The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Dirty Rush: Fools Rush In with Daisy Kent, Gia Giudice and Jennifer Fessler

Episode Date: August 4, 2025

“Dogs, Pigs, and Elephants”…OUCH!! One of our hosts reveals this was the description of a sorority during her rush experience. Were our hosts in “top tier” houses and what does that even mean?? College Rush is a tradition that spans generations and we’re uncovering decades of ‘Dirty Rush’ rituals. In their debut episode, our favorite sorority girls come clean about their reasons for going Greek.   Does the sisterhood sound like the coolest girls club ever? Or does becoming a pledge make you want to puke?  Call us at 844-278-RUSH Follow us on Instagram and TikTokSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Welcome to Dirty Rush, the truth about sorority life with your host, me, Gia Judice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Fessler. Hi, you guys, welcome to Dirty Rush. The show all about the wild, scandalous, and sometimes messy world of sorority Rush and sisterhood. Whether you're about to rush, whether you're reminiscing about, your own rush or just fascinated by Greek life, this podcast is for you. We're here to pull back the curtain on what it really means to go through recruitment,

from the outfits and parties to the pressure and drama and everything in between. But we're not going to stop there. We'll also dive into what sorority life looks like after rush, the friendships, the challenges, the traditions, and how sisterhood evolves throughout college and even beyond graduation. And best of all, you're finally going to hear the truth behind everything that goes into sorority rush. And we're basically going to tell you everything that you guys have wanted to hear and more. There's always a taboo to what you can release about sorority rush.

And we're ready to tell it all. So we're going to share personal stories, debunk myths, and offer tips to help you survive. And maybe even thrive during rush and the years. that follow. We're so excited to dive into our first episode. Today, we're keeping it personal and real, sharing our own rush stories and what sorority life has meant to us. So let's get started. Okay, guys, so I am Jen Fessler. You may know me from the Housewives of New Jersey, but we are not here to talk Housewives. We are here to talk about something that I went through about a million years ago at the University of Texas at Austin. I rushed,

my junior year, actually, I transferred from Boston University. I started out in Boston, even though I'm from Texas. And I really felt like I was missing out. I was Boston as a city school. And UT is the quintessential college experience in the South. The sororities are big. The girls are mean. It's everything that you sort of picture, at least what I pictured before I entered this crazy world of Greek life and rushing. And my rush experience, I'm going to say was tense, anxiety provoking, exciting, a little puky, but I think probably less stressful than what you guys have or had experience and certainly less stressful than what goes down today. I can tell you that I rushed every sorority house at the University of Texas, but as a Jewish woman, I knew that I was going to, or I wanted to end up in one of the three Jewish sororities. And the three were AEFI, which, and please forgive me, because again, I just want to puke a little bit, but AEFI, which was the pretty girl sorority, SDT, which was

the nice girl sorority, and DFIE, again, please forgive me. I didn't make it up, but they called it dogs, pigs, and elephants. I'm sorry. I don't. It's horrifying. It's horrifying. It's, Like as now an almost 57-year-old woman, I want to take my, what is I, 20-year-old self and just kind of hold her because it was so scary. And I remember walking into these big, because in Texas, everything is big, these big sorority houses. And the girls were all beautiful. And they were all thin. And they were all perky. And I was none of those things.

But I was transferring. and I had very good friends who were part of the pretty girl sorority, which was AEFI. The thing is, I felt more comfortable in the nice girl sorority, SDT. But from the beginning, all I wanted was what I think you guys call now top tier. Top tier. That's what I wanted. That's what I wanted. And that's what I got.

