When it comes to reality competitions, alliances are usually formed, but there is still the focus of the competition. On Brand with Jimmy Fallon does something different, by pitting people against each other but also making them work in teams.
Lauren Karwoski and Sabrina Burke are from vastly different backgrounds, and they’ve both had the opportunity to be a part of a team and lead a team, pushing to get their campaigns picked as the next big one. However, episodes 5 and 6 were probably some of the biggest yet, especially when it came to that Super Bowl opportunity!
The two hopefuls sat down with us exclusively to talk about their experiences on On Brand with Jimmy Fallon, especially when it comes to teamwork and the pressures of the competition.
GeekSided: Let’s start with the fact that nobody went home this week. What was that like for you going into these campaigns and learning that nobody was heading home?
Lauren Karwoski: Raj going home ripped my heart out, so I feel like we needed that recovery time in between. When we knew that there was nobody going home, it automatically lightened the mood. Everyone almost had fun with the projects, pitches, and activations. Raj and BT were tough losses for everyone.
Sabrina Burke: I agree 1,000 perfect with Lauren. It really just lightened the load, and we were able to enjoy ourselves and just work on the activations and work as a team. We all became so close right off the bat, so every elimination did rip our hearts out. It was so hard to see anyone go home, so to know that no one was going home after this did give our hearts a break. Definitely!
GS: I keep saying that this show is so different to the rest. You’re working as teams while competing against each other. It’s more like a job than a show.
LK: I think one of the difficult parts of the show was having to go up against someone in a head-to-head, and then next week, you could be put on their team. It definitely causes you to always make sure you were putting your best foot forward with everyone. You wanted to maintain those relationships, because someone that you could be pitch-battling one week could be controlling a major part of your activation as your team lead the next week. So, it was definitely like a real job in the sense that you need to get along with your co-workers.
Truly, those friendships go way beyond what you see on camera. We all keep in touch. We’re all truly close friends, so it was easy in that aspect.
SB: Yes, and just like with Bianca. We went head-to-head very competitively on Sonic, and then the next week we’re on a team together for Captain Morgan. You just have to realize you’re in it to do a job, and you’re competing. You’re trying to get that account for On Brand. It’s a friendly competition.
GS: Let’s talk Captain Morgan and the Super Bowl! What was the pitching experience like, being thrown straight into groups? You have to have your voice heard, but respect others at the same time.
LK: I think that’s where we saw some egos bruised in the Captain Morgan episode. It’s tough to put aside your own pride and admit when maybe your idea wasn’t as good as someone else’s in the group. I feel like this is why we saw a lot of people butting heads in this episode for the first time, more than in previous episodes. At the end of the day, everyone was able to do it, but it definitely had some bumps along the way, because it’s a competition. You want your voice to be head. You never know when that next elimination is going to be.
SB: I definitely agree with bruised egos. At the end of the day, everyone on this show is brilliant, and they’re bringing different talents and different things to the table. That’s what made the team aspect work on my particular team. We had Bianca and Ryan, who are two brilliant, tough competitors, and they both wanted their ideas to work. We combined them, and it was a challenge, but it all worked out in the end.
GS: It definitely did, because your campaign got picked to go to the Super Bowl. How does that feel?
SB: I am so thrilled. First of all, I did not even have on my bingo card at 55 to be on a show like this, and now I’m going to the Super Bowl. It just doesn’t get any better than that.
GS: I am sorry your campaign didn’t get picked, Lauren. I loved that you were part of it dancing. What was that experience like?
LK: That was one of the episodes I was most nervous to watch back, because there was such tension in our team. I was so happy that Elijah got time to shine. He’s one of the people who’s closest to me outside the show, and to defend his idea to Mahiri, I was so proud of him. The campaign came together, and we’re proud of it, but it was a tough episode to watch back, knowing that things were so tense on our team behind the scenes. I’m really proud of what we made.
GS: Pillsbury is next! The Doughboy! What was that like to have the Doughboy come in?
SB: To meet the real Doughboy? That was a highlight.
LK: You’re such a baker, too, Sabrina. I was on your TikTok channel. You’re always doing the recipes. You were built for this week.
GS: And it was such a cute idea. I loved that you could go in saying how you grew up with him and then built an activation based on that.
SB: Yes, it was very exciting.
GS: You’ve both done some big brands, but the Pillsbury campaign was just big in general. What was it like putting together the activations?
LK: I feel like the stakes felt so high because we’re getting through the season. There are only so many campaigns and brands left, so I feel like the pressure was on there. What I felt was so exciting was that the energy this day was so different from any other day, because we were in this super public place in New York City. It was a beautiful day outside, and we had all these people watching us set up and coming through. It felt so surreal to see the public on such a massive scale interacting with the activations.
GS: Did you get to experience each other’s activations?
SB: We did. We got a chance to go through. It was fabulous. I don’t see how Pillsbury was able to pick. They were both so great and so different. Everyone worked so hard. But yeah, we did get to go and experience each other’s, which was a lot of fun. I missed out on the glam bot, so I’m a little salty about that, but it was such a fun day.
GS: I have to ask which one you preferred. I know you had your own teams, but was there a favorite for you?
LK: I have to keep my team loyalty here. I love tangible and getting to touch and do things in activations. I loved the slime and the scent. Bianca’s was just such a sensory kind of experience, and I’m really drawn to those with brand activations.
But I did love Pyper’s. It was so cute, and I feel like you got to see Pyper’s artistic ability shine. She is so talented, and that doesn’t even truly begin to describe her when it comes to art. It was so cool to see.
SB: I agree with Lauren. It was so exciting to see Pyper shine in this episode. She’s very shy and quiet, so people haven’t seen her true personality. She’s got an amazing personality. She’s creative, she’s funny, and to see what she drew on paper come to life was just so exciting. I would love to have a combination of both, where you go into the Doughboy’s house and have some interactive things going on, but like Lauren, I have to stay true to my team. Team Pyper!
GS: What’s the pressure like at this point?
LK: I feel like I had this strong moment early on, even though my idea wasn’t chosen in the end. Then I felt like I had a lull, so I think it was like having a really exciting moment at the beginning of the season, and it definitely lit a fire under me to keep going. With Pillsbury, I felt the pressure to perform with my team, knowing that it had been about two weeks since I had that moment.
GS: And it feels like a lifetime ago for me watching. I bet it’s like that for you with filming it and now watching it!
LK: It feels like we’ve had 10 lifetimes since.
GS: As my last question, I just want to ask which campaign you were most looking forward to going into On Brand with Jimmy Fallon
SB: Hands down, Sonic. My daughter and my mother are on TikTok. They do drinks, and we’re always having this little competition of who can come up with the best drinks, so that just resonated with what I actually do in real life. So, I was looking forward to Sonic because I thought that was in my wheelhouse more than any other campaign. I was so thrilled to get the lead position. I would have loved to have won, but the BBCCD—what is it?—was fabulous.
LK: That is one of my favorite moments from the shows with the confessionals. You’re like “double B, D.” You were definitely built for that one, Sabrina. I loved watching you shine and light up in that episode.
For me, even though I didn’t win the account, it was Southwest. I love anything travel, so I was excited to get to give my input in something like this. I think last year, I took over 50 flights or more. It really impacts my day-to-day, so getting to be a part of that campaign and see behind the scenes was a dream come true.