“This is the true story of five strangers picked to live in Dance Marathon and have their lives taped for 32 hours to find out what happens when people stop sitting around and start making a real difference,” Luc Hughart said about Dance Marathon’s new program, DMTV Real World.
Hughart is the technology chair on the steering committee for Dance Marathon and wanted to do something monumental for his new position and for the 10th anniversary of the largest campus-wide philanthropy.
“What we want to come out of it is what people involved in Dance Marathon really accomplish and what they are in it for,” Hughart said. “The best way to show that is to have a core group of people that we will follow around during the event.”
This is exactly what DMTV Real World will be doing.
The five DMTV Real Worlders will be chosen from a final twelve that were announced yesterday during DM’s Battle of the Bands.
The 12 finalists selected from over 30 people who applied and will be referred to by their nicknames if they do win a position on DMTV’s Real World include, Sarah “Yoshi” Yachanin, Bianca “Texan #1” Arriazola, Joe “Joe Bizzle” Boyle, Leah “Lee Lee” Shaw, Jacqueline “Jem” Maciupa, Kelly “Rodger” Miller, Mark “Mark” Lindsey, Jen “Jen Jen” Monroe, Laura “Laura Lou” Brennek, James “Club Jim” Myers Jr., Mary “Mair” Fethenolf, and Kate “Kate” Freedman.
The final five voting will continue until Sunday at Mini Marathon when all the cash votes will be counted and totaled and so far, Real World has proven to be an effective fund-raiser.
“Tonight is the first night for voting and we probably already have over $75 raised and voting continues through till Sunday,” Hughart said.
And the 12 finalists cannot wait to find out if they will be followed by a camera.
Kate Freedman, the communications chair on the steering committee is among one of the selected 12 and is excited about being a first year DMTV Real Worlder.
“If I am chosen the camera will follow me around during my Dance Marathon life and probably record when I do ridiculous and embarrassing things, but it’s going to be fun,” Freedman said.
James “Camp Jim” Myers Jr. who is a morale captain for Dance Marathon this year, is also excited about being one of the finalists.
“I am a fan of the Real World, and I didn’t know exactly what Dance Marathon Real World would be, but now that I know it gives people a different perspective and a behind-the-scenes look, I am really excited and I hope I am chosen,” Myers said.
Even though DMTV seems to be a fun event, each person and finalist involved with the Real World pilot conveyed one common theme. They are all doing it for the kids.
“We are the largest Dance Marathon in Ohio, and we are in the top five in the nation, and just to have more than 1,000 participates is amazing and proves that we really want to make a difference,” Brittany Barhite, public relations chair for Dance Marathon said.
Voting will continue throughout Sunday at Mini Marathon, which will be held in the Bowen Thompson Student Union Ballroom from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13. The finalists will be announced during the closing ceremonies.
“Come to Mini Marathon and let your presence be known,” Hughart said. “Just remember it’s for a good cause and we are doing it for the kids.”