Over a late lunch at a small diner in Hollywood mostly surrounded by Russian immigrants and old gay men, I talked with Msaada from Road Rules 9: The Maximum Velocity Tour. She's extremely friendly and smart and well-spoken...and late. Always with the lateness. She showed me the very nice photo album given to all the cast members by Bunim/Murray, featuring a shot of Theo wearing nothing but a wine glass on his penis, and an ice-skating photo with Theo behind James, his hands lovingly cupping his ass. There is also a great photo of Msaada throwing her "West Side" sign -- something that apparently annoyed the two blondes to no end. Msaada ordered salad and chili; I ordered fries. Don't tell me you don't care. Stee: So why did you audition for the shows? Msaada: Okay. I auditioned for the shows because I saw Road Rules: Semester at Sea and I dug it. I said, "Hey, they get to travel and stuff." I am a travel junkie and I really wanted to get involved in that and to do crazy stuff, because, you know, I'm from the ghetto and ain't nobody bungee jumping on Western and Fifty-Fourth. So I just wanted to get involved in that excitement and travel and make some cash. Real World was never an option for me because there's too much drama, too much exposure, and too much stress, and I don't need that. So from the time I made up my mind to audition, every interview I had I said "Road Rules" and always said Real World was not something I wanted to do. I made it very clear. Stee: Really? That's probably the exact opposite of what most of those who try out say. Msaada: Yeah. People think Road Rules people are rejects from Real World, which is not it. They cast for both shows. So it's not like we're the rejects from Real World, 'causeHolly could have been on Real World, I mean, Jim [James] could have; any one of those kids. I could have been on Real World -- I worked at a TV station -- that would have been right up my alley. But they cast for both, with equality. But I lived in a static world where I went to school, came home, stayed for a little bit, went to work, and then came home, did homework, went out on the weekends with friends -- and it was like a standard routine for years. So I wanted to break out of that and have some excitement and do something crazy. Stee: So what was on your audition tape? Msaada: Tap dance. It's all about the tap. It was an interview sandwiched between tap. So the first thing you see on the tape is from the waist down and you these feet just...tapping away. And it's like, "What the hell is this?" And then I did this in-step and then it cuts to me saying, "Bonjour..." I said it in different languages, and then I said, "I'm Msaada from South Central L.A." So then I went to my little spiel for ten minutes and then afterwards I said, "Au revoir. Adios. Hasta Luego." Then it cuts to me tapping and I do a full body thing and then that's it.
I didn't let anyone know I was auditioning except for my sister, and my friend who filmed me tapping. My little sister, god bless her, helped me make the tape and prepare something so I wouldn't just be rambling. I edited on my camera and my VCR; I did a rough ghetto-budget cut. And I wasn't going to put the tap on there initially because I almost ran out of time, but I did put the tap on. So I drove it up there and they opened the door a crack, took my tape, and closed the door, and that was it. But as I was walking away this guy came down and he waved at me, but I walked away. And then I thought that might be the guy who gave me directions so I came back and waved at him, and then I left. So after I left I forgot about it and I was like, "I did my part. If something happens, cool, if it doesn't, cool." So then the day they called me and that was first round. Stee: When you decided you were going to audition for the show, is it true that you just knew you were going to be on it? Msaada: When I originally told my father that I was going to do it, during the interview process, he said, "You know you're going to get it, right?" My dad knew, but I didn't know. I was amazed when they kept picking me. I was stunned. Because I didn't feel like I was dysfunctional or abnormal in any way. So I was amazed as I kept progressing. Stee: So lead us through the callback process. Msaada: So the first level after the tape is the application; they ask you really personal questions and you sent that in. It's like sixteen pages long. It's really a test, but I thought it was something else, so I said, "Oh, I know what this is. It's to see if you're insane. It's like a psychological test." So I answered like I would answer anyway. I was being a smart-ass and completely answered in my sarcastic fashion, and it worked and I have no idea why. I'll give you an example. They had a question like, "How often to you have sex and where do you have it and when and are you in a relationship when you have it?" And I read that and laughed out loud, I was like, "Yeah, right." So I said, "I only have sex with the person I love. Because I love myself more than anyone else; I love myself quite often." But I was kidding and said, "As far as sex goes, it should be, preferably, when you're married or else with somebody you're intimate with on an exclusive with, but I ain't telling y'all my business." So it's stuff like that. Or they ask you if you had three wishes what would they be, and I said, "I would wish man would realize how his actions truly effect others. I would wish there would be more understanding in the world about technology and the status of the world and what we're doing to it and to each other. And my third wish was that I wish God would reveal himself to people and make himself evident to people obviously...and stop appearing on the sides of buildings and on tacos in Mexico."
