Stand4Change 05.04.12 – The Yak’s Next Move Against Bullying

It all started with a suburban Detroit anti-bullying initiative. It’s now reached national and international proportions. Defeat the Label, the organization behind this initiative, creates critical awareness of bullying issues among middle school and high school aged students. Per their official website, this is accomplished through the creation of awareness campaigns, community outreach, special events and the implementation of the Anti-Defamation League in-school curriculum.

And so Stand4Change was created. On May 4, join YakkityYaks and nearly 1 million students and educators across the world as we make yet another motion against bullying. In November, we had our anti-bullying week, which garnered support from a number of reality TV personalities. This Friday, we hope to repeat the passion and let our voices be heard again. Anti-Bullying is not just a week or day initiative, but it’s weeks and days like this that remind us just how powerful voices in numbers really can be. Imagine what we all can do in unison.

From the Stand4Change website, on May 4, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. EST, that image will become a reality as we all stop, stand and let the world know that we will no longer tolerate bullying in our schools and our communities. Your participation in this continent-wide community action will show people across the globe that it is not only okay to stand up to bullying, it is the right thing to do. Together, we can improve the lives of millions of young people, and help to save lives in the process.

We’ve all been called names. Many of us have been bullied. Enough is enough! Defeat The Label promotes a bully-free society without social labels and stereotypes. We believe in putting the power for change where it belongs: in student’s hands. Together, we can put an end to bullying.

Dick Clark, American Bandstand, Dies at 82.

Dick Clark, “America’s Oldest Teenager”,  the music industry maverick, longtime TV host and powerhouse producer who changed the way we listened to pop music with “American Bandstand,” and whose trademark “Rockin’ Eve” became a fixture of New Year’s celebrations, died today at the age of 82.

Clark’s agent, Paul Shefrin, said in statement that the veteran host died this morning following a “massive heart attack.”

He will most certainly be missed.

The Amazing Race: Yak’s Chat with Jamie and Nary

The Yak had the chance to sit down with the latest eliminated team from The Amazing Race 20, Jamie Graetz and Nary Ebeid! Read on to see what they had to say about their experience!

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The Yak: Ok let’s just start with… Would you race again if given the opportunity?

Nary: Absolutely! Being in the race is a chance of a lifetime and to be able to have that second chance there is no doubt we would do it again.

The Yak: About how long did it take you to complete the speed bump?

Jamie: It took us around 20 minutes maybe. It really wasn’t hard. They showed you how we had to look at an overall painting, that was how we needed to organize all the other paintings to display them to be sold. The biggest challenge was that some of the things had to be hung really high so we had a table and on top of that we had a chair, Nary was standing on top of that. I think we did it as fast as it could’ve been done and we were hustling and thought we were still in the race for sure.

The Yak: Now since you have seen the other episodes do you think that your speed bump was tougher than the one Mark and Bopper had to complete?

[laughter]

Nary: I would not have minded yodeling, it would have been interesting to yodel and put on funny outfits. I didn’t see how long it took them to complete theirs but I am assuming it was about the same or if it was a tad quicker.

The Yak: I (Susan) thought you may have had a chance with the double u-turn since Vanessa and Ralph seemed to get lost a lot.

Jamie: Yeah I know, especially when we saw Ralph and Vanessa at the speed bump. It was so close that if they get lost or you know Vanessa doesn’t run anywhere or carry her backpack, so we figured we could way out run them. We by no means thought things were over. It was a good feeling but it was bittersweet because we were so close but unfortunately we had to do the speed bump first.

The Yak: Which was your favorite city of those you visited?

Nary: I think I speak for both of us, Tanzania to get to on the African safari is the chance of a lifetime and Italy as well was unbelievably beautiful. I would have loved to have seen more of Italy. Tanzania by far takes the cake.

Jamie: For sure!

The Yak: What was your favorite challenge over all the legs you raced?

Jamie: Watching Nary do the bottles was hilarious and a lot of fun. For me it was repelling. It was super fun! I was mad at myself for not getting it on the first try but those were my favorites.

