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RRC: Will the recipes that you use on Ten Minute Meals always use fresh ingredients, or will you sometimes incorporate canned or processed food ingredients as a shortcut?

Mellisa: I definitely don’t want to give you a quote that says, “I will never use a processed ingredient,” That being said, my own personal preference is that I love cooking with fresh foods. In fact, I think that using fresh foods is a great money-saving technique. I love to let the produce department tell me what’s in season. When the produce department has something on sale it is telling you what is in season, because it’s an overstock. But remember, but remember the supplier is Mother Nature. So when Mother Nature has an overstock, it usually means it’s on sale because it’s in season, and that’s the best food anyway. I’m very fresh-food focused, and that’s how I love to go and shop. In my opinion, you don’t break the budget in the produce department. I love using fresh ingredients and I think that you’ll see that in my food. Am I somebody who’s never opened up a can of food? Absolutely not. We’ve all had the days where we’ve had to just get through the day. Will that every make it to my show? For the right episode, the right show, the right reason? Absolutely. But I would say that I’m more alligned with fresh ingredients because it tatses better, it’s nutritious, and in the context of Ten Minutes Dinners you will be amazed at the great, interesting ingredients that are out there that won’t break the bank.

RRC: In either the final episode or the one before that you were asked my one of the judges why you think you should be The Next Food Network Star, and you said that you felt that there was a market for you. In watching you each week, I always thought that your style was very marketable. With that in mind, do you have vision for yourself in the future?

Melissa: My husband and I have a vision for our family, and we do have a set of values and goals that we want to acheive as a family. And we do have a vision and a mission that we use as a guiding principle. In terms of my personal mission, I really want to encourage people along to what every the road is to success. That’s what I want to do in this world, and in this life. And so, being The Next Food Network Star was the next step in expanding the scope of that personal mission. What that’s going to look like in Five years, I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this; if I take that one little mission and apply to more and more people, then that’s what I want to do over the next five years. So, I see myself doing the same thing I’m doing today with the same values, but on a bigger scale.

RRC: Would you ever considering doing a show or an episode where you cook with your girls?

Melissa: (laughs) It would have to be a really long cooking show. “Melissa cooks meatloaf in just two short hours!” For me, if I couldn’t open up who I am, then being on The Food Network wouldn’t be a good fit for me because food is so part of who I am. Sharing who I am is very natural to me and it’s part of my life’s mission, and part of what makes sense for me. The balance is that some parts of my life I want to keep private, and I want to protect my kids and not expose them too much. Would I ever consider it in the right scenario, and the right environment? Yeah, I would consider it, but it’s not where my mind first goes. Maybe a cooking special with them.

You know, last night we had a party and fans were there, and we were signing autographs, and it was so much fun. It was so neat to share that experience with everybody else. By 8:30 we were home, and the kids were asking for their Cinderella toothbrush, and it was like nothing had anything to do with The Next Food Network Star. I want to preserve that. That’s more important to me than any job out there. This show is pretty important to me, but my kids are more important.

The Winner of The Next Food Network Star Talks About Her New Cooking Show

This season’s winner of The Next Food Network Star is stay-at-home mom Melissa d’Arabian. Melissa, held her ground throughout the competition against executive chefs by staying true to herself, presenting wholesome yet elegant dishes that we all felt we could make ourselves.

Melissa’s new show is called Ten Dollar Dinners, and the title is self-explanatory. Each week she wil

l cook an entire meal (including dessert) for a family of four, with a budget of $10.

Reality Roll Call talked to Melissa about her new show, and plans for the future:

RRC: Will the recipes that you use on Ten Dollar Dinners always use fresh ingredients, or will you sometimes incorporate canned or processed food ingredients as a shortcut?

Mellisa: I definitely don’t want to give you a quote that says, “I will never use a processed ingredient,” That being said, my own personal preference is that I love cooking with fresh foods. In fact, I think that using fresh foods is a great money-saving technique. I love to let the produce department tell me what’s in season. I’m very fresh-food focused, and that’s how I love to go and shop. In my opinion, you don’t break the budget in the produce department. I love using fresh ingredients, and I think that you’ll see that in my food. Am I somebody who’s never opened up a can of food? Absolutely not. Will that every make it to my show? For the right episode, the right show, the right reason? Absolutely. But I would say that I’m more alligned with fresh ingredients because it tatses better, it’s nutritious, and in the context of Ten Dollar Dinners you will be amazed at the great, interesting ingredients that are out there that won’t break the bank.

RRC: In one of the final episodes you were asked by one of the judges why you think you should be The Next Food Network Star, and you said that you felt that there was a market for you. In watching you each week, I always thought that your style was very marketable. With that in mind, do you have vision for yourself in the future? Read more

Tags: Melissa d'Arabian, Ten Dollar Dinnners, The Next Food Network Star

Real World: Cancun’s Ayiiia Talks About Her Struggle With Cutting

July 22, 2009 by Faith W
Filed under Real World, Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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RRC: So, I hear there’s a pretty serious episode of The Real World: Cancun tomorrow…

Ayiia: A pretty deep episode.

