No Boundaries: An Interview with John

As viewers know, No Boundaries was canceled in the U.S. after only a few episodes. Some of the contestants have been trying to get it aired in full. One of them, John Hodges, talked to RealityNewsOnline’s Dana Walker, who knows a thing or two herself about being on reality TV:

So, John… first of all, thank you for agreeing to this interview, particularly after getting the disappointing news that the show was canceled.

Now, how did your appearance on the show come to pass?

I heard about the show last April 2001 on the web. I was in my last semester of grad school, didn’t have solid plans after graduation, and after getting rejected for a Fulbright fellowship in South Africa, I figured what the heck, do something off-the-wall.

The format of No Boundaries had a more positive twist to it than other reality shows, and I ended up sending a video tape. It took me a week to shoot the footage I wanted, and then another week to edit it. I basically wanted to emphasize three things in my audition tape: the fact I went to Yale, crew, and being short. Anyway, I sent the tape out, and right after graduation in late May, I got a call from the casting director, asking me to fly out to Vancouver for the final audition. The rest is history.

When exactly was this show filmed?

Mid-July 2001 to mid-August 2001. We were out there for a little over 30 days.

How’d you get so much time off from school/work? Are you still a student or do you do HIV research full-time… tell us all about yourself, John.

Unlike the rest of my class, I had no job by graduation. I had a few job offers, but none of them felt right. I really didn’t want to accept something for the sake of it. I was holding out for my dream job. So, yeah, to answer your question, unemployment was the reason I was able to do No Boundaries.

I came back from No Boundaries with a very different outlook on everything, and I simply took my time trying to get the job I wanted. Late December 2001, I finally landed that dream job at the Yale AIDS Program here in New Haven. Went to Vancouver to visit Matt, Steph, and Ina for New Year’s, came back to Yale, and started this new position January 7. The people I work with are living saints. I’ve also had the flexibility to keep coaching lightweight crew as an intern assistant here at Yale.

Sounds like things worked out really well for you. But it’s kind of weird to see yourself on TV, eh? What are your friends and family saying about you?

Weird? A bit. A little surreal, I guess. I hate hearing my voice actually. Oh, and considering this was taped months ago, you simply forget what you’ve said. I called Ina a “control freak” on the show, and after hearing my comment, I immediately called her up on her cell to apologize.

My parents and family are supportive. My mom even had to tape the commercials (all three of them) before the show’s premiere. My friends couldn’t be happier for me. Sunday nights, up until the show got canceled in the U.S., were dedicated to watching the show.

Sounds like our moms went to the same training camp for “parents of reality show contestants.” So, answer me this… what are the most blindingly obvious differences between your actual personality and what No Boundaries portrayed about you?

I don’t know where it’s going… they definitely have a story to tell. On Episode 1, they portrayed me just the way I was. Simply having fun, going with the flow, laying low. On the 2nd episode, I thought there was a different twist to the way they edited things. They showed me staring at times. I obviously know what they’re trying to do. But I won’t tell you. However, some of my buddies did describe me in that 2nd episode as “insecure,” “sinister,” “intense,” and “serious.”

I could only be myself out there.

I hear you yelling loud and clear on that one – I know first hand about the beauty of editing in the reality show story-telling process.

Moving on, though… it must’ve been so much fun to do all that cool stuff. What was your favorite event, and which event had you biting your nails clean off?

I don’t know – that’s a hard one. I’d have to say one my favorite events was the first IRE (Individual Reward Event) where we were split into two rowing boats and had to race to Lennard Island. If it weren’t for Rob making us laugh during that row, I don’t know how everyone would have made it. He had us cracking up. At one point in the row he yelled, “They think we can do this in 3 hours – it’s going to take 3 ****** days.” You just had to be there.

To answer your other question, I thought Ina was going to kill me during the “man overboard” challenge on the America’s Cup racing yacht. She was actually steering that boat, which was heading directly for me. I placed my life in the hands of 10 other individuals, and they pulled through.

What you’ve seen to this point, however, is nothing.

(Reporter’s note: I, like most other viewers in the U.S., have only seen Episodes 1-4, so this interview was conducted based on only those four episodes.)

It looked as though all of the competitors got along really well. Who did you get along with the best? Do you still keep in touch with anyone? Who just rubbed you the wrong way?

We all can’t be best friends with everyone we meet – but I can honestly say I’m close with most of the contestants. My cell phone bill is out of control since I came back from Canada. And as I said, I celebrated New Year’s with Ina, Steph, and Matty in Vancouver. You can read into that, I’m not saying anything else about that. I also have met up with Dustin in California and Jill in New York in the past year.

