Interview with The Real World: Portland’s Jessica McCain

Jessica was born and raised in the small town of Fayetteville, North Carolina. She decided to audition for ‘The Real World’ to discover who she was outside of the sheltered life she’s lived. Read our interview with Jess below. We discuss Tyler, Inertia Tours, and the possibility of Jess competing on a Challenge. You can follow Jess on Twitter here.

What made you originally want to try out for Real World?

“I was on a talent/modeling webpage, and clicked on its reality section, and they were casting for ‘The Real World’. Now, I’d never really watched RW, but I’d heard of it! I mean, who doesn’t know what RW is? I though t auditioning would be cool, so I discussed it with my mom and we decided it would be a good opportunity for me to get out of Fayetteville, and do something different! I wanted to experience life without being sheltered in this little box that I’ve grown up in. The idea of RW was very appealing to me.”

Was the house everything you dreamed it would be?

“[Laughs] I didn’t really have any expectations. I was nervous about the house if you must know. I didn’t know what to expect. I just went into the house with a very very open mind. Living in that house was the best and worst experience of my life.”

How did you originally meet Tyler?

“I met Tyler at Splash Bar. The girls were like “oh my gosh. We want you to fall in love. You’re so cute,” and I kept telling them “I’m not here for dudes! I’m here to find out who I am, outside of my family and town.” But, then I saw Tyler when I walked into Splash Bar and I instantly knew that he was the type of guy I’d be interested in. Our friend Ryan went to go get him, and he brought Tyler over and said “Tyler, this is my friend Jessica,” and then Ryan walked away. Tyler and I hit it off, and we talked at the bar for about an hour or so. When we were getting ready to leave, Marlon invited him back with us. Like I said, Ty and I just hit it off, and we ended up talking the rest of the night!”

Is there anything you wished MTV had shown that they haven’t in past 5 episodes? Or anything you wished they hadn’t shown?

“Not really. I think if they would have aired other material the show would be pretty boring. We laid around a lot, and watched a lot of TV. We also read a lot of books. There wasn’t much to do/see in the house, besides the drama. I think they showed all the good stuff!”

Have you been snowboarding again since you went on RW?

“I haven’t! No snowboarding for me. But, hopefully in the future!”

You all met Danny Kass! Are you guys still in contact?

“I haven’t really talked to Danny. We’re friends on social media, so I’ll like his photos sometimes, but we haven’t really had any conversations since the trip.”

Who’s a celebrity you’d love to meet?

“So many people are going to go “UGHHHH” about my answer, but I am absolutely in love with Kim Kardashian! I think she’s fabulous!”

Can you tell us a little about the Inertia Tours, and that experience?

“That was a lot of fun! We went down to South Padre Island. During the days we got to hang at Coca Cola Beach, and meet fans. The fans didn’t really know who I was since my season hadn’t aired yet. I was incognito while hanging out with older RW cast members. I got to learn about their RW experiences and see how they reacted to the fans. That was really cool to see. I loved watching Nick, Laura and CT, etc interact with the fans. They helped me become more comfortable around the fans, and taught me what to say/do, because that was still a bit awkward for me. At night we would go to parties, and hang out. It wasn’t too crazy, but it was a lot of fun to explore some place new, and meet so many people! “

Since you met quite a few RW cast members while on Spring Break, would you want to do a RW: Challenge? Who would your ideal team-mate be?

“I would LOVE to do a challenge. I think it would be a lot of fun, and I’m pretty athletic. Who would I want to pick as my partner? If it had to be a boy from my season I’d chose Jordan, because even though we don’t get a long, the dude is good at everything. I mean EVERYTHING! He’s naturally the golden boy. If it was a girl, I’d chose Nia. I haven’t seen her do anything athletic, but I know she’s very strong-willed and motivated. We both have the same intensity [laughs]. From other seasons Emily, because she can definitely get into beast mode, or whoever won the last challenge [laughs]!”

Question via @djstweetarazzi: who would you pick to win a fight: Shawn, Tyler or Daniel?

“[Laughs] probably Tyler, because he’s the biggest of the three!”

 

Lighting Round: 
Favorite musician/band: “Miranda Lambert.”

Favorite book: “So Long, Insecurity: You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us. It’s a Christian book based on women and their insecurities. It’s about how our love in God can help us make peace with our insecurities. It’s a great book.”

Favorite TV show: “The Real World! DUH! [Laughs] I’m kidding. I love crime shows like Criminal Minds. Anything to do with murders, I LOVE!”

Favorite ice cream flavor: “Rocky Road, but it has to have real marshmallows. That fake white crap is disgusting.”

Favorite bar in Portland: “I’m going to be cheesy. I really liked Splash Bar, because it was small and felt really homey. They were always so nice to us and welcoming.”