West Coast students reveal secrets of the real O.C.

Fox's "The O.C.," which recently premiered its second season, is a bona fide phenomenon. For a staggering number of young adults, the show's world of extravagant parties, fancy cars and huge mansions surrounding the pseudo-soap opera possesses an irresistible allure. But one has to wonder if the real Orange County, California truly resembles how it's portrayed on the show, or if producer McG based the whole thing on a load of bunk.

"It's similar in that it's like a sort of wealthy beach town, and the kids are sort of spoiled and have everything they want, but that's the way that most teenagers' lives are portrayed on TV," said Julie Sarkissian '05, who grew up in inland Modjeska Canyon, which is in northeast Orange County. "Places in L.A., Florida... I'm sure you can find a lot of places that are pretty similar." Sarkissan pointed out that Orange County extends far beyond the wealthy town of Newport Beach, where "The O.C." is set, with a population of three million, a large portion of which are of immigrants from Mexico. "The show represents Newport Beach, but not really Orange County," she said.

Others from Orange County see things slightly differently; Matt Sargeant '08 comes from Huntington Beach, or "surf city," and doesn't watch the show because he doesn't want to know how the rest of the world perceives his own. "Orange County as a whole is a lot more upscale. That's why I'm pretty sure that they're close to home [on "The O.C., just not my area. I think I'm North Orange County, and that's South Orange County," he said.

Even if the entire county isn't represented by the show, at least a portion seems fairly accurate. "There are some scenes that are kinda legit," said Emily Turner '08, who hails from Newport Beach itself. She said, "There are some times [when] everybody'll say 'This is such an O.C. party,' or 'This is so O.C. right now." Even some major plot lines are lifted directly from Newport Beach life. "A lot of the development and the issues that were going on [in the show] were some issues that were going on in real life," she said. For example, the entire developing-over-preserved-wildlife plotline was based on a real controversy that sprang up some years ago. Nevertheless, Turner maintained that all the business goings-on are "clean and nice," so you won't find many shady dealings or corporate scandals in the real O.C. – at least, not in plain view.

It's also not uncommon for kids to make trips to L.A., as happened in one episode. "That's very common. The people in Orange County sort of like travel to the same places," Sarkissan said. Tijuana and Las Vegas, though – also subjects of "The O.C." episodes – are the kinds of locations that college-age kids, not high school-age kids, tend to frequent. At the same time, according to Sargeant, people from more middle-class neighborhoods in Orange County rarely go on such trips.

Of course, the creators of "The O.C." have fudged more than a few details about the setting. While the show is dead on about the area's numerous yachting activities, Turner complained about the character Seth Cohen's one-man sailing triumphs. "There's no way that Seth could have sailed to Catalina on that little catamaran and back to Santa Barbara," he said. Also, while central character Ryan Atwood's hometown of Chino is depicted as particularly run down, Turner said it isn't as bad as it is portrayed on the show. The wonderful aerial beach and landscape shots on the show are actually of Pallas Verdes, not Newport Beach itself. And the Newport Harbor school at which the Cohens enroll their child is, in fact, a public school that most definitely does not resemble the colonnaded private Harbor School of the show.

So while "The O.C." might capture at least the atmosphere of the Newport Beach bubble, it isn't exactly a good travel guide for the area. It's not even a good way to tell what the people are like in Orange County – people who are really a lot more laid back and less high-strung than the show's characters. Sarkissan said, "It would be hard to find a family with that much personal strife as they do." Turner went so far as to say "The show is completely ridiculous. It makes the O.C. look like a ridiculous catty mess." Nevertheless, in spite of – or perhaps because of – such absurdities, "The O.C." is entertaining enough to suck viewers week after week from Orange County and beyond into its addictive and enticing grasp.

And for all those who "love (the real) O.C." – or rather, the West Coast itself — the West Coast Students' Club was recently formed for students from Orange County to Oregon and beyond. Sam Carlton '06, who co-founded the club along with Nik Ajagu '05 and Alex Ryder '05, said that in addition to bringing West Coasters together, they hope to organize activities like trips, "The O.C." parties and maybe a Luau or two. The club had its first meeting yesterday, but don't worry if you're from the West Coast and you missed it – the meeting was mostly organizational, and there are going to be plenty of opportunities to get involved in their events as the year goes by.