Who did I get along with the best? Impossible question to answer. I am fond of basically everyone. Rob has a heart of gold and the mouth of trucker, adored by all. Kelly’s the sweetheart of the group. Rosie’s the riot of the gang. Kirsten is sending me tapes of the show from Canada now. Dustin’s the most down to earth person I have ever met, with the greatest outlook on life. Jill’s the mom of the group. Todd has an entertaining side to him the cameras never showed. Very good guy. And, Eli was probably the one person I trusted the most out there.

Who rubbed me the wrong way? Guess.

Hmm… I don’t think I need to guess on that one.

So, were you a reality TV viewer before No Boundaries? And what’s your viewing practice of the genre nowadays?

Survivor 2 was the first reality show I really watched. I was in South Africa when the reality TV phenomenon all got started with Survivor 1.

Nowadays, I have no time to watch TV.

Off the top of your head, was there one scene that you really wished the producers had shown instead of what they actually did air? In other words, did you have any moments while watching the show where you thought to yourself, “They showed that instead of ___________?”

After the whole screw up with the flag on Episode 3, I was talking to one of the field producers, Francisco, about what had happened. I told them how I thought about my family and friends and the lightweights back at Yale, and that I was going to toughen up for their sake. It was all on camera, but never shown. I gave a shout-out to them, but they never got a chance to see or hear it.

Oh, and one more thing – we played charades around the campfire one night when Jesse was leader. Todd was still there. We were a big group. We all just enjoyed each other’s company. There was no drama, no tension – just a bunch of folks having a good time.

Well, they can’t show that on American television. Speaking of which, can you believe that the show got canceled?

Sadly surprised. OK, shocked. Not so much for myself, since I’m going to get Ford to send me the 13 episodes of the show. But more for my family, my friends, those who were just starting to get into the show. And of course, Jim and Brady, the producers of the show. They’ve dedicated over a year to this production, planning it, scouting for sites, filming, and finally editing. I want this to be a success for them.

I know the WB made a business decision, but I honestly don’t think it was either sound or fair. In my opinion, here is where the network went wrong:

• The publicity for the show was insufficient. No one really knew about the show. The local WB affiliates claim they promoted it, but I (and the fans) think otherwise.
• They decided to premiere the show right after the Olympics, around the Oscar buzz, and in the middle of March Madness. Had they waited until early April, the show would have generated better ratings, I think.

I think you’re right about that. Let’s talk about your efforts to have the show returned to TV in the states.

Well, Ford, our sponsor, is awesome, Lions Gate is fully supportive of the show, and the producers without a doubt are committed to the show. We are trying to get positive letters from our fans and those in the media as to why the show should be picked up by another network.

Before the show got canceled, I had a sixth sense the WB has thinking of canning it. I got that feeling from the WB’s No Boundaries publicist. I kept emailing, trying to get in touch with execs there to discuss my concerns over the limited publicity, but no one made an effort to touch base with me, except Keith Cox, a programming exec there. Right after the show got cancelled in the U.S. after Episode 4, I put together an email list of contacts at major U.S. newspapers, magazines, and radio talk shows across the country.

My fellow contestants and I remain committed to the show, and we are willing to do anything to help its promotion, in whatever way we can. One of the reasons we were all picked to go on No Boundaries in the first place was our competitive drive.

Good point… I hope all of your efforts pay off. I’ve heard from several people how disappointed they are about the cancellation. (I’m pretty bummed about it myself.)

John, do you have any final words of wisdom for your fans?

For those who love the whole concept of the show, we thank them. For those who hate it and think it’s contrived, it’s not. The producers were very aware of what happened with Survivor 1, the lawsuit against CBS and Mark Burnett – and they were extremely careful to just let the contestants play the game. From the producers to those who interviewed us during our testimonials, they all remained objective and highly professional. The players and Mother Nature dictated the course of the game, not the production crew.

It’s nice to hear that you had such a positive experience with the crew as well as with Mother Nature.

So John, I think we’ve covered all we can from the four episodes we got to see here.

Yeah, that’s basically it, Dana. I hope Canadians enjoy watching the show, and hopefully American viewers will get a chance to share in our adventure soon. Maybe Discovery Channel, USA Network, or ESPN can be our next haven. Thank you.

Thank you, John… I wish you all the best!

Dana Walker is a writer/singer/songwriter/former reality show contestant living in the Los Angeles area. Contact her at LilDanaSunshine@msn.com.

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