In anticipation of College Hill Celebrity Edition’s second season, Alabama State University and BET+ sponsored a special premiere screening and Yard Fest Tuesday, April 25, at the John Garrick Hardy Center.
The students at Alabama State University received an opportunity to premiere of College Hill. College Hill Celebrity Edition stars Amber Rose, O’Ryan Browner, Tiffany “New York” Pollard, Iman Shumpert, Parker McKenna Posey, Kwaylon “Blameitonkway” Rogers, Joseline Hernandez and Ray J. Before the show, the students had to get wristbands for the celebrity edition screening and yard fest.
Before the premiere of College Hill, the band came into the Hardy Center with a surprise for the students. Behind the band were O’Ryan Brower and Kwaylon Rogers.
The premiere essentially served as a character introduction, giving viewers a glimpse into each character’s personality and motivation for attending the university.
This season they were put on the campus to learn, soak in the culture and make a little reality TV magic. The celebrities take on subjects like African American literature, civil rights, fundamentals of acting and crime scene investigation.
“Going to an HBCU, I’m going to be able to learn things that I’ve never learned before, that I had never heard about,” Hernandez said in a clip from the series.
Three of them even signed up for the university’s spirit squad, which was more of a challenge than expected.
“I’m not a dancer,” McKenna said.
McKenna and Hernandez were not on site Tuesday but Posey, Rogers and O’Ryan were.
O’Ryan, who grew up in California, said he did not know the history at the university was so rich.
“Being here where every bit of the geography matters just as much as the story, that was lit,” O’Ryan said.
Rogers said he appreciates the university’s culture and energy, plus the student body, faculty and staff. He said everything from the food to the cleanliness on campus was amazing.
“This experience was very nerve wracking, but in a good way,” Kway said. “I honestly encourage anybody that’s trying to go back to school, who quit, didn’t finish, to come to ASU.”
To encourage us to watch College Hill on BET +, they briefly described their first day at the university, their accommodations while in Montgomery, and a bit about the show itself.
After the show, Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President Trent Martinez and Miss Alabama State University Aleah Robinson had a couple of questions to ask O’Ryan and Rogers about College Hill.
The celebration outside included free apparel, which included college hill bags and shirts, as well as free food from food trucks.
Jada McKee, a freshman marketing major, was critical of the show’s representation.
“I feel as if they (university administrators) were more professional with the celebrities, and they never will be that professional with us. Half the resources they got we don’t get, but I love the concept of the show.”
Another freshman, Aaron McNeil, who is majoring in psychology, had a different view of the celebrity experience.
“I understand that they are celebrities, but I still wish they were exposed to more college experiences and interacted with the students more,” he said. “If they really wanted a college experience, they should have stayed in the residence halls and eaten in the cafeteria, eating the fries and mac n’ cheese and the food we have on a regular basis.”
McNeil continued.
“If they did not stay in the dorms or eat on campus, I don’t think they got a real college experience, but overall it is good, especially to expose people to the good side of our campus.”
Freshman Jay Brown, who is majoring in communications, agrees with McNeil.
“I really do wish they interacted with the students more and not just selected groups. Also in one episode, they should have been in the cafe on Wednesday to see the strolling, modeling and line dances in the middle of the cafe. to get a real HBCU experience.”
He continued.
“The fact that we all go to the center of the cafe and dance is a vibe you can not get anywhere else, especially when Tamia’s ‘Can’t Get Enough’ comes on; it’s an experience everybody running to the center to dance, and if you mess up, you get pushed out of the way. Regarding the classes, I believe they ought to have taken more instead of just having a good time.”