Ask Tim: Celebrity Apprentice Tim Urban Interviews Tiffany Fallon
January 9, 2008 (Inside Pulse) My First Time Interviewing a Playboy Cover Girl
If you asked me a couple years ago if I thought I'd ever interview a famous Playboy cover girl from a 115 degree phone booth in Mexico City, I'd probably say, "No." I'd say, "No, I don't think I'll ever interview a famous Playboy cover girl from a 115 degree phone booth in Mexico City."
And yet, there I was on Friday-- interviewing Mrs. Tiffany Fallon from a steamy Mexican phone booth.
It was a long road that led there, which started when I headed to Universal City in March, 2006, for the open casting call for Season 6 of The Apprentice. From there proceeded a long and absurd casting process. Then, the actual filming took place-- six of the most ridiculous weeks a person can possibly live. After the filming, I had five months to wait, having no idea how they'd edit me and no idea what awaited. Not fun. Then, the f'ing thing aired, for four months at the beginning of 2007, as I watched myself wash cars, terrify tourists on a bus, bottle honey, make out with my future girlfriend in excruciating detail, box in the middle of a stadium, act in a soap opera, and about 73 other absurd things, all to eventually be laid off by Donald Trump.
Of course, there were a lot of stories to tell. For my detailed, behind-the-scenes recap of the whole filming, see the episode recaps in the April-July, 2007 archives of my blog: www.timurban.blogspot.com
But it wasn't over yet. During the eight months that followed, I answered the following two questions 375,472 times:
1) Are you still with Nicole?
2) What's Trump like?
And so, in case I run into any of you in public, I'll save us the trouble and we can talk about more interesting things, like Jamie Lynn Spears.
1) I'm not still with Nicole. There I said it. Nicole and I finished the filming in a legitimate, actual relationship (I don't act like a moron over a girl I don't actually like). We had a great year together, but we live across the country from each other, and we're both pretty busy all the time, and eventually, we called it a day. We've remained close friends-- otherwise we would have lost the pleasure of pushing each other's buttons mercilessly.
2) The fact is, we don't see much more of Trump than you do watching. The other team (Kinetic) saw more of him, because they went on three rewards with him, but in general, the time when we get to know him the best is in the boardroom. Not the most casual environment to shoot the shit. So unfortunately I don't have many Trump stories.
Here's one: We were all in our dressing rooms on the beach during the bathing suit task (Episode 2), and Trump popped in to say hi. He got a phone call after a minute and left. As he paced on the beach about 10 yards away, we overheard him yelling, "You tell him he's a ****ing scumbag…no, don't tell him on my behalf, tell him on your behalf... you tell him he's never doing business with Trump again!" That was kind of awesome. It doesn't get too much better than a swearing billionaire referring to himself in the third person.
And so, this long road led me to last Thursday, when I watched the stunning Tiffany Fallon get fired by the Trumpster. As I watched, it suddenly hit me that I'd actually be calling her the next day to discuss all of this. If I'm a moron when I like a girl, I'm simply a bumbling idiot when I talk to a girl who is extraordinarily attractive (as you'll see below). And yes, I was in Mexico City. Long story—for another time.
So without further ado, my interview with Tiffany Fallon:
Tim Urban: Hey Tiffany.
Tiffany Fallon: Hi!
TU: [laughs nervously]
TF: How are you?
TU: I'm doing-- I'm alright. How are you?
TF: I'm coming down from my high of my dismal, uh... demise.
TU: [laugh]
TF: That was tough last night. Watching it, you know the outcome, but you feel that-- that intense drama that comes with it. I felt like I was back in the boardroom again.
TU: Did you have a little party at least?
TF: Yeah, I watched with some people, and some of the other cast members were there. Marilu Henner, and Nadie Comaneci, and some others, and it was good to see them, but at the same time, it's hard, ya know, for the first time, to see how it's edited.
TU: Trust me, trust me, I know.
TF: [laughs]
TU: [is excited that Tiffany laughed]
TF: I couldn't believe it.
TU: It's actually one of the most nerve-wracking experiences a person can have-- watching a reality episode they're a part of, and having no idea what they're gonna do to you.
