My Love/Hate Relationship With ABC Family

The first time I tuned into ABC Family was years and years ago. Other channels had been showing previews for an ABC Family drama about a girl and a horse. Still heartbroken over the loss of my beloved Caitlin’s Way (they totally stole the plotline!), I decided to give Wildfire a try.

The premise was sketchy. The plotline was ill conceived, and the acting was terrible. But there was a snarky heroine and the beginnings of a love triangle…and lots of unnecessary drama. Needless to say, I was hooked.

Ever since, I have been a loyal — albeit, skeptical — ABC Family viewer. Sure there were some shows I skipped. (I mean did anyone actually watch Kyle XY? ) Somehow I never did get the Secret Life bug, and I never watched that one about gymnastics. But for the most part I’ve reveled not only in their oh-so-cheesy, made-for-TV movies (Mario Lopez Holiday in Handcuffs was cute okay?), but their hour long dramas, too. Greek will forever be one of my favorite ABC family shows. And yes, I did watch Wildfire all the way through. I was a loyal viewer of the TV version of 10 Things I Hate About You, despite the horrific pilot and now I DVR Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game every week without fail.

I love the drama and suspense that The Lying Game now brings to my Monday nights. I love the clothes and the cute boys and the never ending questions (Who is A? Someone please tell me!) that the little liars bring on Tuesdays. I loved the quirky cuteness of Greek and 10 Things. And I love that they continue to make really horrible Bring It On sequels. Read More »


6 Fictional Universities I Wish I Attended

College is awesome. But every now and then I turn on the TV and catch a glimpse of a fictional one that just looks better. Non-stop parties, non-stop drama and perfect weather dominate my TV screen while I slip into the world of pseudo-college. These kids never seem to do any actual learning (but that’s clearly besides the point) and I can’t help but imagine my life frolicking around these campuses. The grass is always greener and I bet their cheep beer tastes better, too.

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The Weekly Ten: Fictional Boyfriends

So we all know that lately pop culture has been a little bit obsessed with vampires. True Blood. Twilight. The Vampire Diaries. It’s everywhere we look and a part of everything we do. But we’re not just obsessed with vampires. We’re obsessed with vampire boyfriends. Edward Cullen in particular. An as someone who spends way too much time in the fictional world I have to step back, and ask…really? I mean come on!

Edward Cullen is not the best fictional boyfriend out there. He’s obsessive, overbearing, and would find great satisfaction in tearing open his girlfriend’s veins and drinking her blood. This is the guy that makes you swoon? Well not me. He’s not my idea of the best fictional boyfriend out there. He’s not even close. Who is, you ask? Well I’ve compiled a list to answer just that question (and put off any of the more important tasks I have yet to accomplish today). Below are my top ten fictional boyfriends, all of whom are real flesh and blood, albeit fictional, men that don’t sparkle in the sunlight.

10. Mike Chang. You know, Tina’s boyfriend from Glee. Not only is he a football player but he has swoon worthy dance moves and even swoon worthier abs.

9. Flynn Rider. The last Disney prince. The one from Tangled. Yes I’ve seen Tangled. What’ is it to you? A little sarcastic, a little funny, and very much the reluctant hero. He’s definitely not as boring as the Disney princes before him and so for that reason alone he makes the list.

Read More »


The Weekly Ten: Why You Should (Have) Watch(ed) Greek

So this week’s Weekly Ten is going to be a little bit different. Normally I’m complaining about something. Wanting something. Pretending something or just plain going with whatever comes to mind at that moment, but this week, the Weekly Ten is honoring something. It’s honoring Greek (The TV show, not the food…even though I do love me some feta) because Greek is ending this week. It’s the last time we’ll see Cappie, Casey, Rusty and the rest of the gang before they head off into canceled TV show oblivion.

And I for one am having a bit of a hard time accepting that.

I’ve watched this show since the very first episode, during my very first week of freshman year. And now, four years later the show is coming to an end, just as my college career is coming to an end. And so maybe I’m a little extra sentimental, but that doesn’t make this show any less worthy of the praise. Greek is awesome. And if you haven’t watched it all along, you should start watching now. And here’s why.

