Interview: Most Eligible Dallas’ Drew Ginsburg Isn’t Worried
suicide last week of Russell Armstrong of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of
Beverly Hills highlighted the fact that there can be a very real downside to
starring on a reality show. Participants usually have no control over how the show
presents them, and hundreds of hours of footage are condensed and usually
packaged into a storyline that is often sensational and intended to stir up
controversy.
In
fact, some critics have dubbed shows like Most Eligible Dallas “despicable
people” shows, and while “despicable” is too strong a word to describe the cast
of MED, they are certainly presented as being shallow, self-absorbed and full of themselves in a way that indicates they aren’t terribly self-aware.
So
it wasn’t much of a surprise when some of the first words spoken by Drew
Ginsburg on MED had to do with the fact that he isn’t “… a stereotypical gay
man” or that if “You want to talk Armani, you wanna talk Versace, you
wanna talk the arts? Go find another queer.”
Not
words or sentiments likely to go over well with much of the gay community.
Frankly, after watching the first episode, I had no desire to watch a second
and I wondered how someone like Ginsburg – a recovering alcoholic who used to
weigh 420 pounds and who comes across as vulnerable – would handle the attention and negative feedback a show like
MED is likely to generate.
I
caught up with the Dallas resident in Los Angeles while he was there to promote the show
to find out what made him want to put his life on such public display, if he was worried about how he was
going to come across, his desire to have a family and more.
AfterElton:
So what made you want to do the show?
Drew
Ginsburg: Well, my first reaction was “Oh my god, a reality show is going to
shoot on me?” and then the funniest thing is the first reality show that wanted
me was not Most Eligible Dallas, who approached me. It was actually The A-List
Dallas.
AE:
I was wondering about that.
DG:
And I was approached by Bravo and I was kind of shocked by it because I’m a guy
who used to be 420 pounds. And I’m very much a recovering alcoholic. I don’t
drink. I was kind of like “What do you guys want with me?” Most reality shows
people are drunk and they get into catfights that I watch.
And
I was like, there is no way I’m going to fit in on this show. The producer met
me, wanted to talk to me and I put a lot of thought into it. I realized I was
turning 30 in September, which maybe viewed by some vain gay people as when you
get put out to pasture.
AE:
I hope not. [laughs]
DG:
So I decided, why not? And let’s give it a try. It’s a once in a lifetime
experience. And let’s have fun!
AE:
What made you pick Most Eligible over The A-List?
DG:
Why I picked Eligible over The A-List was because the fact when I was a child
before I was gay, I used to watch Queer Eye. And I wanted to be James Lipton
even though I’m not an actor. So I literally chose Bravo on those things.
AE:
What made you decide to lose the weight?
DG:
When I was 20-years-old, I watched my grandmother die of diabetes. At that time
I was 420 pounds and I couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs in college. The
college I went to in Vermont,
the dorms were on the top of the hill, like five stories down. The ones on top
of the hill and the classrooms were on the bottom. So walking up and down the
hill was a very daunting experience.
We
live in a world where people judge you on your size and your physical fitness
and being able to do certain things, and I couldn’t even do the simplest of
tasks. I couldn’t even go into a store and buy a pair of pants without having
to order them online from a fat man’s store.
AE:
You haven’t seen the first episode yet, have you?
DG:
I have not
AE:
The very first words that we hear you talk about is the fact that…
DG:
“I’m not your stereotypical gay man.”
AE:
I’m just sort of curious, is that something that’s important to you to
communicate to viewers? Is that something that we’re going to hear you discuss
a lot in the show?
DG:
I believe it is for Dallas, because in Dallas everyone is
wrapped up in personal appearances, clothes and all that stuff, But I am much
more… sometimes I don’t care about it. I’m a guy who loves his jeans and t-shirts.
A
lot of gay guys, a lot of peers I would say are wrapped up in a Versace handbag
or the way it looks, I’m more wrapped up in the finish on a Ferrari and the way
it looks. For some reason, I get more excited hearing the engine of my car turn
on and it starts to roar and get louder and louder. That’s what it is for me. I
love cars more than I love clothes.
I
don’t even know what gingham is or I didn’t know what plaid was. I bought jeans
and yesterday I discovered that the type of jeans I wear are five pocket jeans,
well where’s the fifth pocket? It turns out it is a little pocket right here.
AE:
So in your circle of gay friends in Dallas
most of the guys are like that as opposed to…
DG:
Yeah.
AE:
Because plenty of other gay guys are not interested in…
DG:
Well the world that I live in, there’s a lot of that. So for me I almost feel
like the opposite of a lot of people.
AE:
Just in terms of?
