The cast of the MTV reality show “The Buried Life” will give a presentation this evening from 7 to 10 in the Student Union Memorial Center Grand Ballroom.
The show features four friends — Ben Nemtin, Duncan Penn, Dave Lingwood and Jonnie Penn — as they complete a list of 100 things they would like to do before they die. Tasks the four have completed so far include attending a party at the Playboy Mansion, playing basketball with President Barack Obama and escaping from a deserted island. For every item the group crosses off their list, they will help a stranger cross an item off of theirs, as well.
Tonight, the cast, who also writes and produces the show, will discuss the creative process, offer a sneak peek of next season, show clips from shows that never aired and answer questions from the audience.
Student interaction will be a major part of the event. The Wildcat Events Board Speaker Series Committee will feature a collage of photos at the presentation of students holding up signs, describing certain activities they would like to do before they die.
“I thought it was a good way to put a U of A flair on this event,” said Genesis Chapa, speaker committee director. “I thought it was a cool way to market the event, as well as make it interactive and help people get excited for the event.”
Additionally, a contest has been held for several weeks where a trivia question has been posted to the event’s Facebook page. The first person to reply correctly wins two passes to a private reception with the cast following the presentation. So far, five people have won, and the first fifteen people to arrive at the event will also be selected to attend the reception.
Passes may also be randomly distributed during the presentation. A challenge sponsored by Verizon Wireless will also allow the winner to choose an activity for the cast to do next season.
Planning for the event began in April, according to Chapa.
“Speakers usually have to be booked long in advance,” she said. “By late May, early June, we had our finalized schedule for this semester.”
Chapa said that she hadn’t even heard of the show until last semester when the same event had been booked at Arizona State University and UA students were traveling to Phoenix to attend. Around the same time, several speakers’ bureaus had contacted the speaker committee with about the cast’s availability.
Chapa hopes attendees will take away more from the experience than just a chance to meet celebrities, and that students will keep in mind the overall theme of “The Buried Life.”
“I always like to try to incorporate some kind of extra message in my events, and not just go and see celebrities,” she said. “I’d like to think that holding an event like this will inspire people to do all the things that they want to do, and to maybe not hold back so much.”
