The Vegas Bash 2011

A year ago I saw a friend of mine’s pictures of him with a bunch of reality stars and he was all pumped about attending this thing called The Vegas Bash. It looked like a BLAST and I told Katie about it and we discussed how fun it’d be to go. We never really thought we’d actually attend but then basketball season came around and Zach wanted me to fill out an NCAA bracket with him. We do it every year and every year I, somehow, win. I guess basing your winners off the colors of their jerseys works! This year he told me if I won that I could go to the Vegas Bash. Um, awesome!!! It actually made my guesses more difficult because there was a legit prize involved…but I still pulled out a win 🙂

The event was from 4-8 Vegas time (7-11 Ga time) so we got there at about 4:10. The Rio is a pretty legit casino/hotel…I heard the World Series of Poker is there every year???

We also had a good view of The Palms (which I only know of from The Real World)

We hit up the bathrooms to freshen up before going up to the event – I cracked up at the warning sign posted in the bathroom. No worries Blitzen, I’m not an IDIOT!!! Even if I did drink who would actually do so while pregnant?!?! Some people!!!

The bash was held in the Big Kahuna Suite on the 50th floor. When we walked in the Casino we passed by Nehemiah from The Real World/Road Rules Challenges and when we got on the elevator Casey, from Big Brother 11, was actually running to catch it. As we waited to sign in we saw both Ronnie, from Big Brother Season 11, and Randy, from Survivor Gabon and Heros/Vilans in line to get in too. We didn’t say anything to any of them because we felt like it wasn’t “time yet.” Haha

You can tell how cheaply the whole thing was done by the sign to get in…

When we first arrived it was pretty much awkward. There weren’t many people there yet and we felt like we were just standing around and didn’t really know what to say to anyone. It reminded me of those boy/girl parties in middle school. The beginnings we always awkward but by the end of the night you didn’t want to leave and when you got to school the next day you couldn’t stop talking about how much fun you had!

It was GREAT getting to see Josh! He’s the one I found out about the event from and it’s been years since we’ve seen each other. He dated my cousin, Jonathan, for a long time and now lives in Chicago! It was neat to see each other in another state and get to say hey and hug for a few minutes. He pretty much knew everyone there so we didn’t spend much time together. It was still good to see him and I’m so glad I found out about it all from him!!!

Since we met SO many people, this blog entry will only be covering some of the reality stars we met…I’m going to do another blog entry with all our FAVORITE people 🙂 Not that we didn’t love everyone, we just got a chance to get to talk to some people longer than others! I have to say that (almost) every single person we met was better looking in person than on tv! AND (almost) every single person was super nice. Duh, I’ll tell you the ones that weren’t 😉

Josh had spent most of his trip hanging out with Katie Doyle from MTV The Challenges. She was adorable and super sweet. She asked my Katie how she spells her name and Katie said “Like you -ie!” It sounded a little stalkerish haha. Since we met her early on in the night we didn’t talk to her much or ask her any real questions or anything!

Josh is in LOVE with Kenny Santucci from The Challenges so he wore a shirt each day in his honor. Sadly, Kenny wasn’t there 🙁

While we were sitting on one of the couches talking (someone told me before we went to the event that they bet the person I’d be talking to the most during it would be Katie…and they were right!) Casey Turner from Big Brother 11 came and sat down with us. He was obviously on something a little bit stronger than alcohol. What surprises me about him is that he’s actually a teacher! How does he keep his job??? I know he’s good friends with Jeff in real life (and he’s from their first season) so I told him that I’m a big Jeff fan and he said “he’s good people.” We also commented on his shirt and he said “You want one? I gotta guy.” Um, that’s okay…

We started getting more comfortable as more and more people arrived and would just go up to people and say hey and ask for a picture with them. We’ve both watched the MTV Challenges forever and loved getting to meet Derrick Kosinski. He’s old school MTV, which we love 🙂 I’ve always rooted for him on The Challenges because he’s small but scrappy. And boy, is he SMALL. Keep in mind I’m only 5’1″! He was the only person that night that I could tell didn’t like me touching him (I naturally put my arm around people in pictures, don’t you?). He was really nice but just a little awkward and I seriously could put my arm around his entire waist probably twice! I told him I liked his shirt and that we were going to Disney this week 😉 Anything Disney related at this point gets me excited!

