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This past weekend, I PAed on a VH1 shoot that came to Orlando called “Bongos 3.”  This is your typical reality dating show with the difference being that this season, instead of staying in a house or mansion, they toured America.  Vying for the affection of the bachelor, the girls stopped in major and not so major cities- which should prove to be an interesting back drop for new challenges like truck stop olympics or dance contests on top of the St. Louis arch.

Aside from my car overheating and breaking down every day (I even got pulled over for it), the shoot was pretty exciting.  My first “dating” reality show and first time on a project that shot for 24 hours/day, was tiring but exhilarating none-the-less.  Working the 2PM - 2AM shift, I was lucky enough to catch on-set action in between doing transpo runs and completing odd jobs for the Production Office.  Having such a talented, seasoned group of PAs that really teamed together to make sure everyone had what they needed made everything run a lot smoother.   Shooting in City Walk and at the Hard Rock Hotel, our crew was pretty massive for crowd control and logging the reality as unfolded.  Much to my surprise, the reality (well, most of it) wasn’t scripted like I had anticipated it would be, based on what you hear about other reality shows.  Most of the craziness stemmed from the multiple crews they had running around making sure they had the necessary coverage.  

Best moments were transporting the crew from Hard Rock back to the Gaylord Palms Resort (where the out of town crew was put up), and getting to chat with everyone about their different experiences on set back in LA, New York and a few other places.  I know it’s crunchy, but after a long day, it was the smack talking, some times nostalgic and often humorous anecdotes from the crew that kept me alert and productive, and the overall morale high on and off set.   Fast-paced without a moment to rest, this shoot went by quickly.  Even though it was a nice break from school, I am more than ready to get back to not being nocturnal.  Excited for the next gig to come to town…