Awkward Preview: Does Matty Have Competition? Who's A Third Wheel? And Has Sadie 'Changed'?

By Vlada Gelman April 15, 2013 7:52 pm EST

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Jenna SEASON 3 TEASE | Just as Jenna's finally got the guy, the surprise death of a classmate “definitely affects her in terms of where she goes and why she goes to that place,” previews Ashley Rickards. Pushing her along that journey of self-discovery is her mean new creative writing teacher, Mr. Hart (played by Anthony Michael Hall). “He forces Jenna to launch herself into the theme of the season, which is, 'Is this who you are? Is this who you want to be?'” explains the actress. “Without him, she would not have the courage to do some of the things that she's asked to do. He impacts Jenna a lot, as well as infuriating her.” As for her and Matty, the couple faces “the most relatable point in any relationship as teenagers: You're with your first, you love your first, and then what?” poses Rickards. “They're both metaphorical virgins in this new territory in their relationship. They have to figure out what's the good evolution and what's the not-so-great change together. It's really interesting.” MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | “There is a big awkward moment that I think every woman has to face at some point,” teases Rickards. “It happens, and it's uncontrollable.”

Jenna

SEASON 3 TEASE | Just as Jenna's finally got the guy, the surprise death of a classmate "definitely affects her in terms of where she goes and why she goes to that place," previews Ashley Rickards. Pushing her along that journey of self-discovery is her mean new creative writing teacher, Mr. Hart (played by Anthony Michael Hall). "He forces Jenna to launch herself into the theme of the season, which is, 'Is this who you are? Is this who you want to be?'" explains the actress. "Without him, she would not have the courage to do some of the things that she's asked to do. He impacts Jenna a lot, as well as infuriating her." As for her and Matty, the couple faces "the most relatable point in any relationship as teenagers: You're with your first, you love your first, and then what?" poses Rickards. "They're both metaphorical virgins in this new territory in their relationship. They have to figure out what's the good evolution and what's the not-so-great change together. It's really interesting."

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | "There is a big awkward moment that I think every woman has to face at some point," teases Rickards. "It happens, and it's uncontrollable."

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Matty SEASON 3 TEASE | After a summer alone, Matty and Jenna's new love is on solid ground. “It grows and blossoms in this nice way,” says Beau Mirchoff. “They have a deeper understanding of each other. Matty's not so insecure with his relationship now. He's manning up. He's evolving. At the same time, Jenna is still insecure. This opportunity for Jenna arises and she starts to stumble down this kind of dreary road, and Matty is the mature one” -- not that the popular jock is completely sure of himself when it comes to his girlfriend. “Matty feels some insecurities with his best friend Jake because Jenna and Jake dated,” reveals Mirchoff. “And Jake has a lot of qualities that Matty lacks that he wishes he did have... He kind of feels like the third wheel sometimes, even though he's the one in the relationship.” MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | “There's this episode where Matty has a chance to reflect and he realizes life is short,” previews Mirchoff. “So he acts out and tries to live life to the fullest, going a little insane. There's some quirky, fun moments for Matty.”

Matty

SEASON 3 TEASE | After a summer alone, Matty and Jenna's new love is on solid ground. "It grows and blossoms in this nice way," says Beau Mirchoff. "They have a deeper understanding of each other. Matty's not so insecure with his relationship now. He's manning up. He's evolving. At the same time, Jenna is still insecure. This opportunity for Jenna arises and she starts to stumble down this kind of dreary road, and Matty is the mature one" — not that the popular jock is completely sure of himself when it comes to his girlfriend. "Matty feels some insecurities with his best friend Jake because Jenna and Jake dated," reveals Mirchoff. "And Jake has a lot of qualities that Matty lacks that he wishes he did have... He kind of feels like the third wheel sometimes, even though he's the one in the relationship."

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | "There's this episode where Matty has a chance to reflect and he realizes life is short," previews Mirchoff. "So he acts out and tries to live life to the fullest, going a little insane. There's some quirky, fun moments for Matty."

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Jake SEASON 3 TEASE | Jake and Jenna's best gal pal Tamara are officially an item. “Season 3 finds them together and happy, but as is Awkward's fashion, there's going to be twists and turns,” teases Brett Davern. Plus, best friends dating best friends, which also includes exes... Sounds like a recipe for some truly uncomfortable moments, right? “There are some episodes where our brilliant writers touched on that kind of thing: Is Tamara a bit of a third wheel -- and even Matty -- to Jenna and Jake's friendship?” previews the actor. “We have some great double date scenes where there's going to be some real awkwardness.” But at least the boys' bromance is back on, with Jake and Matty having "a great hangout in Jake's backyard. They have a 'brobeque,' to use one of Tamara's words. I don't want to say what happens, but it gets really fun.” MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | The all-around good guy will be squirming as everyone's confession-keeper, says Davern. “The other characters on the show, if they're having an issue or especially like a secret, they're coming to Jake with those now a lot more. This year, there's a couple times that people come to him with some real jaw-dropping revelations. His awkward moments come from that, of like, 'Oh, why did you just tell me that? OK...'”

