DC ExtraTime: The Quest for the Dad Nany Never Knew

BY DC CUEVA
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

We are heading towards the homestretch of what's been a very eventful season of The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II, along with the last two episodes of Real World Skeletons coming up tonight. This week will see us witness the big twist of the last two teams of the new Battle of the Exiled tournament duke it out in the Dome, while we see the second of Madison's skeletons and more drama as the season in Chicago reaches its conclusion.

   But before those episodes tonight, airing as part of what I like to call "Double Shot Tuesday" with both shows airing back to back, as is customary here on DCBLOG we like to focus in on stories relating to these shows. I like to always think of this site as a compliment to those that offer recaps and rankings in finding my own niche in offering a unique view on this franchise and tell the stories of the people of these shows.
   And in this dedicated edition of DC ExtraTime, we want to share with you the story about a key figure on Exes 2 this season and where she and her partner were surprisingly beaten in the Dome much earlier than expected in stunning fashion, and an emotional story she experienced during her Real World season four years ago.

We've written on here of how the RW/Challenge family dealt with the losses of Diem Brown & Ryan Knight last November, but some of the Battle of the Exes 2 cast have also dealt with the passings of a friend or loved one themselves. Ten years ago, Wes' RW Austin cast provided comfort to Danny when his mom died of a fatal heart attack back home in Boston. That was the same feeling the Ex-Plosion cast went through last year when Jay also dealt with his cancer-ridden mom also suddenly passing away after she was rushed to the hospital in New York. And Leroy suddenly shed tears when a friend of his was gunned down by Detroit police near the end of Real World Back to Vegas. And that's only a handful of those emotional moments that have made us cry and appreciate life even more, especially given the events that happened within two weeks prior to the launch of Exes 2 late last autumn.

   As she became a huge story on Exes 2 as part of a favored team that surprisingly lost in the Dome in EP5 and then returning as part of the Exile battle that we will see in tonight's episode, this fall will be five years since Nany made that trek from Buffalo to film RW XXV. But aside from being one of the most beautiful girls on this franchise, she also had one of the toughest stories that we've had in recent years. Aside from bailing out of a 6-year relationship with her boyfriend back home, and of course dealing with bad boy Adam in Sin City, Nany came to The Real World not only to experience the life of being free for the first time outside Western New York, she also had some unfinished family business to attend to.

When she & her roommates went to a homeless shelter to help serve a Thanksgiving meal to homeless teens in the Valley, a conversation Nany had with one of those less fortunate, a young man named Jose, brought up common memories of the both of them spending a childhood without having a dad in their lives. That talk at the table conjured up the past that her biological father had just before she was born, where he was pulled over and caught having cocaine inside four tires of his automobile in a trip from New York to Buffalo and was arrested, being charged with, and ultimately being found guilty of, drug trafficking. During her early years, Nany had spent her childhood with only her mom raising her. But before she went to Las Vegas, she found letters several years old that were tucked away in her mom's closet that were addressed to her by her dad, and that renewed her hopes of finally being able to see the dad she never got to know.

   The Thanksgiving talk with Jose then inspired Nany to call local private investigator Jonathan Girard from Elite Investigations to help track down her father, with the hope she can establish a relationship with him. A conversation she had with her mom discouraged her from finding about it on her own, but nonetheless she proceeded with the search. When P.I. Girard came to the suite, Nany told him that his dad wrote 30 letters to her with the hope they would establish a relationship. And after that talk, she would say in the confessional, "My biggest fear in life is going the rest of my life without knowing my biological father. So, I'm really proud of myself for doing this. I know he will be so proud too, just to know that I didn't give up."

   When the P.I. returned, his findings saw that he was last living in the Miami, FL area and was married before he went to prison & Nany was born. It was after that update that Nany composed a letter to biological father. Taken from the now-defunct Real World Dailies site, here now, in full, was Nany's letter as read by her in the confessional room and longer that what was shown in Episode 11.

