Nothing Comes Between Ryan Conklin and Scott Herman's Calvins

Ryan A. Conklin was rather amused by his friend Scott Herman's underwear modeling and in particular his desire to be an underwear model for Calvin Klein. Although he was impressed by Scott's willingness to drop his pants and proudly present his prominent package through a thin layer of cotton/lycra blend, Ryan still thought it to be a funny situation. One thing Ryan found to be humorous was the thought of a model doing whatever the photographer asked. To get a good laugh and to test Scott to see how much he would do for Calvin, Ryan try to prank him by impersonating Calvin on the phone and giving some unusual directions.

The first time that Ryan called The Real World Brooklyn house to try this, Scott wasn't there and he spoke with Sarah Rice instead. Ryan introduced himself as "Calvin Klein" and surprisingly Sarah bought it. She told Ryan/Calvin, "I'm a big fan of your work." So Ryan got to the meat of the matter, and said to Sarah, "I was just wondering if Scott would drop his pants and maybe hump a wall or two."

Sarah was excited for Scott and replied, "For you, I'm sure he would do that," as she carefully wrote down Calvin's instructions. Ryan then revealed himself and he laughed at Sarah's confusion and gullibility.

At another time, Ryan tried again and this time he was successful at having Scott answer the phone. Unfortunately, Scott saw through the ruse right away, and asked Ryan what he wanted. Ryan tried to push forward. He explained that he needed to know if Scott was a worthy model, so he needed him to take off his pants immediately. Ryan/Calvin said he needed Scott to do this to show he was worthy for Calvin's "magazine".

In response, Scott wrote on a notepad, "Ryan, you are gay!" and showed it to the camera. Ryan didn't realize he was replying so fittingly when he then asked, "Alright, so you took your pants off, right?"

By that point, Scott had played along far enough and shouted, "What do you want?!?" Ryan answered blushfully, "Nothing, I was just messing with you. I'll talk to you later."

That was the end of the prank. Fortunately, even though Ryan had failed to get Scott to take his clothes off for him, they still remained good friends.

Scott Herman's YouTube Channel

The Mystery of Ryan Conklin

Ryan Conklin is a fascinating person whose personality has many intriguing aspects. it makes him a complicated guy who can be hard to figure out sometimes. In fact, Ryan has said that he himself doesn't understand all there is to know. It makes spectators want to get inside his head sometimes and see what's going on in there.

One thing that isn't clear is what makes Ryan friends with Chet Cannon. Ryan is basically a good person, while Chet, shall we say, differs. There are also a number of other personality characteristics that one would imagine would make the two of them like oil and water. For example, Ryan is a noble paragon of honor, while Chet is a strange, creepy, obnoxious troll.

The two things that seemed to bring them together were that Chet caused Ryan to laugh a lot and Chet was very loyal to Ryan, which Ryan prizes. The mystery is how these things were enough to keep them together despite their many unpleasant differences.

After the argument between Chet and Ryan over Chet's self-centeredness in wanting to use the Pedro Zamora movie event to further his career, Ryan spoke about one of the big differences: Chet's egotism.

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In Ryan's words:

Chet has an ego problem. As much as I love the guy - I do, he's the closet guy I got here - but he has an ego problem. Chet loves himself. A lot. His head is like this big. The kid wears a hat with his name on it so everyone knows who he is. Every time we go out, "Hi, I'm Chet. I'm Chet. I'm Chet." Half the time people don't even speak English and he's telling them, "My name's Chet."

He has an ego problem and right now we're all trying to work together to get this viewing of Pedro out, so we have to work, all eight. To some people, like wow, well Chet's a virgin - what could he really say that could relate to other people who are sexually active? How could what he say matter? Obviously him being on such a high pedestal, in his world, he's taking it as kind of offensive. And seriously, he's acting kind of like a diva. It's the Chet show.

He is, you know, yelling at me and I'm trying to help the guy out. I'm trying to tell him, "Hey, think about the big picture. So you're not solely on stage by yourself. Let's work as a team. Can we?"

