A Jewish Sorority Girl Turned Real World Alum Tells All
When Colie Edison was president of Tulane University’s chapter of the Jewish sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi, her sisters referred to her as “The Colie Show.” A magnet for attention, her intense personality and dramatic tendencies were famously entertaining. A year after her graduation, the entire world was given a front row seat to The Colie Show, albeit in a slightly different venue.
Studying at Boston University as a displaced student after Hurricane Katrina, Colie had come across a Real World Denver casting call at a local bar. After a tedious application and screening process, Colie was picked to star in the eighteenth season of the pioneering MTV reality show. Throughout the season, as she juggled her relationship with a boyfriend back at school and a turbulent romance with housemate Alex, Colie showcased a go-getter attitude and a kindheartedness that was never obscured by her party girl persona.
Did you always want to be on TV when you were growing up?
No…but when I was a teen tour counselor a few summers ago, my campers always told me that I should be on Real World.
Real World housemates are generally depicted as filling narrow stereotypes. What role do you think you played on the show?
I played the role of the sorority president who always likes to have fun! I also felt that I was the most relatable character, someone who people came to when they needed to talk about something. I was never afraid to cry on camera.
Did the producers try to create a particular impression of you?
Yes. Every Wednesday night when the show aired I would get a stomach ache. They filmed us 75 hours a week and cut the footage down to a 22-minute show. I was definitely crushed a few times by the clips they chose to air. I didn’t want to see all of my relationships with guys on TV. That was very hard. I was very upset when I saw the episode where Alex and Jen hook up. I kept thinking, “Why are you crying over somebody you knew for two days?”
What have you been up to since the season ended?
After I left Denver, I was on Real World/Road Rules Challenge in South Africa. Then I did a bar tour where I signed autographs and met a lot of fans. Now, I focus on speaking at colleges. I talk about the behind the scenes of the show, Hurricane Katrina, campus activism, and Greek life.
Do you get a lot of fan mail?
Most of my fans are high school kids from suburban America. I can walk down a street in New York City and no one will recognize me, but if I walk into a mall in a suburban area, I am bombarded. A lot of my fan mail is from 14 and 15 year old girls saying how they look up to me.
Has being on Real World altered your Jewish life at all?
I have actually become really involved with Chabad in my hometown since I left Denver. My grandfather died the week after filming ended and we reconnected with the Rabbi who led the minyan. Now, I am more actively Jewish, and I am using my fame to promote involvement in Jewish activities for Jewish students. I recently helped to promote a Mitzvah Day at the Rockland County Jewish Community Center.
How would you describe your time on Real World?
An experience. It was my chance to tell my story. I got to tell the world a little bit about myself…not that anyone asked!
