Average Joe 4: The Joes Talk Back – A Chat With Nathan Griffin

This season of Average Joe was advertised as the year that the Joes would strike back, and many viewers were convinced that a Joe would finally prevail and win the day. While this did indeed happen, the winner was for many an unexpected dark horse. He did many of the things you simply aren’t supposed to do on a dating reality show. He watched from the shadows as more aggressive men tried to monopolize the woman’s time. He didn’t try to “sell” himself as a great catch, and as a result he sat by quietly while one by one the other men on the show got private dates with the woman at the center of the show.

In fact, he was so unobtrusive that he had to resort to having another contestant deliver a letter to Anna in order to make his feelings known to her. As is often the case with “invisible men” on dating shows, he was soon eliminated. But in one of the twists this season, he was given a makeover and returned with a new energy and outlook and was able to win the day. As recapper for the show, I was given the distinct pleasure of chatting with Nathan once the dust settled and he patiently answered all of my questions. Before we even get started I would like to thank Nathan for his willingness to allow us a peek into his life since Average Joe and relate some of the more interesting experiences he had while he was a contestant.

RealityNewsOnline: Let’s start with the obvious and I'm sure most common question... Are you and Anna still together?

Nathan: The obvious and I'm sure most commonly EXPECTED answer is "no." But to be honest, we were never “together,” even on the show. It was merely a beginning for the both of us and as I'm sure most people now know, the show was taped over a year ago and over the course of that time, all we had were phone calls between us.

RNO: That’s right. You couldn’t appear together in public or the final results of the show would have been in the press before the program ever aired! What happened with her after the show? Did the relationship ever grow into something more?

Nathan: Not being allowed to see each other and living in different parts of the country made it difficult to build any sort of relationship. We are still great friends and that’s how we left the show so I could ask for nothing more than that.

RNO: Do you feel the show accurately portrayed the people or did some folks get the "bum's rush" in the way they were presented?

Nathan: I've had plenty of time to think about the show and figure out what actually happened while I was there. It is my belief that for the most part, everyone on the show was portrayed accurately to the extent that NBC showed what they wanted to of our experience. It's difficult for anyone (including the “cast members” of the show) to fully comprehend the experience. We were all out there acting as we thought we should, but obviously in post production, a lot of what happened got left on the cutting room floor. What I'm trying to say is, everything that was SEEN on the show really happened. Whether it had anything to do with manipulation from “the outside” or merely the fact that it was all very situational is up for debate but we were who we appeared to be. It's obvious (hopefully) that there is more to everyone on the show than what was shown but now that it's all over, those of us that wish to have the opportunity to fully show the public who we are.

RNO: What were your thoughts regarding the boys’ night out with Anna as the undercover waitress? Tell the truth. Were you fooled or did you suspect she might be watching somewhere? We saw very little footage of you during that segment, although your reaction was focused on as she took off the disguise at the elimination. How did you spend your time at the club?

Nathan: To be honest with you, I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on that night. I spent most of my time out on the streetside balcony talking with a few people I met that night and some of the other “Joes.” We all had an idea that our “guys night out” wasn't merely the product of kindness but that something more was going on. I think though that everyone there, no matter if it was a “Joe” or a “hunk” was just out to have a good time. I believe we were all very genuine with our actions. Some of the guys obviously fell prey to the female plants by NBC but we all enjoyed ourselves.

RNO: I see now. You didn’t wind up on camera because you spent the night in places where there were no cameras hidden to catch you. But that meant you also didn’t spend much time around the “waitress” either. When did you realize it was really Anna?

Nathan: When Anna came walking out in her “disguise,” I knew it was her the moment I saw her. Although I didn't know she was in the bar that night due to not really paying much attention to anything but the conversations I was having, in my years of being a “wallflower” I have learned to read body language and pay attention to the way a person carries themselves. I could tell by the way she was walking that it was Anna and wondered in the back of my head why she was wearing a wig. Up until that time, everything I had experienced was very real - the conversations, playing pool in the house with the guys etc. It was at that moment I came back to the understanding that I was still part of some “production” orchestrated by the production crew and the powers that be.