A
former MTV The Real World star, McGee was voted "Most Popular
Cast Member" by the program's viewers. Her campus program,
"The Sur-Real World: Media Manipulation and Me," is a thought-provoking
examination of one of young America's most popular television
programs. She also speaks to audiences about her battle against
Lyme Disease.
Irene
McGee has become a household name among teenagers and college
students all across America. She gained her fame as a member
of The Real World�Seattle cast, and has appeared on television
since May 1998. The Real World is the highest-rated show on
the MTV network, and the Seattle series has been named by
viewers as the "All-Time Favorite Real World Series" and Irene
voted the "Most Popular Cast Member" by viewers.
Irene,
who is a native of Poughkeepsie, New York, graduated from
Georgetown University in May 1999. In high school, she was
class president, vice president of the student body, and a
member of the prestigious senior committee. Her accomplishments
stretched to the athletic fields, where she was a member of
the varsity field hockey team and varsity soccer teams.
Irene
was one of just a handful of student-athletes who were selected
for the New York State Olympic Development Program and the
Olympic Development Regional Camp. She was a starter on the
varsity soccer team as a freshman in college. She later started
for the Georgetown University Women's Soccer Team in the ultra-competitive
Big East Conference. It was at this time that she was diagnosed
with late-stage Lyme Disease, which forced her to end her
intercollegiate soccer career.
Also
at Georgetown, she was a member of the senior committee and
had major responsibility for organizing functions for up to
7,000 people. As a lark, she tried out for a spot on The Real
World series. Close to 15,000 people around the world also
competed with her for seven precious spots. Needless to say,
Irene emerged victorious, and, as they say, "The rest is history."
But
not everything you see on TV is real, even when it bills itself
as being real. Irene endured four months of conflict, jealousy,
and envy while taping the show in Seattle and Nepal, which
resulted in a relapse of the Lyme Disease.
Frustrated
by the lack of honesty and ethics on the show, Irene became
the first person in the seven-year history of the Real World
series to walk off the show. The "slap that was heard 'round
the world" framed her final scene on the show.
She
is currently the producer for an internet radio company, Radio
Riot. They have a cutting edge radio show that is broadcast
on the net. They focus on all sorts of Net issues. She speaks
on the impact of digital tech. in music industry, both for
and against Napster, and discusses the controversy and future
of free downloadable music.
http://www.radioriot.com
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