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| Brandon (right) with Christina, Joel & Marie in The First Time Club (Facebook) |
It all began when one of JoJo Fletcher's Bachelorette suitors, Robby Hayes, stole and then broke the heart of the show's main protagonist who just turned legal age. We've also had more ongoing drama with her and her ex-boyfriend, who moved on to a childhood friend of his who helped to make them the first in this clique to become parents. There's also the bombshell dropped by one of the girls that she is now dating someone who's not only twenty years older than her, but who also happens to be an ex-producer of the show itself. And there are other things that have had those from Robby's Bachelor Nation alumni to big name movie stars join in on the fun of watching a show born out of the spirit of The Hills and Laguna Beach, for which the producers of the ladder created this spiritual relaunch.
What started out as just a typical TV pilot paid for out of the wallet of a rich local entrepreneur who also happens to be the father of that new baby daddy has turned into something much more. Since it debuted three years ago, Siesta Key has stayed true to what its West Coast predecessors preached back in 2004 ago when Laguna introduced the subgenre of reality drama in mixing what you love about daytime soap operas with eye-catching cinematography and a catchy musical soundtrack. Not to mention, there's that group of hotties who bring on the drama and who have brought their own brand of it, following in the footsteps of Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavailari, Spencer & Heidi and those who starred with them on their two shows out in California.
But you probably not know that, for a couple members of the original seven as well as one other bit-part player in the drama, Siesta Key isn't their first time being on camera... as they appeared in an independent drama film just before they and their friends were discovered by MTV. In a strange twist to this, you won't believe which role an unlikely outlet has in helping give three future castmates their first taste of being in front of the camera. And at the same time, it's also helped to serve an important purpose, as you're about to find out in this installment of Before They Were MTV Stars.
It might seem a bit odd to begin a Siesta Key-related story with a reference to an organization that's been on the hit list of the man who's occupying the White House, all while his political party meets virtually this week for their national convention in this divided America. But when you have a department in its local chapter that dedicates itself to educating the community on issues that matter to a section of its population while entertaining them too, then that's the case.
Over a century ago, Planned Parenthood began in Brooklyn when America's first birth control clinic opened its doors. Over 600 health clinics and 150+ medical affiliates comprise the organization to offer a range of reproductive health services, sexual education and most especially, perform over 300,000 annual abortions for those not ready for parenthood. And not a month goes by without Planned Parenthood being in the news: cuts being made in efforts by anti-abortion lobbyists and the GOP Congress to defund PP among much controversy, along with protests and clinics either being closed or targets of violent attacks over the years.
One of the hundreds of local chapters who make up the American Planned Parenthood network is based in Southwest & Central Florida, which serves not only the Sarasota area which the Siesta Key show is based, but also the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas nearby through nine health centers located around the area. And besides offering the array of programs, services and resources needed to educate the community on this once taboo subject, this PPFA chapter also distinguishes itself from others across the country in underwriting a community educational unit that helps to get out the word of issues relevant to teenager and young adults through, of all things, theatre and video production.
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| Pic: Planned Parenthood of SW & Central Florida |
Film director and award-winning playwright KT Curran has led The SOURCE's efforts for much of its forty-year existence. Being adept with working on stage, on screen and behind the scenes, she has written, directed and produced nearly thirty plays and five films which have also been screened at film festivals both at home and abroad, plus web series, documentaries, commercials and of course public service announcements. And when not being busy, Mrs. Curran has served as a consultant to national groups who not only perform her plays but also teach them on wanting to do educational theater and film with the school audience in mind to show at assemblies, theaters and in living rooms, as well as to a global audience.
The product of true stories told by teenagers through interviews, focus groups and conversations, the type of content KT and her SOURCE team have touched upon encompass the life of being a millennial. They include drug overdose, sexually-transmitted diseases, bullying, peer pressure, rape, drug & alcohol addiction, gun violence, abortion, gangs and - you guessed it - teen pregnancy. Its mission statement reads, "The SOURCE creatives films and theatre about real life -- true stories based on real people who go through the struggle, the joy and the pain of growing up in the 21st century. We do films and live theatre about believing in yourself and following your dreams... about sexuality, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS... about finding out what it means to be alive and taking responsibility for the choices we make every single day."
Siesta Key has explored such relevant topics as post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) that Jared went through when he returned from his tours of duty with the U.S. Navy, to the LGBT community when a friend of Madisson's was kicked out of his house after coming out to his family a year after losing a friend in the Pulse Orlando tragedy... plus health struggles, dealings with the law and career aspirations that range from music to fashion. And those famous galas thrown by Alex & his family doubled as local autism awareness fundraisers as one of his sons lives within the spectrum.
