Hi everyone! Vince here, one of your new Utopia bloggers for Your Reality Recaps! I will be doing power rankings each week, and TV Tater will be bringing you recaps of the shows and feeds HERE. Speaking of feeds, the 24/7 live feeds (which you can get here for free) for FOX’s new reality show Utopia just fired up Friday and the TV show kicks off its inaugural season in just over a week. Once the show gets started, I will be rating the Utopians each week based on their personalities, their contributions to the new society as well as various other qualities. Right now, I thought it would be interesting to give my first impressions on the First 15 14 before we see them in action. Let’s see how accurate (or inaccurate) my judgments turn out to be!
ANDREA is originally from Dayton, OH and is currently living in San Diego. She is a raw vegan chef and is going to Utopia to build an empire. (An empire with no bacon or cheeseburgers. What the hell kind of empire is that?) She is huge on animal rights and being a vegan. Andrea claims to have built an “empire” out of the raw vegan community and beyond and believes it will be exciting to recreate that in Utopia. I take this to be code for “I’m going to force my vegan lifestyle down everyone’s throats.” She speaks her mind, doesn’t hold back and is NEVER one to be quiet when she has an opinion.
*Groan* She’s going to be insufferable. Mark my words! She talks through her nose and looks like she has had collagen in her lips. I get the sense from her that she is very pretentious and judgmental. She is going to be very difficult to get along with, particularly if she is going to be over-the-top and in-your-face with her vegan lifestyle. “MEAT IS MURDER!” After watching her video, I’m off to go eat a big, fat, juicy steak. Mmmmm!
LATE BREAKING NEWS: Andrea will NOT be entering the Utopia compound, due to infractions of Utopia policy. Well, great. BURGERS FOR EVERYBODY!!
AMANDA is our pregnant behavioral specialist from Seattle. Her thoughts about having a baby in Utopia are that it is scary yet exciting at the same time. No kidding! It will be for us, too. She stands for people of color, for people who are at a disadvantage, and for Christianity. She likes to inspire people and set a good example. She also wants to change society’s view of African American women. She wants us to see that there are women of substance and that they are not all “booty shakers” or sexual objects. Go, Amanda! Based solely on the video, I like Amanda. She seems nice and not douchey or annoying. I am definitely interested to see how her being pregnant affects life in Utopia. Will she be able to keep it a secret for very long? I doubt it. I want her to stick around for a while, just to see how they handle the whole childbirth thing.
MIKE is a 32-year-old practicing attorney from Manhattan. He doesn’t think one person should lead the government, unless it is him. POWER HUNGRY HYPOCRITE ALERT! He’s not going to get along with someone who tries to turn Utopia into a religious organization. (He’s looking at you, Jonathan!) In the perfect world, he will meet the girl of his dreams and have a good time raising chickens. Ah, the American dream. Good luck with that! As a lawyer, I see Mike being argumentative and blowing smoke up people’s butts. He seems the type to be fine as long as he gets his way. Other than this, I don’t have much of an opinion on Mike. He seems to be one of the dull ones on the cast. I hope he proves me wrong.
AARON from Oxford, Mississippi, is a private chef and a sous chef. He has a tendency to garden and forage for different plants in the woods. He served in the Army for 9 years, deploying once to Afghanistan. Maybe his military training will be of some use to him and the other Utopians. To Aaron, cooking isn’t work, it is his life. I expect him to bring his A game when it comes to cooking! Since food is such a vital part of life, he sees himself playing a key role in Utopia. Yeah, I get that, Aaron, but people aren’t stupid. They can gather food and cook it without you. You just prepare fancy dishes.
I can see him and Andrea working together gardening and gathering food. The key difference is he will play more of a role in providing and preparing food whereas Andrea is more about pushing her “Meat is Murder” agenda.
JONATHAN is the pastor from Churchill, Tennessee (where?). Come on. We all knew there had to be one of those. He wants the opportunity to vocalize his views on religion. He wants God to be the center of society once again. He wants people to be able to set aside their differences and come together for a common goal. Ok, that’s all well and good, but can he do that?
Will he be able to deal with someone else with differing religious views? Jonathan loves a challenge and says he is very competitive. Interesting. I don’t get that vibe from him, but maybe he can prove me wrong. Coming from a small town in Tennessee myself, I know how pastors tend to be. They can be very quick to judge others who don’t share their opinions. Let’s hope he doesn’t do that, because he will tick a lot of folks off, especially Mike the power hungry attorney.
ROB is from New Jersey. He’s “kinda” in IT security. Well, Rob, there is no “kinda.” Either you are or you aren’t! What a tool. He describes himself as a gun toting, beer drinking, pickup driving, brash loudmouth. I would like to add to that list: I think he has the IQ of a doorknob. He is going to do what he wants regardless of what others think or feel. Have I mentioned this guy is a tool? He’s gonna chop chicken heads off all day long if he is hungry. So, I don’t see him and Andrea becoming BFFs. He’s very conservative and doesn’t care for the liberal “hippie” types. Yeah, that goes without saying, Rob. He is going to be a polarizing figure. Love him or hate him, he isn’t changing for anyone. He’s going to ruffle a few feathers and cause some drama. Delicious drama.
NIKKI is a medical doctor turned yoga instructor/holistic healthy lifestyle coach from NYC. Oh, lord. To Nikki, utopia is all about love, cooperation, sharing and caring. Hey, I have an idea! Let’s all sing Kumbaya and make each other friendship bracelets! She is all about people living a healthy, happy life in her utopia. She believes in monogamy while at the same time she believes in the freedom to connect emotionally with others. Yikes. She also says that she hopes this show motivates all the couch potatoes to get up off their lazy butts and lose weight. Ok, I may have taken some creative liberty with that one, but that’s basically what she said. How about she worries about surviving and creating a new society and not about the fatties at home? She’s cool with being nude and skinny dipping and such. Glad she’s good with nudity because the toilet is out in the open! My first impression? Meh. She has this pretty picture of a lovely world where everyone loves one another, but who are we kidding? That never works out. And she comes across as judgmental.