"I know this may be a little overwhelming for you, but please understand that it is just overwhelming for me, if not more. I am your daughter, my name is Nany Gonzalez, born January 26, 1989.
   "I'm writing this letter to you in hopes of forming the types of relationship we were never able to have. I'm gone the last 21 years of my life unsure of who you are, and I believe in my heart I've waited long enough.
   "First, let me start off by telling you a little bit about myself. I graduated high school in 2007 and I played many sports. I ran track, played volleyball & was a cheerleader for many years. As of right now, I'm a full time college student and I work as a waitress & bartender in my hometown. My major in college is criminal justice and I hope to someday become a parole officer. I had a boyfriend for 6 years up until recently when I decided it was best he & I both go our separate ways.
   "I grew up living with my mother Carmen, my sisters Jasmine, Rosa, Stephanie & Crystal, and my stepfather Charles. Although you were never part of my life, I was fortunate enough to have a father figure, and I'd like to believe he was sent from heaven to take care of my sisters & I, and my mother as well.
   "I would like for you to know that my mother has come a long way in her life and I owe it all to my stepfather for being there to mold her into the mother, wife & woman she is today.
   "When I was 14 years old, I was searching through my mother's closet looking for something to wear when I stumbled across a bag of letters. Much to my surprise, they were all from you. Before reading these letters, I thought you didn't want to be a part of my life, just like the rest of my sisters biological fathers. However, after reading them, I began to realize I was wrong. You did want to be a part of my life. You were just never given the chance.
   "I have a few questions to ask you. 1) I know you were in prison for many years, but if you cared about me as much as you stated in our letters, did you ever search for me when you were released? If not, why? 2) Do I have any other siblings and do you think of me every year on January 26?
   "I'm not sure what this letter to you will accomplish, but I hope to someday meet you. My mother & sisters tell me every day how much I look like you. I have your hair, your eyes, your nose & your ears according to them. Most of all, my mother says that I have your heart. She says that when I cry, it reminds her of you. And every ounce of good in me comes straight from you.
   "I must admit I am very sick & tired of wondering what you look like, who you are and where I came from. I need to know this for my own good. I hope that after this letter, you will understand my passion for meeting you, and why I have gone through this process in finding you. God forbid, you disregard my reaching out for you, at least I tried and that's all that matters.

Love Always,
Your Daughter, Nany."

From: REALWORLDDAILIES.COM

In the season's penultimate episode, Nany had a lot on her mind. In addition to the search for her dad, Adam came back to Vegas for a weekend visit and she realized that she didn't need him after everything he had done to her. And there was also the self-doubt she voiced in one of her interviews in whether or not she is as independent as she thought, and also about the relationships she has with guys and how it might've affected her mindset.

   Then, Nany finally got the news she wanted to hear from P.I. Girard when he returned to the Hard Rock suite after traveling to the East Coast. There, he spoke to her relatives that she told him about, who were surprised by him visiting them. And he revealed two pieces of new information: one of bad news, and one of good news. First, the bad news was that Leonel Gonzalez died in the summer of 2002, passing away in his sleep due to a failing heart condition. And second, the good news was that he found both a son and a daughter, who would be willing to having to get to know her. As P.I. Girard told her, "One door has been closed on you, and two more have opened. You didn't know him and you'll get to know him through the people that did get to know him. I'm sorry to pass this news to you."

   Obviously, Nany was overcome with emotion about those two pieces of news as the rest of her roommates listened to it from a distance, and even Cooke shed tears as well, as Nany went through the toughest news of her life right there on the spot and her being consoled. When she laid down in bed with her female roommates, Heather gave her praise for being brave enough to have done this search for her dad, and Naomi reminded her of how proud she can be of having two new relatives in her life because of the outcome she never thought she would have.

   With also shedding tears being interviewed, Nany recollected this whole experience this way: "I never known anybody close that's died. And even though I didn't know him, it still affects me the way I would if I would have known him or anyone close to me." And at the end of Episode 11,  she traveled to her dad's grave site outside of Hartford, CT, and a camera crew was there to document that emotional moment when she met, for the very first time, her half-sister Ileana. There, they saw his burial place and grave market which in Spanish read, "You'll always be in our hearts. -Your wife and kids." Both shared this moment as Nany got to know her half-sister for the first time.

   And in her final confessional before leaving Las Vegas (also transcribed from RW Dailies), Nany talked about how she was brave enough to take on the task of finding the dad she never knew: "My entire process in finding my father was something I always wanted to do, and something I have bottled up inside for years, never talked about it. And to come here and to just lay it all out on the table for the world, no one will ever understand how hard that was. But, I'm so happy that I did it because I'll leave here and I won't have to wonder anymore. I won't."