And for good or bad, I became an AEFI. So, which we'll delve into those years, of course, but I want to hear about you guys and just a little bit, tell me a little bit about what schools and a little bit about your own personal experiences. Yeah, so I am G.S.U. Dice. Some of you might have known me from growing up on the Real Housewives in New Jersey. Now I have a new show on Bravo called NextGen, NYC, and a podcast called Casual Chaos. So my years of my career really started to evolve once I graduated from college. I graduated from Rutgers University and I rushed my freshman year. I rushed my freshman year second semester and I was one of a few of my friends actually that did rush because a lot of them did not reach the GPA requirement. So to rush at Rutgers, you had to have a 2.5 GPA. And some of my friends, honestly, a lot of my friends didn't have that. So I was a little nervous. I didn't know if I then

wanted to wait until my sophomore year to rush because all of my freshman year friends and all of the girls in my dorm weren't rushing. So I was kind of going in alone. I knew a couple people that were still rushing and that were able to rush. But I kind of went through the whole rush process by myself. So Ruckers is not like Alabama. I definitely don't think it's like Texas. No, I doubt it. So to give you a little back story, I mean, Ruckers is in New Brunswick. It's not the best area. It's not the best town. Ruckers kind of takes over New Brunswick in New Jersey. So not to be like rude, but the town's a little gringy. I mean, it's, it's not like there were shootings, break-ins.

I mean, it was definitely rough. So I think Greek life definitely kind of gave a light to Ruckers. And it was either you were in Greek life or you were with the people who played sports. And so I decided to rush my freshman year. and there were top-tier sororities, and they were ZTA, G-Fi, S-D-T, and Phi-S-S-D-T, and Phi-Sig. So those were, like, the top four sororities that you wanted to be in. While I was going through the rush process, it was a three-day process, or no, it was a couple weekends, actually. The first weekend was going to see all the houses.

So I think Rutgers had about 11 sororities. So we, it was different rounds. So the one round, then it was philanthropy, philanthropy was the last round. I'm like blanking on the second round. You blocked it. Yeah. I'm blanking. Like sisterhood?

Yes. I don't know. Yes. Yes. Yes. So there were three rounds of the recruitment process and it, it was three weekends. So the first weekend was really seeing all the houses, seeing who called you back. and that was definitely intense because you were trying to impress all these different sororities

and there were sororities right off the bat where, yeah, you're judging a book by its cover. I knew that I did not want to be in any of these. Some of them also didn't have houses. So that was a big thing you would want. I knew I wanted to live in the sorority house. So that's why I eliminated a lot from my list. And then, you know, it's all based off. of first impression and some people at the time just weren't my cup of tea. So as you eliminate,

they eliminate you, you go through this process. Then it came down to philanthropy where you pick your top three. And I picked FISAG, GFI, and ZTA. I was kind of gravitated toward SDT, but they had a bad rep, even though I really liked the girls. So I dropped SDT, even though I probably shouldn't have. And I went with FISIG, GFI, and Zeta because they were top tier at Ruckers, and they had the best rep. And so then I went through it all. And even though I was probably more gravitated towards GFI at the end of everything, ZTA had the nicer house and the better chef and just all of the amenities that I thought were nicer in what you

were paying for. Because sorority was like paying for a sorority was also crazy. So at the end of the day, I then chose ZTA because majority of my friends who were older and from my hometown were in ZTA because a lot of people from my hometown went to Rutgers. It was a Jersey school. And then I ended up choosing ZTA. And that was my rush story. Can I ask one question? Going through it, I can't imagine going through it as a famous person. Yeah.

I mean, I can't imagine how that transformed that experience for you. I think, I don't know, I'm guessing that it was probably different for you. I don't know if it was harder or easier because being G. Jude-Ice. I mean, I think I went, I think it was a little easier in the sense of nobody that I I know this sounds like screwed up, but nobody that I wanted dropped me. So no sorority actually dropped me or I never felt that like horrible feeling in my stomach. Yeah, I honestly, I didn't feel too much pressure. If anything, I felt the pressure of choosing the right one.

And at the end of the day, because of who I was and who my family was, I chose ZTA because people knew me from home and that sorority. So more authentic, more comfortable, I feel like. I felt like a sense of comfort. And I was like, okay, people from my hometown are here. My best friend ended up becoming my big, which we can get all into that. But I think I just felt more comfortable and kind of protected in a way. I don't know. And I was also so nervous in college to just have fake friends.