TF: Yeah, there were like friends or family that would call and say, "I almost had a panic attack watching this," and I'm like, "You know that's just like? Multiply that by 100 and then put yourself in the boardroom."
TU: Now have you seen the show before?
TF: I watched the first season, so I'd be familiar with the format.
TU: [secretly disappointed] So you didn't see my season?
TF: No.
TU: Well I have a pretty phenomenal demise myself so I know how it feels.
TF: You have to go down in a blaze of glory, ya know? [laughs]
TU: There's really nothing quite like it. Now have stayed in touch with any of the other cast members?
TF: Sure, in fact almost all of us have kept in contact. I've kept in good touch with Jennie Finch especially.
TU: Actually, I met Jennie last year at an event before she took the mound on opening day.
TF: Yeah, she's a class act. And, ya know, her, Trace Adkins, Marilu Henner, Nadie Comaneci, all very class acts. But I mean, we can't all be charmers.
TU: [laughs]
TF: And unfortunately, I don't think the ladies hit their stride, or their groove, right off the bat, and unfortunately for me I didn't get to experience what that would be like when they did.
TU: Do you think maybe watching this and dealing with all the stress that comes along with a reality show-- do you think it's a little easier for you guys, as celebrities? You've all been in the public spotlight a lot, so are you a little bit more immune to it?
TF: Ya know, I've been told "no" before, I've been fired before, but getting fired in front of millions of people...[laughs]...it's a little different experience. I wasn't scared of being fired, I just wanted to make sure I just went in there and had great exposure for my charity. I represented myself with dignity and class.
TU: Yeah sometimes the first person off can get a really rough edit, and they didn't do that to you-- I thought your side of the story was told pretty well.
TF: Yeah, I think it's a fair show. I do.
TU: I guess it helps knowing that at least they're not gonna feel obligated to give Omarosa an overly favorable edit-- I'm sure no one's asked you anything about her yet today.
TF: Who's that?
TU: [laughs] Yeah, so at least you know viewers are gonna back you in a battle against her.
TF: Yeah, but I think that... there were a couple of people on the team that decided that Omarosa could handle this very fast, and raced to her side whether it's right or wrong, and unfortunately I don't find that to be a good business practice. You gotta stand up for who you are and what you believe in, and I didn't necessarily think her decision-making was skilled or well thought-out, and I felt like Nelly-- Nelly really hopped on her side at the very last minute, to save her own ass.
TU: Yeah, that must have been frustrating for you.
TF: It was frustrating! I went into this competition, um... with the thought process that I'm not gonna throw anybody under the bus…unless they deserved it [laughs]... and even if they deserved it, I'm not one to be confrontational and abusive to my teammates-- it's still a team project. And I think you have to be really careful when you choose your battles, because working with men is one thing, but when you work with women, their feelings don't always stay in the boardroom.
TU: That is definitely true.
TF: And I knew that if I continued on for the next couple weeks, or even for the whole competition-- those feelings in the boardroom don't always stay there, especially with women, and that it's important to choose your battles. To me it was like, "Pace yourself, get a lay of the land, get a feel for people's personalities," and if they want to point fingers at the very beginning, let 'em-- but it's not my style.
TU: And the thing is, you ended up being kicked off for not using all of your advantages, when that was what you were advocating to do in the first place, and you had gotten shot down for it.
TF: Yeah, and you know what? That was honestly something that was my fault, for not making Mr. Trump aware of that. I mean, in retrospect, I would have liked to be more, ya know, I would have liked to rewind the tapes and say, "Wait wait!" But I was so, I just think shellshocked, in the boardroom, and I was so shocked that Nelly threw me under the bus the way she did, that I was waiting to speak when spoken to. Because there are a lot of personalities, and a lot of "chiefs" in the room, that just talk talk talk talk talk talk talk, and sometimes, it's just better to ride the wave, and do what you're told, and be an Indian, and not so much a chief all the time. There's always a time to be a chief, and there's always a time to be the Indian. And I was just doing what I was told, and unfortunately I didn't bring that to Mr. Trump.
