by Gina Scarpa

 

Averey Tressler came into The Real World Portland house as an independent woman with her trusty dog, Daisy, by her side. Much to her surprise, she fell for roommate Johnny Reilly and they quickly fell into a relationship. Between  a new roommate in the house stirring up drama and the ups and downs of her relationship with Johnny, there's still a lot more to come this season! This week, we spent some time talking to Averey about the early days in Portland.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was the decision to try out for The Real World one that you thought about for a long time or a more impulsive one?

A. Averey: I would say more impulsive. I didn't really try out for the show. They had tryouts at Hooters and as I was working, the casting people were coming up to me and hanging out. At the end of my shift, they asked me to come back where they were having auditions. The whole day I was telling them I didn't want to do the show and I didn't know why I would be picked. About an hour after my shift, I was staring at the packet they gave me to fill out and I was like, "Is this really happening?" One of the regulars was like, "Just do it, you've been handed a golden ticket." I don't know! They must've liked something about me.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I have to admit I didn't know much about Portland before watching this season. What about you? Have you ever been there?

A. Averey: I didn't know anything about Portland either before I went. I did some research when I found out we were going to go and Googled things to do in Portland. I would ask customers at Hooters about Oregon and where to go. They kinda told me some things to check out and I had some kind of an idea. I was surprised it was so eco-friendly and dog friendly.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Joi left so early on in the season and I was wondering if you felt like she gave the experience a fair shot.

A. Averey: I mean, I can see it both ways. I can see why Joi did it, I really can. She had some obligations to take care of and I would've done the same thing. In the other aspect, there are so many people who want to do this. Who wouldn't wanna do this? You get chosen out of how many people and you just wanna throw it away? I don't know, I think she should've stayed a little longer.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You and Johnny hit it off immediately. Did it surprise you how fast the feelings developed?

A. Averey: Yeah, it did. At first, I was kinda freaked out. I didn't really know how to take it or how to react. Your'e stuck in the house with all these people and somehow, we just clicked, we started talking, and it just happened. He definitely liked me before I liked him. I was a little taken aback by how quickly it all happened.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When Nia showed up, you seemed cautious of her but hopeful that you would get along. Can you tell us a little more about how you were feeling in those early days?

A. Averey: I was just a little uneasy, a little unsure. I'm a pretty good judge of character. Something was off, but I didn't want to shut her off. I was thinking maybe it was because she was new that we were unsure and uneasy. There was something about her that was just a little off.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Without giving anything away, do you have good relationships with the roommates to this day?

A. Averey: I would say with a majority, yeah. The person I speak to most is Johnny and Jordan. Him and I became good friends.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Would you want to do more television, perhaps continue with MTV, do Challenges, and things like that?

A. Averey: I've been thinking about it and it would be really, really cool. You know, why not? If I had the chance to do something, heck yeah I'd do it!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you want fans of the show to know about you by the time the season ends?

A. Averey: I would say, just don't judge people based on... don't judge a book by its cover. There's a lot on the show they won't show about me, but just keep an open mind. There's more going on than you actually see.

 

 

The Real World Portland airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on MTV.

 

(Image courtesy of MTV)

 

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa