Two Ts In A Pod: “Dirty Rush: Having High STANDARDS”

Podcast: Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge
Episode Date: September 20, 2025
Duration: ~53 minutes
Key Guests/Voices: Gia Giudice, Mercedes Northup, Jen Fessler, Elizabeth, Rowan, plus several listener call-ins

Episode Overview

This episode of "Dirty Rush" dives deep into the world of sorority standards—a committee that handles member behavior and discipline within Greek life. Through candid stories from hosts, guests, and call-ins, the show exposes the realities, stressors, and sometimes the humor of being called before this mini “government.” Listeners are offered a behind-the-scenes look at what standards means, how it impacts sorority women, and the sometimes arbitrary nature of enforcement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is "Standards" in Sorority Life? (03:01)

• The "Standards" committee acts as a behavioral oversight group within sororities, responsible for addressing violations of chapter rules and etiquette.
• Gia sets the stage: “Standards is basically a group of people who run a committee and basically punish you on your behavior. There is proper etiquette and proper behavior that is necessary while being in a sorority.” (03:03)

2. Strictness and Varying Experiences

Guest: Mercedes Northup (04:53 - 08:13)

• Mercedes shares her journey at Iowa State as a member of Delta Zeta (DZ).
  • She recalled the transition from not knowing anything about Greek life to joining, and being surprised by the rules and fines.
  • “They love sending my ass to standards. They really did.” (06:45)
  • Discusses frustration over fines for missed meetings and minor infractions—“I was tired of getting fined… It was just so expensive.” (07:12)
  • Dropped out junior year due to costs and feeling micromanaged.

3. Standards as President: Bizarre and Intense Situations

Guest: Elizabeth (08:29-10:16)

• As former president of a UCLA sorority, Elizabeth explains the frequent infractions from parties, especially bus rides to events.
  • “Every single event, without fail, somebody would throw up on the bus… the sober monitors… would report them back to the sorority…” (09:00)
  • She herself was once called in for throwing up on the bus, saying, “Not my proudest moment…” (10:10)
  • Many punishments simply involved being made a sober monitor or missing mixers.

4. The Peer Pressure Element

• Gia recounts being peer-pressured to drink on bid night, resulting in older sisters having to write apology letters when Standards found out. (10:25-11:13)
  • Quote: “No, like, 100% I felt peer pressured… Standards got wind of it, and then my older sisters got in trouble.” (10:49)

5. The Emotional Toll

Guest: Miranda (12:25-13:57)

• Opening line: “When you say the word standards, I get chills in my body. It literally brings back trauma feelings.” (12:25)
• Shared her unique story of getting called in for unpaid dues—something outside the usual party/social media incidents.
  • “I'm 19, I have, you know, $20 at best in my pocket… It was just very awkward, hilarious experience.” (13:07)

6. Social Media and Double Standards

Guest: Elizabeth’s “Heart System” Story (17:57-23:40)

• “Posting with alcohol” is a common standards offense.
  • If the chapter Instagram (with an incognito girl’s name) comments a heart on your post, you’re to delete it immediately, no questions.
  • Elizabeth ignored the heart—twice. “My ambitious self was like, oh, they're gonna forget about that… And so I was like, oh no, like two hearts. Now I should probably delete it. But I didn't.” (18:29)
• Discussed favoritism: “They pick the people they want to call out, and then they pick people that they're like, oh, they can get away with it.” (19:06)
• On punishment: “They had me write a handwritten letter… saying exactly what you said before. This is a reflection of us as a chapter.” (22:13)
  • Having to hand in a letter at chapter in front of everyone felt “shaming” and awkward.

7. Parental Perspective and Advocacy

Jen Fessler’s story about her daughter (25:34-27:30)

• Frustration with how quick the standards process is, and how little support or conversation comes before disciplinary action.
  • “The whole point of this is that you meet these girls and they become your sisters... What happened before bringing you in front of a disciplinary committee?” (26:13)
• Sometimes, emotional or mental health-related circumstances bring girls to standards, even when they didn’t do anything “wrong.”