RRC: If I were to ask to give a synopsis of tomorrow’s episode, what would you tell me?

Ayiia: I would say that in the next episode of the Real World, you are actually going to see a problem that I have dealt with since I was thirteen, and it’s a very personal and a deep issue. You guys are going to see why it (cutting) happens,and how long I’ve been doing it. I just kind of go into what it is all about.

RRC: So we are actually going to see you harm yourself on the show?

Ayiia: Yes.

RRC: And there was a conflict that brought it about?

Ayiia: An argument gooes on in the house, and things just kind of blow up. And I’m not in a healthy state of mind, and I just lose it for a second because I don’t know how else to deal with certain situations. In the moment I had so much going on that I felt that it was my only outlet, because I didn’t have actual friends to really lean on.

RRC: So, it was like a release for you.

Ayiia: Yes, it was a release because I was going through so much.

RRC: In watching the episodes to date, a lot of people have to wonder if you were happy in Cancun. What was that experience like for you?

Ayiia: I was very, very happy in Cancun. I had a great time, I met wonderful people, including my roommates and locals. It was a great experience.

I was kept in a safety net in San Diego, and I wasn’t used to anything else. And dealing with people who aren’t neccessarily okay with your personality was just very stressful. And liquor, of course, doesn’t do well in the mix.

RRC: How did it come about that they realized you were cutting?

Ayiia: At first they have no idea. Tomorrow’s episode that I do it, and I get caught by one of the roommates, and that’s when the whole controversy begins.Some of my roommates are there for me and like, “she’s going through stuff,and are like. “we’ve gotta be there for her.” And there are other roommates who say that she just wants attention.And they’re not very sensitive about the situation.

RRC: But, clearly for you it works out okay in the end.

Ayiia: Yes.

RRC: Let’s talk about the follow up.

Ayiia: I have been getting help and I’ve been just dealing with my emotions in a healthy way.I started to go to the gym; I draw, I write, you know, everything to just keep me away from that. Before the show, I hadn’t done that for a year and a half. I was very clean. So when I was brought into the stress on the show it was very hard to deal with.

I am okay; it’s just situations that I am put it that make it really, really hard.

RRC: If you were to give advice to someone who was in an emotionally stressful situation and they were considering handling in the same way, what would you tell them?

Ayiia: I would definitely say to seek treatment, if you are willing to do that. I know that it’s very difficult because you do have to get very personal and open with the therapist. You need to find a therapsist that you feel comfortable with for them to help you. Other than that, you can just find different outlets.It’s very healthy to go to the gym. When you’re stressed out just go take a jog.

You’re not the only one who’s going through this. There are thousands of people who are going through it, and they just don’t speak on it. You can’t go on like that for the rest of your life, because that’s not how it goes.

As for the rest of the season, she says that each episode will tackle a different subject with a different person. She says that people who have been watching should continue to watch becuase you will get to see the roommates grow.

Parting words? “I want to say that I’m not as terrible as I look on the show.It’s TV, it’s for the ratings; there has to be a villian on the show, but that’s not all of me.If you go on the dailies on realworlddailies.com you actually get to see my personality, because I am the jokester.You’ll definely get to see my personality on the dailies more.

Tonight’s episode of The Real World: Cancun tackled the very serious subject of self-injury, when castmate Ayiiia is caught cutting herself after a nasty blow-up with some of the guys in the house. Ayiiia, who also has a past history of drug abuse, began cutting when she was thirteen years old, but had been clean for over a year before going to Cancun.

I had the chance to speak with Ayiiia the day before the show aired. She spoke openly about her struggle self-mutilation:

RRC: So, I hear there’s a pretty serious episode of The Real World: Cancun tomorrow…

Ayiiia: A pretty deep episode.

RRC: If I were to ask to give a synopsis of tomorrow’s episode, what would you tell me?

Ayiiia: I would say that in the next episode of the Real World, you are actually going to see a problem that I have dealt with since I was thirteen, and it’s a very personal and a deep issue. You guys are going to see why it (cutting) happens,and how long I’ve been doing it. I just kind of go into what it is all about.

RRC: So we are actually going to see you harm yourself on the show?

