The Real World: Las Vegas Reunion Week – Thursday – Josh Clinton Interviews Frank Roessler

Features, Interviews, Shows

Josh Clinton: Hey Frank.

Frank Roessler: What’s up Josh?

JC: Nothing much. How are you?

FR: Good.

JC: Good. So why did you decide to come back for this reunion show for The Real World: Las Vegas?

FR: Well I’m 27 right now and I’m in grad school. I also absoultely think that it’s rare that you can go back to Las Vegas for two weeks, with only 12 days of filming, and live like rock stars again and have a fun time. My only regret from the original season of The Real World: Las Vegas was that I think I didn’t let myself have fun. I was too worried about what my family would think of me when they saw me on TV. So I was disappointed when the show was over and realized that I should have relaxed and just have fun. So I plan to make up for it and go really crazy on this reunion show.

JC: Cool, so you guys were only in Las Vegas for two weeks this time?

FR: Yeah, it was actually Wednesday to Wednesday with 12 days of filming.

JC: In the original season of the show you were considered as the “nice guy” on the show. Was that an accurate portrayal of you or no?

FR: I don’t think I would have wanted to admit that five years ago or have agreed with that. But looking back at it that really was me. MTV is really good about showing what you give them. It’s really hard to say that they edited me into the guy you saw on TV. That was really me. I was dorky then and I’m still pretty dorky. There is obviously stuff that they are not going to show, but the stuff they did show is true. The stuff they didn’t show about me was the few times where I “hooked up” with a bunch of girls. They didn’t show a lot of that stuff. MTV kinda wants to “typecast” you, because if you happen to step outside of “character” they are not as likely to show it. The same goes for my other roommates. But for the most part, I really can’t complain. They are going to show what you give them.

JC: Right. So you said you were going to graduate school in your time away from MTV?

FR: Yeah, it’s been five years since the first show. And the first year and a half I did a lot of appearances in clubs and malls signing autographs and taking pictures and that sort of thing. It’s crazy as you are treated like some celebrity and it’s also easy money. I also got to travel all around the world, which is really cool. But after awhile I started working again for some entertainment industry firms in Los Angeles. Then, I got burned out doing that and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. So I just decided to go to graduate school at UCLA and just finished my first year with one year left.

JC: Cool. In the original season you were sorta obsessed with Trishelle. Are you still obsessed with her this time around or is that over with?

FR: I think that’s a question you have to ask, but I can’t understand how anyone could think that I would not be over a girl that I fell in love with when I was drunk on the first day of the show. But it really was like a 36 hour drunken stint that got replayed over and over again in the last 5 years of my life. It sucked for me and my girlfriends when people would come up to me and say “oh my god, did you have sex with Trishelle?” It got really annoying, but these are parts of the show that you have to be prepared for. That was my thing that I created on my own. But for the record, I’m not obsessed with Trishelle. Being 27 years now, actually saying thay sentence again is weird but I’m not.

JC: Alright, cool. Do you think if the show wasn’t set in Las Vegas, if they would have put you in another city, would there have been as much drama the first time?

FR: I definitely think that there are a couple of my roommates, not everyone, but a couple that will cause drama in heaven. They are really temperimental and would be causing drama no matter where we might have been. But the environment definitely contributed to the drama. We lived in between a really nice bar and a nightclub. We were also in a casino. Whenever we met people there, they were on vacation, so they always wanted to get wasted and you’re living in the middle of it. I think Vegas definitely added to the drama, but some of my roommates can cause drama anywhere.

JC: Right. It’s been five years now, are you still recognized on the street as Frank from The Real World: Las Vegas?

FR: You know what I get a lot of now? I get a lot of “oh my god, did you go to Ohio St. with me?” more than that’s Frank from The Real World: Las Vegas. For the first year, it was really insane. I wasn’t prepared for that at all and I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t think you can ever get comfortable with it, unless you have a social disorder. But I had a great time with it. Once I saw that I was getting a certain amount of attention, I just had fun with it. It’s not like it was a few years ago, though. If I get asked to take a picture or sign an autopgraph now, it’s really weird. It might happen every once in awhile, but it’s really weird if it does now.

JC: Besides everyone being older, what’s different about this show from the original show? What is this reunion show all about?

FR: I mean I don’t know. I’m not a producer. I didn’t really think about why this show was happening. I was just saw that I was getting paid to go to Las Vegas for two weeks and get drunk and hang out with chicks. That sounded AWESOME! I don’t know if they wanted us to bond over this or not, but there were a couple of activities that were intended to bring out emotions and such but I’m going to be friends with who I want to be friend with. I’m still good friends with Steven and Trishelle. Irulan is an awesome and intelligent woman, but I never talk to her. I think we’re both fine with that, though. I don’t think this reunion really changed any of us. It’s only two weeks and that’s not going to change anyone regardless of what you do. For me, I just wanted to go back and have fun.

JC: Right. So you mentioned earlier that this time you wanted to act crazy and stir up trouble?

FR: Not exactly. I said I wanted to have fun and relax this time. Maybe not be so conscience of what others might think of me. But that’s not the same thing as wanting to cause trouble and stirring things up.

JC: Yeah, I understand. I saw in the preview for the show that there was something between you and Arissa. Can you elaborate on that?

FR: Yeah, I mean I tried my best to stay out of drama. I got involved a couple of times where I got pissed off and angry. But I never started anything. I can’t really get into the exact details before any of the episodes air, but I definitely stepped on a few toes. I didn’t mean to, but some people did get pissed off at me. So there will be a couple of instances, but it’s all in good fun. Nothing too terrible.

JC: Right, so do you plan to do any Real World/Road Rules Challenges after this reunion show is over with?

FR: I’m a sellout. I’m not trying to be a celebrity. I’m in grad school and I will be getting a real job in one year. But I want to have a good time before that happens. I’m actually filming another Real World/Road Rules: Challenge this summer. We meet in June sometime and it will air in the Fall sometime. I took a few years off of all of these shows, but now I don’t know. I remember that me and Stephen used to have an ego about doing Challenges. But what do we care what some 15-year-old kid from Oklahoma thinks about us? I’m just going to go out and have some fun. I did a RW/RR Challenge before and it was the best three weeks of my life. I hung out with really cute girls from Road Rules and did all of these stupid challenges. I can’t wait to go back and do that again.

JC: Cool. So after you are done with MTV, what do you want to do with your life?

FR: I’m in grad school like I said and I’m concentrating on commercial real estate investments. So I hope to get a job in that when I graduate and do that in the future.

JC: Nice. Well good luck with everything and thanks for your time.

FR: Thank you.

Coming up tomorrow on “The Real World: Las Vegas Reunion Week” is my exclusive interview with Brynn Smith. Stay tuned…


Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas airs on MTV on Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT time starting on May 30.

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