Day 2 - April 24, 2012 (Episode 1)

Today was our final day of preparation for the filming that starts tomorrow.  It included three separate interviews, one in front of a camera, all mixed with down time spent getting to know the three cast members that I hadn’t met yet, along with getting to know the rest of the cast even better.

First off today was breakfast after a short night of sleep (too excited, now that I’m here).  I ran into Alf and Barbara in the restaurant.  Spent about an hour with them and further solidified that I like their stability and maturity.  They seem to be really easy to hang out with, which I like a lot!



Thor - Executive Producer
with Monster Productions

After breakfast, I had my interview with Thor, the Executive Producer.  We spent 30 minutes prepping for how the filming would go, along with talking about how excited I am to possibly meet my living relatives in Norway!  Thor is a good guy, but it sounds like he will be dealing more with the film crew, so we may not have a lot of communication with him.

Following my meeting with Thor, I decided to work out.  The hotel has a good space to workout, but not the best equipment.  I also ran into Jessica and Austin while there.  It would be good to have people to keep me motivated to workout while in Norway.

Mama Brita - In charge of taking care
of 12 crazy Americans!

I had about an hour of downtime after working out, which I spent relaxing in my room.  After that,  was my interview with Brita, a very professional but fun lady who is going to be in charge of taking care of the entire cast.  During our meeting, we spent about 30 minutes discussing what our thoughts were so far, how I would react if I was the first out, and how things will move forward from here.  Brita will be our main point of contact between Crew and Cast.

After meeting with Brita, I went down to get lunch.  There, I ran into Jessica, Stephanie, and Barbara, as well as meeting Tara and Johnathan for the first time.  Tara had to go pretty quickly, so I didn’t get much info from her, but had some good times with Johnathan.  (Bio to follow.)  Again, plenty of downtime, so we were able to talk for quite some time.

Next, was an on-camera interview with Kris, Chris and Vinny from our hometown shoot.  Pretty quick and a lot of the same questions that were asked in my hometown shoot, so not too hard.  Funny times were had when they had to apply makeup to my shiny forehead!  Apparently, they don't spend a lot of time doing makeup, nor do I.  No one really seemed to know what they were doing.  (My wife, a Mary Kay Director, would be so ashamed......or proud.....of my lack of makeup knowledge!)

Finally, we all met for a meeting with the reps from three reps from TV Norge and followed it with dinner.  During this time I met Amy, the last cast member, as well as got my first glimpse of how crazy this cast is, especially the women!  Very extroverted group, as you would guess, which leads me to feel like my better position at this point is to be more reserved.  Suits me well and pretty easy to pull off, for now.

Here’s a quick bio of the final three cast members:

Johnathan Richards:  22 and a student at the University of Houston.  He’s very young, but very smart.  Has a very theatrical side too.  He seems to be fluent in Norwegian, for the most part, so that will be a huge advantage for him.  However, I think his youth and apparent lack of athleticism might be his downfall.

Tara Filer:  32 and has a ton of jobs, but specializes in Biology.  She is married and lives in Southern-California.  She is probably my biggest competition.  She seems smart, athletic, a good communicator, attractive, and may be playing “the game” as well.

 

 

 

Amy Hesteness:  Young 20’s, out of Moorhead, MN.  Very vibrant personality and has a strong theatrical side.  As for occupation, I think she’s a daycare worker and possibly has some other part-time jobs.  Haven’t had a chance to talk with her much, so we'll have to get to know her better.

 

 

That’s about it for the day.  We go to film at Ellis Island and the opening of the show tomorrow!  I’m a little nervous that the outwardness of the rest of the crew will make me even more reserved.  Although, I think it’s a good game plan for now.  I just can’t come off as quiet or introverted.  Need to be the reserved, smart, nice and funny guy.  Speak softly and swing a big stick!!  Also, ordered Norwegian for Dummies-type books today, since Brita said they were allowed.  Time to get my studies on!  The game is getting started!

Goodnight!

Day 2 over!


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