Stee: So the application, and then what happens? Msaada: Then you'd have phone interviews. I think there were three or something because there were seven levels to the audition. So there were three interviews where you set up the camera and put them on speakerphone, and they ask you questions, and then you run the tape over or mail it. So I kept advancing, and then I got an in-person interview, and I think that was number five. They ask you really personal questions about your family, about your education, about your life, about your significant other. And I think they were really enamored that here I am, this kid from South Central, and I have this French boyfriend who completely lives on the other side of the world. And so I guess...I didn't think it's a big deal. It's completely normal to me, but I guess they thought that was interesting. And also the fact that I am from the ghetto but if you talk to me I sound like I'm from freakin', like, the Valley or something, you know. But I've been here all my life. I'm well-traveled. I've been to Africa twice. I'd been to France three times when I auditioned for them, so I had been places -- it's not like I had just been cocooned in this little ghetto world. It's funny, when you tell people you're from South Central they either say nothing or they say, "Hm." Stee: So what's the last audition? Msaada:So what happened was I had an in-person audition which my boyfriend came to. They interviewed me and I was wearing this bright outfit that always makes me happy. And then my boyfriend was wearing these yellow pants. I didn't tell him to wear them, he just has no fashion sense. So they interviewed us, that was [interview number] five -- that was on the Casting Special. And then [number] six was a follow-up where they took you out somewhere, so they took me to The Saddle Ranch [a western-themed bar on the Sunset Strip]. Stee: Did you ride the mechanical bull? Msaada: No, because the outfit I wore, the week I busted the pants and I had just gotten them fixed. They told me that someone else had just ridden it and they said, "Go ride the bull!" Well, I found out later that it was Kathryn. So I went to them and I said, "Look. I don't know who this person was who rode the bull, but I'm not riding that bull. I don't care. I just got these pants back -- I'm not riding that damn bull. I'm not trying to sell myself that much."
And then the last one was another in-person interview, and Kameelah was there from Real World: Boston and Michelle, one of the Real World producers, and so I had a feeling Real World was interested and they asked me, "What would you do if you were offered Real World?" And I said, "Whatever Real World has to offer me, I already have. I already know how to get along with people. I grew up with between five and eight people in my house my whole life so I don't need that. What I do need is to find out how I would react if I had to jump out of an airplane or bungee or do something crazy. I don't know about myself in terms of those situations. So that's what I want, not living in a static environment." Stee: So when did you find out you were cast? Msaada: I found out the day before I was going to France for the millennium. They called me at the station and I was eating sugar peanuts -- Stee: Yuck! Circus peanuts? Msaada: They're good! So they called me and I was all munching on my peanuts and they said, "We want to invite you on the show!" and I said, "You have to excuse me, I'm a little hyper because I got these sugar peanuts in my system." Stee: And how long before the show started? Msaada: I had one week between the time I came back from France and the time I had to go on the road. Stee: Was your boyfriend happy for you? Msaada: He was somewhat happy. He knew it was something I wanted, but we had plans to chill out for a couple months, so he was kinda bummed, and I was bummed too. Stee: Why didn't he come visit the show? Msaada: He wanted to, but I didn't want him to. He was trippin'. He didn't really understand what I was going through, and I was going through too much to worry about him. If he came I would have been worrying about him and really trying to acclimate him to the situation and explain things and I didn't really want to do that. He offered, but I just wanted to do it myself. So he wasn't too happy, plus he was like [in a very funny French