| Cast member | Age [lower-alpha 1] | Hometown |
|---|
| Aaron Behle [8] | 21 [9] | San Clemente, California [9] |
|---|
| Aaron is a business/economics major at UCLA, where he enjoys difficult, cutthroat classes, [10] and already has a job lined up for the next fall [9] as a Certified Public Accountant. He was student body president and President of the National Honor Society. He loves to surf, [11] appreciates the diversity of the people in Los Angeles, but his conservative politics are at odds with the liberalism of the area. Aaron voted for George H. W. Bush, and isn't happy about having a Democrat in the White House, [9] remarking that Bill Clinton may be the "antichrist". [11] Despite his conservatism, he is pro-choice on abortion, as is his girlfriend, Erin, which provides conflict with Jon in Episode 10. [12] He has a brother who is engaged to be married. He rooms with Dominic, [7] with whom he becomes best friends, despite their different politics. [11] Jon thinks Aaron enjoys a good confrontation as an opportunity to get his point across, [13] but says that Aaron engages in one-sided discussions in which he refuses to listen to other people, [14] making it impossible to talk to him, [12] [14] a point echoed by Tami and conceded by Aaron himself. [15] |
| Beth Stolarczyk [16] | 24 [17] | Garfield Heights, Ohio [16] |
|---|
| Beth is a graduate of Ohio University, [16] [18] where she studied film, television and radio production. She is an avid fan of the entertainment industry, and is in Los Angeles to pursue her career, to meet new people, and challenge herself. She works as a production assistant, in a casting office, [17] and in craft services, [19] but hopes one day to be a producer, director and actor. [20] [21] The death of her father, to whom she was much closer than her mother, was the hardest thing she ever experienced, and has still not been to his grave. [15] She also has a sister, [22] though her mother did not speak to her for a considerable time when Beth was in a relationship with an abusive boyfriend, who continues to call her demanding to see her. Her mother, Eugenia, a Polish-American radio host for WERE (1300 AM), works constantly, even doing shows on Christmas, and does not express her feelings often, which is why Beth feels they are not that close, even though she loves her mother very much. Beth discusses this when her mother visits the house in Episode 19. [14] According to MTV, her friends describe her as a "drama queen" whose life is like a soap opera. [17] The rest of the cast affirms this label, [11] including Dominic, who characterizes her as "animated", [20] and Aaron, who calls her a "psycho". [14] She eventually grows close to Jon and Tami, forming a trio by the cast trip to Mexico. [23] Though Tami thinks Beth is the cast member most ready to settle down, Beth says that she has not had sex in a long time, because finding a suitable man in Los Angeles is difficult. [24] Glen, however, develops an intense animosity toward Beth by Episodes 18 and 19, seeing her as selfish, and "a mess", leading the two to attempt a dialogue in the latter episode. [14] [23] |
| David Edwards | 21 [25] | Washington D.C. [25] |
|---|
| David is a stand-up comedian who has been in Los Angeles for a couple of months, having worked in local clubs, and appeared on FOX's In Living Color . [25] He is meticulous in taking care of his clothes, he explains, because he grew up poor, and his mother had to scavenge dumpsters for basic necessities. He experiences a number of differences with his roommate, Jon, over things ranging from musical tastes, household duties and racial stereotypes, [20] and his perception of the cliques in the house cause him to come into conflict with the others as well. Jon believes that as a comedian, David is always trying to be funny and acts out as if in front of an audience, much to Jon's irritation. [22] After David pulls bedcovers off an underwear-clad Tami as a joke in Episode 6, [26] which develops into a serious matter among the housemates, the cast evicts him in Episode 7. [27] |
| Dominic Griffin | 24 [28] | Dublin, Ireland [28] |
|---|
| Dominic is a writer who writes television reviews for Variety and several music columns for other magazines, [28] [29] though most of his income comes from bartending. [28] Dominic, who was born and raised in Dublin first came to the United States at age 17 [29] for a vacation, but liked the weather and people so much he that decided to stay. He is distinguished by his spiked black hair and according to MTV, a good sense of humor. [28] He has a younger sister named Barbara and more than one brother, though he has not always been as close to his father as he would have liked. In Episode 13, returns home to visit his mother and ailing father. [30] He says he is "severely addicted" to nicotine, [29] and his castmates sometimes express the feeling that he drinks too much. [23] [29] He has a German Shepherd named George, and hates cats, which provides a potential problem when he moves in with Beth, who has a cat. [7] He rooms with Aaron, [7] who becomes his best friend, [4] despite their differences in politics and lifestyle, though the others feels the two form a clique from they are excluded. Dominic says that his knowledge comes from experience, whereas Aaron's is derived from books. [11] He says he feels "very claustrophobic" when it comes to relationships, explaining that he gets bored and restless after being with the same woman after a while, and prefers to move on to explore other women. [24] |
| Irene Berrera-Kearns [31] | 25 [32] | Covina, California [32] [33] |
|---|
| Irene is a Deputy Sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who works as a courtroom bailiff, delivering subpoenas, and handling evictions. She serves as the "mom" of the house, and develops a close relationship with Jon. Her fiancé, Tim, is also a Deputy, whom she met at work, and their wedding in Episode 11 is one of the highlights of the season. [32] Irene has a predilection for blonde-haired men, leading her to think that Tim is jealous when they meet Aaron upon moving in. [7] She becomes depressed in Tim's absence, but becomes good friends with Jon, whom she says makes her laugh, [20] and defends him from Aaron's taunts. [11] Tami describes Irene as the most stable member of the household. [31] |
