Two Ts In A Pod – "Dirty Rush: Behind Closed Doors"

Date: August 30, 2025
Hosts: Teddi Mellencamp & Tamra Judge (iHeartPodcasts)
Featured Guests: Gia Giudice (Berkeley Sorority Exec), Daisy Kent (Rutgers alum)

Episode Overview

In this episode, the hosts dive deep into the secrets and pressures of sorority "rush" season—the process of recruiting new members—by bringing in real-life experiences from two insiders. Gia Giudice, currently serving on exec at her university's sorority, and Daisy Kent, a Rutgers alum, reveal what actually happens behind closed doors as houses prepare for recruitment. The focus is on the logistics, emotional challenges, meticulous planning, and unspoken rules of rush, especially as colleges across the country enter the thick of the recruitment season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Work Behind Rush Preparation

[03:16 – 06:03]

• Early Move-in & Daily Schedule:
  Gia explains that sorority executive boards arrive a week before regular members to run daily 9-to-5 drills, teaching new members all rituals and processes for every rush round: unity, sisterhood, philanthropy, and preference ("pref").

  • "For the past eight days, it’s basically been like a 9-to-5 job teaching all of our new members the rituals for each round and kind of how it works." – Gia Giudice, 03:16

• Bump Groups Explained:
  Daisy reminisces about her time organizing and being part of "bump groups"—mini-teams ensuring that no one member is left stuck with a potential new member (PNM) too long during house tours.

  • "You mess it up, like you might be stuck talking to the same girl for the entire 40-minute round." – Gia Giudice, 04:43

• No Phones Allowed:
  Gia highlights the strict policy of no cellphones during recruitment, meaning all planning must be memorized or written down ahead of time.

The Science (and Stress) of "Bump Groups"

[06:26 – 07:43]

• Strategic Construction:
  Bump groups are carefully crafted for balance: not too many similar personalities, hometowns, or grades; diversity is integral to avoid bias toward PNMs from within.

  • "It’s the different personalities, the different locations, different majors, all that type of stuff." – Gia Giudice, 06:47

• "Knowing Someone" Dilemma:
  Both women discuss the awkwardness when a PNM knows an active member. Should it be acknowledged, or kept under wraps?

  • "As a PNM, when you’re going into a house, if you know someone from your hometown... do I acknowledge that I know them? Am I not supposed to? What if I have to talk to them?" – Gia Giudice, 07:43

Strict Rules & Secrets

[08:01 – 09:20]

• Taboo Topics:
  PNMs and actives are forbidden from openly discussing parties, boys, or social life—which is especially tricky when friends interview each other.

  • "You’re not allowed to talk about going out and social life and boys... it's so difficult when you're standing there and you know the person..." – Daisy Kent, 08:01

• Fines for Infractions:
  Even taking something as innocuous as a napkin from the house can result in significant fines.

Intense Preparation: More than Meets the Eye

[12:19 – 13:18]

• Stakes for Executive Board:
  The executive team works tirelessly all summer, planning every aspect—from party flows to wall scrubbing—to ensure the house is immaculate and well-organized.

  • "So much more preparation than just memorizing party flows. You have to clean up your house... check everyone’s room to make sure they look acceptable and clean." – Gia Giudice, 12:37

• House Tours:
  New members are coached on which rooms to showcase and which to avoid (definitely not the bathrooms or laundry room!).

The Anatomy of a Rush Week

[16:38 – 19:18]

Gia and Daisy walk through a day-by-day breakdown of the rush process:

1. Unity Round (First Two Days):
   • All PNMs visit every house (approx. 13 at Berkeley, similar at Rutgers), each round lasting 35 minutes.
   • Speed-dating format; actives vote after each party.
2. Sisterhood Round (One Day):
   • PNMs visit fewer houses, engage in longer, more meaningful conversations and house tours.
   • "This is where you’re getting to know our house and how our sisterhood is in general." – Gia Giudice, 17:47
3. Philanthropy Round:
   • More personalized discussions; houses fine-tune matches for fit.
   • "As each round goes on and on, they get longer and longer, and you’re having more personable, personalized, intimate conversations..." – Gia Giudice, 18:17
4. Preference Night ("Pref"):
   • The most crucial and emotionally charged round: "your time to shine".
   • Only the remaining top PNMs return; frank conversations about the real sorority experience happen here.
   • Suicide bidding (only listing one house) is strongly discouraged, as it can reduce chances for both parties.

Culture, Pressure, and Authenticity

[19:18 – 23:31]

• Steep Drop-Off:
  The transition from philanthropy to pref sees more than half of returning PNMs cut, raising stakes for both sides.
• Breaking Script at Pref:
  Gia and Daisy reveal that by the final round, many houses drop pretenses—open conversations, including previously banned topics, become fair game to allow PNMs to see the “real” sorority.
  • "If you bend the rules a little bit, they feel connected to you and ... it just gives more of the transparent vibe that like, what you see is what you’re going to get." – Gia Giudice, 23:11
• Advice to Actives:
  Daisy's closing guidance: the most important parts of recruitment are learning your bump groups and being your authentic self.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 03:16 | "For the past eight days, it’s basically been like a 9-to-5 job teaching all of our new members the rituals for each round and kind of how it works." | Gia Giudice | | 04:43 | "You mess it up, like you might be stuck talking to the same girl for the entire 40-minute round." | Gia Giudice | | 06:47 | "It’s the different personalities, the different locations, different majors, all that type of stuff." | Gia Giudice | | 07:43 | "As a PNM, when you’re going into a house, if you know someone from your hometown... do I acknowledge that I know them? Am I not supposed to?" | Gia Giudice | | 08:01 | "You’re not allowed to talk about going out and social life and boys... it's so difficult when you're standing there and you know the person..." | Daisy Kent | | 12:37 | "So much more preparation than just memorizing party flows. You have to clean up your house... check everyone’s room to make sure they look acceptable and clean." | Gia Giudice | | 18:27 | "As each round goes on and on, they get longer and longer, and you’re having more personable, personalized, intimate conversations with the PNM." | Gia Giudice | | 23:11 | "If you bend the rules a little bit, they feel connected to you and ... it just gives more of the transparent vibe that like, what you see is what you’re going to get." | Gia Giudice |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:16] – Gia details 9-to-5 training and the prep week for sorority execs
• [04:43] – Daisy and Gia share “bump group” mishaps
• [06:47] – The art of building strategic bump groups
• [07:43] – Navigating old friendships and awkward familiarities during rush
• [08:01] – What you can’t talk about—and all the delicate rules
• [12:37] – The real labor of preparing a sorority house for rush
• [16:38] – Step-by-step: what each rush day looks like
• [18:27] – How conversations get deeper with each round
• [23:11] – Authenticity as the final recruitment “secret”

Episode Takeaways

• Sorority recruitment is not just glitz or chit-chat—it’s strategic, labor-intensive, and emotionally demanding.
• “Bump groups” are a meticulously engineered system vital to how houses present themselves and interact with potential new members.
• Authenticity, adaptability, and rule-bending—especially in the final rounds—help crest the divide between performance and true connection.
• Both Gia and Daisy stress that while rules exist to ensure fairness, the best results come from presenting the real, unvarnished sorority experience.

This episode offers an eye-opening, honest, and sometimes humorous look behind the scenes of sorority life—informative for former Greeks, PNMs, and curious outsiders alike.