Emily Schromm, 21, seemed pretty happy-go-lucky when I met her. She certainly didn’t hint at the fact that she "was raised in a fundamentalist Christian cult," according to MTV press materials. (Don’t worry: She broke free, and as "an athletic tomboy, Emily used sports as a way to ease her entry into a more secular existence.")
Living in Columbia, Mo., Emily was a student at the University of Missouri before joining the show. She worked at Starbucks back in those days -- and yes, that is a key detail: One day, MTV held "Real World" auditions right next door to her coffeehouse. "A guy kept coming in and out, and I kept making caramel macchiatos for him. It ended up being casting director. He asked me to come back and talk to him more, and so I did..."
While in D.C., she worked at Africa Action. She enjoyed D.C.'s festivals: Adams Morgan Day and the H Street Festival, she says. At some point, she -- along with the entire cast, I presume? -- went to Annapolis and jet-skied. The cast didn’t go on one of those MTV-all-expense-paid trips to Bali though. There is no vacay this season.
Emily seems like she was prepared for regular American life. But is she ready for "The Real World" to air? Questionable. Schromm now tweets, like fellow cast member Lindley. She responded to last week’s Washington Post article with a one-word declaration: "weirrrdddddddd."
Meet Real World DC Cast Member “Emily” was originally published on Housing Complex on Nov. 2, 2009, at 5:36 p.m.
