The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Dirty Rush: Here’s What We Want You to Know Before Rush Begins…

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

We continue to let you in on the secrets you need to know before Rush…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast, Guaranteed Human. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit Gentleman's Cut Bourbon.com or your nearest Total Wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit

gentleman's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. I'm investigative journalist Melissa Jeltsin. My new podcast, What Happened in Nashville, tells the story of an IVF clinic's catastrophic collapse and the patients who banded together in the chaos that followed. It doesn't matter how much I fight. It doesn't matter how much I cry over all of this.

It doesn't matter how much justice we get. None of it's going to get me pregnant. Listen to what happened. in Nashville on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? Who catfishes a city? Is it even safe to snort human remains?

Is that the plot of footloos? I'm comedian Rory Scoville, and I'm here to tell you, Josh Dean and I have a new podcast that celebrates the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals. It's called Crimeless, a true crime, comedy. podcast. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know he has a reputation, but it's going to catch up to him. Gabe Ortiz is a cop. His brother Larry, a mystery Gabe didn't want to solve until it was too late. He was the head of this gang. You're going to push that line for the cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game,

as they call it. When Larry's killed, Gabe must untangle a dangerous past, one that could destroy everything he thought he knew. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who would you call if the unthinkable happened? My sister was y'all 22 times. A police officer, right? But what do you do when the monster is the man in blue? This dude is the devil. He'll hurt you. This is the story of a detective who thought he was above the law until we came together to take him down. I said, you're going to see my face to the day that you die.

I got you, I got you, I got you. Listen to the girlfriends, untouchable, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome to Dirty Rush, The Truth About Sorority Life, with your host, me, Gia Judice, Daisy Kent, and Jennifer Fessler. This is Dirty Rush, and this is a special. special episode that's producers only so we're really taking you behind the scenes behind the scenes behind the scenes where the producers are coming on because people are about to go through rush again it seems like we just started the whole rush process and now it's time for winter rush is that what you guys would call it winter winter rush second semester rush spring rush is coming

Spring rush. Yeah, we had spring rush, but I think some people, some schools do do it at the beginning of the next quarter. People are still getting COBs. So what we wanted to do is get all the producers on to talk about the things, obviously the producers of the show, we're all in the Greek system. So we want to talk about things we wish we knew before Rush started. And we have one of our one of our other I-Heart producers who actually, actually was not in the Greek system to ask the questions that she would want to know before going through Rush. So why don't we start just one or two tidbits from everybody about something you wish

you knew before you went through Rush. So I don't want to reveal any of our producers' names because the thing about this show that's different from others is that we do feel comfortable to really reveal things and to be super honest because we don't always say who we are. So why don't we just go around the group and say a couple things that you wish you knew before Rush started. I've been thinking about this a lot. And for me, I actually think less is more. You don't want to know too much or I think you would really get in your head about it. I think the main thing that I would say is best advice I could give, know as many people as you

can that are in the Greek system, which is super hard for people that are going to schools far away, random schools or schools where they don't know anybody. but I think your biggest advantage is having people that you know that are in the sororities already. Two is my other advice, and I know this sounds, I don't know, very trite or very obvious, be nice. Be nice to everybody. Be nice. And even once you get into the sorority, be nice to everybody. I was talking to a friend last night who many, many years later and we'll do this on a different episode.

it's just be nice be nice even to the mean girl be nice to the the scary senior whatever it is just be nice so that's my best advice and now over to you guys okay well i rushed a really long time ago but i would say not as long wait how many years ago 20 i'm 30 i'm 30 years ago are you 20 20 years ago not quite 20 oh my gosh how long ago was it i can't even remember 20 2009 whenever that was. We're coming up on 20, I guess. No, some things I wish I would have known and done before Rush is one kind of research the houses and a little bit of their history. I, and also just kind of what to expect during Rush. I went in very blind and was very overwhelmed by so much of the chanting and singing and that sort of thing.

