A-List's Austin Armacost Sounds Off

It's been a long winter! Without a doubt one of the coldest in recorded history...or at least it felt that way. As the weather warms up, the sky gets bluer and everyone's t-shirt gets tighter, I'm consciously more aware that soon the downtown bars will be a buzzing, the VIP clubs will be over-flowing and the LOGO film crews will again be capturing the fish-bowled adventures of the A-List: New York.

With the exception of a couple seasoned celebrities, the cast of the A-List New York came out of the fog of obscurity into instant notoriety. For better or worse, they had entered into the realm of reality show stardom, which can be fleeting, but nonetheless something that nowadays seems to be the golden ring everyone is lining up to get. But amid every cast of any reality television show, there's always a standout character; the player everyone tunes in to either love to hate, or hate to love.

On The A-List: New York that honor goes to Austin Armacost. It's impossible to argue that had it not been for the weekly tumult created by him, The A-List New York would have hardly been worth the ride. Stirring the pot seemed at the top of his list, no doubt proving that Armacost had been doing his reality show research before signing onto the show. "There really wasn't much of a discussion about what our 'roles' were going to be like on the show," he explains. "I knew going into it...people were going to like the drama."

Villainous inspiration?

He admits that one particular reality villain did influence his performance as the show's cameras began to roll: The Apprentice's Amorosa. "Everybody knows her name, and let's face it, Reichen and Rodiney bring the meat," Armacost colorfully shares, "but I bring the spice!" A witty comparison that he himself wishes he could take credit for, when in fact it came from a fan on his Twitter page. "I just thought that was brilliant," he says with that signature playful grin.

Playing the villain was perhaps Austin's most well-timed media ploy in his bid to stand out amongst his cast mates. But did it come at a price? Did it portray him unfavorably in the eyes of the audience? Armacost couldn't care less about public perceptions. "You have to love and respect that Austin could really be less concerned about what anyone thinks of him." said Dominic Pupa, the A-List: New York's executive producer.

"I use the word 'shameless'," Austin admits when describing himself. "Being from Indiana -my family is very open and free. I'm very comfortable being naked...that's not to say that it hasn't gotten me into trouble at home, but it's very natural for me."

Certainly his various and voluminous attributes caught the attention of Reichen Lehmkuhl, much to the distress of his live-in boyfriend Rodiney Santiago. Hinted at, though never truly confirmed, there was a dangerously unresolved liaison between Austin and Reichen that lead to tension amongst the group.

story continues on following page.

Watch this youtube interview with Austin:

Sleeping with Reichen?

I was understandably apprehensive to ask Armacost to reveal the intimate details of his relationship with the show's main stud muffin. "We've gone on a few dates, we've never had sex," he confirmed. "They just took that sound bite, and ran with it." The glint in his eye may well betray that there's more there than he's letting on, but Armacost is already well versed in creating the drama that made the show such a hot trigger topic in its first season.

The conversation became quite honest and revealing. Armacost does have strong feelings about "those two" - referring to their ongoing dilemma, leaving me to imagine that the conflict will be a potent part of the upcoming second season, and will be addressed when the show goes under the lens again this spring.

Many have questioned how Armacost supports himself (he appears to be a man of independent means, attempting to restart his modeling career). Was it his brief attachment to celebrity designer Marc Jacobs? Austin is quick to dispel this assumption. "I started modeling when I was 17 years old, and I invested my money very wisely." His father, an accountant, certainly made an impression on him. "I knew it wasn't going to last forever. Modeling is a very short term career."

Armacost has also been profiting now from his newfound fame through various sponsored appearances across the nation. He also donates his time to charitable causes, along with the rest of the cast.

Although recently being thrown into the spotlight, he tries to live modestly. "I don't fly first class. I don't stay in penthouse suites when I travel - that's not me. I've been very fortunate in my life to do some really cool things, but I'm really just a guy from Indiana." With a penchant for upsetting the apple cart every now and then.

Gay rights activist?

Now that the show has been on hiatus, his life has been much simpler...more relaxed. Although traveling to meet the demands of his busy schedule, "When I'm here, in New York, I'm full-throttle!" But Armacost does consider the UK, the home of his "other half" - his husband Jake (who was introduced only briefly in the show) a welcome diversion from life in the city. "We have dinner at 6 o'clock, at 7 we have a cocktail or a glass of wine, and then we crawl up in bed, watch TV or read a book."

Not the sort of domesticated lifestyle you'd expect from the bar brawling Austin - lest I allow him to forget about that drink in the face at Rodiney. He becomes flustered when I reminded him of that classic Season One moment, which almost didn't make it to air. "We needed that table flipping scene," Austin jokes. Then he brings the conversation back to Jake. "I let Jake get away with a lot just because of his accent," he smiles.

"Once Jake moves here, it's going to be very different," he explains. It's Important to understand that this relationship has awakened Armacost to the reality of federal discrimination faced by bi-national couples. "There was Don't Ask, Don't Tell and then there's the Defense of Marriage Act - which doesn't allow my husband to [legally] join me in my home country" he articulates. President Obama has already dealt with the blind prejudice of DADT, but DOMA is still a hot button issue in our continual fight for our civil rights as Americans.

Armacost describes how difficult it is for him personally. "Family is so important to me, and to see my own brother upset because I can't bring Jake, my husband, home with me - it's just heartbreaking." (Although their nuptials are recognized in the UK, in the States, Austin and Jake are referred to as "Legal Strangers", parties who are connected but have no legal rights.) "I didn't come on the show to be a role model," he insists, "but I'm going to use this new found fame to make this country more progressive. It's so important to get across that we're just like everyone else."

On a more trivial note, will fans come back for more Austin inspired drama in Season Two? "I didn't come on the show with an agenda," Armacost assures me. "I'm going to be me...I'm gonna get drunk, get naked, and fight bitches who talk about me behind my back."

I'm happily relieved.

A benefit to splitting his time between the UK and New York is Armacost has avoided the negative backlash that the show and its stars have been subjected to, somewhat unnecessarily. "The show is a soap-opera," he insists. "It's a television show and not [necessarily] our 'real lives'. It's whatever gets edited down. We do the show to be entertaining and to have fun."

He doesn't take the harsh critics very seriously. "We all knew signing up for this project that we were going to be judged, but in reality television if you try to produce yourself to come off a certain way - that just never works. This is me - I'm fun, I'm loud and I like to have a good time."

And with the coming of Season Two of LOGO's A-List: New York, you can bet that when Austin Armacost and crew return to take a bite out of the Big Apple, it'll be delicious!

Watch this Wendy Williams interview with the cast of the A-List: New York.