Interview With Dani Campbell of "Shot at Love"

AE: Yeah. So when you guys did the most compatible/least compatible thing on the sixth episode, you chose Domenico as the most compatible option. Why did you do that? He's kind of an odd one.
DC: Because when you're in that situation ... the show is like a sensory deprivation. So you're living it. You're eating with these people, living with these people, everything with these people. You really start to bond with them, and for me, I like people that are real, and he has a sense of honesty about him. The s--- he says is off the wall.

When you talk to him, and the cameras aren't rolling and everything, he's a cool guy, and I felt like at that moment, with all the people that were involved, he was the only one there — it's really hard to say, but I just felt like he was the most honest and the coolest guy. All the other people were just full of themselves, do you know what I mean? ... I'm not trying to bad-talk them, but it's just my decision I made at that point. Everybody else was really catty, and I didn't know if they were there for themselves. … That's why.

AE: The whole thing is set up as this antagonistic situation — for example, earlier in the season when it was the men against the women. The women are often saying, "I hate men, they're gross." [laughs] Is that what it was really like?
DC: Oh yeah.

AE: That was what it was like.
DC: When we first — the show when they first introduced us all to each other, the girls were pissed. I mean, they were just like: "Ew. Ew. Ew." I mean, man-hating. They just did not want them there, like they were the plague.

For me, I just think it's funny. Like, I don't hate guys at all, you know? So I'm cracking up, and I probably look like the biggest man-hater there, but you know, that wasn't the case, and I just thought it was hilarious.

AE: What did you think about Lala leaving?
DC: I didn't even know she left until like halfway after she was already gone and they already dealt with it. I was just hanging out by the pool with the guys and we were doing body shots at the bar [laughs], and … I'm like, "Where's Lala?" And they're like, "She's gone, dude. She split." And I'm like, "Holy s---!"

She had an attitude about her … and she didn't want to be on it. I give her props I guess for standing up for what she believes in ... even though when I'm watching it, in the beginning she goes, "I'm bisexual," and then she's like, "I'm a lesbian." All right, she's confused.

AE: Yeah. You know, there's another thing. The girls are always — well, Vanessa mostly — she's always saying, "Brandi's confused. All these girls are confused." That's come up several times. Is this true? Or is it just the way these people who are getting kicked off are trying to stir up some more trouble?
DC: Um, yeah. I think it's more like they're trying to stir up s---, and Brandi's not confused in my eyes, so I think it's just fuel for the fire.

AE: So far, in the first six episodes, what was your favorite competition that you had to do?
DC: Hmm. The cock and balls. [laughs] Oh God, that was horrible. No, my favorite competition. The biathlon was a lot of fun, because I'm pretty competitive and I've played a lot of sports my entire life, so that was fun.

AE: The obstacle course?
DC: Yeah, yeah, and then, you know that Ryan couldn't find that last medallion thingie? The necklace? That was awesome. That was so perfect. Cause he's all, "… girls can't beat us," and we beat him, and he's the last asshole still without a necklace.

AE: [laughs] What was your least favorite competition so far?
DC: Cock and balls. For sure.

AE: Did you even eat any of that stuff?
DC: Yes, I did. I ate an entire testicle, and I got a couple pieces of penis down the throat.

AE: [laughs] And you loved it, right?
DC: [sarcastically] Oh, yum. It was so good.

AE: So you didn't get to go to the bubble bath, the champagne bubble bath.
DC: No, and you know what, I thought that prize sucked anyways.

AE: Why?
DC: We got to go into the kitchen, and we got to make desserts and stuff like that, and we still spent time with her anyways, and this guy, what do you get? A champagne bath? He ate an entire bowl of penis and two testicles, some heart, some eyeballs and a shot of blood. What would you do? Have it. Go away in your champagne. We still got to eat dessert with her and hang out.

AE: Well, speaking of hanging out with Tila, I have to ask you: Is she a good kisser?
DC: She is a good kisser, yeah. She was a good kisser [laughs].

AE: Well, so you've gotten this huge fan following.
DC: Yeah.

AE: How do you feel about it?
DC: How do I feel? It's good, it's awesome. When I'm out, just everywhere people are coming up to me and saying hi, asking me for my autograph, take pictures, so it's a great feeling.

I'm getting a huge response on MySpace and on my MTV website as well, and the age group is from 15 up into their 40s. And there's a lot of straight women, married, children, young kids who are looking to me for answers to their questions about "How do I come out? How do I tell my parents? How did you do it?"

Just to have this opportunity to help people and show them that it's OK to be yourself, and be gay and proud or bi or whatever you are, it's good. I'm using this as an opportunity to hopefully educate and, you know, whatever I can do to help.

AE: How did you come out? And what kind of advice would you give people about that?
DC: Well, I guess it was easiest in the worst way — I was busted. Let's cut through this bulls---, Mom. Just watch me, catch me making out with somebody. That's what happened. I didn't know she was home. She was at home. I was upstairs just kinda kissing my girlfriend —

AE: How old were you?
DC: I was 17, I think. Yeah, 17.

AE: Had you always known that you were gay?
DC: Pretty much. I wasn't able to identify it until high school time. But when I look back, yeah definitely. I've always had a thing for girls.