NYC Prep
Encyclopedia
NYC Prep was a reality television
program on the Bravo channel. It followed six Manhattan teenagers in their daily lives as they attended events such as weekend parties, fashion shows, shopping sprees, charity events and dinner parties. The show drew many comparisons to the hit CW
television show, Gossip Girl
because both shows revolved around the lives of Manhattan's "elite" teenagers.
. She is an academically driven student who had hoped to become a member of the class of 2014 at Harvard University
and was previously a student at the Nightingale-Bamford School
. However, Camille has decided to attend The College of William & Mary in the fall of 2010 to join the class of 2014. Only her math SAT score was released from her blog; she answered two questions incorrectly on the math portion. Camille has a younger sister, Lillie, who is 14. She lives with her mother, Cinda, and her stepfather, David, in Manhattan; her father, Craig, lives in Salem, Virginia
. Hughes is currently pledging the Delta Delta Delta
sorority.
on the Upper West Side
of New York City. She and one of her closest friends PC have a love/hate relationship, and she enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology
in fall 2009. Jessie interns for evening wear designer Carmen Marc Valvo
.
of New York City. She is a member of the school's class of 2010. Kelli's parents live in The Hamptons, while Kelli and her older brother share an apartment. Kelli's mother is a realtor. Her father is the owner of a printing company. She used to go to Westhampton Beach High School. She attends Boston University
.
. His father is Jeff Oppenheim, a theater and film director, producer and writer. His mother is Djida Oppenheim. He has a sister, Stephanie. Sebastian is a member of the school's class of 2011. On August 13, 2009, photos of Oppenheim and a friend surfaced of them wearing imitation Hitler mustaches using black tape to make swastikas on a car seat and car window. Sebastian worked for some time on raising money for his charitable concern--building wells in Africa. He is working in association with BULA. He will be attending College of Charleston in the fall. Sebastian's official website is www.sebastianoppenheim.com.
, a public high school in Battery Park City, New York. Taylor is a member of the school's class of 2011. She now attends City As School
in New York City. She is the only cast member who does not attend a private high school. Despite the fact that she attends public high school, she is still friends with many teenagers from the private high schools. She lives on the Upper West Side.
on the Upper West Side as well. He is the grandson of billionaire and former US Secretary of Commerce Peter George Peterson
. His grandmother Joan Ganz Cooney
created Sesame Street
. PC's mother is Paige Peterson
, a noted painter and writer. His father is David Peterson. PC's parents are amicably divorced. PC attended Rollins College
in Winter Park, Florida
for one year before returning to New York. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He was in the movie, "Twelve" starring Chace Crawford
and 50 Cent
.
Additionally, an article titled "Who's Afraid of 'NYC Prep'?" appeared in the style section of the New York Times. The article ended with a quote by Victoria Goldman, the author of The Manhattan Guide to Private Schools and Selective Public Schools, stating that "The schools on this show are all at the bottom, there would never be a Brearley girl on this show." It should be noted however, that Camille's friend Maite who appears in multiple episodes graduated from Brearley.
(It should be noted with respect to this criticism that the one public school with a featured student, Stuyvesant High School, consistently surfaces in the rankings of the best schools in the nation when its results are included.).
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program on the Bravo channel. It followed six Manhattan teenagers in their daily lives as they attended events such as weekend parties, fashion shows, shopping sprees, charity events and dinner parties. The show drew many comparisons to the hit CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
television show, Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
because both shows revolved around the lives of Manhattan's "elite" teenagers.
Camille Isobel Hughes
Camille Isobel Hughes is an 18-year-old at the Professional Children's SchoolProfessional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
. She is an academically driven student who had hoped to become a member of the class of 2014 at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and was previously a student at the Nightingale-Bamford School
Nightingale-Bamford School
The Nightingale-Bamford School is an independent all-female university-preparatory school founded in 1920 by Frances Nicolau Nightingale and Maya Stevens Bamford. Located in Manhattan on the Upper East Side, NBS is one of the top ranked private schools in New York City and among one of the...
. However, Camille has decided to attend The College of William & Mary in the fall of 2010 to join the class of 2014. Only her math SAT score was released from her blog; she answered two questions incorrectly on the math portion. Camille has a younger sister, Lillie, who is 14. She lives with her mother, Cinda, and her stepfather, David, in Manhattan; her father, Craig, lives in Salem, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
. Hughes is currently pledging the Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
sorority.
