“The Surreal Life” is back! The popular reality television experiment from the early 2000s has returned to VH1 and theGrio caught up with new cast members, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tamar Braxton, and R&B singer August Alsina.
We broke down their experience being in the public eye, what it’s like filming with other public figures and whether they would recommend “The Surreal Life” experience to people in their lives.
Like the original iteration of the series, “The Surreal Life” takes eight different celebrities and forces them to live together and compete in group activities in what is described as a “surreal experience.” In the official description that theGrio obtained, the experiment is said to “put their temperaments and vulnerabilities to the test, pushing these stars to unmask themselves in the most unfiltered and unpredictable ways.”
The new season, which is the first since 2006, features an impressive cast of celebrities, including Dennis Rodman, Frankie Muniz, Tamar Braxton, Kim Coles, Stormy Daniels, August Alsina, Manny MUA and CJ Perry. Speaking to theGrio, both Braxton and Alsina disclosed that they tried to lower their expectations during filming.
“My expectation was no expectation, honestly, because I didn’t know of this show” Alsina explained. “My boy who told me about it was like, ‘Man I used to love that show, I think you should do it!’ And he was actually the determining factor for me … I went to go look at some of the old seasons and I flipped through a couple of episodes and I was like, ‘Ok, this could be cool’!”
Braxton, who is no stranger to reality TV, went in just wanting to have a good time. “For me, I just knew it was gonna be crazy and I knew it was gonna be fun,” she said. “I wanted to have some fun and meet some amazing people along the way and challenge myself and I used to be a huge fan of the show. “I expected to have a blast.”
Like in seasons past, the celebrities do not know who is joining them in the “experiment.” Instead, they find out on the first episode. Alsina said he was most excited to see Braxton when he arrived at the house because he’s a huge fan of the former “The Real” host. Braxton was the second person in the house and Rodman was the only one to greet her
“The first person that I saw was Dennis and I was like, ‘Oh Lord, Jesus, it’s a fire,'” she quipped. “As people started coming in the house, the calmer it became … there were only two people that I didn’t know. Everyone else I knew or knew of and always wanted to get to know.”
Braxton and Alsina bonded during the experience. In a way, Braxton even adopted Alsina. She said, “August has become like my little brother … one of my favorite little brothers. The truth is, in the house just like all other cast houses you become closer with a certain group of people more than others. I believe that those friendships that were created are lifelong friendships.”
When asked if they would recommend the “social experiment” to their other celebrity friends, Braxton offered sound (and hilarious) advice. “For this show, I would say, stay prayed up,” she exclaimed. “Bring your crystals; bring your Bible; keep your pastor on speed dial, baby, because everybody ain’t saved!”
“The Surreal Life” airs at 9 p.m. ET on Mondays on VH1.
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