Issue date: 4/4/07 Section: Aggielife

Ivan Flores - THE BATTALION

Katy O'Leary just found out one of her fellow cheerleaders decided not to show up to the basketball game. But as captain, she would get it straightened out - a few phone calls, a little drama here and there, and then it will all be resolved. No big deal -except that everyone with cable TV could watch her do it.

Survivors, Big Brothers, American Idols - and who could forget those people who live in the Real World - have made reality TV one of the nation's largest pop culture crazes over the past decade, and a few Texas A&M students have gotten their own taste of the reality TV world.

Brad Honer - THE BATTALION Jason Castro, a sophomore landscape architecture major, appeared on the MTV reality show 'Cheyenne,' a series chronicling the rise of pop star Cheyenne Kimball.

O'Leary, a freshman communication major, experienced one side of the reality TV spectrum trying out with her cheerleading squad for a spot on the The Learning Channel's original series "Texas Cheer Moms."

"Basically we tried out against a bunch of other squads," O'Leary said. "Our coach who is really involved with cheerleading stuff [got us to do it]. So we tried out against others and made a video and then got picked for it."

For O'Leary, the hard part was the waiting. Knowing the amount of footage shot, and the power of digital media, it was hard to know what she would see as the final cut.

"It was weird before it all came out. I was worried about what it was going to be," O'Leary said. "I worried about how they were going to portray me and how it was going to all go over. But it was nice to have all those moments that we had shared in high school on TV for later on down the road. It was really nerve-wracking for a lot of people to have to have their life played out all over again. But it turned out all for the better in the end."

On the other side of the spectrum is Jason Castro, a sophomore landscape architecture major, who seemed to get thrust in the spotlight by everyone else when he appeared as singer Cheyenne (Kimball)'s love interest on her reality show of the same name.

"The first time I met Cheyenne, it was actually in front of cameras," Castro said. "I was in a band that shared a manager with her, and they started talking about her show and how they had an episode for her birthday and they wanted us to play there to get some publicity and so that's where we met for the first time ever, two years ago."

Castro said he and Cheyenne's relationship began to grow as the show progressed.

"I didn't talk to her for a few months then she sort of grew a liking toward me and the show started recording a lot more," Castro said. "Once the show started recording we were kind of talking. I actually didn't even know her that well at first. We'd talked on the phone a bit, but we hadn't really hung out. She was always gone, but when she came in town she'd always be with cameras."

The persistent presence of the cameras made it difficult to develop a friendship, Castro said.

"It was a little weird because I didn't see her but for two or three days and it was all half in front of the camera and just a little time [for us]," he said. "And the cameras were always first. So it was like 'I haven't seen you in awhile, glad you're back, oh…there's cameras.'"

However, Castro was flown to Los Angeles a few times after Cheyenne's family relocated there in order to expand her career. He also appeared in Cheyenne's first music video, "Hangin' On."

For both students, being recognized by strangers was the most unusual part of their experiences.

"Well I mean, I'm kind of recognizable I guess, but people would be like, 'Hey are you on that show?' Or even sometimes people would be like, 'Hey do I know you? I swear I recognize you.'" Castro said. "And I (wouldn't) tell them unless they asked. I've even been asked to sign a few autographs and to take some pictures. It's awkward because it's not like I really did anything."

For O'Leary, recognition was something she didn't think would be an issue.

"It was actually really weird," she said. "I sat down in my health class, and there were these people who were like, 'Oh my gosh, were you on that cheer show?' I didn't think people would think it's a big deal but random people would definitely notice [me]."

Leroy Dorsey, a communication and popular culture professor, said reality television is successful because of the positive feelings production team and the viewers emit.

"For the people who watch reality TV, part of it is a feeling of empowerment in that you are watching people do fairly ridiculous things or fairly intimate things and you are in a position of 'big brother' in that you survey them," he said. "As far as the producers go, it costs a lot less because you don't need paid actors or a script. So it's a good genre for the people who make them and the people who watch them."

People want to have their 15 minutes of fame, and that entices them to have their every move documented, Dorsey said.

"I guess that's a fairly true cliché, that a person has an opportunity to do," he said. "Depending on the show, maybe you're on the show because you think you have a problem, and you believe that in talking about your problem you can help other people. That's sort of the selfless reason why you would do it. The other reason why you might do it would be not necessarily to get famous from being on the show but to open doors for you to get famous in some other medium."

For Castro, whether on purpose or not, the latter seemed to apply, as he met managers and record executives while opening shows for Cheyenne. Currently taking a break to focus on school, he plans to pursue a career in music after college.

But Dorsey said if you're looking for the opportunity to open some doors by starring in your own reality TV show, act fast because this genre may be nearing its end soon.

"Reality TV is a genre like cop shows were a genre in the 1980s, sitcoms in the 1970s and 1990s, and it will eclipse," Dorsey said. "I'd say within the next three to four years. I think they've run their course. So they will run their course just like all the other genres [did]."

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