So it was kind of that whole thing. You guys, we have so much more to get to. But I got to tell you, we are kind of. coming to you from the most gorgeous Verbo in Lake Tahoe. So, listen, procrastinators, rejoice. The early bird is not the only one who gets the worm. Verbo offers last minute deals for private vacation rentals. Verbo's last minute deals are live on the Verbo app and website,

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Verbo displays all mandatory fees in the upfront price. So me, I went to San Diego State. I had no idea about sorority life or what it was. I'm from a small town in Minnesota. Like, nobody there did a sorority. Like,

idea and then christie who was like my best friend from college she called me and she was like you need to sign up for recruitment and i was like i'm not doing that why would i do that she was like i'll pay your recruitment fee and i was like i really just don't want to do it christie like i don't understand what it is me and her had never met in person yet anyway she convinced me to sign up the night before you could like sign up or the last night you could i signed up and then i get to school and our parents drop us off they leave it's like this whirlwind she's like what are you wearing and I'm like what do you mean what I'm like you guys when I tell you like I had no idea what this was about I had no idea and then we're picking out outfits and stuff and coincidentally my last name's kent her last name

is Keller um you were in the same group and so we were in the same group yeah and it was like 12 girls and like San Diego state is like a huge school so many girls go through rush and I go into the first house. I forget what it was. And I leave. And I was like, hell no. I'm down. This is bonkers. Like, this is crazy. I just talked to all these girls. I felt like they were just judging everything I sent. I'm like, Christy, I'm like, I'm not doing this. And she was like, can you please just stick it out today just so I don't have to go alone? And I was like, okay. And so then I remember I went into A. Kio and I was like, wait, that was kind of fun. And then she convinced me to, like, stay with the process.

So I did. But it was a crazy experience, and I was like, I felt like I was speed dating a bunch of people. It's full-blown, speed dating. So funny, guys, I look at you, Daisy, and I see every single girl that intimidated me in every single one of those houses in Texas. Like this, they were all, right, beautiful blonde. They were all beautiful blonde with the blue eyes. And meanwhile, right.

And then I remember, like, waiting in line to go into the sorority house and, like, looking around and every girl's, like, smiling like this. and like so many girls are wearing like all this designer stuff. I had nothing designer. And I was like, what is going on? Like, why am I here?

And then walking in and having conversations eventually, I just decided to go with it. And then I remember on Pref Day, you picked at San Diego State, it was you could preff two houses if they didn't drop you. So I prepped the two that I wanted. What was it? Pref round.

Pref round. Yeah, they just came to me too. But so I had Alpha Feet. and A.K.I.O. And it was like, Alpha Phi, Akio and Paii were like the top houses at San Diego State at the time. I don't know like what are now. But I hate when people are like, oh, top houses because like also a lot of my other friends were in other houses. And like I made like such good friends with girls and other houses too. So I'm just like, I hate the whole like ranking system. I feel like it just gets more and more. But then anyway, I ended up doing

alpha fee and I hated it first semester. I hated it. And that was crazy to me too because everyone was like, oh my gosh, I love a sorority. Like it's so fun. But I think when you get into a sorority, no matter what, like not every girl's in there is going to be your best friend. And at the beginning, I was definitely like in the wrong group of girls, not saying that they're like bad girls or like at all. Like we just didn't vibe, you know. And then I like found my group and ended up loving it but I think especially going away for college for a semester it can be scary like you don't know you're making new friends and if you get in the wrong group like you can make or break anything but now I have some of my best friends from my sorority still to this day

and it's so fun you guys were you're because back then my mother didn't even know what a sorority was like she went to secretarial school in Brooklyn yeah so she didn't but well I don't know if your mom I'm guessing was not in a sorority either Daisy was yours no mine wasn't at all. My grandma actually was, but I didn't know until, like, after I joined a sorority, and then my grandpa was like, did you know your grandma was in one? And he was in a frat, too. So then I was like, oh, no one told me about this ever. That's so funny. Right. Yeah, no, I mean, my mom graduated with her associate's degree. She wasn't allowed to go far for school. So she had no idea. I signed myself up for college. Like, I did everything. I, you know,