8. Fairness, Favoritism, and Leadership

• Discussion on how being on the Standards committee can be complicated, especially when the people involved are friends or roommates.
  • “I just wouldn't want my friends or people to not act as they normally would around me just because I'm on this committee. You know what I mean?” —Elizabeth (32:26)

9. Standout Standards Story: The Stolen Composite

Guest: Rowan (33:23-41:19)

• At UCLA, Rowan jokes about never being called in until a prank gone awry: stealing a fraternity composite photo from a wall as a joke.
  • “We ripped it off of the wall and ran out of the house… I left it on the side of the road because we were worried about… I felt bad.” (34:18)
• How she got caught: “I got caught on the security cameras outside of their front door, and they had a full video of it.” (38:00)
• Consequence: Had to write a two-page apology letter to the fraternity president; the prophesized $500 fine never materialized because “the frat was too lazy to send the bill.” (39:24-40:23)

10. The Most Public Standard of All: Gia’s RHONJ Story

Gia Giudice’s own standards experience (44:28-50:14)

• Recaps infamous RHONJ incident (2021) where a fellow Housewife made an analogy involving her and drug use, which aired on TV.
• Sorority Standards heard the rumor and insisted on formally calling Gia in to ask if it was true that she used cocaine.
  • “I'm sitting on this Zoom call with, like, a straight face, and they go, Gia, like, we saw what was… what had just aired on Bravo. Do you participate in doing the drug cocaine? And I was like, no, I do not.” (45:29)
• Felt the process was humiliating, unnecessary, and invasive, given her peers knew her character.
• The fallout: “I was so upset that I texted Jackie Goldschneider about it afterwards… It was humiliating, you know, to be called to standards for something that I didn't do.” (47:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mercedes Northup on being fined:
  “They love sending my ass to standards. They really did.” (06:45)
• Elizabeth on favoritism:
  “They pick the people they want to call out… and they pick people that they're like, oh, they can get away with it.” (19:06)
• Jen Fessler on supporting girls:
  "What is this for if it's not to find people that are going to be on your side? Not for everything—when you do something wrong, you do something wrong. But in this case, she hadn't." (26:19)
• Rowan on her standard story:
  “It was a huge composite… We ripped it off of the wall and ran out of the house.” (34:18)
  "I got caught on the security cameras outside of their front door..." (38:00)
• Gia on her standards meeting:
  “I'm sitting on this Zoom call with, like, a straight face, and they go, Gia, like, we saw what had just aired on Bravo. Do you participate in doing the drug cocaine? And I was like, no, I do not.” (45:29)
  "It was humiliating, you know, to be called to standards for something that I didn't do and that I would never entertain or engage in." (47:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• What is standards? — 03:01-03:46
• Mercedes Northup on DZ and dropping out — 04:53-08:13
• Elizabeth (UCLA) on sober monitor system and being called — 08:29-10:16
• Gia's bid night peer pressure/anecdote — 10:25-11:13
• Miranda on unpaid dues standards stress — 12:25-13:57
• Elizabeth on social media “heart” system and favoritism — 17:57-23:40
• Jen Fessler’s parental perspective — 25:34-27:32
• Rowan’s story: stealing a frat composite — 33:23-41:19
• Gia Giudice’s RHONJ/standards committee humiliation — 44:28-50:14

Tone & Takeaways

The overall tone is open, occasionally irreverent, and marked by moments of genuine reflection and camaraderie. The group doesn’t shy from calling out the absurdity or arbitrariness of some standards procedures or the emotional impact, but also recognizes the intent behind creating responsibility within the sorority.

Themes:

• Balancing enforcement and empathy in sorority life
• The very real pressures and anxieties of being “called in”
• The impact of public persona and social media
• Favoritism and inconsistencies in rule enforcement
• Growth, learning, and “sisterhood” despite (or even because of) the hardships

Final Thoughts

This episode paints a vivid picture of how “having high standards” isn’t always straightforward—it’s about social navigation, perceived fairness, and facing up to both mistakes and misunderstandings. For listeners curious about Greek life, it’s an eye-opening, at times hilarious, at times sobering account from those who’ve lived it.

Moral from Jen Fessler: “Girls, don’t post things that you don’t want to get in trouble for. That’s the moral of this story.” (33:16)