Fifteen minutes of fame. This term has been used increasingly more due to videos, statuses, and photos going viral on social media. But, my story is a little different than the others, and it lasted a little longer than 15 minutes.
It all started on a normal Saturday morning when I was out shopping with my roommate and she received a call from her boyfriend. After minutes of "WTF"'s and "OMG"'s, she hung up the phone to inform me of the news: an offer to premiere on a reality television show the next morning. Of course, we thought it was a scam at first. Why would such a popular show randomly ask a few college kids to be their guests?
Well, we all realized it definitely was not a joke when we landed in New York early the next morning and were picked up by a foreign man in a highly expensive car with a classic case of New York road rage that I had only seen in the movies. In fact, the whole experience felt like something out of the movies; a free flight, classy hotel, limo service, five-star restaurants, stunning wardrobe choices, and of course, taping our episode in front of a large audience.
I'm not going to go into all the details of behind the scenes; partly because I signed a legal document saying I wouldn't expose any top-secret info, and partly because that isn't what I'm trying to accomplish here. Reality television is like "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." There are Oompa Loompas that do all the dirty work for Mr. Wonka and not everyone makes it through 'til the end. But, like Charlie, after it was all over, I was a changed person.
Time flies when you're having fun.
Our segment lasted about 15 minutes, but I swear it felt like 15 seconds. The producers prepared us well enough to know what to say in every different scenario and as soon as I entered the stage, the rest seemed like a blur. The adrenaline rush that came over me when the audience started chanting and applauding was something I could only dream of occurring before that day; but I loved every second of it.
Seeing yourself on television is way different than a Snapchat video.
I've been struggling with my weight ever since the Freshmen 15 hit me like a train and I could never seem to get my sorry butt back into the gym. If you've never experienced seeing yourself on a TV before, it's an awkward, creepy, down-right-weird type of reality check. Right after the show aired, I knew it was time to get back to the gym. I've been eating healthy and working out more often ever since.
It's funny how many people pretend to be your friend after you're given some TV time.
People I barely know, friends I hadn't talked to in months, peers that ignored me in the hallways; they all bombarded me with questions as soon as I returned back to school the next morning. At first I enjoyed all the attention; who wouldn't? But after repeating my story thousands of times, it got a little old and I actually felt like I could connect with the Kardashians in a way (another thing I never thought to be possible).
My unique experience opened my eyes to help me connect to others better.
I shared a dressing room with some interesting people for an entire day and we were all equally as nervous for our segments to be taped. But, while we were all sitting around and waiting, we shared stories and experiences that I would never dare tell a stranger before the fact. Being in such a special element really opens you up to new ideas and, for the first time in my life, I actually listened to what they had to tell me. I didn't judge or give my input, I just truly heard what they said and they did the same. I think, in a way, we all knew we would probably never see each other again. But on the other hand, we were all sharing this unique experience together so we deserved to know some things about how the other got here as well.
The secrets of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory can never be revealed because it would ruin the magic in it; there is a reason that it is such an iconic movie. Well, the same goes for reality television. My 15 minutes of fame is much different than others and I truly do believe I returned from New York with a different mindset. It isn't an experience that alters my life on a daily basis, but the people I met, the experiences I had, and the product that I helped to produce is so amazing that I do not regret it for one minute. I was given a golden ticket to reality television, explored the Chocolate Factory behind the cameras, and successfully emerged as a winner in my eyes.