accent], "I talked to my friend and he said, eh, if you go on the show you have three guys and three girls and they're all cute and beautiful and everybody hooks up on the show." And I was like, "Dude. Don't worry about that, because it's not going to happen." Stee: So, I just want your quick run-down of the other cast members. Theo. Msaada: Theo is so silly. He's really silly. He's funny. He's hilarious. He's, like, searching for something. There's something that he's looking for. He hasn't found it yet, and I think he throws out a lot of things and sees what catches. In general he's a good person. A lot of stuff he says, people think it's racist and things like that. Okay, some of it is inflammatory, but it's more an attention thing. I don't think he really means it. I think he's just being the devil's advocate; doing whatever it takes to get someone to turn their face towards him and say, "Why did you just say that?" So, a lot of times, on the show, he'd say something about black people or Asian people or whatever, and I just wouldn't even respond to it. Me and Laterrian did have conversations with him where we said, "We understand what you said, but if you go in another area they're not going to know...you might get your ass whipped." And it wasn't anything that bad, it was just borderline offensive. He's a good kid. He's very generous and he's very very funny. I like Theo. I really really do.
Stee: All right, so. James. Msaada: [sighs, then laughs about having sighed] James is an interesting character. We have the same birthday, and I just have this love/hate relationship with him. I would get so mad at him, not because I don't like him or he's not a good person, but because I knew he knew better. It was like I knew him -- I knew what he was about. [regarding their fight in South Africa on the balcony after Theo and James left the other four waiting for two hours while they went to a bar, and then James made fun of Msaada's driving] I wasn't going to say anything to the boys, because, as Laterrian said, they'll just get belligerent, but he said something about my driving. I was fuming. We had a fourteen-hour flight, a half-hour driving lesson, and since those two couldn't drive, they just left. They didn't tell us where they were going or when they were coming back. Kat wanted to leave them, but I was the one who wanted to stay, because those two kids alone in South Africa...they would never find where we were. And I was going to not say anything because I'm the type of person where if I'm mad, just don't talk to me, and eventually I'll calm down. Another time, we got chased by some "country people" in Louisiana. What happened was someone stole our horns [from the front grill of the Shasta]. Then these random witnesses told us this frat had them. So we went over to ask them and, you know, after the Super Bowl everyone is all hyped up, and they were like, "Get off our lawn." So while we were talking, James went in and stole some helmets. So we drove off. They chased us and so me and Laterrian got out and said, "We didn't sanction his actions." And then Jim was like, "You don't understand..." and he kept talking. And I'm in the South, with these people with drills and pick-up trucks chasing us, and I'm having visions of burning stuff and just...weirdness. So after that, I didn't talk to him for, like, days because I was so mad. And eventually he came up to me and said, "Dude, Msaada. Is there something I can do for you?" And I said, "Yeah, you can stop acting like an ass. I don't want to hear any excuses about what you did. You don't know these people -- okay, they were probably just acting up for the camera -- but you don't know." And me and Laterrian were nervous...well, Theo was laughing, but no one wanted to be in that situation. Holly was worried that they were going to try to retaliate. So I told him he should be more considerate. He was making excuses and I was like, "Look. No. I don't want to hear your mouth. You know, I prayed about it and I asked the Lord for guidance...and the Lord said it was okay to set you on fire if you don't act right. I'm going to set you on fire." And I was serious. And every now and then I'd have a lighter and I'd look at him and flick it. But I really like Jim. He's a good kid. He's very honest and very virtuous. He's very thoughtful and a lot of that was not shown on TV.