Ayiiia: Yes. Read more

Tags: Ayiia, cutting, Real World: Cancun

Take Five With College Hill: South Beach’s Kyle On RealityRollCall.Com

June 11, 2009 by Chris
Filed under Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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Name: Kyle Washington
Home town: Tallahassee Fl
Birthday: 01 15 1987
Show(s) you were on: College Hill: South Beach

RealityRollCall: Name three things you can’t live without:

Kyle: 1.I have got to have my Macbook
2.I have got to have Music
3.I can’t live without Love

RealityRollCall: Name your top three favorite artists:

Kyle: 1.I like any song with my hometown guy “T-Pain”
2.All time favorite Patti Labelle
3.Its a huge tie with Black eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, or anything Pop

RealityRollCall: Name your three favorite foods: Read more

Tags: College Hill, College Hill: South Beach, Kyle From College Hill, Kyle Washington, Take Five With Reality Roll Call

Take Five With MTV College Life’s Kevin On RealityRollCall.Com

May 18, 2009 by Chris
Filed under Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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Name: Kevin Tracy
Home town: St Paul, MN
Birthday: 2/11/90
Show you are on: MTV’s “College Life”

RealityRollCall: Name three hidden talents you have:

Kevin: Like every other 19-year old male, I’m invincible, know everything, and am fearless

RealityRollCall: Name three things you can’t live without:

Kevin: 1. Women
2. Beverages
3. Nature

RealityRollCall: Name your top three favorite songs:

Kevin: 1. Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd
2. Sugarcane- Alex Argir
3. Fortunate Son- CCR Read more

Tags: College Life, Take Five With RealityRollCall

Take Five With MTV’s College Life’s Jordan On RealityRollCall.Com

May 13, 2009 by Chris
Filed under Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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Name: Jordan
Home town: Wheaton, IL
Birthday: 12/24/1989
Show you are on: MTV’s “College Life”

RealityRollCall: Name three hidden talents you have:

Jordan: 1. I’m really good at coloring.
2. I’ve never violently used a sword but I’m pretty sure I could win in a sword fight against most people.
3. I can do cartwheels like nobody’s business.

RealityRollCall: Name three things you can’t live without:

Jordan: 1. My mother
2. Music
3. Self-medication Read more

Tags: Interview, Jordan From College Life, MTV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

Take Five With College Hill’s Terri On RealityRollCall.Com

May 12, 2009 by Chris
Filed under Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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terri-arcelia Well recently we’ve been doing Take Five’s with a lot of the kids from MTV’s College Life and I thought…Hey, other networks have shows with college kids, too. So with that thought in mind I sought out cast of BET’s College Hill, and here is Terri’s Take Five. Enjoy!

Name: Terri-Arcelia
Home town: Norfolk VA and Orlando FL
Birthday: 2/19/89
Show(s) you were on: BET’s COLLEGE HILL SOUTH BEACH, BET’ 106 & Park, BET’s Blaze the Stage Talent Showcase, and Showtime at the Apollo

RealityRollCall: Name three projects you are working on:

Terri: 1.I’m the current Miss Seminole County USA and I compete at the Miss Florida USA pageant in July.
2. I’m currently recording and working on getting signed to make music and perform preofessionally.
3. I’m a junior at the University of Florida and I’m working hard to attain my B.S in English As Soon As Possible!

RealityRollCall: Name three people you would love to meet:

Terri: 1. Prince (He’s my IDOL-POINT BLANK)
2. Halle Berry (she’s amazing and I want to be as successful as she is one day)
3. Will Smith (He’s my cousin but I’ve never met him because he doesn’t come to family reunions, only his father and siblings show up) Read more

Tags: BET, College Hill, Interview, Take Five With RealityRollCall, Terri From College Hill, Terri-Arcelia

Malik Talks About His Time on MTV’s Taking the Stage

May 7, 2009 by Faith W
Filed under Interviews, Reality TV, Take Five With RealityRollCall

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Tonight MTV ends its first season of “Taking the Stage” with a 90 minute finale at 10pm. I had a chance to touch base with dance and vocal arts major Malik Kitchen, who shared his thoughts on the “Stage” experience:

RRC: How would you describe the experience of doing a show like “Taking the Stage”?

Malik: The experience was very fast paced. It was very exciting. There were a lot of ups and downs to it; mostly ups. The time when there were break ups, they were down times. But most of it was very fun; very exciting. We all learned a lot. It was just a great time; the whole experience.

RRC: What are some of the things that you learned about yourself from doing the show?

Malik: It’s taught me to be very humble; very strong. I can refer back to the first episode; how I acted when I lost that talent show.. I’ve learned that I’m not going to win everything; I’m going to have to lose some things. The show has helped to understand that, so that when I go out into life and I don’t get an audition or something, I’m going to be much more okay with it than I would have been before I experience all of this. Read more

Tags: Malik, MTV, taking the stage

Take Five With Real Chance Of Love 2’s Apple On RealityRollCall.Com

Take Five With Real Chance Of Love 2’s Wiggly On RealityRollCall.Com

Take Five With Real Chance Of Love 2’s Classy

Melissa d’Arabian Talks About Ten Dollar Dinners

The Winner of The Next Food Network Star Talks About Her New Cooking Show

Real World: Cancun’s Ayiiia Talks About Her Struggle With Cutting

Take Five With College Hill: South Beach’s Kyle On RealityRollCall.Com

Take Five With MTV College Life’s Kevin On RealityRollCall.Com

Take Five With MTV’s College Life’s Jordan On RealityRollCall.Com

Take Five With College Hill’s Terri On RealityRollCall.Com

Malik Talks About His Time on MTV’s Taking the Stage

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