AE: What did you think of
Niki [Taylor] and Tyson [Beckford]? What were they like off camera?
BD: We don't really know.
RK: We weren't really allowed to
spend time with the panel outside of being on camera, so we just saw what you
guys saw, pretty much.
AE: At the reunion, it
seemed as if there was some tension between Niki and Tyson. Was that just my
imagination?
RK: [laughs]
BD: I think there might have been a
little bit there. It was a mixture of them always going against each other
on panel for the last three months and then probably just wanting to be done
with it, the same as us.
RK: That and panel does have its favorites, you know? It was obvious that
Tyson really cared and looked after Perry. I'm sure that personal favorites
came into play, and they had a difference of opinion that definitely came out.
AE: So you guys did feel that there was definitely some favoritism
going on?
BD: Yeah.
RK: Yeah, it was pretty blatant.
BD: You could tell which ones didn't
like you, which always sucked.
RK: And it changed from week to
week, too, as we improved. At the beginning of the show, I was told that when
the panel saw the pictures of the contestants they were like, "Hell no!
There's nothing we can do for these kids." Towards the end of the show,
they definitely changed their outlook, and when we went to the Matthew Rolston gallery opening for our last photo
shoot, they came up to each and every one of us and just said, "You guys
all really deserve to be here and it's been amazing to go on this journey with
you," so they really did appreciate the growth that we all made and the
progress that we made.
AE: Who do you think was
sent home too early?
RK: I think Aryn was definitely sent
home too early. I think she could have gone a lot farther and had a lot of
potential to grow. America
sent her home too early.
BD: I agree with that. I also think Sarah shouldn't have gone home the very
first week.
AE: Did Holly deserve to win?
BD: That's a little bit of a loaded
question, there, isn’t it? [laughs] I felt as though she had a lot of passion
for it, but she was not what I would define as a supermodel. I think any of the
three guys would have had a jump on her as far as being a supermodel and being
able to do certain things. But she won it, so I really can't say anything about
her because America
thought she deserved to win and that's what counts.
AE: So what's next for you guys? Are you going to keep pursuing
modeling?
BD: Definitely. My plans are to go back to Tennessee, try to sell my house, then we're
moving out here. Meanwhile, before all that happens, come up here and look for
places, look for work, look for an agency, stuff like that. Yeah, I'm hitting
it full force.
AE: Ronnie, what about you? Are you going to keep pursuing modeling?
RK: Absolutely! I've pursued it this far and it's an incredible industry
that provides so many different opportunities for me. I wouldn't give it up for
anything. I love the spontaneity of it. Initially, I was going to jump right
into moving to New York, but I need to think
about that, because I think my look is definitely better suited to catalog and
maybe a little editorial, so Miami is a great
place for that. L.A, and Chicago have a great catalog industry as well.
There's a lot of money to be made, and a lot of experience to be gained there.
So I have a lot of thinking to do.
AE: Ronnie, do you still have political aspirations?
RK: I do. I think that's down the road. I need to finish my Bachelor’s
degree and take it from there. I've worked on some campaigns. I worked for the
attorney general back home in Illinois
and I've done a lot of that stuff. I want to get involved in legislation. I'm
intrigued by how all that works, crafting legislation and protecting rights, so
I want to learn more about that.
AE: Do you foresee the two
of you staying close outside the show?
Both: Definitely.
BD: I mean, we've been through things nobody can understand besides ourselves,
through the show and what we've been through. We were there with each other
every day, so we're really the only ones who understand each other and what
we've been through. We can tell anybody else what happened and they won't
understand because they didn't go through it. We've all been through the
gauntlet together and we all came out. It's definitely a lifelong friendship
that's been formed.
Great job Josh!!
I have to watch that reunion special again if it re-airs as I did not see any tension with the exception of both Nikki and Tyler being very candid in what seemed to be endearing 1st season responses. In fact I was telling a friend last night that we should enjoy Nikki and Tyler now as something seems to change with almost any of us who experience anything in such a public way.
But back to the favorites thing.... How interesting that both Ronnie and Ben responded that they don't know what the hosts are like as Tyson, unless I am mistaken, made it seem that he had been available for consults and only Perry took advantage of it. Maybe Ronnie and Ben really did keep to themselves.
