OMG irene is your cousin?!!? i loved her. i was so sad when she left! and i can't believe the guy punched her on the way out (although i was 12 when i watched it...and realize now it was probably for effect)
i wish i could get my curls to look like hers. (i envy strange things.
)
as for the OT...no. never. and never even had the inkling. but i can six degrees myself to a bunch of reality stars.
a friend grew up in the same NC town as clay aiken. another friend made it to hollywood for american idol, but they told her she was too fat for a white girl to ever make it. i also met a few of the real world seattle people when they took a vacation to my small westcoast town after filming. one of the real world cast mates from a season i didn't watch (austin maybe?) goes to bible college in my town as well. woo.