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At another time, Ryan was so fed up with Chet that he actually made of list of Chet's problems:

Today on the subway I wrote all the things down that make sense, I'm not just making this up. And I've talked to other people in the house, and they see it too, that his ego is so big I don't know how it even fits in the door.

Let's start at the very top. I call this "The Center of A-Chet-tion."

• Okay, every prank that he does not participate in, he says that they are stupid.
• Every time we go out in public, he'll talk to everyone, but if one of the roommates is conversing with someone successful or good looking, he butts in the conversation and makes the other person look stupid and beneath him.
• He collects girls' numbers like it's a game. Real good role model for Mormons.
• At Braking The Cycle, everyone's holding signs up to encourage the people who have been trekking for three days across miles and miles, yet he holds a sign ~Chet is so cool~. "Everybody look at me, I'm Chet." That's what he's doing. He needs attention everywhere he goes.
• He wears a shirt that says ~Chet is so cool~.
• He wears a hat that says Chet.
• He always mentions how he beat Scott in the punching game at Coney Island, especially when Scott has girls around him. He always makes it an issue. And that was only just a huge boost for his ego.
• He believes he is the only successful person in the house. This is the worst about him. He really believes that he is the only one successful in the house. He said this to a complete stranger who happened to be a writer for a newspaper. They wrote all about it. He showed his true colors in that article.

Big ego problem. But you can't tell him that, because he'll argue and he's a good arguer. And when he argues, he's always quick and he's quick to make you feel stupid.

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So, putting aside everything else that has ever been shown or said about Chet, and just taking what Ryan himself has said about him and taking it at face value, the big mystery is "Why, Ryan, why?"

Ryan Conklin vs. Chet Cannon

During The Real World Brooklyn, MTV asked the cast to put together a public screening of a movie about the life of Pedro Zamora. The purpose would be a call to action for awareness and testing of HIV/AIDS. As part of putting together the event, the roommates were told that should select one or two of their group to host it.

When Chet Cannon heard this, he grinned, appearing to immediately focus on how an event that was supposed to be for helping society could instead be used to help his hosting career.

A discussion occurred among the roommates about who would best be able to connect with the audience and share the message. Chet said words that could be interpreted as wanting to do it because it would help his career ambition. The roommates, however, were against Chet doing it. Ostensibly it was because they felt that with Chet being a virgin, it would be difficult for him to relate to young people who are sexually active. They probably also thought that for a cause that requires care and compassion, and with Chet arguably possessing neither, he just wasn't the man for the job.

At the house, Chet went down to the gym to pout about it. Ryan Conklin, as the caring friend that he is, went to see what was wrong with him. Chet tried to explain why he was upset. Unfortunately, the one thing he said with clarity buttressed the reasoning of the roommates. He confessed to Ryan, "I'm not a sensitive individual."

Ryan tried to explain to Chet why he should focus on the cause instead of his career. Nevertheless, it appeared to continue to bother Chet that a social awareness event could happen and his roommates wouldn't consider his career goals first.

Ryan was somewhat disgusted by the self-centeredness (sometimes known as "narcissistic personality disorder") and told Chet that he was selfish. Chet countered with a number of lines beginning with his usual "You know what?". To that, Ryan should have responded with a, "You know what? You're a douche." Instead, Ryan had one final admonition for Chet: "Just keep one thing in mind. It's about the message, not our careers." Chet yelled back, "I know it's about the message!"

Unfortunately, the message that Chet was referring to seemed to be, "I'm Chet! It's all about me!"

Ryan, JD, and a Fish, In Bed

Weeks after JD Ordonez's infamous and ill-fated shaving cream prank, time had pretty much dissipated the intense ire that Ryan Conklin had first felt about it. Yet Ryan was still somewhat peeved about the circumstances of the prank, which he called "the dumbest prank I've ever seen in my life." He had wanted to retaliate against JD, and had created an elaborate scheme that would ensure that JD really suffered. However, over time he had decided that he really liked JD and so couldn't really do anything to hurt him. Instead, Ryan settled on a slimmed down payback that would more mildly just let JD know that Ryan always gets his revenge.