Nary: The bottle thing was really interesting to be able to balance it on your head and get down on the ground, it was a lot of fun too. The skydiving I had always wanted to skydive and to get to do it in Argentina as high as we jumped was an unbelievable experience. I was like I can’t believe I just jumped out of a plane, it was amazing!

The Yak: Some of our forum members are teachers and they wanted to know why you chose to tell the others you were teachers?

Jamie and Nary both shared that they have teachers, principles and college professors in their families.

Jamie: We originally chose the teacher profession because they are very likeable, very smart and everyone knows what a teacher does so not much explanation would be needed. They are very middle of the road people smart and friendly as opposed to law enforcement where some people love them, but some people hate them and think they are mean or aggressive and it comes with all these stereotypes that we thought the teacher profession wouldn’t.

The Yak: Both of you in your pre-show interview had expressed concern about kidnapping, did you have any trouble with the border crossings?

Jamie: We work to investigate people that are very bad and if they knew what we did in certain countries, kidnapping is a very realistic threat. It is worse case scenario for me and for Nary the same. It is not realistic in the (location) where we work.

The Yak: Will being on TV have a negative impact on you being able to do your job?

Nary: Our undercover careers may be possibly gone but the part of our job done on a daily basis is not affected in any way.

The Yak: Are you reality TV junkies?

Jaime and Nary: [laughter] Yes!

The Yak: Any chance you will be applying for Survivor or Big Brother?

Nary: TAR has been our favorite and something we have always watched together and we were like we could do this. Survivor not so much. I am not a big fan of being cold and fishing and you know trying to find my food and I don’t like seafood. [both laughing] I like to watch them but don’t know I would want to be a part of them. TAR is one of a kind and that is why we chose that one.

The Yak: Any tips for future applicants or racers?

Jamie: The biggest thing would be to have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. Appreciate the race for what it is and what it can add to your life as opposed to drama but I know drama sells! Have fun and take it all in and don’t take yourself too seriously.

The Yak: Now I spoke with Joey and Danny a couple of weeks ago and they found the bickering between Rachel and Vanessa entertaining like airport entertainment. What is your take on that?

Nary: I wouldn’t necessarily call it entertaining… it is more childish and unnecessary. One doesn’t like the other so they are going to bicker, it was unnecessary. Rachel took her too seriously, Vanessa kept picking on her for the way she dresses, how she looks… to me it was unnecessary but to guys they would find it funny.

Jamie: If you want to do that on your own time or in a hotel room or wherever but I was kind of embarrassed because we were in this airport and we have a crowd and everyone was watching as Americans we were making complete fools of ourselves… and “your fat,” “your nose is big,” I think we should represent ourselves a little better than that and that is my take on it.

The Yak: Both of you ladies displayed great dignity in all the clips shown so congratulations for that!

Both: Thank you.

The Yak: Are there any teams you stay in touch with more than the others?

Nary: Mark and Bopper were our favorite from the get go, we just clicked with them. I am sure when we see them again it will be like old times. Rachel and Brendon live here in Los Angeles so we try to keep in touch with them and make time to see them but with our professions all of us are busy. We talk to the Mississippi girls and Misa and Maiya now and then along with Joey and Danny as well.

The Yak: Is there anything you wanted to share with the readers?

Jamie: We really appreciated the support, it means a lot to us; overall people have been great and I hope we made them proud. We feel like we represented ourselves well and our families and friends and our fans, we really appreciate the support. It was a great journey and it was great to have them by our side while we watched it.

The Yak: Thank you for chatting with Yakkity Yaks!

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Are you going to miss Jamie and Nary on the Race? Who are you rooting for to win now? Leave us a comment below, then come on in and join us in the FORUM where we talk about all thing TAR and all other Reality favorites!

Survivor One World: The Yak’s Interview with Jay Byars

Jay Byars the 25-year old model from South Carolina with the ever so sexy drawl just couldn’t resist those chicken wings and beer during his final immunity challenge. Tempted by Jeff Probst to throw in the towel for immunity, he bit. He bit right into those chicken wings because he mistakenly thought he would be safe at tribal council. Never underestimate the power of the all girl alliance.

Jay enjoyed his time on Survivor, made lasting friendships and would give his left arm to do it again.

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The Yak: Jay, how did you come to be on Survivor? Were you a fan of the show?