There weren’t many people from The Amazing Race there, and it’s a hard show to really remember who is who, ya know? I wasn’t a big fan of Louie Stavato from season 16, but I remember my mom liked him and his partner b/c they were around her age and cops. I basically wanted to meet him and get a picture just for her but didn’t tell him that…I didn’t know if saying “my mom really likes you!” would bug him or make him feel old or something? He was super nice and asked if we wanted a picture by the balcony so it’d be a nicer shot. I don’t plan on framing the pic or anything so I really didn’t care…but it was thoughtful.

I am a late-comer as far as Big Brother goes. My mom has watched it for years but I always thought it sounded stupid. We started watching it during the writers strike a couple of years ago and it was actually the only time they aired a season not during the summer. It was a pairs season and I liked Jen Diturno (season 9) right away! Katie didn’t watch the show that season (we talked her into starting it for season 10 though) and didn’t mind not meeting Jen since she didn’t know her. While her hair was a little too blonde, she was still adorable and wanted to do our picture “cheek to cheek!”

I downed a TON of water the entire night (and drank a good bit of it leading up to the event too) so we were hanging out by the bathroom pretty often. The bathroom also happened to be right where the door was to come in so we kept catching people as they arrived. Lawon Exum from Big Brother 13 (this past season!) came in with Cassi and was super sweet and approachable. He was taller than I expected and just as fun and crazily dressed as I imagined! Katie and I didn’t realize before the event how much time we’d get to spend with people or else we would have had some questions in mind to ask them. I totally would have asked Lawon about making the worst Big Brother move ever, but I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings!

Keith Henderson, also from Big Brother 13, was the first voted off so we didn’t have much to say to him. I wasn’t a fan anyway. I just got a picture and pretty much moved on 😉 I did say “what no big flower today?” because he wore a big flower on the first episode of the show and at the finale.

When Cassi Colvin came in, also from Big Brother 13, I was seriously taken aback by how beautiful she is! I thought she was gorgeous on the show but she was even prettier in real life! Even other reality stars wanted to meet her (Adam King, from The Challenges, said to us “is that the hot girl from Big Brother? I gotta meet her!”) and I think she was the prettiest person there. On top of that she was so nice. We had heard that Shelly Moore (who got Jeff voted off…grrrr) wouldn’t be there and we asked her if it had to do with the FBI situation she’s involved in (her husband and daughter have been getting death threats after what she did to Jeff on the show!). You could tell Cassi had already pre-thought out her answers and she said that Shelly didn’t come because she just wanted to spend time with her family. Our new friend, Patrick (who is on our favorite list – you’ll hear LOTS more about him), asked her lots of other questions…including if she got sick of everyone talking about her looks. She said that she didn’t understand why they all focused on that so much because all the girls were so pretty. I told her it was obvious Rachel wanted her out b/c she was intimidated and Cassi said “it’s b/c I wouldn’t kiss her butt like everyone else!” She did say that Jeff and Jordan are as sweet as they show on tv (which I didn’t doubt!).

Lane Elenburg from Big Brother season 12 was one of mine and Zach’s favorites and actually made it to the final two. He has lost some weight since his season and was very humble and sweet. He was surprised we wanted to get pictures with him!

While waiting to get more drinks (I kept getting a cup of ice and pouring more bottled water in it…it was BURNING UP in that room!) we met Eliza Orlins from Survivor Vanuatu and Micronesia with Vicki Casciola and Nick DeCarlo from The Amazing Race season 17. We didn’t even speak to Vicki or Nick, but Eliza was funny. She asked if we were sure we wanted a picture with her since we probably didn’t even know who she was! Luckily, Katie and I studied up a little bit on who all would be there so Katie jumped in and said “Yes we do! You always made the most awesome facial expressions!” I’m sure it made her feel good that someone knew her, as she was from older Survivor seasons!

