spotlight
“…this season is amazing because they were really
inspired to go back to the show’s roots—not only
taking it back to New York but also with truly genuine
people who had a story to tell. We were all survivors.”
by david vera
– J.D. ORDONEZ
It’s back to basics for the mother of reality shows—time for MTV to tone down
the topless Jacuzzi love and amp up the sociopolitical angst. This is the true story
of eight strangers, one of whom is J.D. Ordonez of Miami, Florida. Picked to live in
a house, this young gay man has had thousands of hours of his life taped, and he
recently found out what happens when his roommates stopped being polite. Evi-
dently, J.D. had no problem “getting real.” Welcome to The Real World: Brooklyn.
RAGE: What does J.D. stand for? Keep in mind that the public probably won’t believe it’s “Jack
Daniels!”
J.D. Ordonez: Oh… I just go by J.D.
RAGE: After nearly two decades, thousands of kids still want to be part of The Real World. What do
you have to say to them?
J.D.: Just be yourself, you know? You can’t really lie about who you are on camera!
RAGE: You have accomplished things on your own that most people can barely manage with
traditional support groups. How did you make it happen at such a young age?
J.D.: Ugh, it was hard. I look back and I don’t even know how I did it! I was just very
motivated. I knew if I wanted to make something of myself, I had to get it done.
Nobody was going to do it for me. I could either choose to live off of welfare like my
family did when I was a kid, or I could make something of myself. I started working at
Sea World when I was 15 and I ended up moving to Miami to attend the University of
Miami. I became one of the youngest dolphin trainers when I was 19.
RAGE: The initial episodes give clues as to who you bonded with early on. Are they the same
people to whom you feel the closest now?
J.D.: No. I can’t really give it away, so you’ll just see. The dynamic of the house
changes. We’ll just say people change throughout the whole experience. Everybody
has their asshole moments—they can edit that stuff any way they want. I’m truly a
humble, genuine person. But we all did stuff to disrespect each other from time to
time. You have to understand they cast us for conflict. If we all got along, they couldn’t
have a TV show! I see it as a growing experience. You have to put aside your grudges.
You can’t dwell on the drama that happened in that house. We live in a bubble for four
months for God’s sake. Living with these people is one thing but being their friend is
a totally different thing. I could be friends with every single person in that house—
and I am for the most part—but there are very few people there who I can say I can
live with again.
RAGE: Do you still keep in touch with your “Real World” family?
J.D.: Chet, Ryan and Scott all flew down to Miami with me as soon as we were done
with production. I took them swimming with dolphins. The guys are really close.
We’re actually hanging out tonight and tomorrow, we’re in New York.
RAGE: Tell me about some of the great perks about living in such a lavishly appointed house!
From the camera’s point of view, it looked like all your needs were met, minus the TV!
J.D.: Uh, no. None of our needs were met. They obviously furnish the house and stock
the refrigerator, but that’s it. They don’t provide alcohol because of liability issues. I
can’t go to the grocery store and say, “Hey give me free groceries, I’m on The Real World.”
It is honestly the real world. You go out to dinner, you pay for it; you out drinking, you
pay for your drinks. We’re not stars. We’re normal, every-day people. We’re there for a
documentary. Unlike other “reality” shows that are partly scripted, The Real World is
real. There’s no line of communication between you and production.
44 RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2009
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