Jay: Yes, I am a fan however I actually applied to be on the Amazing Race first! I got a call and they asked me if I would consider applying for Survivor, so here I am.

The Yak: Jay as a model I’m sure you are used to seeing pictures of yourself everywhere but how did you feel about being in People magazine labeled a “hottie?”

Jay: (Laughs) Um, I mean if that’s what people think of me then more power to them. I was pretty stoked to see a full page of me in People magazine for sure.

The Yak: Looking back how come you trusted Kat so much after the girls voted out Mike?

Jay: It wasn’t that I trusted her so much it was that I didn’t trust her and I wanted to keep her close. Sabrina, Kim and Chelsea I trusted more.

The Yak: Colton told us that from Day one you and he had a strong alliance is that true?

Jay: That was true. You know walking away from the truck he was really paranoid on day one and afraid he’d be the first guy voted off. I told him, “Look man I’ve got your back, I’ll protect you.” Once I saw him working those girls I let him put my name in the mix and he made me look good. I was looking forward to that merge and him being there and us having a shoe-in with the girls.

The Yak: How do you think things would have turned out for you if Colton were still in the game?

Jay: That was something that I obviously wished would have been different. My thing with Colton was, I wish he had been there. Early on I didn’t interact much with the girls because I knew Colton was. He was kind of putting my name in the mix. I was going to let him be the one to bring the girls and us together.

The Yak: How do you think you should have played things with Kim and Chelsea?

Jay: Um, my biggest, dumbest move was stepping down because I thought I was safe. I knew the girls were going to come after me but I didn’t think it was that night, I thought it was going to be the next time. I just should have stayed focused on that vote and won my immunity.

The Yak: Why did you step off for the food when you discussed with Troy that you both would not step down for food temptations?

Jay: When I saw that Troy didn’t win and I figured he’d be the first to go. I truly figured it would be 2 or 3 days from then. I figured I would be less of a target if I stepped down. I was being played and I was wrong.

The Yak: Were the chicken wings at least good?

Jay: (laughs) They were good man, you know I had a side of ranch dressing to dip them in, the beer was ice cold and I had a nice full stomach for my exit.

The Yak: Do you think it was you telling Kim that Troy had the immunity idol that switched the vote to you or do you think it was you all along?

Jay: I think once the news of Troy’s idol got thrown around more at tribal I think that’s when the votes got swung back to me. Had I known about his idol earlier, maybe there could have been some work with me, him, Tarzan and Christine to get on the same page but it was just too little, too late at that time.

The Yak: In the beginning of the episode you were really paranoid about the girl’s alliance. Why did you go from being so paranoid to being so confident?

Jay: I was looking for someone to pair up and trust so I stayed with my Salani group. I thought, I might be paranoid but this is the game plan. I’m going to stick with this group and see what happens.

The Yak: Any thought to go with Troy’s plan to throw some votes Kim’s way?

Jay: Looking back I wish we had talked earlier. Had I known that he had the idol earlier, it was revealed last second. Getting everyone on the same page, there wasn’t time, especially when you have Tarzan in the mix, obviously he voted for me. I think it was too little, too late.

The Yak: What were your thoughts on Chelsea in the game:

Jay: In the game I thought she was a super cool chick, laid back, quiet and kind of reserved. I thought she had a good head on her shoulders and knew she’d be very competitive. I was looking forward to working with her longer you know. Once we found out we were from the same state and area we kind of had a little bond there and I think that’s why it did reflect in her confessionals that she did hate to see me go. She did the right thing though.

The Yak: We hear a lot of goofy things coming out of Kat’s mouth. Was she like that truly or are they just amping up the amount of craziness that comes out of Kat’s mouth?

Jay: Um…… I would say that it’s pretty accurate (laughs). I had her stereotyped as the ditzy blonde and she’s super fun and fun to be around. She’s a smart girl but she definitely has her blonde moments.

The Yak: Are you looking forward to the reunion?

Jay: Oh yeah I am super excited to be back together with everyone again. You know you come off of there and you get back to reality, you still keep up with these people and see how it’s going to be in the real world.

The Yak:  Do you think there’s any friendships that you will continue on with the rest of your life?