Madisson shared with E! News before the Season 1 finale two years ago, "Siesta Key naturally reflects a more modern and progressive era. Siesta Key maintains the same level of drama that got us all addicted to The Hills and adds an element of relevance and social awareness." And the show's resident rumor mill Chloe added, "I think Siesta Key hits home for a much larger audience and viewers are able to identify with us more easily. Beneath all the drama and the bulls--t, Siesta Key deals with real life issues. And everyone—even pop culture fans—have real life issues."
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| Alison, Marie, Melissa & Julien (Facebook) |
The film then picks up years later when the foursome of Alison, Julien, Marie and Melissa (played respectively by Alexis Calderon, Frankie LaPace, Christina Norcia and Francesca Phillips) are teenagers going another year in their local high school when they tackle the back-to-school blues and when things felt normal before the new normal kicked in. The group then embarks on many wild adventures to explore the joy of being young while also encountering love and the pitfalls of betrayal and all else that comes with being teenagers before the real world awaits them.
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| Joel and Danny (Facebook) |
From a late night rager turned fight to trips to the park and many meetings inside their bedrooms, it seems that the First Timers are having their way as they try to successfully navigate their journey through high school together. But this once tight friendship gets shook by a shocking revelation: one of the four friends has unprotected sex and may be infected by HIV, the AIDS-caused disease that forced Magic Johnson off the basketball court. And that scare will test the strength of the bond of Alison's, Julien's, Marie's and Melissa's friendship to the point that may never be repairable.
There were nearly 100 Sarasota area youth that took time out to act in front of the camera or be extras during filming of The First Time Club, which was made available on Amazon Prime Video in June 2018 just as Season 2 of Siesta Key was filming. And when the film transitions into an eerie sight in these times, everyone finds themselves back in the hallways in September as a new school year begins... and as it turns out, this would be where the journey began for three of them who would use this experience to prep them for the bigger task of being on a reality show that turned them into both D-list celebrities and A-list pop stars in this part of Florida.
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| IG @SiestaKey |
But before a 700K-strong Instagram following, a then 18-year-old Juliette had a couple scenes in First Time portraying the role of First Timers' common friend Cheryl who was glancing over at a future castmate as he walked by her, and then later in the bathroom after Marie told Alison of her hooking up with high schooler Joel (played by Jackson Linn) who didn't protect himself from a possible STD. Before filming this film, Jules & Christina graduated Siesta Key High together and has hung out with the SK star many times when the cameras have been filming, including the other party in town of Sam's boat ride the day the queen's ex & his girl were celebrating that baby gender reveal.
And while Marie, Alison and Cheryl were gossiping about that potentially life-changing hookup, a guy who was sprinting towards Julien to apologize to him after spewing homophobic tirades towards him at the start of the school year was Carson Wall, who in the film played another student, Hunter. He was one of the three newbies to come to the Key the only other time the show had two split parts to one season when Season 1-B aired in winter 2018. If you saw episode 7 of Season 3-A in February when Robby was hosting a Rebella party in his backyard, Carson made a cameo there with Jules & a close friend of his, who actually had a greater deal of face time than his future castmates in First Time. |
| Facebook Source Prod's |
The good friendship BG has with Carson, Garrett and the other guys parallels with that in his First Time role of playing Joel's friend Danny, and they hang out a plenty in the film including a scene when he gets involved in a fight with some of the guys at that late night party at the park after Julien and Hunter trade barbs once again. This might harken back to when Jared came by to Alex's spring break birthday party and sparked that infamous brawl involving them & Pauly in the backyard of the king's house to start Season 2, among other notable blowups that have gone down in the Key during this ride.
Glance over at the IMDb page of The First Time Club, and the reviews given by those who have watched this indie flick on Amazon aren't as sunny. But the word and message this movie preaches speaks a bit more: even as the COVID pandemic continues to be on our minds, we can't forget about that one time when AIDS and HIV was the health headline to a previous generation... and it can still happen to those who are not careful when they have get it. And below, the movie's official trailer - we caution that it contains adult language and situations, and advise viewer discretion.
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Stories like the one above is offered from the unique vantage point of ExtraTime - DCBLOG's way of focusing on the world of MTV Reality though original storytelling offering a different look at the people, the moments, the shows and the world of TV's most fascinating reality programming. It's only a part of our look Inside MTV Reality, which also includes weekly episode coverage, social reaction and more in covering this season of Siesta Key, along with a slew of other MTV shows.
We'll be covering tonight's finale as part of our traditional weekly episode coverage, which is always posted on the weekend rather than after they air on TV with respect to cord-cutters who can't watch until later. And the next edition of Before They Were MTV Stars will look back at when a member of Siesta's crazy cousins, Floribama Shore, made his MTV debut as part in the annual cringeworthy visit of the exes to Are You The One?, coming up after this summer cycle concludes.
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