“It Was A Pleasure To Lead The Winning Team” – An Interview with Bradford Cohen, on his ‘Battle of the Network Reality Stars’ Appearance

Bradford might have been fired by Donald Trump, but he was all smiles when he led team Underdog to victory during Bravo’s Battle of the Network Reality Stars. I had a chance to talk with Bradford about his time on the show, and we discussed why he was originally voted off Team Miz, which competitors didn’t live up to his expectations, and what the deal was with Charla and Mirna. I mean, you know there had to be a deal! Find out what Bradford had to say about these topics, and a whole lot more, below!

RealityNewsOnline: How did you hear about Battle of the Network Reality Stars? Were you approached to be a contestant or did you have to inquire first?

Bradford Cohen: I was emailed and then I followed up with a phone call to the casting agency.

RNO: Were you aware of other reality contestants that were going to be on the show or was it a surprise to you when you arrived?

Bradford: I knew of some but most were a surprise. I think they had a great cast.

RNO: Considering the fact that many reality TV show contestants know one another, was there anyone that you had not met prior to BOTNRS that you were excited to compete against/with?

Bradford: I didn’t know anyone except for Heidi Bressler and Chris Russo. I was excited to be there and take part in anther competition. I think everyone there thrives off of the competition aspect.

RNO: You started out on the dominant Team Miz. When you were voted off of that team, did you see it coming or was it a surprise? Why do you think it was you voted off?

Bradford: I saw it coming, I wasn’t surprised at all. We all thought the tug of war was going to decide the ultimate winner. Richard Hatch outweighs me by 100 pounds, so I knew they would want to keep him for the tug of war. In reality if I wanted to play dirty, we were each given two slips of paper and told we needed as a team to vote off two people. No one ever said that you had to use both votes for two separate people. I was thinking I was going to use both my votes for Hatch and in essence save myself. I just couldn’t bring myself to do something underhanded to someone I consider a friend.

RNO: There was a pretty wide consensus on team Miz that Mirna created problems. You ended up on team Underdog with her. Did you feel that she was bad for team morale?

Bradford: Naw, she is a little bit of a pain in the ass. She is a good competitor, aggressive, likes to get her way, but she is a gamer and rises to the occasion.

RNO: As much as Charla wanted to participate and insist that she was on par with everyone else, do you feel her bark was just a little more than her bite?

Bradford: She wants to do everything, and rightfully so, she doesn’t see her height as a factor. The problem was in looking at the competitions it would have been very difficult for her to be successful. That is not saying that she could not be successful, it just would have been very hard.

RNO: How did you end up becoming the captain for team Underdog?

Bradford: Voted as team captain.

RNO: When you were first voted off of team Miz, how long did it take before you were told/realized that you would be a part of team Underdog?

Bradford: We suspected it within two minutes but knew for sure about 20 minutes later.

RNO: Do you feel that your team had somewhat of an unfair advantage of the final challenge, when you had to put together the Reality Board? Consider the fact that your entire team was created with people from every other team.

Bradford: Not at all. The fact is only a few of us really cranked on that board. When you are winning all the time you forget who comes in second and third. When you come in third you always remember who beat you. If you ask athletes who they won against and who they lost against, I will guarantee they will remember the losses more clearly then the wins.

RNO: Who surprised you the most concerning how well they competed? Was there anyone who let you down or didn’t live up to expectations?

Bradford: I thought that Evan Marriott would have been a force to be reckoned with, but he wasn’t as good as I suspected. That being said I sure as hell wasn’t as good as I suspected. Joe Schmo (Matt Gould) was better than I thought.

RNO: Was there really a point for Omarosa, Trishelle, or Bob Guiney to be there? What the heck were they actually doing?

Bradford: I thought Bob did a great job and he was really very funny. They cut out a lot of his commentary but he was constantly making us laugh. Trishelle is not what I would call a “thinker.” I think if she was a pre-school teacher she would probably learn more from the students then the other way around. Omarosa, or as she like to be called, Lady Rossalina, was in-depth hard hitting with her interviews. I am shocked she has not landed a job on Dateline.

RNO: If there was to be another season of BOTNRS and you were approached to appear, do you think you would do it? Why or why not?

Bradford: Absolutely. If a gun slinger came up to Billy the Kid and asked him to draw, you think he would say, “No, thanks”? When you are the fastest gun in the West you have to defend the title.

RNO: What have you been up to since the end of taping? Where can people plan to see you in the near future?

Bradford: I have been gearing up for my run for City Commissioner and I am very excited about the run and the position. I can always be seen in Broward County Court doing my job. I don’t have any pipe dreams of becoming a master thespian.

RNO: Is there anything you would like to add or say to fans of the show?

Bradford: I just thought it was a great, entertaining show. A ton of fun and it was a pleasure to lead the winning team. I hope everyone enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed participating. Also it was nice to take all of Valerie Penso’s money. Just kidding – she is a good friend of mine who has a huge crush on me.

RNO: Thanks, Bradford, and good luck with the City Commissioner run!

Phil Kural is an office manager at a law firm, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. You can send feedback to him at pkural@gmail.com.

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