From Vandy********** Ex-Vandy receiver debuts Tues. in reality show By Brent Wiseman__Staff Writer Date: Sep 7, 2004 Former Vanderbilt wide receiver M.J. Garrett makes his debut Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT in MTV's "The Real World: Philadelphia". The popular reality show is to feature Garrett as one of seven cast members, ages 21 to 24, four male and three female, sharing quarters in a 10,000-square-foot home set in the City of Brotherly Love. Former Vanderbilt wide receiver M.J. Garrett makes his debut Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. CT in MTV's "The Real World: Philadelphia". The popular reality show is to feature Garrett as one of seven cast members, ages 21 to 24, four male and three female, sharing quarters in a 10,000-square-foot home set in the City of Brotherly Love. Garrett, probably best remembered by Vandy fans for catching a pair of touchdown passes in a 2000 game vs. Tennessee, was cast last spring for the voyeuristic reality show. Now in its 15th season, "The Real World", cable's top-rated show among younger viewers, features twenty-somethings grappling with the realities of adulthood. Garrett, 24, played for three seasons under Coach Woody Widenhofer (1999-2001) and one under current coach Bobby Johnson (2002). The Donelson Christian Academy alumnus graduated from Vanderbilt in 2003 and pursued an professionial football career, but was unable to stick with an NFL team. MTV promotional materials portrayed Garrett as '"a good-looking, blond, hard-bodied Southern boy with a warm heart." "He is a recent grad from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Human and Organizational Development and played the role of the star football player," continues the promo. "He had dreams of playing professional football, but those dreams were recently squashed when he was turned down by the NFL. M.J. entered a two-month relationship before moving to Philadelphia, and he struggles to maintain this relationship while living with his new roommates.'' Here are some TV critics' reviews from advance screenings: ****** "For its 15th season of contrived, soap operatic voyeurism, 'The Real World' heads to the City of Brotherly Love. It features a cast of mouthy, attractive twentysomethings desperate for their on-camera slice of the C-list celebrity pie. Willie, Shavonda, Sarah, M.J., Melanie, Landon and Karamo will share a 10,000-square-foot home with an indoor basketball court, personal training equipment, a pool table, a spa and two hot tubs. Two hot tubs? Hey, how about staging 'The Next Great Real World Chump?' Boy-girl boxing matches in the hot tubs? That's about how inanely silly this show has become in the past 15 years. Bye-bye, brain cells." --Mike Duffy, Detroit Free-Press ****** "While Sarah, 22, of Tampa, spends most of the premiere throwing passes at football hero M.J., 24, all are incompletes, thanks to his polite refusals to compromise a relationship he has at home. Of course, his will power may rapidly erode in the coming weeks. After all, there are two tubs — one hot, one cold — plus a shared getaway to romantic Fiji." --Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