In a season where she had her father in her mind and having to put up with two guys who were not treating her right, Nany was able to stay strong and still have the time of her life in the City That Never Sleeps, as well as becoming lifelong friends in Heather, Naomi and Cooke and having a sister-brother bond with Dustin that has expanded into three Challenge seasons, as well as Leroy too.
   As Challenge vet Derrick Kosinski told Nany on his Ultimate Challenge Radio podcast during RW XXV, "Thank you for putting yourself out there the way you did, and allowing everyone to go on this ride with you, because you're going through something that...like you told me, you're (at the time) 22. You haven't been away from home, and you're going out on this show and you're exposing so many of your emotions, so much of yourself to millions of people."

   Since then, Nany has gone on to become a top competitor on The Challenge in making her debut on Battle of the Seasons II, and making deep runs in both that and Rivals II before finally making a final last season on Free Agents and finishing 2nd. And as you saw in one of my ExtraTime posts during my coverage of Are You The One? last fall, she and Adam mended fences when they, Leroy, Cooke and FA champ Laurel saw their roommate Mike get married. That's a sign of maturity for both her and one of The Real World's most-popular casts that's already become a Challenge force.

   But no matter what, her search for the father she never knew, and while being saddened by his death but finding comfort in new people in her life, is always the moment I most remember of Nany. As I wrote here several times on this site, the feeling of losing a loved one is something words can't describe, but being able to get to know new people who were touched by that person is also one of life's greatest joys. It's something that me & my entire family have gone through a lot in the past year with the passing of my grandma but also the births of new babies

Seeing moments such as what Nany went through looking for her dad, what Jay, Wes and Leroy dealt with in past seasons, and others too many to mention here, shows you why The Real World is unique in reality television. While other shows focus on celebrity and sensational aspects, The Real World is one of those reality shows that are the truest in every sense of the word, and has been for 30 seasons. Even with some tweaks to the formula, it's still the same as it was in 1992: it's documentary-oriented, features genuine people and is rooted in storytelling with powerful stories that viewers can relate to. It's seeing these personal stories & struggles that's shared publicly that makes Real World more intimate and deep than most any reality TV show or documentary-based series.
   This very story will also be echoed in next week's Real World Skeletons season finale, where by process of elimination Jason will have his skeleton visit Chicago last. And for a lovable fella who's already made history as the first Real World'er to have a baby being born during the season, in all likelihood Jason will finally get to know the one person he has never met or have gotten to know in his life: his father. But for now, Nany's story is one of the most emotional in Real World history, and of course to Nany, stay strong.

Be sure to follow my social platforms for everything Real World, Challenge and All Things MTV. Tonight is Double Shot Tuesday with an all-new Real World Skeletons as Madison meets her second skeleton, Tony tries to make excuses for his behavior and Bruno reaches a turning point. And of course after that, the remaining Exes 2 competitors in the main house will be in for the surprise of their lives as the final competitors in the Battle of the Exiled will battle it out on the episode itself.
   And for the live tweets of both those shows, make sure to follow my dedicated live twitter hub, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow starting at 10PM PT. When I live tweet the episodes (with both my own live tweets & real-time cast tweets), and then in my Extra Time session at Midnight PT, join the conversation at #DCNOW, #DCRealWorld, #DCChallenge & #DCDoubleShot. I'm also live tweeting the new seasons of Catfish, Survivor: Worlds Apart and later this month - Teen Mom O.G., along with a slew of big sporting events coming up this month.
   Of course, bookmark DCBLOG where, this weekend as always, we'll have the Action, Reaction & Interaction of both episodes on DC SocialPulse, my signature episode twitter diary, plus a look at two life-changers coming to two relatively new members of Team MTV and more. If you haven't checked it out, my recent 'Pulse post over the weekend also looked at TJ Lavin's generous act of kindness to a Las Vegas local, so check that out and catch up on the diary before tonight's episodes. And of course, follow me on my Twitter & Instagram @DC408Dxtr for tweets, chats, alerts & pics.

Thanks for joining me here for DC ExtraTime, and until I talk to you tonight on DCNOW at 10PM PT and before that on @DC408Dxtr, stay warm, thanks for reading and see you then.

- I AM DC