10. Cappie and Casey. The quintessential college couple that you just can’t help but root for. Will they or won’t they? Are they too different? Or just different enough? From the very beginning their love story has been at the center of the show. And I for one, am glad that they will be ending it together.

9. The Kappa Tau brothers. Everyone loves an underdog, and that’s exactly what the KT brothers were throughout the entirety of this series. With their strange nicknames and even stranger personalities, this group of misfits gave the show its character. Read More »


Greek Returns: Remind Yourself Where We Left Off

One of the not so great things about the holiday season is the lack of good TV. Their logic is (or at least I think this is what it is) that we’ll all be too busy singing Christmas carols, buying presents, and getting too drunk to even think about our favorite shows. So they just play reruns. But they couldn’t have been more wrong, and that’s why I’m extra excited about Greek’s winter premiere tonight. Finally some good TV! And not only any show, but Greek, a show about college!

Granted, I doubt it’s an accurate portrayal of Greek life, but hey, it’s a start.

Or rather, it’s an end, because you see, this will be Greek’s final season. And I’m particularly sentimental about the ending of this show because just like the seniors of CRU are graduating and moving on with their lives, so am I. (Or at least I hope so.)  This show started the summer before my freshman year, and now, four years later, it’s ending, right when I’m about to graduate, so you’ll excuse me if I seem a bit too emotionally invested in these characters, but we’ve been journeying together for quite some time now.

Before we get into the details, let’s get the basics straight. This show centers around Greek life at a fictional college, Cyprus-Rhodes, focusing on one sorority, Zeta Beta Zeta, and two fraternities, Kappa-Tau, and Omega-Chi. Oh, and the two fraternities hate each other. (Most of the time.)

Ashleigh is the president of Zeta Beta Zeta, and her best friend and roommate, Casey is also a member of ZBZ. They’re seniors. Rebecca, a frenemey, is a sophomore at ZBZ. She’s dating Evan, a senior, and the president of Omega Chi. Evan used to date Casey, but not before she dated his former friend, Cappie, president of Kappa Tau and Casey’s on and off again boyfriend. This past season they’ve been decidedly on. Also a member of Kappa Tau is Casey’s little brother and Cappie’s “little brother,” Rusty. He’s a bit of a nerd, who tries to balance his Greek life with his heavy course load. His religious, anti-fraternity BFF Dale helps keep him in check, as does Calvin, Rusty’s other BFF, a member of Omega Chi.

You confused yet? Read More »


We’re Looking For The Ultimate Sorority Spokeswoman

We have incredibly exciting news coming straight from the CollegeCandy headquarters. This just in: CollegeCandy is  launching  a brand new column this fall for sorority girls across the country. We’re looking for the ultimate sorority girl, a Greek life die-hard willing to dish out an honest perspective on sorority life.

She needs to have strong writing skills, a sense of humor, knowledge on all things Greek (from rush etiquette to theme parties), and an overall willingness to give advice to sorority girls (and soon-to-be sorority girls) from all over America.

Does this sound like a girl in your house? Does this sound like you? Read More »


Greek Formals: Learn from My Mistakes

i wish someone would have taken that bottle of cran away in retrospect

I wish someone would have taken that bottle of cran away...

I’d consider myself a seasoned formal veteran. As such, I have acquired a bit of wisdom as far as formal do’s and dont’s. Whether you are a freshman going to formals for the first time or even a senior not affiliated in the Greek circuit, I have chosen a recent and epic failure at Greek formal-ing that will hopefully teach you from my mistakes… or at least give you a good laugh.

The Blind Date

Blind dates are quite common in the formal world. Twice now I have agreed to help out a friend of a friend who “just can’t get a date.” This would be the red flag for most girls – why on earth can’t this dude nab a date?! -  but I, blinded by naivete and the prospect of free food and drinks, always acquiesce. My second transgression was just a few weeks ago. We get to the place, which happened to be a $30 cab ride away, making my chances of leaving slim to hitchhiking. We pre-gamed in a hotel room, where my date doted on me. And by “doted,” I mean basically poured booze down my throat. I even started pouring drinks down the drain out of fear of being too drunk around strangers. (Go me!)