know, she was there with me, obviously, learning, and now she has the hang of it because she's on her third child in college. But I was the first one. That's why I had a college advisor helping me, you know, step by step on how to even apply to schools. Like, we had no idea what we were doing. And then when it came to sorority, she was like, what is this? Like, this is what are you doing? I'm like, oh, in DTA, I'm having fun. I was like, want to come for parents weekend. She was like, yeah, okay. Like everything was just new, very new. You guys know that now, like, I've heard that the mothers, they have to go for this whole experience. Like, they wait in hotel rooms to either like to pump their daughters up or console them or it can be so

do you guys, have you heard of that? Have you heard of anybody having their moms there? I've heard of that, but not, I don't think it's San Diego State. It really happens, but or when I was there at least. I didn't even know because I didn't even know what it was. But I remember girls, like, sitting on the curb, like, bawling their head off when they got, like, dropped from a house. And I was like, this is like, and I remember, like, a girl on my floor thinking her, like, life was over because she didn't get in one of the houses she wanted. And I, like, didn't understand it completely. But it's an advantage, for sure. Yeah.

I feel like down south, it's a lot more intense. So you probably experienced it at Texas. I did. But I feel like when I hear, especially on TikTok, because when Bama Rush happens, it's all over TikTok, it circulates the internet, it's actually crazy. Yeah. And there's a couple girls who are now viral from Bama Rush. And now they have a huge following.

They're with brands now. Like they're full-blown influencers just from starting this whole, you know, starting their TikTok channel based on Bama Rush. But then looking at the Bama houses, their sorority houses, are insane. Mansions, mansions, granite, granite countertops, like spiral staircases. I mean, they're nicer than people's average homes. Oh, for sure. It's insane.

So I think if I would have done something like Bama Rush, completely different experience and way more intense. So also I think the difference between old lady Jennifer and young people, beautiful, Daisy and Gia is that I didn't have social media. I know that's hard for you to picture, period. But picture me not having it. And I think probably we were a little bit better off because I hear now these stories of how you have to scrub your social media.

And then you have to make sure that when it's looked at, you look like nobody has ever had as much fun as you have in their lifetimes. And it's crazy too because when you're going into recruitment, like being on the other side of recruitment. Like, you're looking at girls before they even come into the house. Like, you're looking at their Instagrams. You're looking at everything you can find online about them before they come in. You're doing a mini background check on these girls. And I remember when we were doing that, I was like, wait. It's so invasive. You all were looking like through all my stuff before I even like, and they were like, yeah, we already knew like a lot about you. Well, they basically have their

top picks. Yeah. So each sure already has like a list of their top. top picks from looking at the potential, like the potential members coming in. And let's see, like, what do you think that they are? What constitutes she's my top pick? And I, again, it's like so much of this for me as somebody who is now a mother is just horrifying. And I know, though, that sorority life has been a highlight for so many. It was for young women, for older women. They love it. But looking at it from a different, a bit of a different perspective now. I'm wondering, like, when the sisters looked at your social media, what were they looking for? I have, I could guess, but what do you think? I think your first thing

right away is your looks, your image. And I think also like looking at what you're involved in and what you like post about too. You think there are, are there sororities that are looking for, um, they really want women or girls from the debate team? Are there any of those that exist or girls that have done a lot of charity work or I think for sure because you kind of have you like fill out forms before I think so but I think it also you know there's just so much that goes into it okay yes you could be such a well-rounded person in high school and you were on the debate team and you did deca and all these things that you did in high school that were so amazing but if you don't fit that criteria of this certain sorority then they'll place you somewhere else

or it's like a whole it's a whole ranking system basically right which is terrible it is crazy imagine getting ranked women girls getting ranked I know and I remember like I was always thinking because you had like these little like rush sheets so a girl comes in and then they would leave and you would like rank somebody and I would always get sick to my stomach because I was like this is like horrible and I hated doing it and then I was like I wonder what my rush card said you know what I mean and you start thinking things and I'm like, oh, these girls are in my sorority and they were all ranking me. But I did have the time of my life after that first semester and I loved it and I'm so grateful for it. But I also think it's like important too. You don't have to be in a sorority to love

college and have a great time. I think I definitely could have done without. Yeah. I have a ton of friends that were in a sorority. That's so interesting. Yeah. Yeah. My daughter, who is, Gia's age, just so I think a year younger than Eugenia, went through it also at Delaware. So different than going through it in California or the South, maybe a little more similar to Rutgers. But she did it during COVID. I think it's definitely similar. Yeah. And the waiting, and I was sick for her, probably more sick than she was, waiting to get, you know, to push the button on the computer and see if.

