Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo
The initial draw of Next Gen NYC was the slew of familiar names and faces — largely the children of our favorite Bravolebrities — coming together to start a new chapter in New York. But the show’s immediate breakout wasn’t someone we watched grow up on-camera. Georgia McCann, the sole cast member who didn’t come from rich or famous parents, quickly emerged as Next Gen’s MVP, letting her guard down in a way that juxtaposed her cast’s more polished presentability. She combed her hair with a fork, declared that she didn’t believe in washing her hands, and, after throwing “legendary” parties like Anna Delvey’s Club House Arrest, attempted to open a club that doubled as a bowling alley.
Now in the thick of the show’s second season, the audience is finally getting to know McCann as more than just the “It” girl of New York party planning. “I think people didn’t know what to make of me that first season,” she says, adding that her quirky rep came as a surprise to her. “I always feel like I’m the straight-edge one in my world, but I think to the general public who isn’t in New York City, I’m really weird and out there.” Of course, “weird” and “out there” is exactly the vibe a reality show needs, and McCann’s sensibility brought a fair share of drama in season two. She clashed with former friend Charlie Zakkour after he swooped in to do business — specifically her business — with her ex. “I don’t think they’re ever going to actually end up executing,” she says of their plans to open a club themselves. (This will come as no surprise to anyone who saw their office, which looked like a graffitied trap house.) In any case, she doesn’t seem particularly hung up over her beef with Zakkour or whether her friends are back on good terms with him. “It is what it is.”
Earlier this season, Riley Burruss drunkenly went after you in what ended up being a rough moment for her. She accused you of doing drugs, threatened to slap a pizza out of your hand, and came close to throwing a glass — all out of nowhere — but you sat there and didn’t really fight back. Why was that your strategy in that moment?
I knew anything I’d do would come off as antagonizing, so I was like, Okay, I’m just not saying anything. I think Riley was really drunk. I’ve been on the other side of that, and you don’t know what’s going to set someone off who’s drunk. It’s not rational thinking, so I was trying to say nothing, but it’s hard because the things that were being said were not super chill.
In that exchange, she also tried to make fun of you for not being able to afford a Birkin. It’s not the first or last time comments about money have been made on this show. What do you make of that?
I’m very used to it, honestly. My family and I moved to a one-bedroom, the three of us, after my dad left. It was in the best public-school district, which attracts more wealth, so I’ve always been around this. It doesn’t really faze me.
You opened up on the show about getting inpatient treatment for an eating disorder between seasons. How have viewers responded after you shared that story?
The response has been very positive overall. I didn’t want to make it my narrative and be the eating-disorder girl, but I also did feel a responsibility to share my story because a big part of not getting treatment earlier was the embarrassment and shame. I can tell it helps people and that’s really special. It’s a privilege to have the platform to be able to talk about this.
Something I really appreciate about Next Gen is the show’s willingness to break the fourth wall. Is that a relief, that you’re allowed to acknowledge at times that you’re shooting a reality show?
I love that they’re doing that. So much of our drama is built around those fourth-wall details, so I don’t think the show could function without breaking it. It sort of reminds me of YouTube drama — it feels so personal because there’s no production team between you and the YouTuber. With us, you’re getting a closer experience of the drama in that sense.
Maybe the biggest fourth-wall break was the show following you guys to BravoCon, which is a lot to take in even without the cameras in tow. What was it like getting to enter that world and meet the fans in person?
I didn’t think anyone would care that I was there, but people were cheering when I got out of the car. I felt like a real celebrity. It was really cool, but I found it to be grueling adding the filming to it. We would be doing full days in glam, in heels, meeting people, being “on” constantly, and then immediately would have to go film a scene. It was very overwhelming.
I also had some personal things going on. A friend who I was supposed to bring with me passed away, so I was having a psychosomatic response or something. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I got sick the last day — that I think was from these deviled eggs. It was sort of an unconscious response to that. But the absolute best part — and this is not me, like, sucking the dick of everyone — was genuinely meeting the fans. That was when I felt the most relaxed.
Because you had all that going on, you understandably skipped a night out with the rest of the cast. Weirdly, it became a key turning point in the group’s dynamics. Was it strange emerging the next morning to find that everyone made a 180 and were suddenly cool with Charlie?
It’s such a relatable experience. Growing up, did you ever go somewhere over the summer and then you’d come back to school and they’d all be bonded and have inside jokes? It’s like, Wait, what are you guys talking about? You feel so on the outs and that was literally what missing one night with them felt like. I was like, Yesterday was not the same landscape as today.
Was that tough? Leading up to that point it felt like everyone was finally seeing what you were seeing, then you lost them in one fell swoop.
Charlie is incredibly charming and fun, so I’m not surprised that people warmed up to him in a social setting. Is that lasting? Maybe not. But I never had an intentional campaign to get people to dislike Charlie. I was just trying to genuinely share my experience. I don’t believe in revenge.
You just released a book of poetry, which we didn’t get to see on the show. How did that come about?
I’ve always been into writing, but I had an ex and we were long distance for the majority of the relationship so we’d write each other poems and only communicate via email. That got me into it just for fun, and I had poems in my notes app for a really long time. In January, this indie publication I follow was open for submissions, so I submitted and they accepted it. I didn’t even consider that it would be a book or anything anyone would read.
You just filmed your very first reunion. That’s a much different environment than you’re used to. How do you think you did?
I’m not gonna lie, I don’t think I do well in hyperproduced settings. Also, this sounds so dumb, but it was freezing on set. I was chattering the whole time, so I was not even thinking that much about the conversation that was going on. I was thinking about preserving my body warmth. I was a little bit flustered during the reunion, but maybe the audience won’t notice that.
There’s been a few instances of your castmates not being as aware of pop culture as you are — earlier this season they notably didn’t know what Rocky Horror was, for example, and some struggled to place Rowan’s mom, Brooke Shields. If you could assign them all three classic New York movies to enrich their cultural palate, what would they be?
Moonstruck, with Cher. Paris Is Burning. Then maybe a Scorsese? Hmmm, let me think, this is the most important question. No, let’s say When Harry Met Sally. I’m not gonna go too niche.
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