I don’t really remember much of Michelle Costa, from Big Brother Season 10, but she was VERY nice and came up to us multiple times during the night. It was obvious that she isn’t the least bit stuck up and that she enjoys meeting people and is just an overall nice person. It was mega hot in the room and we actually first started talking to her because she went up to Katie and started fanning her off! So thoughtful!

Later in the night she came up to me to say “cheers!” and clink our glasses together.

Jessica “Sugar” Kiper, from Survivo Gabon, was one of mine and Zach’s favorites. She’s even MORE adorable in real life and the nickname sugar is totally fitting for her as she’s so sweet! As soon as I saw her I immediatly thought of my good friend, Crissy. She looks very similar to Crissy and they share a similar style and a completely sweet and genuine attitude. She talked to us for a bit and even wanted to make sure we had a good picture together so she suggested having the “blondes” on the ends. She said she was only going to stick around for a few minutes but we saw her there when we left!

Matt Hoffman, from Big Brother Season 12, is someone who I didn’t have the slightest desire to meet. He lied the entire season about his wife having a terminal illness that she really didn’t  have. He also was very rude about his non-belief in God. I’m very open to hearing other people’s perspectives but to hear him hate on Christianity so much bothered me. He was a liar and very rude and I’m thankful he didn’t come close to winning!!! I only like this picture because Eliza is in the background making one of her famous expressions 😉

The rooftop was really neat – we had a great view of The Palms!

Vegas Girls 😉

Zach started watching Survivor before I did and he always liked Yau Man from the Fiji Season. He stuck out like a sore thumb at the event – he was much older than everyone else and it was just funny to see him there. He was adorable though and very nice!

Dominic Briones, from this past season (13) of Big Brother, was one of the few people we met who was less attractive in person than he was on tv. The area around his eyes was very dark and he just wasn’t very good looking to either of us. He also was one of the few people we met that night who had a rather bad attitude. He seemed pretty stuck on himself. I told him about how I saw his ad in Banana Republic and really was tempted to add that the girl who worked there said I was only the 2nd person to ever mention that he was on tv. He said he just did more work for them after the show aired too. I guess he makes a good model, but he’s seriously not even remotely cute in person!

Nehemiah Clark, from MTV’s  The Challenges, is another person I could have done without meeting. He was nice, but I’m just not a fan of his. I personally don’t like when people say they are doing things to honor God or their religious preference but then they don’t actually act like that’s what their goals are. He’s kind of that way to me and  it’s irratating. We only took pictures with him because he was standing right next to us and we figured why not?

Kevin Campbell, from Big Brother Season 11, made it to finale three on the season where Jordan won. He was MEGA busy because he and Lydia (from his season) host an online talk show type thing so they were interviewing all the reality stars that night. He was SUPER nice and very humble when we met him! I wasn’t a huge fan during his season but liked him in person. Very friendly and outgoing for sure!

Katie and I went outside to sit for awhile (I was on my feet for literally 5 HOURS at this thing, there were a TON of people there and under 10 chairs total. For real.) and I noticed that Shelia Kennedy, from Big Brother Season 9, and Annie Whittingham, from Big Brother Season 12, were standing next to us in some deep conversation. They were actually talking about the game which I found interesting. Shelia looked AMAZING as did Annie – I like her hair so much better blonde! They were both so, so nice and hugged me multiple times. We talked a bit about Big Brother and they said they’d both totally do it again if they were asked and that anyone who tells you they wouldn’t is lying. They also said they are positive there will be another All Stars season soon since Evil Dick left so early this past season (PLEASE say Jeff will come back!).

Also while outside we met Andrew Gordon from Big Brother 12. He was kinda the odd man out on his season but was very friendly and nice in person. He was genuinely interested in talking to us and getting to know us. It was unfortunate that the live band outside was SO LOUD because we could hardly hear each other. He asked my favorite BB house-guest and, duh, I said Jeff. He said he’s really nice (glad that everyone agrees on that!) and he asked who my favorite person I’d met that night was…I said Randy (post to come!) and he said “who????” hahaha. Pretty hilarious, at least for Katie and I!