We get to the formal and since he planned it, he left me every 5 minutes to “take care of things.” He couldn’t get me a wristband for whatever reason but brought me a flask of vodka (red flag #2). I decided to have a little chat with him about expectations, which was me conveying my disinterest in anything but “cutesy dancing” and eating and drinking. As well as I thought that went, when we got to the dance floor it was obvious that “cutesy dancing” did not register on his radar, or that maybe he thought grinding me against a wall was cute. Read More »


Oh The People You’ll Meet: The Frat House Groupie

fraternitygroupies.jpg So, the thing about most of the annoying people on campus is that, most of the time, you can get away from them. Either you pass the class and move on, you simply ignore their sermons, or they generally exit your life just as quickly as they came.

Not all of them, though. Some annoying campus dwellers will be there. Always. Forever. And never go away.

Who am I talking about? Why, the  Frat House Groupie, of course!

Now, there are many girls who may seem to fall into this category that should not. These are:

1) Members of a sister sorority. It’s super common to see certain fraternities pairing up with certain sororities on campus; their bylaws/campus rules/international standards of fraternizing require that they have to make nice with the girlies and co-host events together.  Whatev.  Point is, if you’re hanging at the house one Friday night because they’re having an awesome 70s themed costume party and you see the typical group of sorority girls, those are the least of your worries.

2) Girlfriends or ex girlfriends of frat boys: These girls are expected to be there. After all, they aren’t just trolling the crowd looking for booty; this is their man’s house. Or their ex man. And they are still friends with all the boys. Read: they know people.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s move into the girls you should be wary of. There are generally two types of Frat House Groupies: Read More »


French vs. Greek: Who Has the Biggest….

french_man.jpgSo, ok. We’ve all heard it…

“It’s not the size of the wave, it’s the motion of the ocean.” (Though I think the size of wave definitely helps the motion of the ocean…don’t you?)

But for those of you who are all about size, you need to start dating Europeans. Make that Frenchies…and steer clear of the Greeks (sorry, guys, we still think you’re fun to look at, what with your godliness and all).

As a part of a campaign to promote wearing the proper contraceptives to young’uns, the German-based Institute of Condom Consultancy performed a survey of weewee size and found that Frenchmen averaged a whopping 6 inches, whereas Greeks were a good inch shorter.

(Editor’s Note: For some reason I am really craving a baguette right about now…)

So not only are the French demanding les condoms grande, but they are gettin’ all the girls, have one (inch) up on the Greeks and bragging rights for quite some time. I just hope this doesn’t start some sort of war; we don’t want to have to teach our grandchildren about the Battle of the Bulge.


5 Reasons I’m Over Crazy Frat Parties

frat_party_time1.jpgTwo days into freshman year I went to my first frat party. Walking into the Greek lettered doors made me feel like I had just stepped onto a movie set. Everyone had red solo cups! Everyone was dancing and having oodles of fun! And Oh my god! Is that an ice-luge!? Yeah, best night of my life…until the cops came.

Regardless, for the next two years I lived and loved the open frat parties. I thought our love affair would never end…and then, this past weekend we broke up. Now, I still enjoy the small frat mixers but the crazy parties, have gotten…well, old. “Why? What could be better than living in an animal house world?” You ask.

Well, here are my top five answers.

The abundance of scantily clad freshmen. Sure, I was once a freshman myself, and being away from home and being able to wear and do whatever you want is exciting, but eventually you will regret wearing a bandana-sized piece of cloth as a top.  And I’m all for sex and I’m all for dancing but do you really need to attempt both simultaneously on the dance floor in front of everyone? It seems these open parties contain about 80% girls and about 75% of those are freshmen girls. Trust me ladies, the body shot phrase will get old, and I’m over watching it.

One word: Keystone. Really guys, Keystone Light, at every party? Keystone has got to be one of the grossest, cheapest liquids ever created. Spring for something a few notches higher. I’m not saying I expect margaritas to be blended before my eyes (although that would be amazing) but there are better beverages out there than Keystone. PLEASE switch it up! Boxed wine would be an immense step up for just as much money! Get some class, guys. Read More »