Oh. Like it kind of, like it kind of creeped you out a little bit? A little bit, yes. I very much so was encouraged to rush for my sister who was in a sorority. However, I didn't know a lot of things about sororities. It was kind of like, okay, this is a fun way to meet some friends. So if that's you, I would just suggest maybe doing a little research. into what to expect during rush

and a little bit about the houses. The other thing I wish I did differently during rush was I did not base the house off one single person I talked to. Later on after I joined my house, I'm very happy with the house I joined. However, so many of my friends ended up being in the first house I dropped, and it was because I was so overwhelmed by the personality of the first person I spoke with.

She was just very, not me. She was like a very high-pitched voice, very energetic, and a lot of the girls are, right? This is rush week, so that happens a lot. But this girl just completely turned me off, and I dropped the house first day, and then later on to the semester, most of my friends ended up being from that house, which is kind of... Oh, wow. So I would just say, don't judge off the first person. I thought of a good analogy when you were. talking about how overwhelming it is. The best example I can give is you're in a restaurant

and it's when everyone comes out with the cake and sings happy birthday to you. That is sort of the feeling of a lot of rush where you're like, oh my God, I have to just smile here. They're like singing at me or they're so excited and you're like, oh, so you kind of do have to prepare yourself for sort of like a lot of a happy birthday song moment. Sorry, can I jump in here, the resident non-serority person? Yeah, we'll call you, we'll call you Professor H. Professor H. I have a question about singing.

So you said that there's a lot of songs. You guys, once you get in, do you all sit around and have music practice? Do you get the songs sent? How do you learn the songs once you join? there's like a whole rush prep going into it when you are in the house that you will learn those songs you will clap at the right time you need to clap you will it's it's a it's a it's a process it's like a i don't know what would you guys we should do a whole episode we should do a whole episode just on the songs because so hannah and i were in the same sorority at different schools

so we also have the same songs so i don't know if that trips out professor age well i i kind of figured that every house probably has their own songs. But I also want to know like how secretive are these songs. Are we talking? It's like those secret handshakes you talk about where like other people can't hear you practicing the lyrics to these songs. I guess my other thing is I went to cheer tryouts, right? In high school, I'm assuming this is maybe a little bit kind of similar where I had to go through a process for 10 days and I had to learn cheers and I had to learn dance routines. But then I had to audition with those. Is there a point where you have to sing for somebody to show and prove that you know these?

No, not really. Okay, everybody's shaking their head no to that question. Only I think if you want to be like a, if you want to be like a soloist, like I was Barry Manilow on the Kappa Cabana Day. And so I think I had to. Well, this is in the skis. This sounds like American Idol or something like an audition. So I had to sing. We had a Copa Cabana version.

but it was called Kappa, Kappa, Gamma. And so I had to sing. So I think somebody must have wanted to make sure I could sing. It sounds like a nightmare. Sorry, really embarrassing. I'm not like Ariana Grande or anything. I think you can get by with just like a mediocre voice, even to do a solo. But like, anyway, I want to go to everybody else for the things that they wish they knew.

But the singing is a whole episode. Please make note. We should do a whole episode because there's songs you have to sing. on meeting night to like get in the door but anyway we'll talk about that later so i would say one thing that i wouldn't necessarily recommend doing is you know you go into college i had a lot of my high school friends that went to the same college as me and we rushed all at the same time and i feel like we kind of influenced each other like oh i really like that house and i like that house but i don't like this one as much and i feel like you really need to be like individual and the

sense where it's like, okay, my friend might not like that house, but we don't have to be in the same house. Like, we can still be friends and be in separate sororities. So it's easy to kind of get caught up and like, ooh, this is what my friend likes and so on and so forth. I have a weird question on that. Like, pretend it was like percentages or like, you know, a pie. How many of your friends were in your sorority versus other sororities? I think I'm like 75% in mind. I'm like, 75% in my. 25% others, but you guys weigh in. I would say the same. I would honestly even say, my school was a little bit smaller.

So we had like, I want to say maybe like four, five sororities to choose from. So I'd say, yeah, mine was like 80, 20. But I ended up working out like totally. Don't regret it at all. But I wonder if my friends and I stayed a little separate if we maybe would have chosen like different houses from each other. wow oh interesting yeah so you kind of ended up going to the same house because you did influence each other oh yeah totally and i feel like too like uh i rushed probably like i think nine years ago eight or nine

years ago um so i like i remember we would like stalk their instagrams and be like ooh-hoo like this house looks so cool and the girls look so fun and like blah blah so we definitely did a lot of Instagram research beforehand that I think also like going into it we kind of knew which houses we thought were cool and that's right I'm investigative journalist Melissa Jeltson my new podcast what happened in Nashville tells the story of an IVF clinic's catastrophic collapse and the patients who banded together in the chaos that followed. We have some breaking news to tell you about. Tennessee's attorney general is suing a Nashville doctor.