Stee: Okay, Laterrian. Msaada: Laterrian's my boy. If Laterrian had not been on the trip, I would have gone insane. When we were meeting each other in the desert the first day, I was like, "Oh, please don't let me be the only person of color on the show." I mean, it's fine, but it just means more explaining about your point of view. Like a token, educational person. Like Danny on Real World told me he wanted to represent for gay people and he wanted to show America that gay people weren't these deviants doing weird stuff; they are normal people who have the same kind of feelings. Well, I felt the same way about black people. I wanted to go and represent and show to the viewers that there's more to us than, like, us being angry or any of the other depictions that we have on TV -- that there is more of a variety to each kind of person. So, I really appreciated having Laterrian on the show because he was another person of color and he's such a great guy. He's very stern but he has this giggly little-boy side to him that is really charming. He helped keep me afloat; him [sic] and Kat were the people who really grounded me and they were the people I'd speak with because they were my age. They were my mentality, but they also were the only ones who seemed genuinely and consistently interested in me, and who listened to me. A lot of time on the show I was in Mother Mode -- I'd listen to everyone and try to refer everyone to each other to get them to talk -- and I really didn't want to do that. I wanted to chill and have a good time because a lot of the time I'm like that in my real life. Like when we had that big argument in South Africa, I remember saying, "Can we keep to the issues? You need to get this out in the open. Is that your girlfriend? No. Then why do you care? That's between her and Reed and Laterrian. Why is it any of our business? It's not." So...just because Laterrian was my confidant and he reminded me a lot of my cousin, I just felt like I knew him. And he's really strong in term of the Challenges -- he always wanted to go first to set an example of high achievement. He'd make sure we had a high morale. And he knows, like, every rap song ever made, so every day he'd come out with another quote. And we'd talk about his literature and his poetry and how much he liked it. And I talked to him about girls...I mean, he's not Mr. Mack Daddy but he is an attractive man, so he has some problems with the ladies. I just really appreciated him and I was just so happy he was on the trip with me. So it was so hard with that thing with Kat, because I didn't want to see either of them get hurt. It's bad enough to make a mistake, but to make a mistake on national TV....No one was worse than the other -- they both did it. They both made a mistake and I just didn't want them to get hurt. I didn't even want to talk about it.
Stee: So just give me a three-sentence explanation of what happened with Kathryn and Laterrian in the bathroom. Msaada: I don't know what happened in the bathroom, because I wasn't there. They only know. All I know is that Kat made it a point to tell Reed what happened. The other two kids [James and Theo] needed a hobby. They needed something to do. They need to read a book instead of instigating. It got way out of proportion; it wasn't that serious. And it wasn't any of our business, and when it was finally rectified and we could work together again, it was great. But it's Kat and Laterrian's to live with and pay for. It's not our jobs to judge them or punish them. Stee: So going back for a second. Theo and James: not gay? Msaada: No. They are not gay. I've read, on your site, references to that, but no. Stee: But you told me that someone referred to them as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." Msaada: I'm not going to say who did that. Stee: But someone might have called them "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." Msaada: Perhaps...May have...I can't remember. Stee: What about the bubble bath in Vegas? Msaada: [pause] Let me just say that Theo is not the greatest swimmer. So perhaps Jim was supervising as to prevent his dear friend and little brother from drowning. I mean, infants drown in pools, so why not a full-grown twentysomething male from Louisiana? Stee: Holly. Msaada: Holly is very interesting. She can be really funny...interesting. Very personable. But, she is unavailable. There is something about her that is unavailable. She's not approachable. I didn't get to really know her that well and I don't know if that's more on my part, although I did try to talk to her and stuff, or if it was on her. She...she's Holly. There's nothing really to say about it. It's like, everything you see is what you get. Stee: Kat. Msaada: Kat is a wonderful person and very generous...and witty. Really keen. You know, she got dogged-out pretty bad by a lot of people who really don't know her, or thought they knew her and tried to catch her in lies and crucify her...I'm just saying she got a bum deal. Stee: But, aside from the whole make-out controversy? Msaada: She a cool person. Very professional. The best deal-maker I've met in my life; she had us staying at the greatest and best hotels and rooms ever, for discount. She'd just go up to somebody and say, "Look. We only have sixty dollars and there are six of us. Can we have a room, or two, or three?"