Jay: Oh yeah for sure. There are about 3 people that I’m in contact with all the time and about 5 or 6 that I try my best to keep up with. Definitely some strong bonds were made.

The Yak: What’s next for you?

Jay: I’m headed back to NY for the finale and staying there for a bit for work with Major Models. In June I’m headed back to LA for work. I’m going to try and enjoy my summer a little bit and then I’m off to Europe in the fall for work. Back to the normal grind for me.

Well Jay, thank you for talking with us here at the Yak and good luck with that normal grind, sounds grueling!

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Don’t forget to come on in and join us in the FORUM for more Survivor!

The Amazing Race: Post Interview with Joey and Danny!

The Yak had the chance to chat with Joey La Salla and Danny Horal after they were eliminated on the sixth leg of The Amazing Race.  I would like to apologize for the delay in posting that was the result of my computer crashing!

But I digress… Read on to see what they had to say!

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The Yak: Hello! Thank you for your time today! Would you like to do The Amazing Race again?

Joey: Right off the bat 100%. We would not have done the fast forward, if given the chance we would be sure to stay with the pack.

The Yak: I could understand taking the chance. If you succeeded you would have gone straight to the finish!

Joey: …and we would have gotten cars too and that would have been great! We had progressed from 10th place to 8th place etc. and we wanted that 1st place finish which is why we took the risk, but it didn’t work out in our favor.

The Yak: Maybe we will see you in an All-star version of TAR?

Joey: We are crossing our fingers for that one!

The Yak: What about other reality shows, would you do Survivor or Big Brother? I could see you both on Big Brother.

Danny: We didn’t do the show to be on TV. First off we did it for the experience; I have never been out of the United States before so this was a whole new experience to see other countries and how people live that I have never seen before. The other thing is we were stereotyped as Jersey Shore kids, so for a couple of jersey shore kids to get to do this and do other things besides drinking and partying, was cool to show the world as well. Me and Joey had a great idea for a show we would like to host if there is a production company out there that would love to have us open up kids eyes… to have an opportunity to show them that there is more then just partying in typical Miami, New York and Vegas… to branch out if they had the chance to go to Germany or Paraguay. So it would be cool to have a show like that.

Joey: I would definitely do a Big Brother or Survivor. Both of us played sports growing up and I like that competitive drive and the chance to win something, especially if it is money. We would do a traveling show around the world… definitely would do it! And if Rachel can win Big Brother I think I can pull it off!

[All laugh]

The Yak: I think both of you would be very competitive on Big Brother, not to mention good eye candy!

Joey: It can’t hurt to be eye candy for the ladies!

[All laugh]

The Yak: What was your favorite challenge?

Danny: I am sure Joey will say jumping out of the plane and that is actually what I wanted to do but I got stuck driving the manual stick shift which I didn’t know how to do. If I had the chance to jump out of a plane, if we read the clue right, that would have been my favorite!

Joey: For sure the skydiving, I always said for the last ten years that I wanted to skydive and I had just never taken the initiative to just do it; for the task I had to do it and it was one of the craziest things I have ever done.
(He also pointed out that completing some of the other tasks took a long time and that the viewers didn’t realize how long. He shared that getting to do those tasks with his best friend was a very fun experience!)

The Yak: Which city did you like best?

Danny: I liked Bavaria.

Joey: Italy, we are used to staying in the United States and it was great to get to go to the different countries [named TAR 20 countries visited]. I hope to get to go back to those and more!

The Yak: A Yak twitter follower wants to know what you thought of Miss Vanessa.
[Laughter]

Danny: Vanessa was good eye candy too but then we became good friends with Ralph, and he is a big guy, so I didn’t want to get beat up by him (laughs). I actually enjoyed Vanessa because she had a lot of fights with Rachel and that was good fun to watch while in the airport waiting for the plane!

Joey: Yeah even some of the other male teams thought Vanessa was good eye candy before we became pretty good friends with Ralph so we had to push that to the side. It was definitely fun to see how she and Rachel from Big Brother just constantly bickered and argued and it seemed like they had it out for each other. While we were racing it didn’t seem too much, but sitting at the viewing parties and actually watching it on TV it was real fun to just see them going for each others throat, especially Vanessa towards Rachel.

