Josh Clinton: Hey Steven.
Steven Hill: Hey Josh. What’s going on?
JC: Nothing much. So what have you been up to in the last few years?
SH: I worked in the entertainment industry for a few years after the show ended. Then once that died down I went back to school and became a personal trainer out in Los Angeles. I’ve also began working on a bunch of stuff for school, which is not very exciting.
JC: Right. Well when they first approached you about the reunion show, what did you think?
SH: I thought it would be fun, but I didn’t think it would be too much fun for the viewers to watch since I didn’t think too much would happen. But once I got there I was shocked with how much stuff actually happened and that people have kept grudges for five years and unresolved issues. I thought we were all going there to just have a good time, but you’ll see that it’s going to be a fun season. Even after five years, people still have issues that needed to get resolved. I knew that me, Frank, and Trishelle thought that everyone would just have fun for the two weeks we were there, but I guess not everything thought that way.
JC: That’s interesting. Were you a fan of The Real World before you got on the show?
SH: I was a big fan of the first one. I also really liked The Real World: New Orleans and The Real World: Hawaii. Another one I liked that no one else really liked was The Real World: London.
JC: Why did you like London so much?
SH: It had cool characters and was different. I think The Real World has changed a lot, since the beginning. It used to be more about the people on the show and now it’s more about the partying. So I used to be a big fan of the show. Of course, I’m 29 now which is kinda out of MTV’s key demographic, so I don’t really chill out and watch MTV as much as I used to.
JC: Right. It’s been awhile since we have seen you on TV. Do people still recognize you as Steven from The Real World: Las Vegas?
SH: I’m still on TV for stuff a did a few years ago like Drake and Josh, some VH1 specials that they show all the time, and that stupid show Kill Reality. So I still get that, but honestly not a whole lot of people recognize me from The Real World anymore which is awesome. I really enjoy just being Joe Schmoe again. Not like I was anything special before, but it’s really odd how people treat you after being on these shows. I still think of myself as just a goofball from Texas, so how anyone could think I was cool just because I was on TV is really foreign to me. But now no one really cares anyone. I’ve got my friends from the show in Trishelle and Frank, but it’s pretty much back to normal. If I went up to a girl and she said she remembered me from MTV, that would be a turn off for me right there. But yeah now everything is back to normal and it’s all good.
JC: Cool. So on saw on the previews for the show that you have a new haircut and look. Is that a recent thing or has it been around for awhile?
SH: **laughing** I did it a long time ago for a Real World/Road Rules Challenge I was on. I’m a personal trainer now, so I can’t really have a “frat boy dorky” haircut and have people take me seriously. Also, when I would work out hair would drip down into my face and make my skin breakout. So I just decided to shave my head again. It’s just a very functional haircut that works out very well with my job.
JC: Right. Are you still dating Jenna Lewis from Survivor?
SH: No, we broke up about three months ago. We’re still friends, though. She’s brought me some clients and stuff. She does radio for Playboy and she’s also one of the “Pussycat Dolls of Comedy”. Whenever she’s out of town she sends me her clients and I send her my clients.
JC: Cool. Is it weird having a relationship with someone else from television or is it like any other relationship?
SH: It was good and bad. It was good in the sense that we both have the understanding of what the other has been through. I mean Survivor is way bigger. I remember the only Survivor I watched was her Survivor and that show was HUGE! So it was good that we both had that understanding. But I generally don’t like being on TV and doing things dealing with that. I’m not a Hollywood guy at all and Jenna is. But it worked out pretty well. Jenna is a great girl and super talented.
JC: Very cool. I talked to Frank the other day about the RW/RR Challenges. He said that you used to have an ego about doing more challenges, but now you both agree that it doesn’t matter what some teenager thinks. Are you up to do any more Challenges like him?
SH: He’s actually doing the next one. I don’t think it was like we had a ego, because you do care what people think about you. But it seems that there are people that talk smack about people who do these reality shows more and more and more. I think it’s wrong. Most of the people who hate on reality TV shows are the ones that tried out for the shows and didn’t make it. At first we didn’t see the point of going back and doing Challenge after Challenge, but now we are like “why not?” It’s exciting stuff, it takes only a month out of your year. So why not do that stuff. There is no reason to care what people think. I think Frank is going to win the next one. I would bet money on it.
JC: Cool, well you will be in Las Vegas. So now that people know what to expect with the cameras being around and stuff, did you notice anyone acting any differently towards the cameras on the reunion show?
SH: I can’t get into details, but certain people did come and do certain things to assure that they looked a certain way and sometimes it backfired on them as you will see. We still thought that everyone would come and just have fun. But there were things that happened that I would have bet money wouldn’t have happened. There was drama in the first few hours we were there. But these are very interesting and awesome people. I like who we were and who we have become. I’m still shocked that we got the chance to do that again, because it was really awesome. It really was. Everyone took good care of us, so it was great.
JC: Very nice. So would you say that there was more or less drama on this reunion show than the original season or was it just different?
SH: You know what, for it only being two weeks this time, I think there was more drama pound-for-pound this time. I do think it was slighty different, but it was equally as good. I think it was sad that people actually brought their five-year-old baggage back to Las Vegas, though. I brought fun back to Las Vegas, but other people brought hate. It was interesting. I didn’t think it would be that good at first, but it turned out to be really good. I was with my friends for two weeks, so why not just go balls-the-wall crazy again. It was so much fun.
JC: So you are saying that there are lots of things to look forward to on this reunion show?
SH: Oh yeah. I hope people are not thinking that it’s a bunch of late 20-something people going back to drink and cause problems. I don’t think many of us went back to do that. We just wanted to have fun, and you will see that we had fun.
JC: Very cool. So as far as your life away from TV, do you want to continue to be a personal trainer or what might you want to do in the future?
SH: I am personal trainer right now. I had clients this morning actually. But my future is wide open. I like being a personal trainer, but who knows what my future holds. I do know that I have a nice life, though.
JC: Nice. Well it sounds like an interesting show. Good luck with everything and thanks for your time.
SH: Yeah, thank you.
Coming up tomorrow to conclude “The Real World: Las Vegas Reunion Week” is my exclusive interview with Trishelle Cannatella. 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.