Stee: Incidentally, you guys didn't sleep in the Shasta very often. Msaada: Oh no, we did. They just didn't show it. Stee: What was your favorite mission? Msaada: I don't think I have one favorite. I'd have to say that my favorites were South Africa. And the one we got to do with Sloan. Stee: Sloan? Msaada: The boy with cancer. Stee: Oh yeah, Heel Cancer Boy. Msaada: And the winter sports. Stee: So you liked stealing and skiing? Msaada: Stealing, skiing, and just all of South Africa. Stee: What was your least favorite? Msaada: I think my least favorite was...oh gosh, I'm trying to remember. Stee: Babysitting? Msaada: No, I liked the kids. They were just toddlers, so, of course they were going to have some rambunctiousness. Stee: What about the penis pump mission? Msaada: Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. I didn't like that one. I just thought it was really vulgar. Stee: What missions weren't shown? Msaada: We had a mission where we were washing windows on a high-rise, sixteen floors up. And we jumped out of airplanes in South Africa. That wasn't shown. Stee: What do you feel about Bunim/Murray Productions? Msaada: Hm. [She laughs. Pause.] What do I feel about Bunim/Murray Productions? Hm. That's a great question. I had the opportunity to do what I wanted to do, and be picked for the show. They believed in us enough to pick us to be on the show. I really appreciate that. Because, I mean, I got to do everything I wanted. I got to travel, I got to make a little bit of dough, I got to meet some cool people, so everything I wanted initially when I auditioned, I got, so I'm really grateful to them for that. But on the other hand, I understand that it is a business. So I understand that, um, it is just that, it is a business. Stee: What do you mean by that? Msaada: I mean, they are in the business of entertainment. So... Stee: In terms of sculpting storylines? Msaada: It's more of a puzzle. It's more of putting this piece here and that piece there. I mean, some of the stuff is chronologically correct, and some of it is pieced together. There's nothing fabricated...everything happens or whatever. But like I said, it's more of a puzzle in some instances where this piece comes from over here and that piece comes from over there.
So, I understand what I got into, but this year will be old hat. You know, we may have some sort of notoriety, but our fifteen minutes are almost over. As soon as the new season starts, we'll be old hat. So taking it personally or taking it to heart, or allowing my head to get bigger about it...because it's not really that serious. Stee: In being on the show you were making your private life very very public. What is that experience like? Msaada: Well, I don't really know what that's like because I didn't really put myself out there in a manner that you know everything about me. You know I have a dad who's hilarious. You know I have a French boyfriend. You know that I'm kinda quiet (or, at least, on the show), and that I really want people to get along. I think I did pretty well because I didn't want to go on the show and air dirty laundry. Stee: So were you always conscious of self-censoring? Msaada: I didn't self-censor, I don't think. I was just self-aware. I mean, what you see is me, but, like, me-Lite. If you hung with me you'd see that I'm pretty much a chatterbox, but you don't see that on the show. It's me in that situation, with five strangers. Stee: So it's sort of half strategy and half your normal reaction to that situation? Msaada: I don't think it was strategy. I wasn't going to try to give them everything in the audition process and then shut down on the show. That wasn't my intention. Certain things in the audition process I didn't want to talk about, so I didn't. And it's the same thing on the show. It wasn't calculated, it was just awareness. All the people that are important to me in my life, I have to return to them after the show. So (a) I didn't want to get my ass kicked, and (b) it's not my place. I opened myself from day one and I said, "Look, if you want to know about me, you have to ask about me, and I will give you everything you want to know. But I'm not going to give it to you." And Kat and LT...I told everyone, "Here's the key. You have the key. And if you don't use it, I'm going to take it as you don't care." Stee: And LT and Kat used it? Msaada: Consistently. I would speak to Theo from time to time, but it would be more or less about his situation, giving him advice and stuff. I mean, Jim and I got closer as the show went on. And Holly and I got to a point where we could really work together and tolerate each other. So, I was just frustrated that I put my cards out on the table and some people were mad at the hand that I laid down. But I stayed true to who I was.
