Real Deal: Former DeKalb resident competes to be Andy Dick's personal assistant on MTV reality show

Former DeKalb resident Tanika Kennedy has been starring on MTV's reality show "The Assistant." She was eliminated in Monday's episode of the show that is designed to find a personal assistant for actor Andy Dick. Provided photo

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A former DeKalb resident who starred in a reality TV show designed to find a personal assistant for actor Andy Dick was eliminated Monday night after outlasting nearly all of the competition to become one of the final three contestants. Tanika Kennedy, a former Kaneland High School student who later graduated from Freeport High School, in 1998, wasn't sure what to expect when she signed up to be on MTV's "The Assistant." "I thought it sounded like a good idea," she said. Following high school, Kennedy moved to DeKalb and started taking classes at Kishwaukee College in Malta. Her family runs Sugar Momma's, a candy store at 901 Lucinda Ave., underneath the Village Commons Bookstore near Northern Illinois University. Besides taking classes at the community college, Kennedy was working as host of the Internet and cable show "Entertainment Chicago." A producer of the show brought up the idea of applying for "The Assistant." Kennedy filled out a 35-page application and sent in an audition tape. In the following days she received a call from the producers of the show asking if she could be in Los Angeles in three days. It was Kennedy's first time in Los Angeles. All 12 contestants stayed in a hotel for three and a half days and were instructed to talk to no one. The contestants had no idea whom they would be working for during the show. "I was like 99.99 percent sure we were going to be assisting Jessica Simpson," Kennedy said, referring to the pop singer who also stars in an MTV reality show. Kennedy was wrong. When her car pulled up to the house where the show was filmed, she was greeted by Andy Dick. For most of his career, Dick has had small parts in movies such as "Old School," "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Road Trip." He also spent four years on the '90s TV show "NewsRadio." Kennedy had just seen Dick a week earlier on the show "Celebrity Justice," which chronicles the legal problems of Hollywood stars. The program showed Dick spitting at someone. "My first thought was, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to get spit on,'" Kennedy said. Kennedy later changed her mind about Dick, who she said made her laugh almost every day during the three and a half weeks of taping. "He's pretty much the same with the camera off," she said. Contestants on "The Assistant" were put through several strange challenges, with at least one competitor getting eliminated every episode. Most of the challenges were spoofs of what is seen on other popular reality shows. "(Dick) had strange ways about going through things sometimes," Kennedy said. On her final episode, Kennedy was eliminated after not being able to finish eating a Popsicle made of headcheese. It was all part of a series of tests that were very similar to what is seen on NBC's "Fear Factor." In another challenge, Kennedy had to carry a movie script and a cup of coffee while walking across a narrow plank placed across a swimming pool. "It's a farce, and I see all of that now," Kennedy said. "When I was there, I was working my heart out." The part of the contest Kennedy hated most wasn't her having to eat gross food or being made to clean out a bowl filled with Dick's vomit. It was when she had to sing during a parody segment that was done with "American Idol" in mind. "I have the biggest fear of public singing you could ever have," she said. "I definitely didn't sign up to sing on national TV." Some on the show viewed her as trying a little too hard to get in good with her boss. She didn't realize that anybody thought this about her until she started watching the episodes. "I knew going into it you could be portrayed however the editing room wanted," Kennedy said. "I think I was portrayed differently every show." Kennedy also said one of the difficult parts of being on the show was knowing how much footage was not aired on MTV. She couldn't really go into detail about what is not on the show. For three years, contestants are not allowed to talk about what is not aired. Following the show's tapings, Kennedy flew back home. When she got off her plane, she began to cry. She wanted to go back to Los Angeles. About a week later, Kennedy's belongings were in boxes and she was ready to head back to the West Coast. She is currently working and taking acting classes. "I felt if the audience bought into me as a person, it would follow me with my work," she said. Under stipulations set by the network, Kennedy cannot pursue her career until the show is done airing. The final episode will be shown at 9:30 p.m. Monday. Other episodes have been rerun on the network several times. One thing is for certain about Kennedy's future when it comes to reality TV shows. "I know I will never do another one again," she said. Rob Carroll can be reached at rcarroll@pulitzer.net.