what you're, you know, who was preffing you and if it was a match. The Zoom breakout room. Oh my God. Yes. It's ridiculous. And then I remember she, well, I had very serious ideas of which sorority she should be in. And she had different ideas. And it was all about for her.

She also wanted to be in a top tier sorority. And I wanted her to be in the sorority with the nice girls. And it did matter. Ultimately, it was her decision and she had a good experience. But there's a whole other layer to this as a mother. that I won't bore you guys with today. But it could be really just the anxiety of the whole thing. Like, you know, yeah, made me up my medication, I think, during that time a little bit.

Yeah, no, it was definitely, my actually, my nail tech, it was her daughter was at Rutgers, well, goes to Rutgers, and she was going through the recruiting process, and she was like venting to me how her daughter didn't get called back to any sorority at Rutgers. And, you know, when you're in that, I'm sitting there getting my nails done. She's, like, so upset that her daughter didn't get called back to any, because she knew I went to Rutgers. I was in Zeta. And I felt terrible.

I was like, what do you say, you know? And now her daughter's studying abroad. And she's hoping that her daughter has such a better experience studying abroad. And I was like, I hope so. And I just felt so terrible. Because not getting called back to any is probably the worst feeling that nobody, nobody wants. you know like you're not you're not accepted by anybody and that's where i think like the line needs to be drawn at some point because that could just send big girls into such a spiral i feel

oh it definitely does absolutely i remember walking into maybe my first house i walked into a texas and i was a big girl probably at that time like a buck 80 or something was big not whatever anyway but the point is that it felt to me like every single girl there was thin, fit, beautiful. Forgive me, Daisy. They all looked like you. They just did. And, well, and Gia, too, but they were all blonde in Texas, big blue eyes. And I just, I just remember feeling that was less than, like I can never, aspiring to be with these beautiful Barbies knowing, but I also knew that I was probably going to go into this Jewish sorority anyway. So I kind of had that, which was helpful, but the pressure of that when you're just starting college, right?

Yeah. You want to make the right decision. Yeah. And I feel like a lot of people, they're like leaving high school to kind of get out of those clicks a little bit. And then I think you get to recruitment and you're going through it. And you're like, wait, is this a click too? Depends where you go for sure.

Because like I have a friend that I'm really close with and she went to Ole Miss. And like her, her like, her like only friends are the ones that were in her sorority. And I'm like, were you friends with like any. other girls and other sororities and she's like no like once you got into your sorority like those were your girls and like their best friends were like in her wedding and everything but i think it depends where you go to and like what the greek life is right right yeah no i mean at ruckers you were friends with girls in different sororities and i think that was also another thing if you were a girl like if you had boobs and a vagina you could get into any frat party so i

That is what I was saying in the sense of I probably didn't need to be in a sorority at Ruckers, and a lot of girls feel that way. A lot of girls, too, at Ruckers, they rushed, they found their friends, and then they dropped because they were like, okay, I have all my friends. I'm going out the same way that I would be going out if I was in a sorority. the only thing that gets a little more clicky is, I guess, mixers. Yeah. So, okay, Zeta is mixing with Pike tonight. So that's a closed mixer until 10.30. Then the party opens at 11.

So now everybody else can come in. Yeah. That was the fun part because then you got closer with the frac, like the boys in the fraternities. Yeah. That was what was fun. But a lot of my friends dropped because they felt like they didn't need it. And what's the point of paying this $3,000 a semester if I don't need to be in this sorority? If it's not really benefiting me.