In April 2024, a fertility clinic in Nashville shut down overnight and trapped behind locked doors were more than a thousand frozen embryos. I was terrified. Out of all of our journey, that was the worst moment ever. At that point, it didn't occur to me what fight was going to come to follow. But this story isn't just. about a few families' futures. It's about whether the promise of modern fertility care can be trusted at all.

It doesn't matter how much I fight. Doesn't matter how much I cry over all of this. It doesn't matter how much justice we get. None of it's going to get me pregnant. Listen to what happened in Nashville on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is gentleman's cut. I think what makes gentlemen's cut different is... It's me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product.

With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com or your nearest total wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? And what is this?

How is that not a story we all know? What's this? Where is that? Why is it wet? Boy, do we have a show for you? From Smartless Media, Campside Media, and Big Money Players, comes crimeless. Join me, Josh Dean, investigative journalists. And me, Roy Scoval, comedian, as we celebrate the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals.

We'll look into some of the silliest ways folks have broken the laws. Honestly, it feels more. like a high level prank than a crime. Who catfish is a city? And meet some memorable anti-heroes. There are thousands of angry horny monkeys. Clap if you think she's a witch.

And it freaks you out. He has x-ray vision. How could I not follow him? Honestly, I got to follow him. He can see right through me. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Dad had

a strong belief the devil was attacking us. Two brothers, one devout household, two radically different paths. Gabe Ortiz became one of the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in Texas. 32 years, total law enforcement experience. But his brother Larry, he stayed behind and built an entirely different legacy. He was the head of this gang, and nobody was going to tell him what to do. You're going to push that line for the cause.

Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Gabe is. forced to confront the past he tried to leave behind and uncover secrets he never saw coming. My dad had a whole other life that we never knew about. Like, my mom started screaming my dad's name and I just heard one gunshot. The Brothers Ortiz is a gripping true story about faith, family, and how two lives can drift so far apart and collide in the most devastating way. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Who would you call if the unthinkable happened? I just fell and started screaming. If you lost someone you loved in the most horrific way. I said through you got 22 times. The police, right? But what if the person you're supposed to go to for help is the one you're the most afraid of?

This dude is the devil. He's a snake. He'll hurt you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I'm Nikki Richardson. And this is The Girlfriends, Untouchable. Detective Roger Golubski spent decades intimidating and sexually abusing black women across Kansas City, using his police badge to scare them into silence. This is the story of a detective who seemed above the law until we came together to take him down. I told Roger Galoopsky, I said, you're going to see my face till the day that you die. Listen to the Girlfriends Untouchable on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

I think kind of along the same lines of cutting out the noise beforehand, whether it's your friends, whether it's social media. It is such an individual experience. And I think it's really important to just make sure that, A, you're listening to your intuition versus other people's opinions or what house is a top house and what house is not considered as quote unquote cool and kind of tuning out a lot of that noise because it can impact your decision so much what you think others will think is cool. But really, it's all about you and ending up in the place that's the most aligned. And I also think that just like going in as your most authentic self is always at the end of the day going to be the most important thing to do. And it's easy to lose sight of that when there's so much comparison going on or other people in your ear telling you where they think you would fit in or where they're going and why they're doing what they're doing. So I think that really just tuning into yourself is going to be the most important thing to do because I rush twice. the first time I rushed, it did not go very well. And when I look back on that time,

it was, there were a lot of components that went into it, but I think a huge part of it is I felt like I had to be acting a certain way or hitting certain marks in my conversation. And I was just trying to control the narrative too much rather than letting the process happen. And when I went into rush the second time, it went very well for me. And I ended up in the house that was most aligned for me because I was just simply being myself. So I think kind of getting out of your head and any preconceived notions, like leaving them at the door is really important. That was kind of one of my questions I wanted to ask about the ability to rush twice. So you're saying you can do that.