Again great interview! Ronnie is so much more media "ready" than Ben as for better or worse Ben answered all the questions even those that had the potential to make him sound a little bitter: Holly not being supermodel material? Assuming that any one in the house did, I'd put my money on her over Ben. She rocked. He may have seen her through the eyes of an annoyed sibling who had to HEAR her voice all day and there is something that I like about someone who speaks his mind, even when foot is fully inserted in mouth.
While the show seemed to lag towards the end, this show to me was so much more entertaining than it had a right to, and introduced the US to a gay contestant who was chosen for more than his witty repartee or personality disorder that seems to ail so many who want to be on TV. Bravo in turn wound up getting a little more than I think that would have dreamed of. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=518130334
Great Interview!!
Thanks for the insight into these boy's lives on the show. one point. when asked about a possible romance, Ben said no ,awkwarsly not once but 4 times. Hmmmm. Guilty concience?
Dennis
God bless Bronnie AND Ben's wife
I thought it was magnificent when Ben's wife saw the "Bronnie" shirt and said "I want one!!" Of course there could be no romance between Ben and Ronnie, but it was still lovely of her to applaud the fact of their friendship. And it was lovely the way she wanted to be a part of Ben's new experiences working as a model. That gal has a big heart and a beautiful soul, and Ben is lucky to have her in his life.
And Ronnie, what a great guy. Bless you Ronnie for representing us so well!
I'll miss these two.
This show was so much fun to watch.
I have to give you credit for a great interview. Bravo was too busy stirring up controversy to give these guys a chance to address their sensationalized "bromance". You let us hear what the cameras didn't.
I do have a problem however. Even this interview plays up the "romance" of Ben and Ronnie's friendship. What is this fascination that gay men seem to have with straight men? I guarantee you that if Ben were an out gay man, their close companionship would barely be noticed. Why are we so hasty to see something more than two people bonding during a trying experience? I personally think it's because most of the gay guys out there think Ben is hot. (me included) However, life isn't a fantasy story from a porn magazine. It's no wonder so many straight men don't have a ton of gay friends. Whenever they hang out with us, no matter how platonically, we make huge assumptions about their "true" intentions.
Sorry, but I've been thinking about this since it first came up on "Supermodel" and it really does bug me. I have a ton of straight guy friends, and rumors start easily. I couldn't tell you the number of times I've gone out with a coworker for a drink after work, and come in the next day to hear people talk about how we're screwing. This whole scenario is annoying to me, and in the long run we're just making our circle of friends dwindle.
Maybe I'm being over-critical, but I just wanted to get my opinion on this out there.
Thanks,
Jason
Beg to differ...
"I guarantee you that if Ben were an out gay man, their close companionship would barely be noticed."
Are you kidding? Did you not notice the hype and anticipation that preceeded the premiere of this season's 'Big Brother'?
You have some good points with regard "bromance" and ....
You said that you enjoyed watching the show, yet seemed to have an issue with the presentation of friendship between a gay man and a self-described straight man refered to as a "bromance." Had Ronnie not developed a crush on Ben maybe we could better tackle the appropriateness of the term, but Ronnie did have a crush on Ben and admitted to wanting to act out on it. I think that the show and people loved to see that a crush turned into a friendship and that both were open-minded enough to work with and through that crush. If Ronnie had not developed a crush on Ben had they been on neutral attraction ground that would be another story as would Ben giving in to a temptation that had never been so in his face. Not impossible to imagine.
I think that if Ronnie had not been the only gay man in the show and he would have developed a friendship or gotten closer gay man, Bravo would have been all over that and simply called at a "showmance." I would have had problems with it being called a "gay showmance." Unfortunately, it's rare to see that on TV as there is usually just a token gay guy in shows that have a strong element of hanging out around the house. BB9 would have provided an interesting opportunity to see simply to see what could happen with two gay men in a cage of crazed debauchery. I think that it would have been exploited but just like it exploited its mostly straight (that we know of) guests.