The Yak: Knowing that, post race, Ralph and Vanessa are no longer together does that change things?

Joey: I have a girlfriend.

Danny: I talk to Ralph as much as possible and he is still a big guy!

Joey: The rule is you don’t date your friends girl right Danny?

Danny: Yeah.

The Yak: Are you guys going to be able to attend Reality Rally?

Danny: We are debating it. We are trying to do the fundraising but we have just been really busy doing a couple of other things… but we may be going to that.

*Yakkity Yaks extends an invitation to Joey and Danny as well as other reality stars to join the forum to post information about their fundraisers and to blog about their experiences.

The Yak: Which teams are you staying in contact with most now, besides Ralph?

Danny: (laughs) Elliot was just calling me!

Joey: We talk to Elliot a lot, Andrew is playing soccer; Ralph of course and Bopper… so we stay in touch with all of them.

The Yak: (Susan) I am a born and raised New Yorker so I have to ask Yankees or Mets; Giants or Jets?

Both: Die-hard Yankee fans!

Joey: Like both (Giants and Jets) equally, will root for New York in play-offs.

The Yak: What is your biggest regret aside from the fast forward?

Danny: Only the fast forward. We ran a good race, we didn’t argue. If it hadn’t been for the fast forward we would have had a chance at the million dollars.

Joey: if you set aside the fast forward we really have none. We were lucky to get out of the first leg the way that we did [Misa and Maiya didn’t see Phil] it was a blessing we just had to work hard and stick together, teamwork, and like I said we were making our way up to first place and then that stupid fast forward. Like I said as well if we ever get to go back no fast forwards, If I see a fast forward I am just ripping it up.

The Yak: Did either one of you have doubts about the helicopter?

Joey: I did that. I grew up around the water and did life-guarding, used to surf, so I was pretty confident with anything in the water. I like swimming pools, anything around the beach I would do it. I could see how other teams could get nervous strapped in with the water rushing in. You have to stay calm… I honestly didn’t think about it. I was just mad we lost the fast forward and wanted to get it done with so we could try to catch the other teams. It’s not even a big deal to me. I felt the other teams made a big deal about it, it happened, you did it, and move onto the next thing.

The Yak: At the pit-stop were you really far behind the others, because it is hard to tell on TV. It looked like you guys had a decent chance of making it to the finish and not being eliminated?

Joey: We were not sure how close or far behind Ralph and Vanessa we were. We didn’t even know it was them we were behind, we didn’t see anybody at the roadblock or the detour. We were definitely behind teams and it looked close on TV but it could have been 20 minutes or an hour, we really don’t know.

The Yak: It looked like a footrace because of editing.

Joey: I was watching with my parents last night and they said you almost got it. I told them it definitely looked good on TV. It was exciting but I had no idea how far behind we were. It could have been 3 hours.

Danny: …or 20 minutes we really don’t know.

The Yak: Do you have any tips for future TAR applicants?

Joey: If you ever want any laughs you can look at pictures on my twitter @JOEYFITNESS or Danny’s @DannyHsolution. We are always cracking jokes and posting pictures. For those looking to go on The Amazing Race I would definitely recommend learning how to drive a stick and pick the right partner. Danny and I we were the perfect match for partners for the show, some of the other couples that went with a wife or girlfriend will have second thoughts. Maybe doing it with a best guy friend or girl best friends so you don’t have the dynamics of a relationship, since that can cause problems.

Danny: Any fans of us PLEASE write to CBS and tell them to bring us on an all-star TAR season because we definitely want to do it and we will win the million dollars!

The guys also ask me if I like their hats that they had worn in Bravia. They shared that many people have asked them about the monster and panda hats. I had to confess that I didn’t think they were strange or odd since I had bought my 20 year old son a monkey hat! [All laughed]

Thanks for chatting with The Yak!

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Were you fans of Joey and Danny? Will you miss them on The Race? Who are you rooting for now that they are gone? Leave us a comment below, then come join us in the FORUM and join in the conversation! We also all meet up during the East Coast Showing to discuss what’s going on! Come on in!