Hundreds of students flocked to the Michigan Union yesterday hoping to catch a glimpse of reality TV star Trishelle from the 12th season of “The Real World,” who signed autographs and took pictures with fans as a promotion for travel company, STA. Before being swarmed, Trishelle spoke with The Michigan Daily about life inside the MTV fishbowl.
The Michigan Daily: What have you been doing since the show ended?
Trishelle: A lot of us travel and do college tours. Frank just got a small part in “American Pie 3.” Some of us are trying to go into acting.
TMD: What are your future plans?
Trishelle: I would like to do broadcasting. I would also like to host my own show on MTV. I’m going to be in Cancun hosting for Maxim and hopefully hosting for MTV “Spring Break”.
TMD: Well, what did happen in Australia?
Trishelle: Frank and me obviously got closer. Elton probably had a threesome, at least he told Steven he did. But he’s with Irulan so we won’t really talk about that.
TMD: Do you think Steven overreacted when Brynn threw a fork at him?
Trishelle: No, I don’t think he overreacted. They didn’t catch a lot of it on camera. I wanted her gone, a lot of people did, but they weren’t going to let her go.
TMD: How do you think the show portrayed you, and do you think this portrayal was correct or incorrect?
Trishelle: If you watched the show from the beginning, they showed me with Frank, and then with Steven. That really was not how it was. I didn’t know how Frank felt about me until after the episode aired. They also showed me and Steven hooking up the first night; it wasn’t like that – it was, like, three weeks later.
TMD: Do you think the show portrayed any other cast member incorrectly?
Trishelle: Yeah, they showed Brynn like a crazy psycho person, Steven like the slut and Frank like a goody two shoes. Frank is not a good boy; he gets more game than any guy I’ve probably ever met. Steven? He slept with two people in Vegas, less than any of the other guys. Irulan? She’s not a crazy person either. Irulan is a really good person, and Brynn’s not crazy; she’s not like that. They probably showed me, Irulan and Steven as the worst cast members. They tape us for five months, and use less than a day of footage; of course they’re not going to show every good moment that we have.
TMD: Do you feel that this season contains more sexuality than previous seasons?
Trishelle: Of course. I think our cast was different than others. They’re way more good looking and open and we got along better as a cast and I think this might have added to our attraction to one another.
TMD: Is there anything you regret having done on national television?
Trishelle: No.
TMD: Were any of your family members disappointed by what they saw?
Trishelle: My dad didn’t speak to me for about a week after the third episode. He quit watching the show, though, and our relationship is a lot better now.
TMD: How do you feel about being portrayed as having had an eating disorder?
Trishelle: I totally did, but I think a lot of it had to do with the stress of cameras. I think every single girl in the cast had an eating disorder at one point. All of us were throwing up; all of us didn’t eat as much as we should have.
TMD: Whom do you keep in touch with out of the cast?
Trishelle: Everyone. Irulan and Elton live across the street, and Frank lives five minutes away. Brynn is engaged to Austin and has moved back to Portland. Arissa is engaged and lives in Vegas. I talk to Frank and Steven the most – at least three or four times a day.
TMD: Was the show everything you expected it to be and what do you think you’re walking away with?
Trishelle: Honestly, I had no expectations. I learned a lot about myself, and I met the best friends I’ve ever made in my life.