By Chris Munzing
"I don't know what they put in this show," he said. "I hope they don't show anything embarrassing. I hope they don't show me eating." As the future SUNY Cobleskill freshman watched the show documenting his senior year of high school, he laughed frequently at himself and his classmates. Carter said that all he wanted was to be presented accurately. By the end of the show, he was pleased with the way he was depicted. "That was nice," he said, smiling.
The senior year of high school is often filled with more emotions and awkwardness than you can shake a diploma at. The idea of other people being able to peek into your private life during this often difficult time would scare some people to death.
However, three Long Beach High School seniors, Carter, Bronagh Lawe and Kevin Sheehan, did just that, allowing millions of people to become part of their senior year on an episode of the popular "True Life" series. The episode also featured seniors from Bayonne High School in New Jersey.
The students were chosen from a pool of 30 kids nominated by their teachers. After each student was interviewed, three finalists were chosen. "I acted normally and they picked me," said Carter, a future chef who works at Long Beach Medical Center.
The "True Life" series is one of MTV's most popular shows. Its purpose is to document the niches that the youth of America inhabit, whether it be competitive cheerleading, going to the prom or illegal street racing. The show centers on several young adults in these situations and documents their trials and tribulations.
MTV began filming at Long Beach High in February and filmed all the way through the spring to graduation. The cameras followed the students at home, at school and in social situations, attempting to capture what being a high school senior in Long Beach is all about.
The show was shot by videographer Tara (Davis) Curly, a graduate of Long Beach High herself. Carter's mother, Judy, said the cameras took some time to get used to, but eventually they were just part of the background.
"She was there when she had to be there, and then she was gone -- you get used to it," Mrs. Carter said. The students were followed by camera crews three times a week.
Carter's profile focused on a new romantic relationship and his efforts to become more social with his peers, something that had been difficult for him in the past. Carter suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a condition that impairs social interaction skills. Most people afflicted with Asperger's have average to above-average intelligence and excellent vocabularies. This is true of Carter, who finished his senior year with a 92 average. His search for a prom date, which eventually turned into a romance, made for not only good TV but the happy ending the audience likely hoped for.
Sheehan felt that he, too, was accurately portrayed, except for one instance in which he thought his comments involving fellow students were taken out of context -- statements he said he regrets making. However, Sheehan said that knowing what he knows now, he would still do the show again.
"There are a lot more positives than the negatives," he said. "I work at a beach club and a girl there asked for my autograph." He also noted that the cameras eventually just faded into the background, citing Morning Madness after the prom. "I was able to bowl and play video games with people right up next to me," he said.
Sheehan's story focused on his application to, and eventual rejection from, Notre Dame, his dream college. Sheehan had to wait two heart-wrenching days to open his response letter from Notre Dame so it could be captured on the show. He now plans to attend SUNY Binghamton, where he will study politics, philosophy and law in preparation for a future career in politics. His 18th birthday was also documented by the cameras, as his parents treated him to a tattoo of the Fighting Irish mascot on his shoulder. "A lot was left on the cutting room floor, but I enjoyed it a lot," said Harry Sheehan, Kevin's father.
Lawe, who will attend the University of Massachusetts in the fall, was also happy with the way she was presented. "They definitely portrayed me exactly as I am," she said. Lawe found the whole experience to be worth any inconvenience filming may have caused. "It was something I can look back on and say, Not many other people did that," she said.
Lawe added, however, that the experience had some drawbacks, namely the behavior of others when the cameras were around. Lawe found the "behavior of false people pretending to be my friend" to be the biggest example of that. Carter agreed.
"There's so many people who don't act like themselves because they want to be on MTV, and the attention I'm receiving is annoying, to tell you the truth," he said.
Regardless of the negatives of the experience, all three students agreed that they were outweighed by the positives. In addition to their experiences and memories, the three will have the opportunity many people wish they had: the ability to go back in time to high school and revisit their youth again and again.