JOSH is a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he is a general contractor. He has owned his own construction business since 2008. Awesome! We have someone who knows how to build a stable structure! First order of business: BUILD A BATHROOM. No one wants to go while the pervs watch. Eww. This guy is going to be very important in the early stages of creating this new society. He is a self-described jack of all trades and a born leader who has no problem telling other people what to do. He wants to motivate people to work together and do their part in building the new society. Can he get all of these people to work together? I feel he will be met with opposition, especially from the self-centered Rob who does what HE wants. As a single man of 36 years, he is open to finding someone. He says that all humans need companionship, love, intimacy and affection. Translation: he’s getting a little bit older and is desperate to get his freak on. All in all, I like Josh. I feel he is going to be instrumental in getting Utopia up and running in the beginning and hopefully he can keep everyone cooperating.
BRI is a veterinary technician who hails from Huntington Beach, California. To her, utopia would be something along the lines of anarchy. She feels that people are greedy and selfish by nature and are incapable of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. Jeez. Who peed in her corn flakes? She’s such a ray of sunshine! Her biggest contributions to Utopia will be her skills in animal care and farming. As far as a partner, she will be looking for someone smart, attractive and intellectually engaging. She hopes to inspire the nation to become better. I get the impression that she may have a distrust of other people. I’m curious to see how this works out.
RED is the hillbilly handyman from the backwoods of eastern Kentucky! First of all, CAN WE GET SUBTITLES ON THIS GUY? He loves huntin’, fishin’, knives and shootin’ guns. Also, he has lived off the grid for the past 10 years. Yep. His property has no ‘lectricity or plumbin’. I guess he’s not going to be too far outside of his comfort zone. He believes in sexual freedom (in other words, he’s a horny old goat), but he doesn’t force his lifestyle on others and expects them not to force theirs on him. He can fix anything that needs fixin’, and there is no shame in his game. My initial thought is that I like this guy! Who doesn’t love themselves a hillbilly handyman? And if he manages to set up a still and make moonshine, even better.
BELLA comes to us from Griffin, Georgia. In her words, she lives a sort of double life. During the week she owns a real estate marketing company and in her spare time she is doomsday prepper. She’s a survivalist of sorts and teaches people how to live off the grid. That’s awesome, but I bet she can’t teach old Red anything. He’ll probably show her a thing or two, including his shiny new still. To Bella, this isn’t the typical reality survivor TV show. This show gives them the opportunity to make changes and save the planet. She’s got some pretty lofty ambitions, this one. If she meets her match
while in Utopia, she is open to getting pregnant and having her child on the show. Copycat! Amanda did it first! I’m interested to see how well her survival skills will serve her and the other utopians as this progresses.
DEDEKER is from southern California. She is a professional belly dancer and does modeling, specifically NUDE modeling. Ruh-roh! She also describes herself as polyamorous. She maintains multiple romantic and loving relationships with multiple people, but she does NOT cheat. So she says. I’m taking bets on how long it takes her to take it all off and how many people she hooks up with in the first month. Her idea of utopia is a place where many different people come together with a single vision and create a relaxed, comfortable and free environment. Dedeker is going to be an odd yet interesting person to watch. Not sure exactly what she’s going to contribute. We’ll see!
DAVE grew up in NYC on the wrong side of the tracks. He had a chaotic childhood. He was a foster child from the ages of 3 -17, so he never had a stable home life. His moms (I did hear that right?) did drugs for 15 years. He ended up getting involved with the wrong people and went to prison for burglary. He says that the knowledge he gained from these hardships helped make him who he is today and hopefully he can be an asset in this new society. To Dave, Utopia is a clean slate. He can start fresh and display all his best qualities. His idea of utopia is where everyone works together for the “edification and cultivation” of the unit. I’m not even gonna lie. I’m rooting for Dave. I want him to be able to make something of himself and prove that he can do anything he sets his mind to. I want him to succeed and get the confidence to move forward with his life after Utopia.
HEX is a 25 year old from Detroit who is currently employed in dental administration. For fun, she likes to shoot the recurve bow and likes to hunt with a compound bow. As soon as I heard this, my first impression was “OH MY GOD. SHE’S KATNISS!” I was so excited about this, but was saddened to discover this connection was already made on the Utopia site. Her contribution to the society is going to be her hunting and gathering skills. She considers herself a provider. GO KATNISS! She considers herself a big flirt and wants some eye candy while she is there. She also likes to fight for people without a voice, and hates to see people taken advantage of. I LOVE HER! ♥ She is my favorite of the First 15 14 right away! This one is destined to go far. Go, Hex! Make District 12 proud!
CHRIS is a North Carolina transplant who was raised on Long Island. He is a lover of art and music. Hot. When not working, he likes to surf, skateboard and play music, which is passion in life. His biggest contribution is being extremely positive and determined in whatever task he takes on. He likes to build and create things. He’s also a good gardener and likes to motivate others. He has no girlfriend at home and is open to meeting new women. (One of Dedeker’s potential conquests?) He wants utopia to be the change he wants to see in America. I like this guy. He seems pretty grounded and likable. I can see him working well with Josh as they start building the structures. I can see him lasting for a while.
So, that’s it for my first impressions. Let me know what you think! Do you agree or disagree with any of them? Who do YOU think will be the first to go, and who do you think has the potential to stick around? Let me know in the comment section below!
