ANDERSONVILLE — Ten of the eleven members cast members for the Swedish reality show "Allt för Sverige" gathered at Simon's Tavern, 5210 N. Clark St., to live tweet the show as the 5th season premiered Sunday.
As the crew from gathered in the Andersonville bar, folks over in Sweden, where they estimate about 1 out of every 3 people watch the show, were getting their first glimpse of the American participants. Their responses on Twitter highlighted the differences between an American reality show and a Swedish one, they said.
"I think the best part of it is seeing them be so responsive. They only sent me really positive things. That you wouldn't see in American reality TV," said Jamie Lystra, of Grand Haven, Mich.
Lystra, whose social media accounts blew up with comments and selfies from her new male fans, said she was overjoyed with how accepting Sweden was of her bubbly attitude.
"A lot of people try to tone me down... the 'be seen, not heard' attitude. To get this positive response, it's so flattering. I grew up as the short, fat, funny girl... I'm so awkward. It takes me off guard, for sure," Lystra said.
Watch the full episode of "Allt för Sverige" below:
In the first episode of the show, which takes Americans with Swedish heritage back to Sweden to trace their family heritage, the cast is introduced to the country, then immersed in the culture by way of tasks like grocery shopping, having coffee with residents and trying surströmming.
"It was incredible. It was something I've always wanted to do since I was a little girl. Going over there was definitely like I was completing something for my family," said Lystra, recalling how she and her dad had spoke of flying over there and knocking on doors to find family.
Ten of the cast members from "Allt for Sverige" gathered at Simon's Tavern, 5210 N. Clark St. Sunday[ Courtesy of Facebook]
Nathan Arling, 36, of Logan Square, has a big network locally as a drummer for Urge Overkill and The Last Vegas. He says the show allowed him to increase that family not only with blood relatives, but with a cast of different characters all seeking similar answers. Bringing the cast back together to watch the show in his hometown was amazing, he said.
"[Togetherness] was a big part of the experience. It was just great to watch it together with the people you experienced this adventure with. It's hard to describe an experience like this," Arling said. "They never told us what we were doing. We'd show up and our jaws would drop and we'd just jump into the experience."
During the show, which relies on culture shock and the element of surprise, cast members were surprised by family members from Sweden and given only two minutes leading to a very quick emotional moment. The moment happened hours after landing in the country and was the beginning of a tiring emotional journey, the cast said.
That day, the cast rounded a big red barn and saw familiar looking Swedes holding signs with their names on them. Arling, the head talent buyer at Double Door, met his second cousin and the connection was immediate, he said.
"That was another thing that was a complete surprise," said Alring, who's Swedish on both sides of his family. "I saw this guy from a distance and I could just see he was from my father's side. He had tattoos and was like a Swedish rock-n-roll guy. And you could see how cool it was for them also. It was neat to see we were mutually excited."
For Andersonville resident James Morgan, the reunion was almost too emotional and definitely too short. Morgan, who said the show was a nonstop journey from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., didn't even learn the name or relationship of his relative "because he didn't speak English."
"I wasn't ready for that and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't even use the two minutes, I just stood there and cried," said Morgan, who's the first from his family to return to Sweden.
"All my Swedish friends have relatives in Sweden, but I've never been able to say that. I have 150 relatives in the U.S. Nobody knows anyone there. There was no connection, so it was amazing."
The second episode will debut next week.
James Morgan, Jamie Lystra and Swedish-born Gustav Wiberg discuss the episode at Simon's Tavern Sunday. [DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
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