Despite the fact that he is one of the most regular faces on
MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules Challenge,” Theo Von
does not consider himself a celebrity.
“I always say I’m just the most popular person at
Burger King,” he said.
While he may only be almost famous, Von admits there are a few
perks to being recognized. “It makes it a lot easier to
hitchhike, you know,” he said. And somewhere between
hitchhiking and being that guy from TV at fast food chains, Von has
managed to extend his stay on reality television past the typical
15 minutes.
Von left his comfortable surroundings in Mandeville, Louisiana
to try out for “Road Rules Maximum Velocity” three
years ago, which led to three more seasons of Real World/Road Rules
Challenges. Von says his latest challenge, “Real World/Road
Rules Battle of the Sexes II,” is his last, as he hopes to
pursue other fields of entertainment.
Von is not alone in what seems like a growing trend of
reality-television contestants who stretch their television time
past a single season. Few people might still recognize stars of the
original “Survivor,” but Elisabeth Hasselbeck from
season two was able to stay familiar long enough to secure a
coveted host position on the ABC daytime talk show “The
View.”
“In the same way, Trishelle from the “˜Real World,
Las Vegas’ has been in some of MTV’s “˜Real
World/Road Rules Challenges’ and is now in VH1’s
“˜The Surreal Life.’ It seems like almost all of these
exchanges can take place as long as they are inside TV,” said
Gilberto Blasini, a film studies professor at the University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee who studies trends in reality television.
Blasini believes the transition for reality TV stars to mediums
other than television is a challenge, and he said that Jacinda
Barrett, from the “Real World, London,” is the only
reality television contestant to thrive in film. This discouraging
record did not hold back “American Idol” finalists
Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson from attempting a film musical,
“From Justin to Kelly,” which was a box-office
disaster.
The idea of reality television contestants trying to cross over
from one program category to another is nothing new, said John
Caldwell, a professor in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and
Television.
“One new factor may (be) the hunger to find and process
and package new stars. There now is simply so much programming real
estate to fill and on so many channels that traditional training,
in theater or music, is simply too slow,” Caldwell said in an
e-mail.
In addition to its ability to change ordinary people into
semi-stars, reality television has also started to change the way
producers select their actors.
“In some ways these reality shows are little more than
casting sessions or demo tapes for the long line of new talent
waiting to score any kind of notoriety in the media,”
Caldwell said. “Any screen time is quality screen time for
these folks and their producers.”
Von’s break into television has allowed him to create a
college stand-up comedy tour, secure an agent, and start a reality
television forum, realityspot.com.
“Some people definitely use reality TV as a springboard
for employment,” said Blasini. “Interestingly, and
obviously, the most attractive people seem to be the ones who have
success in finding employment or being recycled in other shows and
entertainment venues.”
Another reason reality television stars pursue other creative
outlets is that the format of completing outrageous missions
becomes mundane.
“This is one of the reasons I do not want to do (the
“˜Challenges’) any more,” Von said.
“It’s not something that is of my own creation, I was
chosen for it, and now I want to do something of my own.”
Von spent Thanksgiving in Louisiana with his family, finishing
up his application to UCLA. After attending six different schools
to “experience different kinds of homework,” Von hopes
to transfer in the fall, something he never imagined would happen
pre-“Road Rules.”
“(UCLA works) because I can be there to audition, and for
me, it’s like starting at a Louisiana school and ending at a
megalopolis of a college. It’s like starting at a homemade
ice cream parlor and finishing at Baskin Robbins,” he
said.
Viewers appear to agree with Von’s aspiration to try
something outside of reality. The success of new dramas like
“Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” suggests
shifting entertainment appetites in television audiences.
“Reality TV is still very much important but it might not
necessarily have the same strength it had during the past two
years,” Blasini said. “(Successful dramas) definitely
signal a desire for programming that deals with realism, but is not
reality TV.”
Still, it seems as long as there is an eager audience, and
contestants willing to swap spouses, survive in Vanuatu, and go
under the knife for the sake of a makeover, reality television will
still be the way for aspiring entertainers to get their first big
break.
Even with each show’s attempt to be more extreme than the
last, and contestants willing to give more of themselves, Von does
not think his experiences in the reality television world have been
close to reality at all.
“(MTV) put us in the nicest spots in the world,” Von
said. “That is not real for a lot of kids. They need to put
us in the real world, like “˜Road Rules Greyhound,’ or
“˜Real World Low Income Housing.’ Something that is
actually roughing it.”