When I heard Tiffany “New York” Pollard of “Flavor of Love” and “I Love New York” was coming to Blackman Auditorium to talk about sex as part of Sex Week, I stopped everything I was doing, logged into myNEU and got myself a ticket. I was so excited.

My brother and I have seen every episode of “Flavor of Love,” “I Love New York” and even “Real Chance of Love,” a spinoff of “I Love New York” about two brothers competing for New York’s affections. I know – weird. So of course I had to brag to my brother that I was finally going to get to see the original HBIC (look it up).

Then it occurred to me: What in the world is this woman going to talk about that could be of any relevance to me? Sure, it’ll be pretty cool to see her live and in the flesh, but past that, what could she possibly have to say that could keep a group of college kids entertained for an hour and a half?

What I did know was that, on “Flavor of Love,” she was terrifying. She was constantly fighting with the other girls, calling them awful names and pulling their hair. Even on “I Love New York,” where she was searching to find her own mate, she seemed insane. In one challenge, the contestants’ task was to make a dish with ranch dressing – New York’s favorite food – as the main ingredient. I remember how mean she was to one very nice, cute guy because she didn’t like his ranch dressing cheesecake. What is a dude supposed to do when you tell him to cook something with ranch dressing? At least give him an A for creativity.

But the second she walked onto the stage, I knew it was going to be a good show. She was honest, funny, witty and charming. In a story I did for last week’s News, Resident Student Association Vice President for Programming Jimmy Okuszka told me this would be New York’s first time speaking in a college environment, but you would have never known.

She was a pro; engaging, smart and – dare I say it – classy. She managed to cover everything from birth control pills to condoms to getting caught doing the dirty by her mom, and deliver it in a light, funny way with just enough sass.

Her skill extended beyond just addressing students who are sexually active. During a Q&A session at the end of her talk, a girl approached the mic and asked Miss New York a question that sent the entire audience for a loop.

“What advice do you have for someone who wants to remain a virgin forever?” she asked.

Obviously, this evoked a mixed reaction from the audience. The crowd got even more uneasy when they realized the girl was serious. New York herself was even surprised, but I think both the girl and the audience were satisfied with the way New York handled this question.

At first, she seemed stunned. Understandable, since most of the other questions revolved around her favorite sex positions, losing her virginity and her sexy strut. But she calmed down, sat and asked the girl a few questions about herself. Turns out she wanted to be a nun, but her parents told her she had to go to college first.

New York told this girl she can respect that, but to remain open to other possibilities. The girl seemed not only happy and satisfied with the response, but also respected. That was really cool to see.

So I guess the lesson I learned from seeing Miss New York in person was that you can never judge anyone based on how they seem from a secondary source. And it’s true. Reality TV, despite its name, is nothing close to real.

Think about it: You’re shacked up in a house with say 20 other people, usually competitors, who know nothing about who you are or where you’re from. You have to wake up at a certain time every day, do whatever they tell you to and in most cases, have no contact with friends or family. Add that to the fact producers are trying to create a story from the events going on – there always needs to be a good guy and a bad guy – and they’ll make anyone look as naughty or nice as they want.

You wouldn’t know it from watching the show, but after hearing what New York has to say, it’s clear she’s a cool chick. The moral of this story is, don’t judge a book by its cover. Or, in 21st century terms, don’t judge a person by the way he or she acts on a reality show.

-Laura Finaldi can be reached at [email protected]