Reality Rally 2016: Richard Hatch, Johnny Mac, other stars talk ‘Survivor,’ ‘Big Brother,’ and charity
Over the weekend, Temecula, California played host to one of the biggest reality TV charity events of the year in Reality Rally. Put on in part by “Survivor: Gabon” alumni Gillian Larson, this has grown to be a massive three-day event and festival that celebrates the best of reality TV, while raising money for a fantastic cause in Michelle’s Place Breast Cancer Research Center. This was our first year at the event, and we went out specifically to the Friday night “casino night” held at the Wilson Creek Winery. It proved to be a lively affair, with countless reality stars in attendance surrounded by a fun atmosphere. For those who want to meet some of their favorite contestants, while raising some money for a worthy cause, it is certainly something to check out moving into the future.
To help give a better snapshot of the evening, we spoke with some of the reality stars in attendance about their experiences being at the rally … and of course a few of the shows that they appeared on to go along with it. We’ve also got some exclusive photos, which you can check out throughout the article, as well.
On why they attend Reality Rally
Richard Hatch (“Survivor: Borneo”) – “This is one of the most rewarding things that I can think of that’s come out of this whole stupid reality stuff. That’s why I do it.”
Alec Beall (“Big Brother Canada 1”) – “I know everybody will say ‘I love helping charity’ and that’s part of it, but an underrated part of it is that we get to see each other once a year maybe, and we all have that sort of bond that keeps us in contact and reconnect.”
McCrae Olson (“Big Brother 15”) – “It’s a great charity, it’s a lot of fun, I get to hang out with my castmates. We’re raising a lot of good money for a lot of good things. I love it.”
David Olsen (“Beauty and the Geek”) – “The people! I love the people. They’re the most interesting people in the world, and I can consider them friends. How cool is that? Say what you will about reality stars; they’re interesting people.
On “Big Brother Canada,” and the shock eviction of Mitch last weekJohn “Johnny Mac” McGuire (“Big Brother 16”) – “I haven’t seen it but I heard about it, and that sucks. To get beaten down by a twist like that? Man.”
Aneal Ramkissoon (“Big Brother Canada 1”) – “I’m not a Mitch fan, but I mean twists happen. I was a victim of a twist … Life just moves on. A good player can work around this twist.”
Alec Beall, in direct response to what Aneal said – “Not in this particular case. Loveita never would have divulged that information if she wasn’t already dead to rights. I think in Mitch’s case, he got screwed worse than anybody.”
Neda Kalantar (“Big Brother Canada 2”) – “Like, this is the saddest about anything I’ve seen ‘Big Brother’-related other than my own eviction.”
McCrae Olson – “It’s sad to see someone go, but he got caught up in the game and that’s kind of what happens.”
On a favorite Reality Rally memory
David Olsen – “My first year here, I played a round of golf with Billy Garcia of ‘Survivor: Cook Islands,’ Mark Lambrecht who won ‘The Mole,’ and then there was a fan who got to golf with the three of us who was by far the best of all of us. I golfed on the JV team in high school. Billy never picked up a club before in his life. I had more fun playing golf that day than any other time in my life.”
On “Survivor: Kaoh Rong,” and the abundance of injuries
Richard Hatch – “The injuries don’t surprise me at all. That’s just something that happens, it’s something that goes on. This year, sure, the lack of water in one particular challenge caused people to stop and think about it, but there are tons and tons of injuries going on that people just don’t see.”