TU: And do you think it goes a little deeper as well, in that Omarosa was spared because she's Omarosa, and she's a big part of the show, and she's gonna bring ratings, and do you--
TF: Well yeah, we all know that Omarosa is gonna be an evil character, and we all knew that Omarosa had a reputation that preceded her.
TU: Yeah, he's just not likely to kick her off first.
TF: No. And she and I had had a little falling out before she even started the task, and I knew that if we didn't win, my butt was gonna end up in the boardroom, cause we had already had a verbal disagreement. And so I let up on the reigns, and let her do what she wanted to do. And I knew if we ended up in the boardroom, Mr. Trump wouldn't want to let her go-- he has a vested interest in her, they have a familiar relationship, and I knew that it was either Carol or I, and Carol started in, and she really showed some scrappiness at the very end, and I said, "good for her," cause I don't [laughs] have the energy to do that. I just felt like I was wasting hot air.
TU: [still thrown off after Tiffany mentioned her butt]: Do you have a lot of animosity towards Omarosa today? Do you hate her?
TF: Uch... I don't hate her, I mean... Mr. Trump asked if I respect her, and ya know, fine, yeah, I respect her, but did I like her at that time-- at that very second? No I did not like her. But I'm friendly with her, ya know, I think it's a shtick that she, uh, that's a crutch for her. Ya know?
TU: Does it bother you that she benefits so much from her infamy?
TF: Well I respect that, that anybody has a career in... in reality TV. But for the most part, it's impossible to argue with her. And she contradicts herself, to save her butt, and I wasn't going to contradict my own morals and values just to make it a few more weeks on the show.
TU: I completely agree-- I tried to think the same way last season.
TF: Yeah, and right now, I've had such an overwhelming response from strangers--
TU: Oh, I'm sure. She's an easy enemy to have, because you know [laughs], you know everyone's gonna agree with you in that battle.
TF: Oh, exactly! You know what? Look, I think about it, and it's better her than me... I have my days, you just didn't see it on national television! [laughs]
TU: Well a lot of the frustration people feel when they're the "first off" in a reality show is that they thought this was their chance to get in the spotlight-- but in your case, you've already done a lot of things and it's probably less of a frustration for you than it has been for others.
TF: Yeah I'd say so. Hey, she had a relationship with Mr. Trump, and previous experience on the show, and just had a few more cards to play.
TU: Right-- speaking of cards to play, you were criticized of not playing your big "card"-- Hugh Hefner. I understood your reasoning-- that you weren't gonna be able to play that card twice and you wanted to save it for the right situation. What were you envisioning as the right situation to get help from Hef?
TF: Well I'll tell ya, I went into this competition ready to use my resources-- and I mean, screw Hef, I could have called my husband, ya know, from Rascal Flatts, and could have gotten just as much money. But you need to pace yourself, and use your resources wisely. And I told Mr. Trump, I know he would never go into a business situation, and utilize all of his investors, in one project and one time, on day one-- he'd never do that. So I thought he'd respect the fact that it was something I needed to do and think of as a resourceful, uh, project. And the fact is, I don't think selling hot dogs on the side of the street would entice Mr. Hefner to send a check. I didn't want to take advantage of people, and to be quite honest, I don't need to jeopardize my relationship with Hef to sell-- to sell more hot dogs.
TU: You know one of our rewards was to hang out at the mansion with Hef, and my team lost. Do you remember that?
TF: Yeah!
TU: It was very unfortunate. Were you there for that?
TF: I wasn't there, actually. I don't, I don't live there.
TU: Actually, one of the girls from our season, Kristine, was on the cover of Playboy right after our season.
TF: Oh yeah.
TU: I know two Playboy cover girls now, definitely never thought that would happen.
TF: Well whaddaya know!
TU: [deeply regretting his last comment]
TF: Oh, you know another thing-- I was two months pregnant while shooting the Apprentice!
TU: Really?
TF: I know, and every night I would say to myself, "Just keep it together, keep a balance, keep your head balanced, because you don't know mentally, or physically, what else is going to happen." And a lot of the time, I would need to puke! I would get so sick!
TU: What an extra stress!
