Odd Couple Alert: James Frey Weighs In On His Weird JWoww Pairing

What ensued was definite food for thought — Frey seemed a bit shy (though he dished on Oprah's smell — "awesomeness"), and Jenni not at all (surprise, surprise, she even knew who he was!). Plus, there was the unexpected-but-cool revelation that Frey is, as Cohen so subtly puts it, "a sex symbol." Duly intrigued, we hit up Mr. Frey for more elevated dirt on Jenni Farley, reality TV in general, and, of course, Andy Cohen. Read what happens (sorry, we had to) in our exclusive interview below.

Are you a reality TV fan? If so, what shows are your guilty pleasures? "Real Housewives of New York, Miss Advised, Million Dollar Listing. I love The Bachelor and Bachelor Pad. Still watch Survivor."

What's your take on Andy Cohen and Bravo and the whole movement to turn reality stars and housewives into full-fledged phenomenons? "He’s an incredibly smart dude. He was a visionary in seeing the future of reality TV and basically creating it. Bravo makes the best shows, creates the most hype, has the best brand. That is in large part because of Andy. I have a huge amount of respect for him."

What did you think when you were asked to be on the show? "I laughed and said, 'What time should I be there?'"

Better still, what did you think when you heard you'd be a guest alongside JWoww? "Even better. I loved the first season of Jersey Shore. I was very curious to meet her."

Did she surprise you in any way, or was she what you expected?

"She was very cool. Very nice. No attitude at all. We had a ball. She can definitely take a joke, and give one back. Liked to laugh — she was pretty much exactly like she is on TV."

Are you a fan of the show? I mean, when you see Ralph Fiennes and Holly Hunter talking about reality TV (after which Holly did a split on the air!) — it sort of changes the whole perception about real people, reality stars, celebrities, etc. What do you think? "Yes, I am. Andy knew I was before they asked me. The producer, Michael Davies, is a friend of mine. He called me. I was excited to go on — totally open to having fun and being part of what Andy does. There’s no pretense, and the point of the show is to have fun, and for the viewers to have fun. I was honored to be part of it."