Erika Lauren Wasilewski, known on-air simply as Erika Lauren, is a former American radio personality, singer-songwriter and former

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

personality, known as a cast member on '' The Real World: D.C.'', the 23rd season of the long-running series, which aired from 2009 to 2010. She later became a co-host on ''

The Alan Cox Show WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...

'', and as the lead singer of the band Hawkeye, released the LP ''Ruthless'' in 2013.

Early life

Erika Lauren Wasilewski is originally from

Frankfort, Illinois Frankfort is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Cook County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 20,296. According to Forbes.com, in 2007 the village ranked as the 36th fastest growing suburb in the Un ...

. After high school, she began studying at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

, but subsequently transferred to

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...

to study arts entertainment and media management with the intent of working in the radio industry. Wasilewski described her formative interest in the medium, saying, "I grew up listening to

WKSC-FM WKSC-FM (103.5 MHz) – branded "103.5 Kiss FM" – is a commercial Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex on ...

’s DreX in the morning. I would be laughing the whole time and thinking, Hey, I want to do that!"

Career

Reality television

During her senior year, Wasilewski responded to a casting call for the 23rd season MTV

program ''

The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...

'', which she viewed as a way to break into the entertainment industry. In her audition video, she described herself as a "rock 'n' roll singer-songwriter with a little bit of sass." She was cast in the season, which was set in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, and featured her living with several other cast members in a 10,800-square-foot house in

Dupont Circle Dupont Circle (or DuPont Circle) is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW ...

for three months in 2009. MTV's biographical information for her described her as a singer/songwriter who enjoyed being the center of attention, both professionally and personally. She was also indicated to be a guitarist. Her bio also stated that she had a history of childhood loneliness and depression, and that her lingering need for affection was evident in her relationship with her boyfriend Ian, from whom separation was difficult during her time in Washington. In the premiere episode, she was indicated to be in a group called Hawkeye. However, from the beginning of filming, Wasilewski found the experience to be more difficult than she had anticipated. During the course of the season, she expressed frustration and discomfort in regard to her musical plans, her recurring depression, and her presence in the house, and eventually moved out in Episode 12. She later described her exit from the show with a laugh, saying, "I'm sometimes known as the girl who cried all the time on the show. There's no way to prepare for that invasion of privacy."

Radio and music

Wasilewski served as a co-host on ''

'', an afternoon drive

hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

program on

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

rock station

WMMS WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...

(100.7 FM). During her time as the lead singer of the now-defunct band Hawkeye, the band released itsdebut LP ''Ruthless'' on July 16, 2013. Wasilewski was also a member of the cover band Pop Vulture.

Personal life

Falsifying cancer diagnosis

In July 2009, Shabooty reported that Wasilewski falsely claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer following a breakup with her boyfriend, as a plea for attention, and according to her ex-boyfriend Billy, spent nine months maintaining this lie. When interviewed by ''

TimeOut Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'', Wasilewski confirmed the report, saying, "Um, there is some truth to what you're hearing. Yes, it happened. Yes, I regret it. If I could take it back, I would. I was going through some severe emotional problems at the time. I was lashing out and craving attention wherever I could."

POTS diagnosis

In 2018, Wasilewski revealed she was diagnosed with

postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition characterized by an abnormally large increase in heart rate upon standing. Symptoms may include lightheadedness, brain fog, blurred vision, weakness, fatigue, headaches, heart ...

, or POTS, after which she was absent from her position at

for several months.

References

External links

AlanCoxShow.comWeAreHawkeye.com''The Real World: D.C.'' – Cast Bio page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasilewski, Erika Lauren Living people Radio personalities from Chicago The Real World (TV series) cast members American people of Polish descent Year of birth missing (living people)