TF: Yeah. And I couldn't even take a Xanax! You know what I mean?
TU: [laughs] So who are you rooting for now, which cast members are your favorites?
TF: Oh, you know what? I have very few favorites, but uh, I'm a big, big fan of Jennie [Finch]'s-- she's a very strong competitor. She's very quiet, but she's a hard worker and a team player. I think she'll do really well. And Trace--
TU: He cracks me up.
TF: Yeah, he's funny, and he's really one of the smartest guys I know, and it was really refreshing to have him there, because I felt like I-- I wasn't alone, that we were on the same page. He's not very high energy, like so many of the others-- and it could be too much at times. That's why you should step back and say, "Let's work smarter, not harder." And forget all this cocky BS, and just work, and get it done and finish the project. And I think [Trace] does that well, I think Jennie does that well. As far as having dynamic personalities, I think Marilu is a very tough competitor, she never lets up, I mean, she can go without sleep for 24 hours, and work as hard as she did the day before.
TU: Now hold on, you guys were actually allowed to sleep, under SAG rules, right?
TF: Yeah, that was one luxury we were given, and we were also given our own hotel rooms.
TU: Oh, see—see that makes me so angry. We were up all night like every other day! And we slept in tents.
TF: I know, I can't even imagine. Yeah, we did have a chance to regroup-- although it was for five hours at a time, we had a chance to regroup, and unwind, and step away from all the celebrity BS. It was no cocktail party by any means. There was a lot of BS involved. I think there were a few people that really, really get a high off being a celebrity, and some people that just so happen to be a celebrity. You know?
TU: And you'd be in the second category?
TF: I would like to think so.
TU: Yeah, there's gotta be a certain type of personality trait that makes a lot of these people celebrities in the first place, and that's gotta be hard to work with sometimes.
TF: I think in a lot of ways, being famous is just a larger example of who you really are. And that definitely came out on the show.
TU: So if you could go back in time, would you do it all again, given what happened?
TF: Yes. I mean, if you asked me right after the boardroom when I was so pissed off-- I was just irate that I was kicked off so early-- I would have thought twice about it, but now, I'm so fired up again, I'm like, "Man! I should have said this, I should have done this," and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
TU: Yeah, that's exactly what happens. You're all angry when you get kicked off during the filming, then you forget about it for awhile, then it airs and you watch yourself get kicked off and you get all furious again.
TF: Yeah, I've been so angry for 24 hours straight.
TU: But I'll tell you, in a month, you won't care again. You'll laugh at the whole thing.
TF: [laughs] I remember, after taping, calling Jennie and being so like, "Uh!" I was so on edge, and pissed off, I thought I had been thrown under the bus. And then later I'd think to myself, I'm like, "My Gosh! Why was I so upset?! It's freaking reality TV!"
TU: [laughs] Have you ever seen Jennie pitch?
TF: I've seen her on TV.
TU: It's incredible. I was blown away.
TF: She's a phenomenon. And, ya know, Nadia? She's a genetic freak. She had a baby at, what, 46 years old? And she looks like she's still, like, ya know? But yeah, we had a great cast and it'll make for great TV.
TU: How about your charity? The Walter Reed Foundation.
TF: Well I visited the Walter Reed Hospital a few years ago when I was Playmate of the Year, and went around without all the fanfare and cameras, and it was just a really moving and lovely experience for me to witness these men and women of service who have come back with major, major injuries, and still have such a great disposition and compassion for their country and for their lives, and I was so moved after I left. So when they were asking for a charity for us, I thought it was only fitting to pay back the experience they had given me, and hopefully I've drawn awareness and good PR for them, and the show offers everyone a little bit of money for their charity, so hopefully they'll make good use of it, and somebody else can establish a relationship with them as well.
TU: It's a really interesting part of this show, that it makes viewers aware of 14 different charities that they may not have been aware of at all otherwise, that the cast members clearly feel passionate about.
TF: Sure, and like, asking around... like, Trace Adkins' daughter suffers from food allergies, so this was a charity that helps with food allergies... there was a lot of breast cancer awareness... I mean, just to ask people what their charity was, to ask Omarosa, knowing who she is in person and on camera, "Wait a minute, you have a charity that you're passionate about?" It was nice, to see that side of her.
