FEATURE STORY • SPECIAL • NIGHTLIFE • ART+CULTURE • FOOD+DRINK • TRAVEL • STYLE

 

Anique Van Beek
by The Prague Compass

Prague Compass: How did you learn about the show?
Anique Van Beek: I was studying in Barcelona and one night while I was walking the streets, ready to go to bed after a night of partying, the casting crew asked me whether I would be interested in interviewing for a reality TV show.

PC: What were you doing in Barcelona?
Anique: An exchange program, studying for one year.

PC: What did you expect to happen during the 30 days of the show?
Anique: I expected to have a lot of fun with the girls and see a lot of places. But I didn't think too much about it since I had no clue what I could expect.

PC: What do you remember most about Linda and Karolina?
Anique: Linda was always pretty quiet. She had nice manners and always looked beautiful. I mostly remember that she wore her dress backwards the first night. Karolina had a strong personality. She always spoke her mind and was constantly studying at the pool. I got to know them better when I lived here in Prague than when I was with them on the show. Both of them are very different but awesome in their own way! I love those girls!

PC: What was your general impression of American guys before you met David?
Anique: I'm studying and have American classmates, so David wasn't the first American guy I've met. Although there are cultural differences, I can get along with American guys pretty well, just as well as I can get along with Canadian guys or Chinese guys.

PC: How much time did you get to spend privately with David?
Anique: Maybe a total of 15 minutes of non-recorded [without camera or microphone] conversation. That's it. There were always cameras or microphones around.

PC: Would he really qualify as a dream date for you??
Anique: Well, I don't think that's a fair question, since I didn't get to spend any private time with him to find out. Everything happened with two cameras on us, which worked on his nerves. It made him kind of introverted which made it harder for us to chat and just have fun. Therefore he wouldn't qualify I guess, but maybe he's different in real life...

PC: What was the funniest thing that happened on the show?
Anique: [laughs] That happened off-camera. We were in some "too-posh-for-words" Hotel in Rome and me and Olinda [a Swedish contestant] started a toothpaste/body lotion fight in our guarded hotel rooms. These became too small for the fight so we ran up the hallway which was also guarded and then I found the emergency exit door leading to some stairs that went down to this beautiful lobby.. Just imagine Olinda and I running through it, barefooted, covered with cream or toothpaste, chasing each other with loud screams trying to put more stuff on each other, preferably on face or feet. It was hilarious, all people were staring at us.. In the end we were literally caught by this huge guy who was supposed to guard us. It was fun but childish...I guess we desperately felt the need to break out after being locked in our rooms the whole day..

PC: What were you wearing?
Anique: Pajamas

PC: What do you think about having been cast as a gold-digger out to find a rich guy?
Anique: Couldn't care less since I don't feel I've been cast like that. I was cast as a girl open to new experiences. I think even the crew knew we weren't like that but they also had to make the show, right?

PC: What were your thoughts when you were told that David was worth $80 million?
Anique: That's a funny question, since during the show I assumed that all the girls thought that this was just part of the script. I didn't even bring the subject up, as I thought it was clear to everyone. But after the show I found out that some girls did believe he had money...funny how everyone's perception was so different even though we were in the same show.

PC: How did you feel when David eliminated you?
Anique: Of course being eliminated is never nice, but it happened at the right moment since two days later I had to be fresh and fruity in class again.

PC: How did you end up in Prague and how do you like it?
Anique: Through Tereza [another Czech contestant] I got the chance to do my internship in a publishing house in Prague. I had the best time of my life! I lived in a great place, met the nicest people and walked around in one of the most beautiful cities of the world. It couldn't have been better, and that while I'm in school!

PC: Did "The Next Joe Millionaire" air in Holland?
Anique: No and I'm very happy about that. I just had some feedback about the show when I was in Prague.

PC: Has the show opened any doors for you?
Anique: Indirectly, yes, because I met tereza on the show I got an internship in Prague. Since I was coming to live in Prague, I asked Kristyna to help me find a place to stay and I ended up living with her and Tomas [her roommate]. Through living with Kristyna and Tomas I got to meet a lot of new people who all opened doors to great opportunities for me.

PC: What did you learn from the show?
Anique: That holding on to your own values and truths is very important. They wanted me to do or say things that didn't feel right for me, so I didn't. At that time I felt that I was being a difficult person for not always giving the production what they wanted. Now, looking at the final edited version of the show I'm so happy I didn't. I also learned that television can make you believe anything they want, I almost believed I slept with him [David]!

PC: What do you plan to do now?
Anique: I'm writing my graduation assignment now and I'll get my diploma in marketing management this February. After that I'm planning to come back to Prague and get myself a nice job...all offers are welcome [laughs]!

PC: Anything else you'd like to tell our readers about this experience?
Anique: The thing is, that even though the show makes people believe were gold-diggers, which isn't really the image anyone would want, it is all so worth it because these girls are really fun and the nights we all spent together were great. Just imagine; 14 girls, stuck in a huge villa, no television, no radio, just a huge supply of Italian wine. They didn't show you those moments that made all the camera stress worth it. We had so much fun!

More Information:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/joemillionaire/
http://www.tvtome.com/JoeMillionaire/season2.html