On Nov. 24, Owensboro native Jon Brennan is set to return to the Real World Los Angeles beach house he filmed in back in 1993 but when he arrived at the set a few months ago, it was strange how normal it felt to be back on the set of a reality TV show.
He said he leaned over and talked to one of his housemates saying isn’t it strange how easily they adjusted to the cameras.
“It’s so weird to have a camera at your bed when you wake up, and it’s, boom, 29 years ago,” Brennan said. “This doesn’t happen in my normal life and now it’s happening in my normal life, again.”
But at the same time, he said it was like going to his childhood home.
He stayed in the same room, in the same house and being back in the same house caused a lot of stress and tough conversations; just like the original show.
In 1993, the cast was talking about topics that are still heavily prevalent today like sexuality, abortion, addiction and rape. Some of these topics come back up with the group’s knowledge of the world now.
This is where the stress comes in because Brennan said everyone is a passionate person and diverse to the maximum degree.
“They only cast one Jon Brennan — there’s only one pastor who works at a church that’s cast on the show — and everybody else is crazy in six other directions, and I’m crazy in mine,” Brennan said.
Being back with the group wasn’t all stressful though. He said it was good being able to see where his castmates have grown since the 1993 show.
Around the room, he saw one housemate that became a police officer in Los Angeles, another a multi-credited actress and they all looked at the then 18-year-old who wanted to be a country singer.
So he had to come to terms with sharing how that plan did not come to fruition as he had hoped at 18-years-old. From there he talks about how he ended up doing ministry and leading into his EP that he was writing shortly before arriving for filming.
When it came to writing “I Ain’t Done Singing Yet,” his 5-track EP, he realized he’s just that. Since he’s been off the show he’s been doing ministry and singing where he can get the opportunity to.
“My voice is better than it’s ever been and that’s why the CD sounds like I’ve been doing it the whole time because I really still have been exercising my voice,” Brennan said.
While The Real World airs Nov. 24, his EP is available on his website today. As for the future of Brennan, he plans to perform at the RiverPark Center for their New Year’s Eve show with more information to come.
