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University student keeps it 'Real' in final round

"What happens when you put seven strangers in a house and people stop being polite and start being real?"

It is nearly a rite of passage for everyone under the age of 25 to know not only where this familiar quote comes from, but also seven different answers to what really does happen.

When thousands of teens and early 20-somethings try out for these seven coveted spots, however, for those invited aboard, the ride is likely to be just as exciting, as fourth-year College student Candice Cook is finding out.

Cook follows in the footsteps of fourth-year College student Rebecca Lord, who starred in "Real World 7," set in Seattle. Lord helped audition "Real World" wannabes at the Biltmore Bar and Grill this fall. The auditions attracted a sea of University students, including Cook, who flooded Elliewood Avenue in hopes of landing a role on the popular program.

Of course, Charlottesville wasn't the only city experiencing upheaval by "The Real World"'s arrival. The casting crew traveled to almost every major city in the United States, numerous college campuses and even a number of international sites in search of the perfect participants.

Several of those who tried out at the University last semester made it to successive rounds of tryouts. Now it is down to the final cut in which 30 people compete for seven spots. But Cook is the only University student this year in an initial pool of 30,000 applicants to have made it this far.

For the past two-and-a-half months, Cook has been in close contact with "The Real World" through each step of the casting process. This past weekend, she auditioned to share five months of her life with the nation.

Cook said she auditioned without any real expectations besides gaining the experience.

She described the crowd she met at the Biltmore as eclectic and fun. She added that the interviewers had the opportunity to choose people from all walks of life. But Cook said she felt the emphasis of the interview was on how each candidate presented their ideas.

At the Biltmore, Cook said she followed directions and let her honesty and personality radiate. Asked to bring a picture, she brought a candid shot her friend had snapped of her. The picture showed Cook lying on the floor and popping up her head just in time for the picture to be snapped. Her smile glows off the photo paper. Cook described this picture to the interviewers as being able to show that "one can be happy without material things."

"The Real World" interviewers asked provocative questions, but Cook said she is "completely comfortable being random," so it was not awkward for her.

She attributes her confidence to a strong foundation of family and friends who give her unflinching support. Cook said she knows that no matter what happens or what she says, her support system will remain solid.

"When she tried out, I knew she was going to make it," said Duane Fisher, a friend and fourth-year College student.

"She just kept coming back. I told her, 'You're going to make it. They're going to pick you.' So, I wasn't too surprised."

When she was handed a packet of information after callbacks at the Biltmore, Cook knew she had made the first cut. She said she maintained a "we'll just see" attitude, taking each step as it came.

Cook's friends were extremely excited for her after the initial round.

Shveta Berry, a friend and fourth-year College student, said she was "excited she was making it, I was like 'Go girl! Go girl!'"

As Cook made it to succeeding rounds, she said her excitement mounted. Her friends and family have caught the fervor as well, telling her that if she makes it, "they all make it," and promising to come live with her wherever the show may be.

But thoughts of the reality of being on the show also have begun to creep up on Cook. "The Real World," despite all the glory and fun of being on national television, can be trying at times.

While Lord said she had a positive experience overall on "The Real World" in 1998, she noted in a Sept. 1998 interview with The Cavalier Daily that cast members are "typecast to a certain degree.

"It's weird because there's a distinction between who I am and what you see on the show," Lord said after her Seattle stint. "People really connect with you on that show."

Yet Lord said she also benefited from the show. Since the show ended, she has started a recording career, performing vocals and writing songs for With Rebecca, according to her record company's Web site, www.talkeetnarecords.com. She also has dabbled in modeling, appearing in the Spring 1999 Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue.

With non-stop taping and living with the same people, one does not have much chance for an escape to privacy.

Berry said she tried to talk Cook out of doing the show. She said she told her she was "going to go nuts, not have a moment to herself, no time to yourself to think."

But she added that she also remains excited for Cook. Berry said Cook's progression with the interviews "says a lot about her. She is a person with so much to offer."

Despite what the casting cuts portray, Cook hasn't been waiting by the phone. She has been busy with school, her sorority, friends and her work with children.

"When she sleeps, she's dead out," Berry said. "And when she's awake, she's completely absorbed in life."

"The Real World" checks in with her each week and with each call she has a month's worth of news and dramatic events packed into her week -- everything from a fire in her apartment to a friend's engagement. Cook said the producers would probably appreciate her dramatic life.

"They must be thinking, 'Get this girl on television, her life is so dramatic!'" Cook said.

Overall, there are five cuts for the show, reducing the applicant pool to thousands, hundreds, 60, 30 and finally seven. After the initial round, each cut consists of a one-on-one taped interview where Cook is asked questions that probe her beliefs, honesty and openness.

Fishers laughs when asked to describe Cook, then quickly says, "Very animated, very. Extremely animated.

"She is not indifferent about anything," Berry added. "She takes you in when she talks to you".

As a black female, Cook was asked how well she could get along in a situation where she was the only person of her race.

Cook expressed to the interviewers that it is more than race or gender that connects one person to another. She mentioned a close friendship she formulated as a first-year student with an Indian girl, to illustrate the color blindness of friendship.

Although Cook's favorite cast was the New York cast -- "they were so fresh, so new to everyone. The stigma of the show had not yet been attached" -- she said she thinks "The Real World" would benefit most in ratings from a show in either Atlanta, her hometown, or somewhere in South America.

But cast interactions -- or overreactions -- make "The Real World" successful. This year's show, set in Hawaii, had some of its highest ratings for the series ever -- due in part to a cast members' alcoholism.

"Real World" cast members' lives are spontaneously and instantly intertwined when they are thrust into such a unique situation. They show the world that seven strangers from diverse backgrounds can come together, bask (or wilt) in the spotlight for five months, argue, and if all goes relatively smoothly in the process, have the time of their lives.

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