Lydia Travera from Big Brother season 11 was hosting the online talk show thing with Kevin so she was busy most of the night too. Katie and I know her best for the SOB fest she had when Jesse got kicked off…and we heard from Patrick that they actually legitimately dated for quite awhile! When Patrick got to interview her for her online show thing he was going to ask her about it but she wouldn’t let him. Totally doesn’t surprise me…she was one of the ruder people we met that night. She wasn’t the least bit friendly and seemed to have that attitude that she was “too good” to be talking to us. Fine by me!

Chima Simone, from Big Brother Season 11, got kicked off the show (intentionally) when she threw her microphone into the pool. Most people who watched that season didn’t like her but our new bff, Patrick, is OBSESSED with her. We were talking to him and he wanted to make sure we met her. She was adorable in person. So so cute and VERY nice! It just goes to show that people aren’t always as they seem on tv. I felt a little uncomfortable talking to her b/c Patrick had told us there’s legal stuff going on with her and CBS over her season so I didn’t want to ask her any Big Brother questions. We did talk for quite awhile but most of it was about Patrick’s love for her. 🙂

We got to the event 15 min late but decided to also stick around late just in case some people showed up near the end. Why not right? We were tired but it was worthwhile just to see!

We decided to head out at 9 Vegas Time (midnight our bodies time) and wanted to pick up our free, signed, t-shirts on the way out. There was hardly anyone left at that point but a MILLION shirts left so we thought we’d better ask before just taking some. We asked around where to find the woman in charge and someone said “she’s outside with Dani.” We didn’t see Dani come in so we got pretty excited to go meet her! We’d already heard that she’s mega full of herself…which I can see…and she was. Who shows up to an event an hour after it ends? I mean they didn’t even have ANY drinks (including water!) left! Very, very rude. She also hid outside where no one could see her. You may be a “celebrity” with Big Brother, Dani, but that doesn’t make you a real celebrity at all!!!

We still totally wanted a picture with her…and, to her credit, she is even prettier in real life! I really did like her from this past season but wasn’t very impressed with her demeanor. We were still nice to her (and I told her how she inspired my willingness to layer lots of bracelets) but it was obvious that she didn’t want to talk to us so we left pretty quickly. She had JUST left the jury house 2 days prior and she was she was SO glad to be out of there! She and Jeff do not get along so it’s not shocking that I didn’t like her either, because of course Jeff and I would agree on that 😉

Katie and I with Daniele Donato from Big Brother Season 13!

When we got off the elevator we ran into Kristen Bitting, from Big Brother Season 12, and Ragan Fox, also from Season 12. Ragan was less good looking than he was on tv (in my opinion) but Kristen was BEAUTIFUL! We were very ballsy at this point and asked them to take a picture with each of us. We also asked where they were and why they hadn’t come to the event. Kristen said they were napping! SO rude! The lady who organized the event did not pay them to come but bought their plane tickets and hotel rooms. Pretty rude to say you’ll attend something, take the freebies you’re given to attend it, and then not show up ya know? It made us think less of them which is too bad because we really liked them both on their season!

Overall, it was a SUPER fun night and we met SO many great people (post still to come on our FAVORITES!). We found out that a ton of people are mega unhappy with the lady who threw the event…and I can totally see why. Several people who were supposed to come didn’t (I’m sure Josh is upset that Kenny Santucci wasn’t there and we were looking forward to meeting Rachel from this past Big Brother season!), it was extremely unorganized, and we’ve heard that many of the reality stars weren’t given the things they were promised. Based on all of that, I’m not sure if the event will even take place again! It looks like from the facebook page for it that a TON of people want refunds! It’s too bad, because we had a BLAST and really wouldn’t have changed a thing!!!

