ROAD RULES WEB INTERVIEWS:

2) How would you rate your experience on the show?

Ayanna: It's kinda funny, when I look at the trip, I don't reminisce about it in terms of "My Road Rules Experience Around the World." I think of places, faces, ideas, smells, and sounds that I never knew existed. Many times, the missions were a minor part of what each castmember did in each country. I went to a Muslim wedding and home in Kenya with some friends from the ship, I listened to a Japanese emcee tap lyrics in French at some underground club, I ventured out at three in the morning while in San Salvador and listened to an improv beat artist do his thing in El Pelurinho! Basically, it wasn't a "show" for us; we were living our lives. It merely became a "show" when the editors received the footage and presented our story; a story seen through the eyes of a voyeur. The trip was WONDERFUL!!!!

3) What was your favorite mission on the show? Least favorite? why?

Ayanna: My favorite mission was working with Escola Picolino and Project Axe for the circus. For me, Brazil provided that diasporic link within myself which helped me to conceptually place the passage my ancestors took to the Americas. I learned SO much about the similarities between Afro-Brazillians and Afro-Americans as far as self-actualization (how we view self) and the struggle that they are going through to maintain esteem and pride for their african characteristics on a younger level. Luana, the young lady that I emceed with, and I talked so much about so many things! Basically, preparing for the mission impacted me more than the actual mission itself.

My least favorite mission was the elephant mission in India. The mahouts were really beating the elephants; I'm no animal rights activist, but, I couldn't stand around and watch that stuff.

4) Would you have preferred doing the show in a winnie?

Ayanna: I think that being in a winnie would have forced us to deal with each other rather than depend on other people to support us. Being in a winnie would may have eliminated some of the B.S. that went down as well (the group dissecting pawel in Kenya and me with all that voodoo garbage). I did wonder about that a lot and wish that we would have been forced to be together more. Maybe it wouldn't have taken as long to find out the things that we didn't find out until the end.

5) How do you characterize your realtionship with each cast member? Both during filming and now?

Ayanna: At the beginning of the trip, I was cool with everybody (with the exception of V.) Everything was relatively cool until we left from S. Africa; when Pua started distancing herself away from me. I thought that she was just wigged out about her boyfriend but, from watching the show, I guess it was about that whole witch crap. To this day, I don't know why V. said that crap about me) Anyway, after we squashed all of that drama, there was still an intense wall that was up between Pua and I. I can say, honestly, that I did shut myself off from the group after that. I wasn't silent by any means, but, I don't know if I showed the whole of my true feelings much. This kinda characterized my relationship with everybody for the rest of the trip. Everybody was doing their own thing and I basically dealt with everybody like acquaintances. I guess they thought I was crazy. The only person who I think I really got to know on the trip was Pawel. Now that we're back home, the people that I've been in touch with are Shawn and Pawel. I send Yes a hi or two and were on good terms. I haven't heard from Pua since the summer. I don't keep in touch with V.

6) Do you and Veronica get along better now?

Ayanna: V. and I do not communicate with each other.

7) Of the many things that BMP aired, is there anything that you feel they left out?  Something important that was not included on the show?

Ayanna: I've realized two things in all of this: There's only so much that can be fit into a 1/2 hour show and that the show is my life according to the way editors/directors saw it. The only thing I can think of that's off is the Japanime thing. I didn't participate or care about it as much as they showed me doing so. I spent most of the time in the studio recording a poem while everybody else was typing up the script (yeah, I slacked, so what!) I debated about three times during the whole process and those times made the cut. Oh well.

8) How have you used your "handsome" reward?

Ayanna: I haven't used my handsome reward yet.

9) Looking back, what would you have done differently?

Ayanna: I would have spent more time with my friends on the ship (Myla, Rana, Katrina) from the beginning of the trip.

10) Would you have preferred doing Real World?

Ayanna: Nah, I'm glad that I did Semester at Sea. I think that I would have liked running that club on The Real World, though.

11) How did your friends and family respond to the show?

Ayanna: My family and friends are EXTREMELY supportive. The only thing that changed was the guy I was dealing with at school. But I was expecting that anyway.

12) Do you have any advice that you could give to anyone who is considering applying for either show?

Ayanna: Be yourself, don't stop living your life if you make it past round one, tell the casting director's those thoughts that are truly yours, not what you think they want to hear.

13) In your opinion, how real is Road Rules? Elaborate.

Ayanna: See the second sentence of #7.

14) Is there anything that you would like to add that we have not asked yet?

Ayanna: Road Rules takes FOUR MONTHS of the lives of six young people and condenses it into NINE HOURS (19 half hour shows) It is in no way, shape, or form a full assessment of who we are. If you have ever said to yourself, "That's weird, why would he/she do that with no reason," guess what? There probably was a reason behind it. It is impossible to show all of that though; you'd be sitting in front of your televisions 24 hours a day for the next four months. So, take everything you see for a grain of salt and a pound of bricks, have a laugh or a cry, and say, "Whassap?" when you see me.