of Sarasota that its residents have fought so hard to uphold?

The residents of Sarasota are proud to call this town their own. Twenty minutes in every general direction feature one of the world's greatest beaches. Fifteen minutes from that lies worldwide historical significance found in its renown culture.

Five minutes from that houses one of the most respected arts communities found anywhere in the world. Breathtaking sunsets stretch the skies overhead, nightly, while the Ringling Bridge offers a sight of the city that must be seen to be believed.

All of this enchanting beauty is found right in their own backyards...and it took this trashy, despicable show for me to realize that.

While I still harbor a bit of resentment towards the city's lack of young adult nightlife, now more than ever do I appreciate the culture and beauty my hometown effortlessly boasts. To enter Sarasota, Florida is to be lost in a community-driven paradise that so many of its people operate daily to preserve. We, Sarasotans are a proud people, and to see this series exploit the inner and outer beauty is simply unacceptable.

We become irrationally frustrated every year when out-of-town northerners unknowingly clog up traffic, wreak havoc on our beaches, and infest our favorite restaurants. Just imagine how much worse this will be when outsiders intentionally travel to this fictional vacation hot-spot MTV is promising to the masses.

P.S. I went to high school with some of the cast, while having mutual friends with the others I haven't met. It is highly probable this article actually makes its way to some of the cast members on this show. If you are reading this, Alex, Juliette, Madisson, Kelsey, Chloe, Brandon, Garrett, and others I forgot to mention, this is not a slam on you as people, rather the show you belong to. We're cool.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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