The Girls are (were) Back!

It certainly has been a blast from the past to be able to witness two people, instumental in my childhood, be able to relive their glory (ahem, whatever you call it) on MTV's latest installment of the Real World/Road Rules challenge... Two girls who approached their initial seasons quite, well, differently.

Let's first journey back to 1999. Cell phones were all the rage, MTV's "10 Spot" was in full swing, and these innovative masters in reality took their first stab at re-tooling the always "second best" side kick to "The Real World." That's right friends, throw away the RV, take down the horns, these kids set sail on one of the finest Ocean Liners cruising the seven seas - welcome to "Road Rules 8: Semester at Sea."

Rather than getting into the reasons that this season was the turning point for the once dominating show (although kudos for not voting people off yet), let's focus on the vixen on lido deck: Veronica. In a season full of what I would deem "misfits," I knew I could count on Veronica to rock the boat (good one, I know) and take this season from being a snore to a reason to look forward to Monday nights. And mostly for one key reason that doesn't get recognized enough... it turned out that as far as both tangible and intellectual property were concerned... Veronica was incredibly shifty.

Hide your "not particularly special" black T-shirts and term papers girls! Veronica is back! On the day that MTV broadcast the T-shirt episode (where Veronica steals, hides, eventually pulls Pua into the bathroom to give back, and then cries and confesses about the shirt that she had taken from her unsuspecting and bald - atleast it wasn't a hat - roommate) I am honestly not sure I have laughed so hard. On that day, Veronica told the confessional cameras that she had never been so ashamed (judging by her future behavior on some of the challenges I am assuming this record didn't hold up) and cried and begged for forgiveness - for stealing a T-shirt... and hiding it in her closet - while being videotaped... am I missing something here? Veronica, did you by any chance quit NASA to join the Road Rules cast?

Then there was the day that Veronica ripped off Ayanna's term paper and it went very differently... but was just as hilarious. Voodoo practicing Ayanna had written her paper, turned it in, and then unsuspectingly ended up in a plagarism scandal. Veronica didn't write her paper, copied Ayanna's, chased Ayanna down the hall trying to rip the paper away from the original author... and then too, somewhat surprisingly, seemed genuinely shocked when she ended up in the plagarism scandal as well. Veronica's claim to fame explanation that she "followed the outline" was quickly shot down when Ayanna calmly (yeah right) countered that she had never seen the outline - you be the judge here. In my book, not only does Veronica's total lack of a moral compass make for great television, but she has got to be one of the worst con artists of all time.

Veronica took this love for trouble on the road for years and ended up on several challenges. Always the agressor, Veronica was in the "in crowd," did well in the missions, and hooked up with guys and girls alike. In the process, she made friends (no), offended audiences, and generally did her best to break down the spirits of everyone around her - usually succeeding. In fact, in this latest go-round, Tonya drunkenly brings up something that Veronica said to her years earlier. The difference now is that at almost 24 years old, I am no longer in middle school, so to Veronica: that means you are old. No longer one of the cool kids, Veronica realizes that she is out of her league and is playing the game with people who watched her steal things on Monday nights as children. To Veronica, for a few weeks there, I actually felt like I was still working on that map for Spanish class while waiting in anticipation for your latest antics - please, don't be a stranger.

Next, we must go back in time even further. The Spice Girls and Hanson were climbing the charts, and the yet-to-be revamped and later defunct "Road Rules" was in full swing down under. The year was 1998 and we were ready for some horns and some dynamite Australian missions. In the cast of generally unremarkable young adults, there was one 18 year old innocent lamb who famously remarked that she didn't believe in fornication (I was forced to look this word up in the dictionary as a 12 year old) and was deemed by Christina to be on a "downward spiral" for stealing bowling shoes from unsuspecting teenage workers. Her name was Susie, and she was just embarking on a journey that has, to date, spanned 11 years.

Susie might have started off sweet but quickly established herself on the challenges as the undefeated cat to beat... and she is so not as nice as she used to be - which is ok with me. Susie may not be known for drunken antics and hook ups, but to me, she will always be known as the girl on the downward spiral stealing bowling shoes - and inspiring me to steal a pair of my own (which really wasn't as funny as I had anticipated). Susie, welcome back because although I may not have braces anymore, when you are around, I am still 12 and the Spice Girls are still together.

I salute you, Veronica and Susie, because while fame in the MTV world often lasts fewer than 15 minutes, it looks like you are here to stay. Can anyone really name anyone else from either of your seasons? (other than Yes and Piggy whose parents sorely misinterpreted the English language). And to anyone out there, I say that if you can do something for 6 months, refuse to fade into oblivion, and then make money off of it over 10 years later, you're doing something right afterall. Only here can kids be inspired to truly live that great American dream.