Media’s McHugh hopes he is the one
The scenario is perfect. A salesman and marketer whose specialty is social media and digital communication sees an ad on Facebook about auditions for MTV’s “Are You the One?,” follows through with auditions, and winds up on the show competing for $1 million.
“Are You the One” is a cross between “Big Brother,” “The Bachelor,” and “Jersey Shore” with a scooch of “Survivor” thrown in. Season 4 debuts at 10 p.m. tonight with Media resident Stephen McHugh as one of 20 young singles living in a Maui beach house in search of his or her ‘perfect mate,’ as pre-determined by MTV producers. If McHugh hooks up with the woman “Are You the One?” intended for him, he vies for the million. There are several obstacles, including the circumstance that most housemates on ‘Are You the One? Discover his or her “intended” by the time each 10-week season runs its course.
McHugh said he had put love and relationships on a back burner before the “AYTO” ad caught his eye on Facebook. He had been dating a woman for several years when he learned he was not her only interest, and the break-up sort of lingered to a point he wasn’t interested in reconciling with his ex, but wasn’t ready to move on to another dating situation.
“I just put the ‘love’ compartment of my life aside and concentrated on school (a business degree from West Chester University) and my job (sales and marketing for Otto’s BMW in West Chester). I threw myself into extra-curricular activities by representing the school in business competitions, joining clubs and helping other with their academics. I even taught a class in social marketing after I graduated.”
The “AYTO” ad awakened a dormant part of McHugh’s psyche. He decided it was time to restore love and relationship to his life and thought being part of a television show like “AYTO” would be an interesting way of doing it.
“Going to Hawaii and being around 10 beautiful women did not sound like a bad way to get back into having a social life.”
Being on “AYTO” is not as easy as it sounds. As in “Survivor,” there are challenges that must be met to advance to higher stages of the game. In modern context, severe deprivation is enforced as contestants have no access to telephones, tablets or television. The world for six weeks in what goes on in that Hawaii house among the people who live there. And, of course, the MTV crew was always around.
“I loved the experience of being on the show,” McHugh said. “I am looking forward to reliving it, but I’m just as curious to see how the hours and hours of recording was boiled down to ten 45-minute programs.”
McHugh knows but cannot, by contract, reveal any of the results of the show. He is able to say that genuine love and friendship was experienced among the people who shared the “AYTO” house.
“At first, when you realize a camera can be picking up everything you say and do, it’s a little exciting and little scary. You soon adjust to it, and having people around you all the time, and people recording you, seems normal. It’s just part of the day.
“The biggest challenge for me was being without a support system. Emotionally, you are on your own. Conflicts are going on all around you. It’s inevitable that one guy will be interested in more than one woman and that one woman, including the woman you like, might be interested in more than one guy. You have to maneuver and figure out a strategy to make what you want known and get it. You do this while people around you are being dishonest about their intentions and untrustworthy. You think you can avoid being part of a conflict oncamera, but situations occur, and you’re in the middle of something before you realize it’s become emotional or dramatic. At home, I’d have family and friends to bounce feeling off of. In Hawaii, I did not.
“In the beginning I was one of the quieter ones. I made it a point to hold back and observe the different people in the house. I worked on the idea that people will reveal their true selves over time, and I was right. By being a little laid back at first, I was able to get to know people better. ‘AYTO’ is like a social experiment. You have to make choices, and I wanted my choices to be based on some intuition about the other competitors.”
Travel was among the appeals that motivated McHugh to audition, along with the prospect of money and the opportunity to address his desire for a relationship. “Hawaii was gorgeous. The only tropical place I’d been before ‘AYTO’ was Mexico, and it isn’t even close.”
The recording of Season 4 ended two months ago, but McHugh has not been home the entire time since then. He had been in L.A., San Francisco, New York, and other locations promoting ‘AYTO’ and having a taste of show business and celebrity.
While he says he is interested in a tech career, McHugh adds he would not be averse to other avenues if ‘AYTO’ leads to other high-profile work.
Handsome and liberally tattooed, McHugh is described as “brashly confident” in “AYTO” promotional material. In that same hype, he calls himself a “master manipulator.”
Asked by ‘AYTO’ to sum up his experience in one word, McHugh chooses “unforgettable.” He says he left for Hawaii not knowing what to expect. His former relationship was unforgettable, but it was replaced by the unforgettable people he met in the “AYTO” house and among the MTV crew. He talks about having progressed as a human being as he experienced changes in feelings, thoughts, and emotions.
Talking on the telephone, McHugh repeats these sentiments as he says how exciting his experience was and how much it changed him for the better.
Tonight’s “AYTO” airs several times during the week. New episodes play 10 p.m. Mondays on MTV.
Telethon for Alex’s Lemonade Stand
Channel 3 conducted its annual telethon for Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research, and broke a record for pledges with $4,986,068 being registered.
Channel 3 held its first telethon for the charity in 2007, and proceeds have grown constantly since then. Jim Donovan, Brooke Thomas, Jessica Dean, Ukee Washington, Stephanie Stahl, Kate Bilo, Don Bell, and Katie Fehlinger took turns as anchors during the 14hour fundraiser while Vittoria Woodill ran a lemonade stand, and Pat Gallen reported from one. Pat Ciarrocchi also made an appearance to boost pledges.
Ukee going to ‘The Talk’
Channel 3 primetime anchor Ukee Washington will once again be a panelist on CBS’s “The Talk” in July. This time, the program with Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, and Sharon Osbourne, is holding a contest for a viewer and guest to accompany Ukee to L.A. for a multi-night stay. Visit www.thetalk. com/anchorsaway to enter.
Gossip time
Philadelphia is one of seven markets that will air Fox’s new syndicated program, “Page Six,” based on the famous gossip pages on the New York Post.
“Page Six” debuts on Channel 29 July 18.