Jessica "Jessie" Leavitt
Jessica Leavitt is an 18-year-old graduate of the Dwight SchoolDwight School
The Dwight School is an independent, college preparatory school located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Dwight offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum to students ages two through grade twelve. Approximately forty countries are represented among its student body.-History:Founded in 1872...
on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of New York City. She and one of her closest friends PC have a love/hate relationship, and she enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, generally known as FIT, is a State University of New York college of art, business, design, and technology connected to the fashion industry, with an urban campus located on West 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of...
in fall 2009. Jessie interns for evening wear designer Carmen Marc Valvo
Carmen Marc Valvo
Carmen Marc Valvo is an American designer who specializes in evening-wear and high-end cocktail dresses for a line of the same name, which was founded in 1989...
.
Kelli Brooke Tomashoff
Kelli Brooke Tomashoff is a 17-year-old student at the Birch Wathen Lenox School on the Upper East SideUpper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of New York City. She is a member of the school's class of 2010. Kelli's parents live in The Hamptons, while Kelli and her older brother share an apartment. Kelli's mother is a realtor. Her father is the owner of a printing company. She used to go to Westhampton Beach High School. She attends Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Sebastian Oppenheim
Sebastian Oppenheim is a 16-year-old student at Ross School, a private school in East Hampton, New YorkEast Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
. His father is Jeff Oppenheim, a theater and film director, producer and writer. His mother is Djida Oppenheim. He has a sister, Stephanie. Sebastian is a member of the school's class of 2011. On August 13, 2009, photos of Oppenheim and a friend surfaced of them wearing imitation Hitler mustaches using black tape to make swastikas on a car seat and car window. Sebastian worked for some time on raising money for his charitable concern--building wells in Africa. He is working in association with BULA. He will be attending College of Charleston in the fall. Sebastian's official website is www.sebastianoppenheim.com.
Taylor DiGiovanni
Taylor DeGiovanni is a 15-year-old student who previously attended Stuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
, a public high school in Battery Park City, New York. Taylor is a member of the school's class of 2011. She now attends City As School
City As School
City-As-School is a public high school located in the West Village of Manhattan New York City. Since its opening in 1972, City-As-School has been distinguished by its curricular focus on experiential learning through internship. City-As-School is built on the idea that all children learn...
in New York City. She is the only cast member who does not attend a private high school. Despite the fact that she attends public high school, she is still friends with many teenagers from the private high schools. She lives on the Upper West Side.
Peter Cary "PC" Peterson
Peter Cary "PC" Peterson is an 18-year-old resident of the Upper West Side in New York City. Although the show chronicles his life on the Upper East Side, PC resides on the Upper West Side with his mother. He attended the Dwight SchoolDwight School
The Dwight School is an independent, college preparatory school located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Dwight offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum to students ages two through grade twelve. Approximately forty countries are represented among its student body.-History:Founded in 1872...
on the Upper West Side as well. He is the grandson of billionaire and former US Secretary of Commerce Peter George Peterson
Peter George Peterson
Peter G. Peterson is an American businessman, investment banker, fiscal conservative, author, and politician whose most prominent political position was as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972, to February 1, 1973 under Richard Nixon. He is most well known currently as...
. His grandmother Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop , the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street. Cooney received her B.A...
created Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. PC's mother is Paige Peterson
Paige Peterson (artist)
Paige Matthews Peterson is an American painter and illustrator specializing in acrylic landscapes, portraits, and figural images. She is the former daughter-in-law of billionaire and former US Secretary of Commerce Peter George Peterson. She now lives and works in New York City and East Hampton,...
, a noted painter and writer. His father is David Peterson. PC's parents are amicably divorced. PC attended Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
in Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
for one year before returning to New York. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He was in the movie, "Twelve" starring Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
and 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | June 23, 2009 | August 11, 2009 | |
Specials
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Season 1
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Criticism
Filming was not allowed during school, nor were any school names specifically mentioned on the show, as the schools desired to distance themselves from the show. Dorothy Hutcheson, head of Nightingale-Bamford school, sent a letter home to all Nightingale parents, warning them about the show and the potentially negative portrayal of the school on the show.Additionally, an article titled "Who's Afraid of 'NYC Prep'?" appeared in the style section of the New York Times. The article ended with a quote by Victoria Goldman, the author of The Manhattan Guide to Private Schools and Selective Public Schools, stating that "The schools on this show are all at the bottom, there would never be a Brearley girl on this show." It should be noted however, that Camille's friend Maite who appears in multiple episodes graduated from Brearley.
(It should be noted with respect to this criticism that the one public school with a featured student, Stuyvesant High School, consistently surfaces in the rankings of the best schools in the nation when its results are included.).