Well, our nephew, Corey, has been appearing on a TV show on MTV called "The 70s House". He was recently interviewed by a local newspaper, the Press Telegram. Here's the text of the article:

Retro reality check
MTV: Seal Beach's Corey Hartwyk has a good time in the '70s
By Ryan Ritchie, Staff writer

TIME TRAVELING back to the decade that gave the world bell-bottom pants and 8-track players might sound more like a prison sentence than a vacation. But not so for 19-year-old Seal Beach resident Corey Hartwyk, a contestant on the MTV reality program "The '70s House.' To him, it's just something fun and different to do -- and a "chance to win some free stuff.'

"I never really was into being on a TV show like this,' he says. "I had a full load in school that semester (the show taped in the spring) and I was working a lot. I was getting sick of doing the same old stuff. It's not like I wanted to be a reality TV star or I thought reality TV was the way to get big in Hollywood. It just gave me an excuse to drop school for a semester.'

The program, which airs tonight at 10:30, takes 12 young people and sends them into a competition-style reality show where participants must fully immerse themselves in the clothing, food, cars and vernacular of the 1970s to advance to the next round. Participants who slip up and don't stick to the '70s theme compete in '70s-related contests (the first episode featured two contestants playing the game Operation, the second had contestants answering '70s trivia) and one is eliminated. The winner receives several prizes, including a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle, a trip and computer products.

The show is hosted by comedian Bill Dwyer and Natasha Leggero and features appearances by such '70s icons as Erik Estrada ("CHiP's'), Deney Terrio ("Dance Fever'), Jimmy Walker ("Good Times') and Leif Garrett.

Cast members thought they were entering a reality show similar to MTV's "The Real World' or "Road Rules' and only found out what the show was truly about upon arrival at the house. There they were forced to give up all things modern -- including cell phones, computers and MP3 players -- to get a sample of what life was like during the groovy decade.

"We thought it was one of those plain-old reality shows where you live in one of those MTV `Real World'-style houses or something, and then we get there, and it's all '70s decked out,' Hartwyk says. "I was totally shocked about how everything was set up.'

Hartwyk, who was calling from a vacation home in New Jersey, tells us what it's like for a kid of the '90s to groove back to the '70s.
Q: How did you get involved in the show?
A: Actually, it was completely random. I worked at the Daily Grind (coffee shop) in Long Beach and some girl drove through the drive-through and told me they were looking for people for the show. It sounded interesting and I could compete for a grand prize. I was a little sketchy so I looked it up on the Internet and everything was legit. The next day MTV production called me and I went in for an on-camera interview. Within two-and-a-half weeks, I was in Pasadena shooting the show.
Q: Do you feel like the show being filmed in Pasadena gave you an advantage because you are from Southern California?
A: No, because I wasn't the only SoCal resident on the show. There were people who had moved to L.A., but I was born and raised here, so I think that gave me a whole different vibe than the rest of the cast members because it's way different here than the rest of the country.
Q: Was there anybody who wasn't into the '70s vibe?
A: Yeah. A couple people. Geo (who was kicked off during the first episode) freaked out especially. He hated all the '70s stuff. I think Hailley liked it but she didn't like the food because she's on some crazy diet or something. I think the guys liked it more than the girls because the clothes were fun for the guys, but the girls didn't feel attractive in them.
Q: Did you get to have any kind of say in what you wore? The show makes it seem like they just handed you something.
A: It makes it seem like that but we had a closet full of stuff to pick from. They had a bunch of different outfits that fit us. We had a choice of what to wear, but not on the first episode.
Q: The first couple episodes show you guys leaving the house a bunch. What did the neighbors in Pasadena think? Did you have any interaction with them?
A: We saw them when we were going different places in the neighborhood. They didn't pay much attention to us. They thought it was interesting what we were doing, but we didn't really talk very much to them.
Q: In other reality shows, sometimes the neighbors are upset the show is there.
A: We weren't legally allowed to drink on the show. I think that kept the noise level down a lot. Compared to other shows on MTV, most of those have drinking involved. I think that had a big impact on how we all acted.
Q: Do you think people will recognize you as that guy from the show?
A: Not really. I've been recognized maybe five times and I've signed like two autographs, but it's honestly not a big deal. There's like a billion reality TV stars now. I don't stick out that much.
Q: What was your knowledge of the '70s before the show?
A: I knew a little music and clothes.
Q: How long were you there before you felt like you were used to it?
A: Probably five days at the most. You always know the cameras are there but I adjusted pretty quick. I didn't act too different than how I normally would have.
Q: Did you feel like some people were acting for the cameras?
A: Not acting for air time, but more like being more of a goody-goody than they really are to protect what their family knows about them or their image in their hometown.
Q: What was the hardest part of the whole experience?
A: The thing that irritated me the most was being stuck with people who got on my nerves, because people really started to irritate me after a while. The guys were really cool and I still hang out with three of them a lot, but some of the girls were just ridiculous.
Q: How much did you consider the competition aspect versus trying to be a cool person and somewhat friendly?
A: I thought most of the time I was really fair toward everyone. I was friendly and the competitions weren't much of an issue because I was always pretty confident going into them. But one time I screwed with a girl's head a little bit just because I wanted the upper hand. That's what you have to do.
Q: Did anything ever come back to you in a negative way?
A: No. I felt a little betrayed at the end, but I don't know how much I'm allowed to say about that. Whatever, it's a game and I'm still friends with everybody afterwards.
Q: What were your favorite and least favorite items in the house?
A: I thought the clothing was the most interesting stuff. I loved the clothing. They had so much vintage stuff that I'd love to steal from them. All the other stuff was just material; I could care less.
Q: Was anything a real inconvenience?
A: They gave us microwave dinners a lot and we didn't have a microwave. We had to heat them up (in the oven) and it took 50 minutes. To get full you'd have to eat nonstop.
Q: How do you feel like you came off in the first two episodes?
A: I feel I came off as kind of an outsider and shy almost. I think there's so much going on in the actual game (part) of the show, that they don't show much time just being at the house. I wasn't shy and I wasn't an outsider at the house at all. I was friends with everybody and I was one of the more outgoing people in the house, but when it comes down to how they edit, I come off as the quiet kid.
Q: What was more difficult: The basketball game or the dancing?
A: I'm really uncoordinated at both. Probably the dancing. I'm fast and athletic, s

Labels: Family, TV