In just 3 short years, Chris “Drama” Pfaff has risen from aspiring skateboarder to TV star on 2 hit MTV shows by being at the right place at the right time. We got a chance to talk with him about his music, new clothing line and what’s it’s like to be locked in a dog cage at the bottom of a swimming pool.

Campus Talk: So how did you get the name “Drama?”

Chris Pfaff: It just started when I was really young from Rob messing with me the way he pretty much does now to this day. I think I was 12 and he started calling me Drama because he said I was always causing drama or something like that. He was the only one who ever called me that my whole life until I moved out to California and he introduced me to everyone as Drama. Now most people don’t even know my real name.

CT: How did you come to be on Rob And Big and Fantasy Factory?

CP: I really ended up on the show by chance. I moved to LA from Ohio right after graduating high school because both Rob and my Brother lived here. My dream at the time was to be a pro skateboarder and LA is like the Mecca of skateboarding.

Rob told me I could stay at his place for a month until I found a job and an apartment and they started shooting Rob And Big about 2 weeks after I moved out. Rob actually had another assistant lined up but the night before the guy was supposed to start he called Rob and told him his girlfriend didn’t want him to do the show because she thought it was stupid. She told him to choose between her and the show, so he chose her.

I was literally walking through the kitchen as Rob hung up the phone and he asked me if I wanted to be his assistant. Long story short, I said yes not knowing exactly what it would entail. Funny thing is that guy’s girlfriend dumped him like a month later.

CT: What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened on the set of either show that couldn’t be aired?

CP: One time Big called me upstairs and when I got up there he was trying to squeeze into Meaty’s little dog cage. He was joking around and asked me to see if I could do it and like an idiot I got in. As soon as my legs were in he slammed it shut and locked it from the outside. They were laughing and yelling and carried me down and sat me on the side of the pool.

Just as I started to yell at them to not get my phones wet they me in. Even as they pushed me in the only thing I really thought about was my wallet and cell phones getting wet. It really didn’t sink in until I hit the bottom of the pool that I was locked in a metal cage. The bad thing was I didn’t get a chance to get a breath before they threw me in because I was yelling about my phones.

I started kicking and trying to get out and the whole time I was just thinking, “So this is how it’s gonna end? Locked in a dog cage at the bottom of a pool.” About the time I was ready to give up, Big jumped in and picked me up out of the water just in time. We all thought it was funny but either way MTV wouldn’t air it.

CT: What is the filming schedule like and what’s it like being on camera on a daily basis?

CP: We usually film from about 11am to 6pm on weekdays. The good thing about Fantasy Factory is that it’s not like The Real World where cameras are following you around all day. We always know a little bit of what’s going on that day or at least what’s about to happen. If someone rolls into the building with a tennis ball cannon you pretty much know something is about to happen and they’re about to start filming. At this point we’re used to it. We’ve been doing this for almost 3 years and have pretty much fallen into a groove with it.

CT: Has being on TV helped with the ladies?

CP: I can’t lie it definitely does. I don’t know what it is? It’s just something about being on TV.

CT: Do you get Fantasy Factory groupies?

CP: There’s always some sort of fans outside the gate 24/7. As far as groupies go we do get the occasional love note but you have to think there’s got to be something wrong with a girl who will leave a note on a fence with lipstick marks on it saying she wants to hook up with you. One thing to keep in mind is that we’ve learned cute girls don’t drive around to find a Fantasy Factory, kiss a note and throw it over the fence. I think the cute girls have a little more pride than that.

CT: How’s everything going with your music company, Drama Beats? Is there anything new and exciting on the horizon?

CP: It’s going really well. I just signed two producers to work under me which is huge because I want to turn it into more of a production company rather than just me as one man with one keyboard trying to make beats for everyone. I want it to be where we can do music for everything like TV, artists and movies. I’m also putting out a mix tape in the next few weeks to promote both my music and the clothing line. Right now I’m working on getting as many big artists as possible to work with me on the mix tape.

CT: Tell me about your new clothing line, Young And Reckless.

CP: Clothing is something I’ve always had an interest in and have always messed around with designing shirts and stuff. Right after Rob and Big was over I started printing these Drama Beats shirts with “Drama Beats” real big on them. It was more as a joke than anything. I just wanted them for appearances and things like that and I thought it would be funny to have big obnoxious shirts to hand out that just said “Drama Beats” on them.

The Drama Beats shirts were selling surprisingly well on my website – which was mind-boggling at the time because they were cheese black and white shirts - and from there it slowly progressed into a line. As it progressed and became more real I decorated my office with it and people saw it on the show. From there it really snowballed into what it is now. Right now we’re in all the PacSun stores as well as a lot of Zumiez and Tilly’s stores.