Prepsters Pay a Visit

Emma Watson may have chosen Brown, but Harvard still might be the destination for another Hollywood hopeful.

In an episode of Bravo reality TV show "NYC Prep" that aired Tuesday night, Manhattan teenager Camille Hughes and two friends make their first-ever college visit, heading up to Cambridge to scope out the Harvard campus—considered "sacred ground" by the private school trio—paying special attention to its social scene. But the disillusionment starts early for these prospective freshmen when they meet their tour guide, Scarlet J. Marquette '93, in front of the Science Center.

Scarlet, a Russian "lit-ra-tuah" concentrator and former TF  who now claims to be a "consultant," said she was recruited to add a touch of "playfulness" to the show by supervising producer Liz Alderman '96, a friend of a friend. The three organizations that generally provide visitors with tours of Harvard—the Admissions Office, the Crimson Key society, and Harvard Unofficial Tours—didn’t recommend or even know about Marquette. Since the prepsters' encounter with Scarlet seems to take place in the science center triangle, which is technically Cambridge property, Bravo didn’t need permission from the University to film, according to Harvard spokesman John Longbrake.

In Marquette’s words, Lamont is a "social nexus," and the Mather gorilla is "not unusual at all." But her high school charges are more likely to remember a different aspect of their visit: The alum who kindly lets them know, for good measure, that they probably won't get in. Nothing like a little encouragement. More on Scarlet and "Harvard hotties" after the jump.

In an interview with FlyBy after the episode was aired, Scarlet said she thought of her part as an acting role, to shake up "this kind of environment where people seem to take themselves awfully seriously." In her words, “It's basically improv theater.” FlyBy was a little confused by this—isn’t the point of reality TV to represent reality? Her performance apparently seemed real enough for Camille's friend Kelli to describe their tour guide as "pretentious," "rude," and "an idiot," giving their admissions chances another major boost.

Eventually "Harvard hottie" David D. Tune '09—a last-minute addition to the scene—arrives to take the three visitors on a tour of the campus. Along the way, they spontaneously run into Tune’s buddy and fellow “hottie” Baruch Y. Shemtov '09. And according to Camille, there's not much more a girl could ask for.

FlyBy wishes all prospective applicants the best of luck—including these elite New York prepsters. See you over Prefrosh weekend, where you’ll have another chance to explore Harvard’s wild-and-crazy social scene!

Photo courtesy of bravotv.com