Are there any parameters that are put on the second time? Like you can't go back to certain houses and rush again. Like what happens when you go out second time? If you pledge a house, tell me if I get this right. If you pledge a house and you sign the card and then you decide you don't like it, I think you can't rush again for a year or something like that. If you get initiated, you can never rush a different house. Yeah, that's correct.

So if I were to have taken a bid from a house, but it takes a few months to get initiated, and I took that bid and then I was like, uh, never mind, then I could go through rush again, but I couldn't take a bid from that house again. is that true you can't take a bid from the same house twice i think i didn't know that i don't think you can correct me if i'm wrong anybody else but at least i think that was allowed i think if you go through rush you get a bid and you decide to drop out or not accept the bid i think you can't go through rush for a year like you couldn't get a COB from another house but now i'm questioning myself but yeah i think if you go to preference you fill it out

you're agreeing that either of those houses or three, whatever your school does, gives you a bid that you're going to take it, I think. Now, are there exceptions if, like, a family emergency happens, which causes you to drop out of school and then you come back? Do you get any sort of leniency in the thing? Well, I think if you were a pledge, say DG gives you a bid, and then there was some sort of an emergency, you can just come back to DG. You couldn't just go rush again.

You would just be a DG. DG would work it out with you. Yeah, I think that's right, because you've already accepted the bid to that house, so you ideally would have the intention of going through initiation with them. So I think you'd just work it out with them to where you could be initiated later or something. Yeah, you just stay a DG. Yeah. I don't really know anybody that, like, accepted a bid, dropped out and then went through rush again. That feels kind of random.

I don't know if people did that. I know a few people who did that because they put two people down for PrEP and then they got the house. that they didn't want it and they were like, let me try it out. And then after a month, the initiation was coming up, they were like, I don't think this is a line. So they chose to leave that house and then rush again the following year. So kind of, I'm just going to say, and maybe this is something that you would want to know before,

I think that's also hooey. Like every house for the most part is going to have people that you're going to get along with. you're not going to be best friends with everybody. So I don't know. I always think people that think they know or they're like, I wanted a top tier. It's like, I don't even know if you really know. This brings me to my next question. When you're talking about alignment with a house, I mean, I don't assume that you're

sitting around and, you know, talking about like, I don't know, family backgrounds or religion or something, right? Talking about girls' personalities and, like, how much they party. versus how much they emphasize on education, or am I being totally off the... No, you got it. You got it, I think. The other girls can weigh in, but I think you got it.

I will say going to a university where there is a strong religious, I would say it's just a strong religious area. I did not... This was not talked about during rush. However, things after Rush became very apparent in a specific house of girls that did not party and were from the same religious background

than other houses. And they did not make it aware during. Oh. Maybe something that those girls wish they'd asked prior about religion. Maybe people should be asking about religion when they're rushing. I think probably depends on the school for sure. But being at one of those schools, my sister who had been through the same sorority,

some and at that school before wouldn't tell me which house it was as she wanted me to make up my own choices and me coming from not a Mormon background and kind of really being a party or in college, I guessed wrong. It was one of my top houses. It was one of my prep houses. Interesting. Yeah, and they really don't want you. I mean, I think they frown upon talking about politics or religion during rush. So it's a little bit. of a confusing situation because you're not supposed to talk about those things but then what if that's like a major part of the house and then you're like wait whoops well right exactly like if i would have actually gotten it i probably would have had to drop and it wouldn't have aligned

necessarily with what i was looking for my college career i guess you're not supposed to like also say like so what fraternities do you guys hang out with right but you want to so how are you sussing this out just based on like small talk well yeah but i knew that's the thing that's so different for some people's experiences versus others because i knew what houses what fraternities this house hung out with i knew the girls in the house so i knew a lot that's why it's harder for me to be like what did i need to know like i already knew it that's why my advice is to like before you go into it, do your research. I mean, there's so much even now that's on social media and TikTok and Instagram that I feel like you can find those answers

