Former UW-Eau Claire student and Homecoming queen Jackie Thomas starred in the reality series “Playing it Straight” last spring.

The show’s premise was that she date 14 men, several of whom were gay. Each week, she narrowed the group until the final episode in which she arrived at her final choice. If she picked a straight man, she and the guy split a million dollars. If she picked a gay man, he got to keep the whole prize.

Although the show only aired three episodes, Thomas chose a straight man, and they shared the million-dollar prize.

“It was quite an interesting experience, that’s for sure,” she said.

Thomas, who said a friend aware of her acting aspirations brought her to the audition, said that when one is behind the scenes, he or she learns a lot about TV and its production aspects.

“It’s something I’d definitely only do once, but if it’s something you’re interested in, go for it,” Thomas said.

The good comes with the bad, as Thomas had to take time off school and be willing to drop everything.

According to an article in Variety magazine entitled “Straight down the drain,” “Fox put reality skein ‘Playing it Straight’ on hiatus as part of an overall shake-up of its Thursday and Friday programming. It averaged a meager 3.9 million viewers and a 1.7 rating shared among adults 18-49 over its three aired episodes.”

“I can’t say it was cancelled due to ratings. It aired on Fridays, and no shows have been successful on Fridays. It was also during March Madness and spring break. I honestly don’t know why it didn’t continue. They blamed it on the ratings, but I think it may have been something deeper.” Thomas said

After winning $500,000, many might buy a car or spend a lot in one place, but Thomas has other plans.

“I just deposited the check the other day. I’ll probably donate some to breast cancer awareness, invest a lot, pay back my parents and pay for school,” she said. “But, I’d love to travel and explore the world one day.”

Many students and faculty close to Thomas said they were concerned when she picked up and left school with very little warning or reason. Senior Maggie Gilbert, a member of Women’s Concert Chorale with Thomas, said, “We were really confused and worried about her. That was the mutual feeling. We were concerned that it may have been personal problems, but when we found out, it was really a relief.”

“It was definitely hard to be confidential and keep secrets from friends and school,” Thomas said. “I just had to leave and not put myself in that situation, so I left to live at home for a while. If I would have broke FOX’s contract, I would have had to pay millions of dollars that I don’t have.”

A vast majority of reality show relationships don’t last, but Thomas and the guy she chose haven’t let that keep them down.

“We are still dating,” she said. “We started out as friends and gradually saw each other over the year. It’s really exciting and ironic, because usually relationships don’t last when coming out of a show. We both really like each other, and we have the long distance thing going.”

“I think it’s fantastic that she’s still with him,” senior Melissa Thone said. “It sounds like they’re doing well, and I’m very happy for her. The last time I heard from her, he was coming to visit and meet her parents.”

“I love it, because he was my choice when I watched the show,” Gilbert said. “Good for her. She definitely made the right choice.”

After shooting the show, there was still much work to be done.

“As part of the publicity deal, I did Good Day Live, The Ryan Seacrest Show, The Best Damn Sports Show Period and met the cast of American Idol and The O.C.,” Thomas said. “They definitely keep you busy. It’s pretty crazy. I’d do publicity from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It was a whirlwind.”

Thomas’ acting future is still unknown, but no matter what she decides, her friends will be behind her, they said.

“It’s awesome she went ahead and seized the opportunity. The audience just loves her,” Gilbert said. “Her personality is addicting. If you meet her, you’ll love her,”

Thomas currently is continuing her education at the University of Wisconsin and is keeping very busy.

“I didn’t do anything I regret,” Thomas said. “It was a fun cast. They bring out the best and worst in people, but that’s reality TV.”