Which is the other thing we should talk about, which is the money of it. The money. It's so expensive. How about those girls that just don't have the money for it? Well, especially at Bama. I know when I told my friend, because my friend went to the University of Alabama, I told her, I think I paid like maybe. $2,500, close to $3,000 probably, a semester to be in ZTA.

My friend Faith, I went to Bama and she was in one of the top tier ones. It was like, I want to say like probably close to $6,000 a semester. Yeah, that's crazy. These parents were not only saving for college. They're saving for Rush. They're saving for like the sorority. 100%. Yeah.

Which is crazy. Which is so crazy. I remember like with the boys. So they went the frat. And there were three Jewish frats also at UT. And so you got your bid and you went to the house. And then the boys, all the boys got to pick which house to go to to ask the girls to the first mixer. Like we were like, yeah, we were like cattle.

And then all the frat boys showed out. Oh, my God. No, literally. I mean, literally, like they showed up. And a lot of them showed up to 85 because, again, that was what the pretty girls were. And I didn't get asked. to go to the mixer. So the greatest day of me getting into 85 was like,

you should have chose the nice girl sorority. That's where the nice boys went. I mean, it sounds now looking back at it, it's just so, so sad. But like, I don't know how the boys.

What a damper on your bid day. I know. That's horrible. I know. We literally stood out. I have to say bid day was probably like one of the best days. Really? Yes.

Because I, we ran home. We ran home. and I ran home to ZTA. It was so fun. I mean, the older girls were sneaking me drinks, even though they weren't supposed to. We were having so much fun and just dancing.

And then we went out after. And those are the times where I was like, okay, this was worth it joining a sorority, these times and these memories and getting a little and the big little process and all those, so fun. All those little events like that where you genuinely were with your sorority. sisters and not consumed by like other things that's the stuff that was super fun and there is I think

so much pot there's so many positives right like going to school especially one that's that's big and having this group of sisters and having it that happen fast yeah and then all of these events and all of these mixers and matches and like immediately you have this immediate social life and I guess you also right you do and you get so much like closer with people I feel like too in ways like you become a little like a family yeah no you do and you pledging process going through that that's crazy right and we definitely have to talk about that but that also you know it's true especially going to a bigger school it does give you that sense of it kind of makes the how the school how do i say this it makes this this huge school feel a little smaller yeah so i mean i have to say

Rutgers is massive. I think I knew every single person in Greek life. The school felt so small. I saw the same people every time I went out, every time I went to the bars, same faces. And Rutgers is huge. I should have been seeing a different face every time I went out, same people. Yeah. I think that's why I got a little old too.

But if you ask me, everybody at the University of Texas at Austin is Jewish. Let me assure you that that is not the case. but it felt like everybody there was Jewish and all of my friends and all of the boys and everyone which is such a it's such a strange thing but because like you we were a meshed we hung out together you know all the time yeah okay guys this is just the beginning of dirty rush we're going to take you through the good the bad the ugly all the lingo everything you need to know it's going to get really juicy yeah well listen sororities have been around for like 150 years.

So we have a lot to cover. And certainly it's a different experience now than when I rushed. And I'm guessing it was very different 150 years ago as well. But I don't think we'll find anyone to talk about that. But you guys, I don't know. I've never heard anyone or any program or podcast really diving in to this subject matter, right? Like really getting into it. And in terms of like the good, the bad, the ugly.

And I know a lot of mothers and their daughters who are now going through it, have been through it. There's a lot to cover, right? So much to cover. And we are so excited to tell you guys our stories and really dive deep into what all of this really means. But we're even more excited to hear your stories. So make sure to leave a voicemail, leave your questions at our hotline, 844-278.

rush. Again, 844-278 rush. And you guys can share all of your stories. This is going to be totally anonymous. And we are so excited to really get into this. I'm hoping some of you Fies from Texas call in, please. And some of you, Rutgers, Baddies, San Diego State. Give us all the T. So guys, until next time, just please be your amazing selves. Sisterhood starts with those first steps. My sisters, I'm thrilled to do this with you. My, my, my, Very little, little sisters. We're going to have fun, you guys. This is so fun.

Episode one, done. See you guys back.