Daily Mississippian

Issue date: 7/25/07 Section: Arts & Life

Media Credit: Courtesy of MTV networks

Media Credit: Courtesy of MTV networks

This year's season of "The Real World" may hold special significance for The University of Mississippi. This year, for the first time in the series' 19 year history, an Ole Miss student will star as one of the roommates.

Dunbar Flinn, a 22 year old from Natchez, Miss., will make UM history when the season premiere airs August 8.

Anastasia Lee, Manager of Communications for MTV Network, said Flinn's personality is much deeper than many people would see on the surface.

"Although Dunbar may look like a frat boy, his sharp intellect and ability to triumph over adversity make him anything but typical," Lee said. "With a troubling childhood behind him, Dunbar is currently enrolled in the University of Mississippi where he supports himself. To pay for his education, he joined the military and bartends while carrying a full load of classes."

According to Lee, Flinn found himself in the spotlight during his time in the house.
"With his good looks and confident personality, Dunbar finds himself the center of attention among a few of the girls in the house," Lee said.

Flinn, one of three males in the house this season (there are four females), said he believes he was chosen for the house this season because of his open personality and unique past."

"I'm very open and I had a very interesting past," Flinn said. "I just have a very dynamic personality."

Flinn's past begins with him leaving home before his 16th birthday.

"I moved out when I was 15 and I've pretty much worked for everything that I have," Flinn said. "I have a pretty hectic relationship with my parents and if there was anyone who could count as a real parental figure it would be my grandmother, and at the same time she was like my landlord the last couple of years I was in high school."

Flinn's past also lacks a bond between the young man and many of his relatives.
"I grew up a loner and not really wanting to connect with anyone I was related to or even having that connection if I did," he said.

Being selected as a housemate for the reality series came as a shock to Flinn, who never really expected it to go the distance.

"I didn't think this process would go as far as it did," Flinn said. "I just went down when (show producers) were in Oxford because I didn't have class that day and I just put my name in like everyone else. That night I was out with some friends and just got a call asking me to come back in the next day for an on-camera audition. It just kept going from there."

The show was filmed in Sydney, Australia. Flinn said the atmosphere " down under" was really nice.

"Most (Australians) love Americans," he said. "It was really cool with a more laid-back culture. It was slightly more expensive living there than here but our currency is worth a little more than their's so it leveled out in the end."

Going into the show, Flinn said he expected a really bitter relationship between the housemates based on what he'd seen on previous shows.

"I really expected it to be more of a hostile environment than it actually was with people placed there only to conflict with my ideals," Flinn said. "It really wasn't that bad at first, outside of some girl arguments, but it did turn into a hostile environment a few times, at least concerning me. I expected it to be a lot worse than it was in the beginning but it did get to that point eventually."

According to Flinn, the show taught him many things about human personalities.

"There are a lot of different personalities out there and you can't get along with everybody but you shouldn't really try," Flinn said. "I also thought that I had already met the craziest girls I'd ever meet but the girls I lived with in the house take the cake."

Flinn said if he could do it all over again he probably would.

"This was, by far, the craziest thing that I've ever done but I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

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