One thing that you said left me thinking about is a subject that I am seeing more and more on this site: A seemigly straight perspective. Instead of making gay men the possible guilty parties for why straight men don't have more gay friends, why present it from their perspective. If you were a straight guy and went out with an attractive girl for a drink, people would also make the assumption that you were having sex with her. It's a human thing. I think that the problem lies with people generally thinking that all men, especially gay men, are dogs looking for sex anywhere they can get it, so no matter who they hang out with, maybe even the mousiest girl at work, he'll get accused of at least trying to do her and people, especially women will think that she put out. The problem lies with society, and of course does not exclude gays and lesbians.
I can inderstand male discomfort among other men as I spent 25 years staying away from males (except in sports) due to my discomfort. Interestingly enough my first ever experience with a man was with an alleged straight coworker who pursued me for months. I finally gave in and he turned out to be a mess as he was closeted, presented himself as this total ladies man, and I had no clue about people's definitions of their sexuality.
I think that straight guys need to get over themselves (if they feel like it) and experience friendships with as many different people as they can. If married, you won't see their wives supporting any male-female friendships. If single and attractive, and truly 100% straight, they can more than handle any crush that MAY arise. Gay men MAY want to reconsider being so forthright about crushes on other males and hopefully they will pass. But I hate to see the idea floating that gay guys are so much more turned on by their fantasies then straight men that they are willing to pursue them.
For every gay man fantasizing about their straight UPS man, there is a straight man fantasizing about some high school cheeerleader. The beauty is that the true and tried straight man has full control in both and should be man enough to be honest, use caution, not tease, and learn to be friends. We men are odd creatures and straight men are so much more odd as it's been documented that they don't know how to make friends period when compared to women and gay men. If they can't even reach out to their own, I am not going to blame the gays for their weirdness with their own discomfort with men irrespective of their sexual orientation.
I think that we will see this "bromance" being used to describe any close relationship with two men and I am not yet sure about how I feel about that. One could argue that it may encourage more of them and males will begin to reach out to one another or whether it will be a way to perpetuate it's "uniqueness" and possibly exploit it for sensionalism to the point that it will become annoying to all.
It was great reading about your take on this.
Coming attractions: Guillermo's Cultural Guillotine
http://springintoaction.typepad.com/cultural_guillotine/
<sorry...
I don't watch big brother. I usually don't get too caught up in "reality" TV. I only watch the shows with (A.) a glamour factor, (B.) some type of relatability to actual humans, or (C.) that rerun on Bravo five bazillion times a day... forever...
So to answer your question, no, I didn't notice that particular hype and/or anticipation. My point had nothing to do with gay relationships as portrayed by major media. I simply wanted to say that I have a problem with people who sensationalize gay/straight friendships in order to turn a few heads. "Never-mind the pain or embarassment it may cause, those Project Runway fans'll tune in for this bulls#!t."
I know she smiled pretty for the cameras, but, how do you think Ben's wife really felt when Tyson asked Ronnie about his in-house crush? I bet Ben's co-workers at the prison were really supportive too. I'm sure no one ever made a joke at his expense after that.
Sorry, but I'm standing firm, If we keep scarin' 'em off, we'll have no one to blow when we're drunk, or when they're drunk... whatever happens first... whatever...
j.p.
I meant the hype and anticipation from this blog...
...not from the show. I can't speak to that as I don't watch it either.
My point was that if you had read any Big Brother posts up until the moment that one of the gay guys left the show, you'd have seen that AE doesn't seem to have any more preference over the gay/straight 'bromance' on MMAS than it would have with the gay/gay romance had that one panned out on BB.
About Ben
I enjoyed the interview and was impressed by how articulate Ben is.
I hope we see a lot more of him in the future.
Good luck to both of you.
You know, I talk outta my ass sometimes....
I'm brand new to after elton, and haven't read as much as I maybe should have regarding their reality TV coverage. I know I sound pissy and defensive as well. I hope that my honest take on this issue won't make you think of me as some sort of reactionist queer. I value and appreciate hearing my peers's opinions on current culture, and respect every angle and viewpoint I hear. Thank you both for helping me see different sides, and keeping this discussion alive.
love talkin with ya, jay