An Interview With Alison Irwin
Runner-up Big Brother 5
Competitor Amazing Race 5
By Kelley Rhodes
July 4, 2004
She lied to, flirted with, manipulated, and alienated her fellow Big Brother 4 houseguests, but even her most vocal critics will admit one thing: Alison Irwin plays to win.
From the moment she walked into the Big Brother 4 house last summer, Alison set her eyes on the prize and never blinked. Even the revelation that her ex-boyfriend Justin would also be a houseguest was only a minor bump in the road and didn't deter her from her goal. Alison almost succeeded, coming in second place to winner Jun Song who hadn't stepped on quite as many toes in her pursuit of the $500,000 grand prize.
This summer, 23-year-old Alison, along with her on-again-off-again boyfriend Donny Patrick, 21, will once again appear on the small screen as a contestant on the CBS reality show 'The Amazing Race 5'. Alison says her experience filming 'The Amazing Race 5' was "awesome. I can't even begin to explain how fun and amazing it was to travel around the world with someone that I cared about."
Producers of 'The Amazing Race 5' contacted Alison and Donny and asked them to participate in the upcoming show. Once Donny made the decision to quit playing college football, they sent in their application to compete for the $1 million prize, she said.
Although they are no longer together, Alison broke up with Donny in the spring after she discovered that he had been unfaithful to her, things are looking up for the former couple, "Donny and I are talking again...nothing serious yet," she said.
Alison, who was aptly dubbed "the Heather Locklear of reality television" by BB3's Marcellas Reynolds, is philosophical about her second-place finish on Big Brother 4. "I think that they didn't understand the game that well, and they let personal feelings get in their way," Alison said, explaining why she doesn't feel hurt that her former fellow houseguests judged her so harshly while making their final vote.
Alison no longer speaks to most of her former housemates, not even sole-supporter Nathan, but she says she does occasionally speak to BB4's David and ex-boyfriend Justin.
She didn't win the half a million dollars, but Alison did pocket the $50,000 second prize which she used to pay off student loans and buy a new car. In addition to the money, Alison says the experience "made me smarter, made me appreciate things more, and made me stronger as a person."
"The Amazing Race 5' will be Alison's third appearance on prime time television. Last fall, Alison was one of several former Big Brother fan-favorites to appear on the CBS sitcom 'Yes, Dear'.
These days, Alison still works in retail in her native Pennsylvania, but she's preparing for law school and will be taking the LSAT exam in the fall. Some things, however, have changed for Alison; she no longer considers Britney Spears her idol. "I like Jessica Simpson…but I'm not saying she's my idol," she said.
When asked if she would be interested in appearing on a future Big Brother All Stars, Alison says "Sign me up!"
'The Amazing Race 5' premieres Tues. July 6th at 9:30 p.m. EST on CBS following the 90-minute season premiere of "Big Brother 5'.
For more information on Big Brother you can visit our Big Brother page.
To discuss either show, you can visit our message board by clicking here.
Kelley Rhodes is a full-time mom, part-time reality TV junky and freelance writer. She earned a Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina.
You can contact Kelley at kacir03@yahoo.com.
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