Johnny Richmond

**Jonathan Nathaniel** "**Johnny**" **Richmond**, **Jr**. is an American television personality. He was a cast member on *The Real World: New York*, the first season of the reality television series *The Real World*.

Afterwards, Richmond competed in *The Challenge: Dynamic Duos*, where he was eliminated in episode five.

## Biography

Richmond was born on 13 September in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia to parents Jonathan and Carola Richmond. Jonathan works at an auto repair shop, while Carola is a teacher's aide at the local elementary school. His family has some Scotch-Irish heritage, and he was raised a Southern Baptist. Richmond is the eldest of four children; his younger siblings include Elise, two years younger than him, Maci, four years younger than him, and Travis, seven years younger than him.

Richmond attended public schooling, graduating from Berkeley Springs High School. While a high school student, Richmond was a member of his varsity football team, and also played baseball. Following his graduation, he began working at his father's auto repair shop.

## Background

*Johnny was born to a small-town family in the rural town of Berkeley Springs, located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Growing up in such a small, rural town, Johnny learned how to make his own fun at a young age. He recalls playing sports "religiously," and biking into town to "cause trouble." Johnny played high school varsity football until graduating and finding employment at his father's auto repair shop. He states that he loves small-town life and its simplicity, as it suits his personality type as an introvert. However, he is still excited to come to New York to see if life in the big city is right for him.*

## *The Real World*

Richmond became a cast member on *The Real World: New York*, the first season of the reality television series *The Real World*. After arriving in the cast's New York residence, Richmond quickly formed a bond with his roommate Alec Taylor and an attraction to Maria Thorne. Taylor was the first homosexual person Richmond had ever met, as there were no openly gay people in his hometown, and he became very fascinated with the community and what life is like for a gay person. Taylor took the cast members to a New York gay bar in order to have a fun night out and educate them on the community.

As Richmond's attraction to Thorne grew, he developed a rivalry with Anthony Pirozzi. Both he and Pirozzi had an attraction to Thorne, and she was unable to chose between them; hanging out with Richmond during the day at the cast's residence and with Pirozzi during the night while working at a nightclub. After being taken out on a date by Richmond, Thorne realized that he was the one that she wanted to be with, and let him know that she was ready to stop messing around and taking things more seriously. However, the next night, Thorne drunkenly hooked up with Pirozzi, forgetting what she had said to Richmond the previous night. After discovering what happened, a physical altercation breaks out between Richmond and Pirozzi the following morning, which had to be broken up by security.

Following Thorne's betrayal, Richmond confided in his good friend Taylor and Tasha Williams, whom who he also began getting closer with. After Thorne apologizes to him, and admits that she doesn't want to be with anybody but him, adding that she was scared of her emotions after getting hurt in love many times before, he forgives her, and they make their relationship official.

### Reunion

After leaving New York and returning to West Virginia, Richmond continued his relationship with Thorne long-distance, and also frequently visits both Taylor and Williams in Massachusetts and Maryland, respectively. He remains in contact with every member of the cast except for Pirozzi, whom he called an "asshole" and someone he "never wants to associate with." He additionally revealed that he and Pirozzi got into another physical altercation after filming had ended, while the entire cast was in Los Angeles for an event. He still works at his father's auto repair shop in Berkeley Springs, but is planning on moving permanently to New York shortly, and living with Thorne after she moves there to work for *Vogue*.

### *The Challenge*

#### *Dynamic Duos*

As an alumni of *The Real World: New York*, Richmond took part as one of the alumni in *The Challenge: Dynamic Duos*. He was impressed enough by Lulu Byrd in the obstacle course for her to be selected by him as his partner for the duration of the show. Byrd was initially well-liked in the house, but her popularity began to fade after drunkenly kissing Richmond, while his girlfriend Maria Thorne looked on. This resulted in Byrd and Thorne getting into a physical altercation and Byrd's ostracism from the rest of the contestants. Richmond and Byrd were then sent into the elimination challenge in episode five, where they were eliminated by Thorne and her partner Peter Munro.