Stee: This is people in the cast you're talking about being mad? Msaada: Yes. In the cast. I think the people behind the scenes understood me. Stee: Along those lines, I noted -- and a lot of people on our message boards commented consistently -- that you weren't on camera a lot. They really liked you and were kind of pissed off. Msaada: I would say, myself, that I don't feel like I make for good TV. Because a lot of times if I have a problem with somebody, I'm not going to talk to somebody else about them. Unless it was something I didn't feel like I could handle, or it was something I'd put a lot of energy into to no avail. But generally speaking, I wasn't an instigator because I don't like drama and I think it's unnecessary a lot of times. I've tried to solve problems as opposed to talking about them. I'm direct in that fashion. Like when we had the whole blow-up in South Africa, I told Laterrian, "You have to back us up when those kids do something bad. Because your laughing is negating what we're saying and it's undermining the truth which is that what they did is not right." But that's not good TV. Me yelling at Jim to "shut the fuck up" -- that's good TV. Stee: So you have no problem with how much you were shown? Msaada: I don't really care that much. If I were a true media whore and I wanted to be on TV all the time, I'd be bitching. But I understand what it is and why I wasn't on that much. Stee: It's an interesting question for all of us who were bummed that you weren't on more, that if you were shown more and were just sort of doing your thing, would we say, "Okay, she's boring. Bring on some drama. Bring on Holly to do something stupid again." Msaada: I think if people think I'm boring or normal, I'm totally happy with that. I did my job. I'd rather be known as boring and normal and inactive than as The Bitch. Stee: So how quickly do you get over always having a camera in your face? Msaada: I never got over it. I was never at any time not aware that there was a camera right in my friggin' face. I mean, some people would relax and get lax and let it all hang out, and I was like, "This stuff is going to be on national TV, I'm not..." Stee: Did that make you tense for the whole show? Msaada: No. I wasn't all uptight, I was just aware. It's not like trying to outmaneuver the enemy or anything, it's just a question of "there is a camera in my face."
Stee: How often did they let you get away from them? Msaada: Not very often. I mean, it was possible. The reason why you never heard my boyfriend on the show is because I would call him when no one else was around and I wasn't talking to him that much -- like, I'd call and check in with him and whatever...plus he was trippin' so I didn't really want to talk to him, but it would be really brief. I didn't call any of my friends. I called them all and said, "Look. I'm going to be on the show, I'll see you in two months." Because I know my friends, they'd be, like, talking on national TV like, "Girl, you know who just got pregnant?" And I didn't want to bust them out like that. Stee: How much interaction do you have with the crew? Msaada: Almost none. They're really not supposed to talk to us. If we would [sic] talk to them, they would hurry and put up the wall and they would shut us down. If we asked them personal questions, they'd be like, "Well, we can't say." But I found myself sometimes much more interested in the crew than the people I was supposed to be interacting with. They were older, and as a production person, I know how much they know their shit. They were like mysterious and really weird and aloof, so I wanted to talk to them. Stee: Watching the show later, at any point did you say, "Aw fuck, I can't believe I said that. Holly is going to be pissed at me," or "My dad is going to be so mad?" Msaada: Well, no, because everything is on the show...like, I was happy. I was straight. The couple things I really kicked myself in the ass for...the whole, "I'm going to kill everyone" thing. That was funny, but me telling Jim to shut the F up and using profanity, like, I totally did not want to be Miss Black Woman With An Attitude. Stee: But you sounded like Joe Pesci instead. "Shut the fuck up, you!" Msaada: [Msaada launches into a Joe Pesci impression for a bit. It's pretty good.] No, I kicked myself in the ass. I was like, "Aw god, it's going to be on the show. I can't believe I did that." And also the whole thing with the Parent Trap and "how old were you when you lost your virginity?" I totally didn't want to... Stee: What did you say? Msaada: I said eighteen, but I was totally guessing. I didn't know what my dad thought. Who knows what your parents think? Stee: And what did your dad say? Msaada: He said, like, twenty-one or something. It's embarrassing. And now he's all, "What's the age? What's the age?" I was like, "I'm not going to talk to you about it."
