Realty Television has not only become a hot topic but a cult phenomena. Whether you love it or hate it you’ve been sucked in at one time or another. From Love & Hip Hop, Married to Medicine or The Real Housewives of Atlanta we’re all intrigued by the lives of the men and woman who appear on these shows. Reality TV is a guilty pleasure for millions around the world weekly accompanied by anticipation, anger and victory.
Although, if you asked what makes reality television entertaining, we would have to say it’s less about the people and the shows themselves that fascinate us, it’s the individuals who blog and video blog about them. The flavor, charm and uniqueness each commentary possesses is far more entertaining than watching a reality show for an hour.
We recently caught up with Atlanta vlogger (Funky Dineva Ross) to learn more about the character, the person behind this fun-loving persona and dig deep in the mind of someone who impacts reality television and see how success has changed his life.
How did the persona Funky Dineva Ross come about?
Truthfully, it all came about by happenstance. I was cleaning up the basement in December of 2010 when I found a wig under the sofa from the previous Halloween. I put the wig on, picked up my iphone and started saying “yasssss—my hair is layed”. I continued to ramble while the camera was recording. I thought it was pretty funny. Tried to text the video to a friend but the file was too large. I uploaded to my YouTube channel. Subsequently, the video got posted on Facebook and took off like wild fire. That video is actually still available on YouTube. It is called “My hair is layed”. From there I continued uploading videos and the rest is history.
Who is Quentin and how is he the same or different from Funky Dineva?
Anyone who knows Quentin pre Funky Dineva would say that Funky Dineva is nothing more than Quentin with a wig on… Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. Hehe.
Curious minds want to know, when you record your videos recapping the various reality show episodes, do you prepare your comments ahead of time, or are you just talking off the cuff?
I talk totally off the top of my head. From my heart, to my head, out my mouth.
Atlanta has been an American hot spot for a few years now. Do all the reality shows based out of Atlanta provide a true representation of the culture and the people of the city?
Absolutely NOT. They show the extremes on both sides of the spectrum. People want to move to Atlanta thinking that life is going to be something like what they see on Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, or something like what they see on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. The truth is, the reality of what Atlanta really is like is somewhere in the middle.
How do you view reality television? How does it influence society today?
It’s a fun escape from our own boring mundane lives. I think it helps us with our issues in the sense that we get to see we aren’t the only ones going through certain things. I’m sure that there are 1 or 2 reality tv personalities that we can all relate to, another 1 or 2 we can look up to, and another 1 or 2 we can hate.
I think it influences society today immensely. On one token, it can be a motivating factor for many when we get to experience people’s triumphs alongside them. It influences society extremely negatively when people witness others seemingly be positively rewarded for negative behavior.
When you record your videos, it appears you’re talking to your girlfriends. Describe those girlfriends for us. Who are they, what are they up to, what are they interested in?
Nessa Gurl!!! The audience is Nessa. I’m talking to that good friend that we all have that you can just let your hair down around and gossip low down and dirty. They really aren’t doing much of nothing, hence why they are waiting on me to call with the Tea. Haha. Only messy people with nothing to do sit up and gossip ALL DAY, ie Funky Dineva and Nessa…
You’re becoming a cult phenomenon, how are you impacting reality television and how viewers experience it?
I definitely think I am impacting reality tv in the sense that I am providing people with close to real-time social interaction with what they are seeing on the screen. I think I’m impacting reality tv in the sense that many of my sentiments are taken to heart by the networks and reality personalities themselves. Truthfully, I think the Funky Dineva character has become so widely popular because she says what the general bulk of viewers are thinking. With that, Funky Dineva serves as 1 big focus group for the networks. Cha-Ching!
Out of all the reality shows, which one is your favorite and why?
Uhmmm…. If you are forcing me to choose just one, I would have to say RHOA.
What projects do you have in the mix?
Going out on tour for 4 months starting September 4 with ‘A Mother’s Love’, the stage play produced by Kandi Burruss. There may be a move to LA somewhere in there, and got some other TV things in the works. Have been playing around in the studio with some musical and comedy things, so we’ll see what happens.