TU: Let's talk about Rascal Flatts for a minute. Were you a fan before you met Joe [Don Rooney]?
TF: Uh, ya know they only had a couple singles out when we started dating, so, I was vaguely familiar with them, but I'm kind of all over the place as far as my music tastes go. But I was familiar with them. We met backstage at the Grand Ole Opry [laughs], through a mutual friend. And I couldn't be happier with the person he is-- he's a really cool guy, and always been my biggest cheerleader, even when I'm stressed out and crazed, he's my rock, and has just been a really good person for me. I'll probably go out on the road with him a couple times this spring-- and look at this baby [of mine], living the rock star life! Ya know, running around with the Trumps, posing for the Playboy cover after that, going on tour with the Flats.
TU: ****ing rockstars get all the girls.
TF: [laughs]
TU: What was Joe's reaction to all this, and to you getting fired?
TF: Well I was just home for the few hours and had a couple minutes to chat with him, and he was just beside himself with how stressed I actually was, and I actually had a chance to vent when I got back home. Or during the taping, I'd vent to him when I got back to the hotel room. Cause you're not gonna vent your frustrations to Omarosa, or your teammates, cause it's a sign of weakness, ya know? So he was the only one that got the harsh words. And he was like, "Maybe you should come home," and I was like, "Come home? I'm winning this thing!" So, after awhile, he was like, "Okay, do what you gotta do, and I know you're not gonna cry about it, and when your time's up, your time's up." And ya know, I think getting kicked off early was a blessing in disguise, because physically, I don't know how it would have gone, being pregnant.
TU: Yeah, that seems like it may have not worked.
TF: So I really owe a lot to Mr. Trump, because it could have been really unhealthy. But I was fine then, I didn't care. I didn't care one bit.
TU: [laughs] Now there's one other thing I came across, when I, uh, went online and read your bio and all that [translation: stalked you]. You were an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader.
TF: I was, the year we went to the Superbowl.
TU: Well that's exciting-- is football your favorite sport?
TF: It is. Yeah, I'm crazy about it-- I love it so much.
TU: Now, do cheerleaders become fans? Do they end up really rooting for the teams, or do they not really care?
TF: I do, I think you have a sense of ownership when you spend that much time, and you get paid as little as cheerleaders do.
TU: How much do cheerleaders get paid?
TF: Oh, very very little. When I was a cheerleader, we got paid $60 a game.
TU: What?
TF: And if we wanted two tickets, they were $35 a piece, so basically you were cheering for free if you wanted your friends to come to the game. So it was really one of those things that you had a passion for-- you had to have fun while you were doing it. I was a flight attendant at the time, for Delta, so it was a chance for, ya know, it was a hobby for me-- it was fun. And luckily, I did it the year they went to the Superbowl-- they haven't gone back since.
TU: As a football fan, I'm kind of curious about this-- do most cheerleaders actually understand the game of football?
TF: I would say about 80% do. Ya know, the ones that aren't familiar with it become familiar with it real fast.
TU: Any thoughts on Michael Vick?
TF: Oh God. I probably don't need to elaborate on that. I'm a big dog lover myself, so…
TU: Okay I'll move on. Of all these different things you've done, what are you the most proud of?
TF: I think my marriage and my pregnancy. Everything else is about having great life experiences, and the celebrity Apprentice is obviously going to add to me being the best communicator, the best mom, the best wife, and the best businesswoman I can be, but I'm really the most proud of starting a family, and I hope to be the most successful at that, because at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
TU: Anything new on the table for you?
TF: I'm just looking forward to spending some time enjoying being pregnant for a couple months before I get back in the game. [laughs]
TU: Well great, Tiffany. Thank you very much. I think you did a great job, and you should be happy because sometimes the edits can be much worse.
TF: Thank you so much for saying that, I appreciate it.
TU: And best of luck with the baby, and everything else.
TF: Thank you!
TU: [Alone now, wondering whether Tiffany felt the same chemistry between them that he did]
And so, that was that. See you back here next week for more.
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