BOULDER — Preslie Vavold hasn’t been up before 10 a.m. in months. But Saturday morning she was wide awake at 6 a.m. as she drove nearly three hours to Boulder from her University of Wyoming dorm room in Laramie.
Vavold, 20, said she received an e-mail from MTV a week earlier inviting her to Boulder for an open casting call for the 28th season of “The Real World,” the channel’s long-running reality series.
“One night I got drunk in my dorm room and decided to apply for ‘The Real World,’ ” the communications sophomore said. “I don’t remember what I put on my application or what picture I sent them — I mean it could have been one with my head in the toilet for all I know. I don’t remember anything about it, honestly. That’s how wasted I was.”
Apparently, the casting crew liked what they read, so Vavold put on her rhinestone-covered jeans and platform sandals — an outfit she said she rarely wears when she’s not in “party mode” — to join about 20 other hopefuls who were lined up outside of The Lazy Dog on Pearl Street by the time interviews began at 10 a.m.
Vavold was fourth in line when the doors opened but her VIP e-mail got her moved up to first, cutting in front of Fonte Davis, 24, who arrived by 9 a.m. Saturday to ensure he would get an interview.
Despite being moved to second place in the line, Davis was hard to miss with a neon-yellow shirt and thick gold chain around his neck with a dangling pendant that read “Barbie” in multicolored faux-diamonds.
Davis, a McDonald’s employee from Colorado Springs, said he didn’t want to miss his chance at fame.
Davis previously auditioned to be on Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club,” he said, and was featured in an episode of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” on A&E.
This was Davis’ first audition for “The Real World,” and he was feeling confident after his initial interview Saturday morning.
“I know I got this,” Davis said. “I’ll be waiting for my phone call tonight.”
Interviews were held until 5 p.m., and contestants were notified by 10 p.m. Saturday if they would receive a call back.
Shannon McCarty, senior casting director, said the key to getting her attention is just being genuine.
“This isn’t a talent show like ‘American Idol,’ but I guess being comfortable with yourself is a talent in itself,” McCarty said.
Participants began the process by filling out a one-page application with basic information and a few personal questions about their most embarrassing moment and if they have any secrets.
Then participants were interviewed in a group by McCarty and asked to tell something interesting about themselves. Each applicant gets one chance to stand out and get McCarty’s attention before she moves on to another group.
After the callbacks today, McCarty said hopefuls will have to wait at least another month to find out if they were chosen for season 28.