The one component of Ryan's original plan that he carried over to the lite version was the placement of a fish on JD's bed while he was sleeping. Ryan tried to draw a connection between his use of a fish to JD's love of sea life, but that highlighted an apparent flaw in the plan since a person who is so used to fish wouldn't necessarily be bothered by the sight of one. An easier answer for the fish is that it is a standard tool in Ryan's pranking arsenal.

Ryan acknowledged that JD's prank had caused him to flip out, but he jokingly hoped that JD would handle it "as cool as I did."

Early one morning Ryan set the plan in motion. Ryan put the fish on JD's pillow, but he first put a thick band of clear tape at head level across the doorway of JD's room. When JD would awake and see the fish, he would pick it up and try to carry it out of the room. He would then walk into the tape and the resulting surprise bounce against it would be the real prank.

Everything happened the way Ryan expected it to.

The next day, JD talked to Ryan about it, knowing that Ryan had to have been the perpetrator. At first Ryan denied it, but eventually his pride in his accomplishment caused him to admit to JD that he had indeed set it up. He told JD that the original plan would have been "horrible", but since JD had "proven to be cool over time," Ryan watered it down to just the fish and the tape. Ryan made it clear with this prank he considered them be even and the shaving cream prank was history.

They both laughed about each others pranks and it was clear that they had become good friends. Though Ryan had originally planned some serious vengeance, in the end he only used some good humor. It was evidence that despite the bluster, Ryan is a sweetheart at heart.

Sergeant Ryan A. Conklin

On July 19th, Ryan Conklin, U.S. Army infantryman and star of the MTV series The Real World Brooklyn, was promoted in rank from E-4 Specialist to E-5 Sergeant.

The Army's summary description of the rank: "Typically commands a squad (9 to 10 Soldiers). Considered to have the greatest impact on Soldiers because SGTs oversee them in their daily tasks. In short, SGTs set an example and the standard for Privates to look up to, and live up to."

When Ryan was recalled out of the IRR to active duty in Iraq, it was not a situation that he would have chosen. He had volunteered to serve his country in the military and had done so with distinction, but by the time of his notice he was well into later chapters in his life. As The Real World Brooklyn was airing, it would have been a time for Ryan to capitalize on and enjoy his new fame from being on the show. Instead, he was required to participate in Army training in anticipation of being redeployed to Iraq. Despite the turn of events, Ryan had stated unequivocally that given the reality of it, he was determined to give it his all and be the best soldier he could be. The promotion to Sergeant is a good indication that he has been successful in his intention.

With the promotion, Ryan wonders whether he should remain in the Army where he has proven he can succeed, or leave as previously planned and pursue other dreams. From what Ryan has stated publicly in the past, the life of a military man is not necessarily his passion. For people to be the happiest in life, they should do things they feel passionately about (and hopefully are also good at.) There are people in the military who love everything about it and for them a career there makes sense. For someone like Ryan whose strong interests lay in creative or academic areas, perhaps it would not be the best fit (even though there's no question he would do well on whatever path he chooses.)

As can be seen on this site and on the television show, Ryan can be a funny guy with some amusing foibles. Yet at his core he has great resolve, dedication, courage, strength, and character. It is all these attributes, along with the variety of his talents in song writing, book writing, filmmaking, acting, that make him such an incredibly interesting person. May he have a long and prosperous future and continue to amaze us with all of his endeavors.

Ryan Talks To Katelynn As She Opens Up

"You want to watch her dilate?" Chet Cannon crassly asked Ryan Conklin. Chet was referring to Katelynn Cusanelli's practice of using a medical stent to maintain the space and depth within her surgically produced frankenpoon. This exercise needed to be performed on a regular basis because with its man-made nature, the opening would naturally start to seal itself off otherwise.

