Not many new high school graduates can boast they are on a reality TV show, but Taylor can. He's one of the high school seniors on "The Scholar," which is airing at 7 p.m. Mondays on ABC.
Viewers will soon find out if he is the lucky student who has won a Fulbright Scholarship to any college of his or her choice.
Taylor is also in the cast of "Li'l Abner," the Texas A&M University-Commerce summer musical, that will open at 8 p.m. Thursday on the Main Stage of the Performing Arts Center.
Other performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10. For the second week of the run, shows will be at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 13-16; and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 17.
In "Li'l Abner," Taylor plays Evil Eye Fleagle, who is part of the nefarious plan of General Bullmoose to destroy Dogpatch, USA and accumulate all of the money in the world.
"Evil Eye Fleagle mystifies people with his eyes," Taylor said. "I get to be the villain and sneak around doing evil deeds," he said. "This is a change of pace from my high school roles of the good guy."
Taylor said being in the summer musical is a good experience for him. "It's my first musical, and I'm learning a lot," he said.
The student, who enjoys helping with the summer theater camp at the Northeast Texas Children's Museum, says he will be back in Commerce next year to help with the camp. "I would never miss that," he said, adding he may try to be in the 2006 A&M-Commerce summer musical as well.
This summer, he is fitting in working at the Commerce Sonic a few hours most days before attending rehearsals for "Li'l Abner."
At Commerce High, the student acted in plays and the dinner theater productions. Taylor also stayed busy playing in the band and was the school mascot.
A Commerce resident for eight years, Taylor and his family moved to Hunt County from Dallas.
He says he enjoys living in Commerce and attending CHS. "I love small town life in Commerce," Taylor said. "I was a Summa Cum Laude graduate at Commerce High, and I don't think in a bigger school that all of that would have been possible."
Taylor, who wants to study theater in college, found out about "The Scholar" TV show while looking at a Web site for scholarships. Friends Lucia Simonelli and Will Latson encouraged him to do the paperwork and submit an audition tape.
"Lucia and Will forced me to audition. They said, 'You are perfect' and I thank them so much for this," Taylor said.
Tapings for the show were in January, February and March in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. "Coming from a small town and going to Los Angeles was culture shock major," Taylor said.
The show paid airfare and food costs for the 10 seniors from around the country selected to be in the show. "We were going to the hottest places to restaurants," he said.
Taylor said the students on the show "definitely bonded and there were so many theater and band people" that he could relate well to them.
The CHS 2005 graduate will definitely be attending college this fall, but is not telling which school and the scholarships he has received until after all of "The Scholar" broadcasts.
Tickets to "Li'l Abner" are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, and $5 for students.
For reservations, call the University Playhouse Box Office at 903-886-5900.
BUSY SUMMER - Gerald Taylor, one of the high school seniors in "The Scholar" reality TV show airing on ABC this month, is appearing in the Texas A&M University-Commerce production of "Li'l Abner." Taylor is a May 2005 graduate of Commerce High School. The A&M-Commerce summer musical opens on Thursday, July 7, and will run this weekend and July 13-17 in the Performing Arts Center on campus. (A&M-Commerce photo)