To see all casts in one studio at one time was so bizarre. It was some sort of wacky human zoo. The RW kids come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities, each shockingly different from the next. Knowing that 35,000 people try out each year, this group is what happens when mass of 300,000 boiled down to sixty-three.

The filming, interviews, and photo shoots were such an ordeal. I sat on the couches and watched the rings of drama spin around the place, bumping into innocent bystanders, flinging off some players and absorbing more. A social psychologist would have a field day in this place. I enjoyed the drama and glitter of the day, knowing it would be a short-lived experience.

It was so fun hopping from couch to couch talking to the nine generations of kids. The New York cast is full on adults now (as could be expected) with kids, careers, and normal lives. It was surreal sitting with NY, LA, and SF casts b/c I watched those seasons when I was such a young impressionable teenager. I was like, “did you know my friends modeled themselves after you guys?” And now we are peers in some uncanny clique.

I am so glad I sent that videotape off to BMP/MTV two years ago. Trying out was something I always wanted to do, a door passed by but never knocked on. What a valuable lesson in life: to know that one never know where one can go, what one can do, and who one can become unless one tries. Life is such an adventure!