On top of all the people we got pictures with, we also met several more who we didn’t ask to take pics of. We didn’t ask because either we weren’t 100% sure who they were or we didn’t really like them enough to bother! Here’s a breakdown of everyone else we met that night:

We aren’t positive but we’re pretty sure that Brent Horne from The Amazing Race Season 17 was there but with much shorter hair…or at least a guy who looks very much like him was there!

Bruce Kenegai, from Survivor Panama Exile Island, actually introduced himself to me. He was the only person that night to do that and to say where we might know him from. Really, the stars should have had on name tags. It’s embarrassing not to know who someone is in that kind of situation ya know? He was MEGA nice but I have zero recollection of him from that season.

We’re also pretty sure taht Steve “Chicken” Morris was there from Survivor China. If we was there then he’s grown his hair out more and looks slightly more creepy. We did talk to a guy multiple times that looked similar to him. He was friendly and was wearing the red bracelet which was supposed to mean he was some type of reality star or something!

Angie Swindell, from Big Brother season 10, was for sure there and was super pretty and friendly! I just couldn’t remember her name and wasn’t 100% sure I knew her from Big Brother!

We’re about 85% sure that this annoying guy who kept trying to talk to me throughout the night was Joe Barber from Big Brother Season 8. If it was him, he looks less attractive than he did his season and he was very obnoxious. The stuff he was saying to me didn’t even make sense! He was trying to pick on me and tease me but it was just dumb. I didn’t watch his season so I don’t even know if I would have liked him from the show or not.

I also am pretty sure the annoying kid was Joe because he hung out with Parker Deion from Big Brother Season 9. Parker had cut his hair mega short (good move for sure!) so we didn’t even recognize him until we got home and went through our “cheat sheets” that Katie had printed off for us (pictures of all the reality stars who would be there so we’d know who was who).

Since I didn’t watch Big Brother Season 8, I also didn’t recognize Eric Stein. I guess he’s super close with Dani even now because when we saw her they were together and pictures I’ve seen from the events of that weekend all show them together. I talked to him several times throughout the night and didn’t realize he was even from a reality show. He was very nice though and took some pictures for me a couple times (I think he took the one of us with Dani!). I feel a little bad for not knowing who he was or asking for a picture with him!

Michael “Cowboy” Ellis from Big Brother Season 5 was there, sporting his cowboy hat, and was VERY nice. He came up to us asking if we were having fun and spoke to us multiple times as well. I just kept thinking he was from Survivor for some reason? And even after Patrick told us who he was and a little bit about his season, I still didn’t see a point in asking for a picture together.

Katie was actually a fan of Libra Thompson from Big Brother season 10…we just weren’t sure if the woman we kept seeing was her or not! She had much longer hair and wasn’t wearing clothing that you’d think Libra would wear (she was a mom with a new baby on her season). She didn’t seem overly friendly so we asked Patrick if it was her and he said yes, but we never got around to getting pictures with her.

I failed to watch this past season of The Real World (it was in Las Vegas!) so I didn’t know any of the people from there. It was funny because the other reality stars would make little comments about The Real World “kids” and I guess they assumed most of us were there to meet the MTV people and not the stars from the other shows. Wasn’t the case for Katie or I at all! We met all of these people and assumed they were from the Vegas season. They were nice, but very cliquey and always together!

Heather Marter

Nany Gonzalez

Naomi Defensor

We also met Noor Jehangir from The Challenges

And Derrick Chavez from Real World Cancun (we talked to him for a bit actually when he got in trouble from security for running around in his boxer briefs after he jumped in the pool then his friends stole his clothes and wallet!)

Brandon Nelson from The Challenges hosted the event so we met him as well

And Tyrie Ballard, also from The Challenges.

Can you tell we had a BLAST!?!?! We were exhausted but realized once we got back that we hadn’t eaten dinner so we headed back down to our hotel casino/restaurant area and ate a little something before bed (I had a milkshake which was yummy!).

Here’s our autographed shirts!

Jealous of the signature Abram put on Katie’s shirt!

my shirt!

The Vegas Bash 2011!!!!

Favorites to come soon!