DG:
Just in terms of my house is always a mess. It’s not clean, it’s not perfect.
I’m not obsessed with the little tiny details like some of my friends are. I
see that some of my friends are obsessed with the making sure everything works
great on the fountain or this part of their house and their wall is a perfect
color. Everything is right up in line perfectly. I’m not one of those guys.
AE:
So when you talk about stereotypical, you’re not necessarily talking about
masculine verse feminine or…
DG:
No, I’m talking…
AE:
Because that’s what a lot of people hear.
DG:
I’m talking more… masculine, feminine, yes, because I sometimes wax and dye my
eyebrows. Masculine, feminine… I would definitely say my obsessions are a lot
different then a lot of other obsessions.
AE:
At one point in the show we just hear you saying that Dallas is just full of a lot of shallow,
self-absorbed people which you sort of alluded to a minute ago. That makes me
wonder, why don’t you leave Dallas?
If you sort of feel that way about so many of the people there what keeps you
there?
DG:
I run into a lot of that, but I also have a very strong close-knit group of
friends. I think you run into a lot of shallow gay guys wherever you go and I
think the crowd that I’m in in Dallas
right now is so like that … and the circles I have to run in also for business
and all that stuff.
Part
of my business is networking to get them to come to my dealership, so the fact
is I have to bring them in I run into a lot of shallow people. People only
concerned about their image and their car and all that stuff. I always also say
that a car is a man’s best accessory.
AE:
You don’t want to see my car then. When you do a reality show all kinds of
footage is filmed and it’s edited down and you’re not always in control of how
you end up coming across. Are you at all worried about that?
DG:
I’m not worried about that because honestly I signed up knowing that I’m giving
them my life and this is what they are going to take of me. So if I signed up
worried about the content, then I should have never signed up.
AE:
So you’re not worried about the reaction to people watching the show? Are you
going to go online and read what people have to say?
DG:
I read online and saw what you guys said, I think someone wrote “He’s handsome
but we already forgot his name” or something like that. When the first video
came out AfterElton commented on it and I was shocked that it was on
AfterElton.
AE:
[laughs] Why would you be shocked about that?
DG:
Because you’re a Logo property. Why would you comment on a Bravo show?
AE:
Well, we’re owned by Logo but we cover…
DG:
Everything.
Bravo
publicist: AfterElton has covered a lot of Bravo programming
AE:
I cover so many Bravo shows. We cover Top Chef: Just Desserts, Top Chef…
DG:
He’s cute by the way. The guy from Top Chef: Just Desserts. Johnny’s cute!
AE:
Did you watch last season?
DG:
No. The funniest thing is I only met him in person and I don’t watch that much
reality TV. I love watching Top Gear on BBC America. Am I allowed to say that?
Bravo
publicist: Yeah, you can talk [about that]. You don’t only have to say you
watch us. You’re allowed to have your own opinions.
DG:
I love watching Top Gear, I’m a news junkie, a political junkie at heart. I’m
involved in a lot of HIV Aids fundraisers. I’m involved in the Legacy Cottage
in Dallas. Even
though I’m not into fashion.
AE:
Oh, really?
DG:
It’s just something that my family has been involved in and I’ve been involved
with it ever since.
AE:
Do you think we might see any of that on the show?
DG:
You will see… hopefully, you will see Legacy Cottage and hopefully you’ll see,
you’ll definitely see the Design Industries
Foundation Fighting Aids.
AE:
Now the show is a lot about dating and love lives. Are we going to be seeing
you dating?
DG:
You’ll see me in a relationship. You’ll see trials and tribulations of love and
the heartaches and the joys.
AE:
Was it hard to expose that?
DG:
No.
AE:
No?
DG:
No.
AE:
Why not?
DG:
Because I came with the mindset to be myself and a couple months before, I
started taking my barriers down to allow this to happen so I’d be ready to.
AE:
What attracted you to this person we see you dating?
DG:
His smile.
AE:
That’s a nice answer. Anything else?
DG:
And his eyes.
AE:
You talk about wanting to have a family and adopt. When did you start thinking
about that?
DG:
That’s something I came to in the last two years, but I want to do it with a
partner. I want to see if I can at least have a chance of having a family and
sharing the joys rather than having to be on my own.
AE:
You came out when you were 24?
DG:
Yeah, 24.
AE:
What was that like for you?
DG:
Actually I came to grasps with who I am down here at the corner of Robertson
and Doheny.
AE:
Oh.
DG:
Yes, I lived in Southern California and so I
was taken to the Abbey by a mutual friend and I realized that this is where I
belong and these are the people I want to be with.
AE:
Interesting.
DG:
And within two weeks I realized I was gay and I realized that I needed to stop
lying to myself.