easier now. Totally. Like I was the very beginning of social media. And so that didn't really exist out there unless you knew people in the system. Yeah. And we didn't even have cell phones. Like we didn't even have cell phones. So we, there was no email when I went through rush. So everything was sort of like word of mouth like you knew it because you knew it like i don't know how to explain it and i think about this all the time because we also knew where to go at night to meet up with the same friends we had and i don't know how we knew but we just knew so i think that that's the interesting thing is it's just sort of word of mouth vibe if one person knows 20 people know i don't know also for me it was a lot about the types of conversations i was having because

there were some girls where I felt like it kind of is like that vibe of, oh, you just click immediately and you're able to have a less surface level conversation, whereas some houses I went in and I just felt like everybody was really skimming the surface. And so what I really look for is like people who asked great questions and seemed genuinely interested because, I mean, it must, it's hard to do when you're recruiting people to be on all the time and like you could tell what houses, I feel like were more intentional in picking their girls by like the caliber of questions that they asked, I guess. And I liked getting in those deeper conversations with people. So I was like, this is what makes me feel at home and what drew me to the sorority that I ended up.

Well, that's kind of an interesting thing because my niece who's in a sorority, her best friend in the sorority is like the greatest, cutest, most fun girl you could ever imagine. But she sort of has, this is what I've heard from my niece, so I'd have to ask her, but she gets a little bit socially anxious. So even though she is probably one of the coolest girls in the whole house, she can't be in the front at rush because she gets too anxious and can't like talk to the new people coming in. So it's kind of your personality also determines like if you're going to be good at, we called them like, you know, being the rusher to the rushes. I think you guys call it like, What do you guys call it?

We call it the same thing. Yeah, I think so too. The person trying to recruit or whatever. We just call it the rusher and the rush sheet. You guys call it like new members or potential new members. Oh, the person, the rest is a P&M of potential new member. Yeah. No, that's so true, though, with the personality thing.

Like, you guys know me. I'm very like, hi. And so I feel like they put me with people. They were like, ooh, we want this girl. And we need, like, you know, someone with a big personality to kind of like crack their shell and make sure like okay this is someone that could be in the sorority yeah the softer spoken people it was totally like a different vibe and whoever they were talking to i'm sure it was like just a different experience overall so

the hardest part is if you have just two very very quiet people sort of introverted because then two introverted people are sort of sitting there feeling awkward whereas being introverted it's totally fine, but it's just, you don't want to make it awkward. So it's almost like you kind of need a strong person to ask the introverted people, just some questions. Yeah, that's so true. Because if, yeah, I've heard kind of horror stories of two people that just don't really know what to say.

And then it's awkward silence. And it's kind of like, so, like, tell me about your family. Like, it's like, it gets weird. So, yeah, that's a huge part of it, for sure. I'm investigative journalist Melissa Jeltson. My new podcast, What Happened in Nashville, tells the story of an IVF clinic's catastrophic collapse and the patients who banded together in the chaos that followed. We have some breaking news to tell you about. Tennessee's attorney general is suing a Nashville doctor.

In April 2024, a fertility clinic in Nashville shut down. overnight and trapped behind locked doors were more than a thousand frozen embryos. I was terrified. Out of all of our journey, that was the worst moment ever. At that point, it didn't occur to me what fight was going to come to follow. But this story isn't just about a few families' futures. It's about whether the promise of modern fertility care can be trusted at all. It doesn't matter how much I fight. It doesn't matter how much I cry over all of this. It doesn't matter how much just we get, none of it's going to get me pregnant.

Listen to what happened in Nashville on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product with every sip you get a little something different. Visit Gentleman's Cut Bourbon.com or your nearest Total Wines or Bevmo. is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cup Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky.

For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cuthuburn.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? And what is this? How is that not a story we all know? What's this?

Where is that? Why is it wet? Boy, do we have a show for you. From Smartless Media, Campside Media, and big money players comes crimeless. Join me, Josh Dean, investigative journalists.

And me, Roy Scoval, comedian, as we celebrate the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals. We'll look into some of the silliest ways folks have broken the laws. Honestly, it feels more like a high-level prank than a crime. Who catfishes a city?

And meets some memorable anti-heroes. There are thousands of angry, horny monkeys. Clap, if you think, she's a witch. And it freaks you out. He has x-ray vision. How can I not follow him? Honestly, I got to follow him. He can see right through me.

Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Dad had the strong belief that the devil was attacking us. Two brothers. One devout household. Two radically different paths. Gabe Ortiz became one of the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in Texas. 32 years. total law enforcement experience.

But his brother Larry, he stayed behind and built an entirely different legacy. He was the head of this gang and nobody was going to tell him what to do. You're going to push that line for the cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Gabe is forced to confront the past he tried to leave behind and uncover secrets

he never saw coming. My dad had a whole other life that we never knew about. Like my mom started screaming, my dad's, name, and I just heard one gunshot. The Brothers Ortiz is a gripping true story about faith, family, and how two lives can drift so far apart and collide in the most devastating way. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Who would you call if the unthinkable happened? I just fell and started screaming. If you lost someone you loved in the most horrific way. I sit through with y'all 22 times. The police, right? But what if the person you're supposed to go to for help is the one you're the most afraid of? This dude is the devil.

He's a snake. He'll hurt you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I'm Nikki Richardson, and this is The Girlfriends, Untouchable. Detective Roger Golubski spent decades intimidating and sexually abusing black women across Kansas City, using his police badge to scare them into silence.

This is the story of a detective who seemed above the law until we came together to take him down. I told Roger Galooski, I said, you're going to see my face till the day that you die. Listen to the girlfriends, untouchable, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So one thing I'm fascinated by, obviously, that is taking off on TikTok when it comes to rush

is these over-the-top elaborate dancing routines that people are doing with their houses. So one, I want to know, like, when you're rushing, are they asking you if you can dance? If you, like, have rhythm. when you get in, do you have to go to dance practice? Like, how many days a week? Like, how many girls have to be a part of this? What if you start doing the stunts and somebody falls and gets injured? I don't know.

It just seems like a lot. Like, so tell me about the dance aspect and if you're asking questions about the dancing during rush. I think for us, it was more so some people are just like that and they want to do it. some people there's always a social media manager or whatever who's in charge of putting the I'm sorry there's a social media manager for the house like a position within the house a position within the house isn't like a hired person that does this profession no no it's one of the house and they'll get elected to be in charge of the Instagram and the TikTok or whatever

so there are always the people who are kind of curating however that's going to look and executing their vision throughout rush so a lot of times they'll pull random people for pictures and stuff, but for videos like that. I feel like there was always girls who did cheer in high school or girls who were on the dance team at college that would just kind of volunteer automatically and were into that sort of thing. So they wanted to be at the front.

They wanted to be getting a group together and practicing the dances. And so at least in our case, there were always people who wanted to do it. So it wasn't like we were pulling teeth and having dance practice. It just kind of happened more naturally. Same.

We didn't. TikTok wasn't a thing yet. So it was all Instagram when I was doing it. And it was definitely like the cheerleaders or, you know, girls like that or girls that like wanted to dance that would be doing their thing. Definitely not like a requirement though. And yeah, no practices for us either. So in the 90s, we didn't do this big dancing things.

We had something called porch songs. So what would happen is forget if it was every day or part of rush. the rushes would come up and the girls would come out sort of onto the porch and sing the song. So there might be like rhythmic clapping or sort of like slight dance moves, but nothing like you see now more like hands up, hands down, hands up, hands down, Kappa, Kappa, like that. But then the university, I think decided that that was a bit disruptive all the singing all the time and you would have sort of sing-off. kind of pitch perfect style. I was just going to say like pitch perfect. Yeah, like across the street.

So you'd be like, Kappa, we are Kappa. And they'd be like, we are Pai-Fi, pie-fi, pie-fi, pie-fi. And then you kind of like have them at each other. And then I think that they took it away because it was like disruptive to the neighborhood sort of a vibe. So then you couldn't sing until everybody was in the house and the door completely closed. Then you were allowed to sing. But we didn't have these like dance routines. the only thing we did have is this elaborate skit day.

So there was this skit day and like the entire house was transformed into like a Broadway show basically with, you know, the walls and the this and the that and all these things. And that was the Barry Manilow day. So that was when we had like a full production, a full skit and like people sat kind of like in the audience. They would be watching this sort of show. I thought it was amazing. When I went through Rush, I was like, this is the most awesome thing I've ever seen because I just felt like I went to, like, show after show after show.

