TCF student auditions for season of 'Real World'

The name Fletcher Tubbs probably means nothing to most people. He is just one of many juniors majoring in telecommunication and film.

But soon, things will be different. Today, Tubbs will begin to be featured on the newly created "Real World" Web site set up to showcase the finalists for the cast of the 20th season of the pioneering reality TV show.

Tubbs, a self-described "all-American guy" who does not enjoy going to a lot of parties, said he decided to send in an audition tape in large part because of a blurb on the show's casting Web site that indicated MTV was looking to make a change from its more traditional cast of partiers and rabble-rousers.

The blurb, which can be found on MTV.com, said, "For Real World's upcoming 20th season, we are searching for cast members with career and life goals that they want to pursue while on the show."

Tubbs, who is from Sumiton, said he was excited by the Web site's explanation of the new season.

"And I thought, 'Why not do this for fun? I've never really done anything crazy in my life,'" Tubbs said.

When Tubbs did send in his tape, he kept it a secret, telling only his sister and best friend because, he said, "I don't want my friends making fun of me."

Two months later, Tubbs was on the phone with "Real World" casting director Jake Medway, who was asking him for information to be put in a mySpace-like profile on a new casting site.

The site, which goes live today at an undetermined time, according to Tubbs, will feature the profiles of all the finalists, and the public will be able to vote once per day per computer for whom they want to make it onto the show. Those with the highest vote tallies will move on to a final casting session, where the show's producers will make the final decision on who will join the cast.

Tubbs plans on using a grassroots campaign to help promote himself, utilizing every possible asset.

"I've contacted every Birmingham television station, the Birmingham newspaper, and I even called a couple Huntsville television stations [and] Mobile television stations," he said.

Tubbs also contacted the award-winning Birmingham radio news anchor Laurie Mundy, who he said would promote his "Real World" candidacy on Clear Channel stations throughout the state. But that is not all she is doing to help, he said.

"The thing is she had a contact she gave my information to," he said. "It's the [person] that's a head of the Soul Patrol."

The Soul Patrol is a group formed in 2006 to help promote "American Idol" contestant Taylor Hicks.

"She promised me that they would get me 10,000 votes a day," Tubbs said. "That's where I think I'll have an advantage over other people.

"Other people are going to do Facebook, mySpace, stuff like that, which everybody will do; it's really easy. But me, I'm going out on a limb. I've got all these contacts. I'm taking this opportunity as a one-time deal."

Because of what he is doing to promote himself, Tubbs thinks he has a good chance of making it onto the show. But if he does make it, the experience won't be all about fun and games.

"When I get on the show, yeah, I'm going to have fun with it," Tubbs said, "but it's going to be an opportunity to get my name out there and possibly get a job wherever I want after the show."

Tubbs said his ultimate goal would be to be a reporter either for Fox News or CNN.

"I know they're totally different, but they're global," he said.

Tubbs will create a Facebook group that will feature a link to his "Real World" profile. As of press time, MTV had not released the URL of the new casting Web site, but a link will be posted today on MTV.com.