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CNN Live At Daybreak

Living "The Surreal Life"

Aired January 09, 2004 - 05:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: They're back. It is the return of the has been celebs in the latest reality series. Not kidding.
CNN's Andy Culpepper goes behind-the-scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you begin?

ANDY CULPEPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Familiar faces in unusual places. "The Surreal Life" takes celebrities who have drifted from the spotlight and for two weeks makes them stars again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we going to be roomies?

CULPEPPER: Former TV heart throb Erik Estrada, rapper Vanilla Ice and one time TV evangelist Tammi Fay Messner are among those on board for the show's second season.

TAMMI FAYE MESSNER, FORMER TELEVANGELIST: I'm going to try to help you get rid of some of that hurt in your heart.

MARK CRONIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE SURREAL LIFE": At its core, it's a fish out of water story. We take people who are used to the celebrity lifestyle and throw them together in a dorm style life and watch them melt down, basically.

CULPEPPER: Just to stir things up a bit more, producers throw in surprises like an unexpected visit to a nudist resort.

MESSNER: I feel dirty around here. I could have killed that witch. Tell me they stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was shocking.

ERIK ESTRADA, ACTOR: I wish I -- I didn't even know he was naked. I was going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on them all.

MESSNER: And I'm not a prude. I am not a prude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we know that.

MESSNER: They do things to catch your reactions, you know, here I was saying I would cry on TV again and I walked out of there bawling my eyes out. So what can I say? There are no more promises. TRACI BINGHAM, MODEL ACTRESS: Coming to a nudist colony is good for me because it makes packing easier, because I pack too much.

CULPEPPER: With all the potentially embarrassing moments built into the show, some might ask why participate?

ERIK ESTRADA, ACTOR: Career wise, well, I didn't think about that. I just thought, I just thought for me this would probably show people what I'm really -- who I am, and that's it.

CRONIN: It's also a chance to be in people's living rooms in prime time and seen as somebody that they like in their living rooms. And that has led to many of them from the past casts getting opportunities in regular scripted television.

RON JEREMY, ADULT FILM STAR: All my friends said to do it, because for Ron Jeremy to be on prime time TV is not a bad thing. It's kind of appealing for people to know me in a different light, to see me other than just as an adult film actor.

CULPEPPER: And for some on the fringe of celebrity, the possible rewards, both professional and personal, just may outweigh any risks.

Andy Culpepper, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: They're back. It is the return of the has been celebs in the latest reality series. Not kidding.

CNN's Andy Culpepper goes behind-the-scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you begin?

ANDY CULPEPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Familiar faces in unusual places. "The Surreal Life">


Aired January 9, 2004 - 05:57   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: They're back. It is the return of the has been celebs in the latest reality series. Not kidding.
CNN's Andy Culpepper goes behind-the-scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you begin?

ANDY CULPEPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Familiar faces in unusual places. "The Surreal Life" takes celebrities who have drifted from the spotlight and for two weeks makes them stars again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we going to be roomies?

CULPEPPER: Former TV heart throb Erik Estrada, rapper Vanilla Ice and one time TV evangelist Tammi Fay Messner are among those on board for the show's second season.

TAMMI FAYE MESSNER, FORMER TELEVANGELIST: I'm going to try to help you get rid of some of that hurt in your heart.

MARK CRONIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "THE SURREAL LIFE": At its core, it's a fish out of water story. We take people who are used to the celebrity lifestyle and throw them together in a dorm style life and watch them melt down, basically.

CULPEPPER: Just to stir things up a bit more, producers throw in surprises like an unexpected visit to a nudist resort.

MESSNER: I feel dirty around here. I could have killed that witch. Tell me they stopped.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was shocking.

ERIK ESTRADA, ACTOR: I wish I -- I didn't even know he was naked. I was going to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on them all.

MESSNER: And I'm not a prude. I am not a prude.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we know that.

MESSNER: They do things to catch your reactions, you know, here I was saying I would cry on TV again and I walked out of there bawling my eyes out. So what can I say? There are no more promises. TRACI BINGHAM, MODEL ACTRESS: Coming to a nudist colony is good for me because it makes packing easier, because I pack too much.

CULPEPPER: With all the potentially embarrassing moments built into the show, some might ask why participate?

ERIK ESTRADA, ACTOR: Career wise, well, I didn't think about that. I just thought, I just thought for me this would probably show people what I'm really -- who I am, and that's it.

CRONIN: It's also a chance to be in people's living rooms in prime time and seen as somebody that they like in their living rooms. And that has led to many of them from the past casts getting opportunities in regular scripted television.

RON JEREMY, ADULT FILM STAR: All my friends said to do it, because for Ron Jeremy to be on prime time TV is not a bad thing. It's kind of appealing for people to know me in a different light, to see me other than just as an adult film actor.

CULPEPPER: And for some on the fringe of celebrity, the possible rewards, both professional and personal, just may outweigh any risks.

Andy Culpepper, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: They're back. It is the return of the has been celebs in the latest reality series. Not kidding.

CNN's Andy Culpepper goes behind-the-scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you begin?

ANDY CULPEPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Familiar faces in unusual places. "The Surreal Life">