I think my mind is so blown. I didn't realize how much theatrics went in being in a sorority. I'm wondering why you guys don't target theater majors. I feel like they don't want to be in a sorority. But maybe they don't know that there is so much singing and acting and dancing. They're missing out on this. Possibly. I do feel like theater kids like,

tend to end up having like their own, you know, like group, I guess, sorority fraternity together as like their- Yeah. But it's true. I do think, I don't know why I can't fully remember the skit date, but mine was very similar to hers that it, we, we didn't have the group dances, but also like, and honestly the social media manager, that's a new role. That didn't exist either for us. Yeah, we obviously didn't have that either.

like but it was pretty elaborate like we turned the phone booth yes we had a phone booth into what looked like an aquarium and then there was a girl who was like a full mermaid in the phone booth making it look like she was swimming and then there was like all this singing and dancing and then we did have do you know that song word up by cameo do you guys remember that word up mm-mm oh pretty ladies around the world like we did do this thing oh i'm totally telling a secret now where every pledge class made up an eight count. And then each year the dance would get longer and longer because the eight count would just go on and on and on and on. I have no memory of too much of the dance. I just know that it was word up by cameo. But that was kind of cool.

So there definitely was like dancing. There's dancing. And then those girls that like myself who are not great dancers, we just got put from the back. It's like you've got alumni there. it's like choreographing things and they're like you like kind of take the back you know so the ones who are meant to shine are in the front with the good voices and the good dance moves she was talking about some like riff off sing-off thing that was happening back in her day are they doing

dance-offs now with these elaborate dancing things that they're doing i kind of feel like social media though in a way during rush is like one big dance off it's very competitive that's what it looks like as an outsider for sure for some reason that has just become what signifies the coolest house is if you can like make a cool TikTok I don't know but it feels like one big dance off it feels very competitive to have the best choreographed thing but it's weird because that's not in person it's just online okay so that answers my question then when sororities pass each other in the streets they're not having a dance off okay no no good to know do they do those dances do the sororities do those dances at all during rush or is it just like on

instagram and tic-tok it's not like actually even a part of rush not really i think it's oh tick-tok and then when you're doing the songs out the door and clapping and bouncing and whatever but it's not a real dance i don't think they're performing dancing oh so they don't ever do that whole like dance shenanigans during rush and they don't perform these dances for frat houses no no no I don't know I'm asking there was only there was a little singing that could happen like during a pinning or something but like otherwise you don't really like do any of that for the fraternities we had one thing at our school it was a big fraternity event and it's like a big dance off and every sorority has a portion of their girls choreograph this dance for weeks and then they go into the main like courtyard area all on campus and everybody performs it. It's a competition for like a frat event. It's a fundraising thing.

But other than that, there's no performances to the frat boys. I think anybody who wants to rush needs to get a pair of tap shoes or something before they go out and start stomping. They need to learn how to do a little bit of rhythm, it sounds like. Listen, I have zero rhythm and I survived it. They'll be okay. They'll be okay. It's just fun.

It is just fun. Wait, so Professor H. before we go, what other questions would you have about things you would want to know before Rush? Oh gosh. I think before Rush I would want to know, do I get fed when I'm going to these houses or do I need to eat before I go? Definitely need to like slam some sandwiches before because I feel like you almost can go all day without food. I think one of them you get like a lemonade and maybe a cookie. I'm trying to remember if I like remember like a little break of like food. that they would feed all the P&Ms in between.

But yes, definitely hydrate and eat something before because it is a long day and it's a lot of talking that it can, you know, and it's silly for me to say this, but honestly wear comfortable shoes. I just remember standing all day and just being like trying to find a couch or something. I was like, please lead me to a couch. You know what's like so funny is like, I don't even know that I could do it. at my age now. I feel like, whoa, that was so tiring at 50.

