By Tammy Tyler
Photo: Courtesy of MTV

How many times have you deleted emails or MySpace messages because they weren’t from someone you recognized? Brooke Labarbera received a very unexpected message from an unknown sender that changed her life – forever. The message read something like this: As the producers of MTV ’s Real World, your profile caught our attention and we want to invite you to submit an audition tape for the upcoming Real World – Denver. After graduating college with a degree in communications, Labarbera moved from Nashville to LA with the intention of pursuing something in the entertainment industry. Within two weeks, she received an email, went for an audition and got an offer to be on the show. “Everything happens for a reason and this was meant to be. It would be insane for me not to take the offer. I was so thankful for this opportunity and I was going to do my very best to really find myself through this.” part of the experience was to work on becoming a better person and I decided to just go with it... After moving into the Real World house, the elation quickly faded. “Being the oldest of the group and accustomed to being alone, I was getting frustrated and irritated by everyone. However, part of the experience was to work on becoming a better person and I decided to just go with it. I am thankful for the show because it has made me a better person.” Since the show, Brooke is using her newfound fame to reach out to others. Along with other cast mates, she travels to different colleges to share her experience in hopes of encouraging others to have an open mind and try new things. Brooke Labarbera is an inspiring young woman who is grateful for what reality television has done for her. “I was just a normal, everyday girl with a dream of stardom. Reality TV is a fun way for people like me to live out that dream in our own little way.”