Stee: So what's the age? Msaada: I'm not going to talk to you about it. Stee: Good job. Okay, so what's up with the Road Master? Did you all hate him as much as we all did? Msaada: No. At first we were all scared. "The scary man's coming." We had theories about his existence and why he's so disgruntled. We surmised that maybe he's incarcerated or has some sort of venereal disorder or bladder problem that made him so angry. But he turned out to be some actor guy, you know. He wore glasses and he was really cool. Stee: You met him? Msaada: Yeah, we met him at a wrap party. He was a nice guy. Glasses. Tall. They'd put a nose on him and slicked his hair back and digitized him and used contacts. After a while he wasn't scary anymore, he was just funny. And Theo would always go, "Nighty-night!" Stee: So you're happy about the whole experience of being on the show? Msaada: Yeah, I'm happy about it. I don't have anything to complain about, really. I learned a lot of things about people I was with. I got friends out of it. Stee: You had fun? Msaada: Yeah, I had fun. I'm really happy I got to know them as people. They're all pretty much special to me in the fact that I learned from them. [Her cell phone goes off. She thinks it might be a certain Real World cast member with whom she's friends and is going antiquing with the day.] So Hollywood, I know. Stee: So what are you up to now? Msaada: I work at Homework Hotline. I'm proud of that. Okay, Homework Hotline, Monday through Thursday from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Helps kids, students of all ages, every grade, from everywhere, with their homework on air, live. 1-800-LA-STUDY. 1-800-527-8839. And it's free. And it's 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time. So anybody in the country can call and get help with their homework. And it's a good service because you actually work with people and see the results. Um, just chillin', you know. Working on some things. Trying to do public speaking and stuff. Trying to do co-hosting and film recording and stuff as well. Stee: Aren't you acting and auditioning? Msaada: Well, I don't want to say that when I haven't gotten a paycheck yet. Until then, I'm just hoping that I can be a performer. I'm trying to get back into teaching. I'm talking with my elementary school. I'm also trying to teach tap after school and I'm back taking classes. You know, just getting back to life as it was before the whole show. Back to tap. Back to my family.
Stee: What other cast members do you still talk to? Msaada: I talk to basically everybody. Like, Jim's coming into town tomorrow. Theo's in town, I'm sure I'll see him. I talked to Laterrian a couple weeks ago. Emailed Kat. And Reed. Stee: And what are they all doing now? Msaada: LT's chillin'. Back at school in North Carolina. Theo's coming out here. I think he's going to go to college out here for a little bit and then he's going to try to transfer to Berkeley maybe. Stee: [laughs very hard.] To be with James? Msaada: To further his education, Stee. To further his education. And Holly's getting married to Chadwick pretty soon, in May. Stee: And she lives here? Msaada: She lives right down the street. Stee: Let's go by her house! Msaada: Yeah, that'll happen. [laughs] Yeah, let me check my schedule. Hmm, look at the time, I gotta go. Stee: And Kat? Msaada: Kat is Business Woman. She's doing consulting for corporations. She's going to be based in New York. Stee: Would you do the show again? Msaada: Yeah, I'd do it again. I mean, I think I did pretty well considering the circumstances. I think I did pretty well. Stee: You'd do The Real World/Road Rules Challenge if they asked you? Msaada: I don't know about that. Seriously. That's all about money and money's nice but it's stress. It's three more months of the camera in your face and, like, drama. And I don't know if I'm ready for that. Stee: Did you spend your Cobalt [their final prize in form of new American Express internet-based credit card] money? Msaada: Yes I did. I'm driving it around right now. Stee: Were you disappointed in the prize? Msaada: No. $16,000 is good. A kid like me is never going to see that much money in my life. Please. Dude, I'm not picky. In the ghetto, I'm going to be picky about sixteen grand? Like, "Oh no, this is not enough for me." Stee: Cool. I think we're done. Thanks a lot. Msaada: Thanks, Stee.