I'm like, I don't know if I could do it. Like I could when I was 18. It is really tiring. For us, in between rounds, you were required to be in the cafeteria. So we had this giant cafeteria where all the girls were required to be in if you weren't at a house doing a group round. So it was kind of cool because you get food. and water and are reminded to hydrate and AC because where I went to school was very hot outside

when we rushed, which made it all more exhausting. But it's kind of cool because you're a little bit forced to be in this environment where you're making friends throughout rush and not just focused on making friends at the houses. You're sitting with the girls in between rounds and getting to know people. So I thought it was a good opportunity. But yeah, we were required to take our breaks in the cafeteria. And then at the end of the day, everybody all together could go. home. But it was a whole day. No way. I also thought it was super fun. Like I don't know if I'm like alone in that, but I thought the whole thing was just so fun. I was like, this is the greatest. It was so fun. And like being able to like dress in the outfits you wanted. You're like, okay, I can wear this,

you know, on day one and like stuff like that and be with your friends too. It's, it's so much fun. Yeah, I thought it was so fun. And like, we talk about this all the time. But my sorority sisters and I talk about all the time. We're like, can we go live there again, like together now? I know how I would, if I was in charge of like sussing people out to be in our house, like the kinds of questions I would ask. I wouldn't ask just the get to know you. I'd probably throw in a couple of zingers to do a little test, test, test. You know, like, hey, we go out and party all night. Do you have a fake idea on you? Like that kind of stuff, you know. Oh, that would be very, very frowned upon. Okay, so I wanted to know, is there somebody assigned to throw out some of those kind of baited questions in the process to kind of suss out the girls that maybe aren't the right fit for the house?

It's hard because I think there's a lot of taboos, and you're not supposed to talk about the three bees, which is booze, boys, and Bible, so religion. We never quite heard it like that. We never like heard it like that, but I think it was. just sort of understood. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like eventually we did start talking about, like, boys. I guess I'm just wondering, like, so you're literally just going off of a vibe then on if you like a girl versus like getting into that nitty gritty to see if she like, you know, is a party animal or if she cheats on her boyfriend with their, you know, steals guys from her best friend.

You know, you don't ask any of those kinds of questions to really like. Suss somebody out during this process. There is a bit of research done by the houses before Rush even starts about that with people. I'm sure it's much more intense now with social media. Before social media, it was kind of word of mouth. You know, a lot of, I would say a lot of kids go to in-state schools, not everybody. But so there would be people be like, oh, she went to my high school or is friends with so-and-so that I know. and this is something that they told me about this person.

And we kind of clock that early. And like they're so early, almost even before rush starts. So it was almost like keep an eye out. Like she's a little bit of a red flag already. And then like see how the conversations go with them without having to. I'm with the other girl who talked about the 3Bs. Ours was the same. You couldn't, you weren't supposed to talk about those things.

So there is a little bit of that done beforehand. hand and then does she give off those vibes? Does she? Well, to piggyback off of that, so maybe somebody that's not notorious for a bad thing in their past, but maybe notorious for whether they come from a prominent family or they used to date a professional athlete or something like that, do those kinds of things get researched and get you pushed to the front of the line,

essentially, for some schools if you have a really big, let's say. I definitely think dating a professional athlete when you're 18 would be a little bit. I'm just saying, what about these TikTokers that are coming into school with, you know, their freshman year with over a million followers and that kind of notoriety. Is that going to push you to the front of people's lists of, you know, houses wanting you now? Yes. I think depending on the house, too, like what they prioritize. Like, there were houses that were very studious.

Like, that was kind of what they were known for. and then like more popular houses. So those are the ones where it's like, oh, we want this girl that has a million followers where the other ones are like maybe don't care as much. I always wonder about the celebrities' kids because you always hear about celebrities' kids going through rush.

And I never know if that's like good, bad, if people know. I don't know. I always think about that. Another piece of advice to kind of help with this situation that I thought of is before you go, if you know somebody, an aunt, your mom's best friend, an upperclassman, somebody who is in these houses before, get a rec letter from somebody who is in the house. It really helps your chances. It puts you probably above some other girls because that does happen where they will look out

for you. You will be one of their top girls and they will assign specific girls to be the ones to talk to you to try and influence you to choose that house essentially. Yeah, especially if you know someone in that house. house like that's still there still there but yeah even alumni polls um can go pretty far i think so hope this was enlightening i learned a lot today you guys as a non-serority sister thanks for letting me in today more to come i can't wait for the singing episode start warming up those vocal cords get your damp shoes talk to you guys later Bye. Bye.

Bye. Bye. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of, you know, developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com or your nearest total wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older.

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