by Gina Scarpa

 

Last week, The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat 2 wrapped up with Landon and Carley taking home the grand prize. Only four teams made it to the final challenge, which was a grueling obstacle course in the mountains of Whistler, British Columbia. Kenny and his partner, newcomer Laurel, had dominated through much of the season but ended up taking 2nd place in the finale. Today, we caught up with Kenny to talk about his experiences on Fresh Meat 2, doing a challenge without his closest friends and allies, and what the heck his deal is with Wes.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you first joined the challenges in Fresh Meat 1, what were your expectations? Did you ever imagine that you'd end up becoming a staple on these shows?
A. Kenny: That's a good question. There's a side of me that had delusions of grandeur and that I'd blow up Jersey Shore style, all over the red carpets. After meeting some of the people, I could tell this was gonna be a dark road for the rest of my life. I think I can speak for Evan as well on this. We met some people on the first few shows that made us say, "God, I hope I don't wind up like this kid." I'm trying to line up some other stuff for myself now. I've done a lot of stuff that not a lot of the other cast members have. So in the beginning, yes and no. Yes, I thought it would open doors and no, I didn't think I'd end up being one of the big players.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've formed a lot of close friendships through doing the challenges. Is that part of what brings you back to keep competing?
A. Kenny: Yeah, there's a lot of times where it's comfortable. I know I could go with 2 or 3 other people and win some money. Even if you take 2nd or 3rd, you're walking away for $15-20K for the month. That's not bad.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You came onto Fresh Meat 2 without a lot of those close friends. Do you think that was intentional by MTV to perhaps make things a little more interesting?
A. Kenny: Yeah, absolutely. They actually even told me that that it was their intention to see how I'd fare by myself. I think I did a pretty good job. They kept asking me and I turned it down the first couple times. They said, "You should really do it. It's your time to shine," and I finally said I'd do it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Obviously, the rivalry between you and Wes was a hot topic during Fresh Meat 2. You both approached the game very differently. He sold people out, while you remained loyal. Do you think that you're more of a hero and he's a villain?
A. Kenny: For sure! 110% ! I am the Superman to his Lex Luthor. I read some of the blogs and people always say that I play a shady game and the only example they ever have is the Paula thing. I've fought with Paula a hundred times about this. Even on the reunion Evelyn, who is not a big fan of mine, told people what happened on The Island. Paula was right there when we made that deal with Evelyn. Paula was never discussed to be on our boat. Paula flipping out made me look bad. I love Paula to death but she pushed a lot of the blame on me and Johnny for her lack of getting involved. She was there, she played the game with us but so did Johanna, so did Dunbar, and they didn't flip out. People still defend Wes, saying he's not that bad of a guy. At the same time, I've never thrown any of my friends under the bus and told them it was time to go home.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Theresa was working hard in the beginning to hook up with you. What stopped you from going there with her?
A. Kenny: My current girlfriend... I was talking to her at the time. That was a big reason why I didn't do anything. I thought Theresa was cute but I had something back home that I didn't wanna mess up.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Laurel was clearly a great choice for you to partner up and you worked great together. How did you get along with her personally?
A. Kenny: A lot of the girls, and I've said this a lot, didn't like her and she would get upset about that. It's hard to come in with everybody breathing down your throat. I love Laurel. She's a great kid. I like hanging out with her. She's a phenomenal partner. Jill put it best on the reunion: a lot of the girls were jealous. She'd always be in our room and our room was the veteran room. Laurel would always hang out with us and some of the other girls, like Mandi and Theresa and some of the other ones... I don't even remember their names... would all hang out together. Nobody really talked to them. They were jealous. Laurel got to hang out with me every time!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: That last challenge looked completely insane! How difficult was it for you and Laurel to finish?
A. Kenny: I've participated in a lot of final challenges and that was, by far, the hardest one. It was just brutal. I've run across a beach twice and I ran across a desert and swam across an ocean and that mountain was unreal. Every time we turned a corner, it just got higher and higher. Everything hurt! This was one of the first challenges that I really didn't train for because I didn't even think I was going to go. I wasn't as prepared as I normally am.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did Landon and Carley exceed your expectations on that final challenge?
A. Kenny: I really thought that the second to last challenge, the obstacle course, was a good example of what the results of the final would've been. We all started at the same time. I knew that course was 2 miles long, carrying weight, and doing different things. Our time was so much better than theirs. I thought we were gonna win the whole thing. I slept easy that night thinking we'd win the whole thing. I think I got a little ahead of myself and we lost. That 2 minute head start was a huge lead. We spent the whole time playing catchup. Everyone else was 45 minutes behind us. We were 5-10 minutes behind Landon. I was on his ass the whole time. Anytime you're playing the catchup game, you have to give it 100% more than what you would've in the beginning. When you have a lead it's just a matter of keeping it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: On the reunion show, you were seen wearing your Suck Yeah shirt. How are things going with that?
A. Kenny: Suck Yeah is going really well. I just sold a couple more shirts this morning. There's not a whole lot on the site right now but check back in a few weeks. We're trying to get more stuff printed. I'm trying to get it together where we're more of a legitimate company. We're talking to some stores in Jersey, North Carolina, and Toronto. We talked to Bunim/Murray about getting it on some other shows like The Bad Girls Club and The Real World. Check out our website.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you have more challenges in you?
A. Kenny: I'm up for some more challenges. I just gotta get back into shape. Mr. Beautiful looks like Mr. Sloppy right now. When that fateful phone call comes, I'm sure I'll jump at it.

 

 

(Image courtesy of MTV)

 

 

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