| Jon Brennan [34] | 18 [29] [34] | Owensboro, Kentucky [35] |
|---|
| Jon, who is the youngest cast member, [20] comes from a devout Christian household that does not keep alcohol in the house, [29] and feels out of place in cities like Las Vegas [7] or Los Angeles. Though he enjoys his time in Los Angeles, he is not willing to undergo the lifestyle change he feels would be necessary to live there. [10] He is a country singer taking a semester off from Belmont University to pursue his music career in Los Angeles. Back home, he is a local celebrity who performs regularly at Goldie's Best Little Opry House in Owensboro, and hopes one day to be a successful recording artist. [35] He did not get very good grades in school, [10] and says he can't imagine having a conventional job. [11] He has a sister and a brother named Buck, and though he commands a crowd while performing, offstage he says he never had any "close, close friends". [10] Though he sings and plays the guitar, he has no interest in writing, which puts him with odds with the prevailing career wisdom he encounters in Los Angeles. [30] He becomes known for drinking copious amounts of Kool-Aid, [11] [35] and for his outspoken conservative views, as he is a devout, anti-abortion Christian who has never smoked, consumed alcohol or had sex. [35] He experiences a number of differences with his roommate, David, over things ranging from musical tastes, household duties and racial stereotypes, [20] and Jon's irritation with what he perceives as David's constant acting out for attention. [22] Jon becomes closest to Irene, who says that she understands the isolation he feels in Los Angeles, [20] and takes offense at the constant jokes with which Aaron degrades Jon, though Dominic says it is merely good-natured ribbing. Jon calls her "Mom", and she and Tim spend a weekend with Jon in her hometown, whose more modest pace compared to LA reminds Jon of his own home. [11] Though Jon and Tami's first meeting is marked by conflict over their differences, [7] they eventually become good friends by Episode 18, forming a trio with Beth S. [23] Beth S. opines that of the entire cast, Jon has changed the most by the end of the season, pointing to his exposure to a different city and different lifestyles, a point echoed by Beth A. and Jon himself. [4] |
| Tami Akbar (later Roman) [8] [36] | 22 [29] | Mount Vernon, New York [37] |
|---|
| Tami is an alumna of Howard University [12] and a singer who works as an AIDS care specialist, [29] [37] which proves difficult when patients she grows close to get sick and die. [29] [38] Her true aspiration is music, as she is a member in a four-woman R&B group [29] [37] called Reality. [39] She is extremely close to her mother, who had her when she was fifteen and half, and thinks of her almost as a sister rather than as a mother. When Tami was a senior in high school, she and her mother were homeless for three months following the loss of her mother's job, and struggled to procure basic necessities as they lived in her mother's car before Tami's mother managed to get their lives back on track. [12] Though Tami was raised a Muslim, [7] she begins each day with a Buddhist chant to ensure peace and serenity. [37] [39] She appeared on the dating game show Studs a year ago, and appears again on the program in Episode 4. David feels that she is spoiled when it comes to men, and only dates men who submit to her control and her demands, [22] though she says she isn't certain what she wants in terms of relationship, and that she has trouble seeing herself marrying or being with any one person. [24] In Episode 11, she has an abortion, sparking discussions on that topic among the cast. [12] Tami sees herself as extremely neat, and when Beth A. first moves in, she sees Tami as very controlling, and sometimes harsh, owing to the various issues going on in Tami's life. [19] Despite her initial differences with Jon [7] and Beth S, the three eventually become a close trio by Episode 18. [23] |
| Glen Naessens | 22 [13] | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|
| Glen, whom MTV describes as "intense", was chosen from three candidates to replace David after his eviction. Glen is the lead singer [40] of an alternative [19] band named Perch. [40] Although he and Jon get along well when he first moves in, [13] Glen later laments that he hasn't really bonded with the cast as he has with his friends back home, [19] and invites his band out to L.A. to spend time at the house. [19] [40] He loves basketball, and though does night gigs with Perch "just for the hell of it", he makes money by working days at a record store, [13] and hopes to become a filmmaker. [40] He is Catholic, and feels that he is "close to God", who he sees as his best friend, though he respects religious diversity. [13] He says he has trouble being with any one woman for a prolonged period of time, as he tends to tire of them. [24] He also says that he is normally shy, but becomes good friends with Beth A. [24] He develops an intense animosity toward Beth Stolarczyk by Episodes 18 and 19, seeing her as selfish, and "a mess", leading the two to attempt a dialogue in the latter episode. [14] [23] |
| Beth Anthony [41] | 22 | Eugene, Oregon [42] |
|---|
| Beth A., who joins the cast in Episode 12 after Irene gets married, works as a production assistant, doing scenic painting and craft services work. She is a recovering alcoholic and member of Alcoholics Anonymous. [19] MTV describes her as "soft-spoken", and she describes herself as having "dignity and integrity". Her status as a lesbian [42] causes Tami to ponder her own biases when she first moves in. [19] She becomes close friends with Glen, who says he appreciates her sincerity and depth. [24] |