Chet was aware that at the moment he posed the question to Ryan that Katelynn was in her room going at it with an open sesame on her cave of wonders. Chet explained a little to Ryan about the process, but Ryan was still a little mystified. Ryan asked Katelynn for some additional clarification. He wanted to be respectful and not too intrusive, so he inquired through the doorway curtain, "You're like shoving something in there right now?"

Katelynn responded affirmatively. Ryan recoiled in horror at the very thought of a va-jay-jay of any kind being in use at such a close distance to him. He pleaded with Katelynn to please put some pants on to cover the offending body part. He then admonished her that she should not be having conversations with anyone while she was locked and loaded, despite the fact that it was he that had engaged her in a discussion while it was occurring.

It was then that Chet tried once again to be like Ryan, but failed miserably. He told Ryan that he had thought of a prank on his own, which would involve using Katelynn's stents. Ryan cut him off immediately and told Chet that he wouldn't allow a prank that would cross the line like that. Chet continued for a second after the smackdown to mumble confusedly and trail off about what kind of supplies they would need, like "rubber gloves and... sterile... I don't know... some type of...... sterile liquid......"

To try to redeem himself in Ryan's eyes, Chet then described a more generic situation of hanging that kind of thing over JD's head while he slept so that it would brush against his lips. Ryan laughed at the general thought of someone being hit by a phallic shaped object.

Ryan was getting to ready to the leave the house but he asked Katelynn one more thing about dilators. He wanted to know specifically what color were Devyn's. As noted previously, Ryan believed in the possibility that Devyn had been born a man.

Ryan laughed at the thought of a multi-colored bat in a box and went on his way.

Ryan On Making Money The Weird Way

Birthday celebrations are very important to Scott Herman. They are an opportunity for family and friends to get together and in a cheerful way show someone how much everyone cares about them. For Scott, his birthday was one time each year when he could let himself be the recipient of encouragement and well-wishes, instead of he being the one gladly giving it to others as he was want to do throughout the rest of the year.

Because Scott's 24th birthday would be during the taping of The Real World Brooklyn, he invited those close to him, and of course his roommates from the show, to party with him in New York on the occasion. Being that it was happening during his time on a world wide television show, it was definitely a special event. The many people who knew and loved him were glad to come, even from New Hampshire, just to show how much they appreciated Scott, his good nature and his generous spirit.

The people came and Scott's party was a success, but there was one exceptionally sour note about it. Scott had become close friends with Katelynn Cusanelli and when she failed to attend the party because of another "commitment", Scott was quite hurt. It was even more painful for him to know that Katelynn's other engagement, which she wasn't willing to give up, was dancing in cage for a few bucks for the amusement of gawkers.

Like everyone, Ryan Conklin was very fond of Scott and it bothered him that Katelynn had not arranged her schedule so that she could attend Scott's party, even though it had been known about for months. After the party had ended, Ryan spoke in the Confessional about it.

Ryan sardonically talked about Katelynn's need to dance in a cage. He than became more incredulous that someone would squander their once in a lifetime opportunity on The Real World by using it to further their aspiration to be a pole dancer. It was Ryan's understanding that people work hard to get away from that manner of making money.

To show his displeasure, Ryan tried to mock Katelynn's likelihood and form of success by suggesting that it would come from being horizontal (i.e. "escorting"). However, Ryan was a little tipsy as he often was in Confessional and after correctly saying "horizontally", immediately thought he had made a mistake and tried to recover by quickly saying "vertically". He then knew and he had definitely messed up the punch line and he just smiled assuming he had added another line to the bloopers reel.

Strangely, there was another odd way of making money that Ryan felt quite alright with and something he would have no problem doing. When he heard that Sarah Rice was making $600 for walking around modeling dresses, Ryan emphatically said that he would put a dress and model it for that kind of money, assuming someone would pay to see a soldier boy dressed that way. There's no more Section 8, so he must have meant it.