Jake

SEASON 3 TEASE | Jake and Jenna's best gal pal Tamara are officially an item. "Season 3 finds them together and happy, but as is Awkward's fashion, there's going to be twists and turns," teases Brett Davern. Plus, best friends dating best friends, which also includes exes... Sounds like a recipe for some truly uncomfortable moments, right? "There are some episodes where our brilliant writers touched on that kind of thing: Is Tamara a bit of a third wheel — and even Matty — to Jenna and Jake's friendship?" previews the actor. "We have some great double date scenes where there's going to be some real awkwardness." But at least the boys' bromance is back on, with Jake and Matty having "a great hangout in Jake's backyard. They have a 'brobeque,' to use one of Tamara's words. I don't want to say what happens, but it gets really fun."

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | The all-around good guy will be squirming as everyone's confession-keeper, says Davern. "The other characters on the show, if they're having an issue or especially like a secret, they're coming to Jake with those now a lot more. This year, there's a couple times that people come to him with some real jaw-dropping revelations. His awkward moments come from that, of like, 'Oh, why did you just tell me that? OK...'"

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Tamara SEASON 3 TEASE | What do opposites Tamara and Jake look like as a newly minted pair? “There's this weird balance that happens between them," describes Jillian Rose Reed. "You get to see throughout the season, like a lot of couples, they take on each other's tendencies, which is really fun.” Meanwhile, in her quest for popularity, Tamara enters Sadie's territory when she joins the cheerleading squad. “It's definitely not an easy transition,” previews Reed. “Sadie, no matter what Tamara does, whether she's a cheerleader or not, she doesn't like her. It's very funny because I am trying to get into this world, and Lissa does try to open up and make it easier for me, and Sadie just puts a damper on all of that because she doesn't want anything to do with it or me.” MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Prepare for a shocker: Things are going Tamara's way! “As much as there is the weird, awkward stuff, there's also a lot of good triumphs for her character, too,” adds Reed.

Tamara

SEASON 3 TEASE | What do opposites Tamara and Jake look like as a newly minted pair? "There's this weird balance that happens between them," describes Jillian Rose Reed. "You get to see throughout the season, like a lot of couples, they take on each other's tendencies, which is really fun." Meanwhile, in her quest for popularity, Tamara enters Sadie's territory when she joins the cheerleading squad. "It's definitely not an easy transition," previews Reed. "Sadie, no matter what Tamara does, whether she's a cheerleader or not, she doesn't like her. It's very funny because I am trying to get into this world, and Lissa does try to open up and make it easier for me, and Sadie just puts a damper on all of that because she doesn't want anything to do with it or me."

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Prepare for a shocker: Things are going Tamara's way! "As much as there is the weird, awkward stuff, there's also a lot of good triumphs for her character, too," adds Reed.

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Sadie SEASON 3 TEASE | It's a whole new mean girl! “We find Sadie forever changed,” teases Molly Tarlov cryptically. “A lot of stuff happened over the summer. There are a lot of factors that play into this new Sadie. She has to redefine herself. Everyone is redefining how they look at her. She's dressing a little differently. She's acting a little differently.” She'll also have to contend with Tamara when Jenna's pal joins the cheerleading squad. Unsurprisingly, Sadie makes it “a little difficult” for the new member. But the actress is most excited to explore the relationship between Sadie and Matty. “They've always said they've been friends for this long, but we don't really show it that much. This season, it's going to be shown way more,” she reveals. Bonus scoop: “We're going to find out a lot more about her family,” says Tarlov. MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Sadie's embarrassing moment isn't the typical fare. “If it happened to your friend, you would just support them,” explains Tarlov. “But since it's Sadie, everywhere she's operated from and everything she's stood for is a little bit falling apart. That's all pretty awkward for her.”

Sadie

SEASON 3 TEASE | It's a whole new mean girl! "We find Sadie forever changed," teases Molly Tarlov cryptically. "A lot of stuff happened over the summer. There are a lot of factors that play into this new Sadie. She has to redefine herself. Everyone is redefining how they look at her. She's dressing a little differently. She's acting a little differently." She'll also have to contend with Tamara when Jenna's pal joins the cheerleading squad. Unsurprisingly, Sadie makes it "a little difficult" for the new member. But the actress is most excited to explore the relationship between Sadie and Matty. "They've always said they've been friends for this long, but we don't really show it that much. This season, it's going to be shown way more," she reveals. Bonus scoop: "We're going to find out a lot more about her family," says Tarlov.

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Sadie's embarrassing moment isn't the typical fare. "If it happened to your friend, you would just support them," explains Tarlov. "But since it's Sadie, everywhere she's operated from and everything she's stood for is a little bit falling apart. That's all pretty awkward for her."

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Ming SEASON 3 TEASE | After losing her boyfriend to the Asian mafia, Ming is “out for revenge,” according to Jessica Lu. “She's trying to be diabolical. She's trying to be sneakier. She's trying to be like how Becca is -- Asian. She's not good at it, but she's trying to get in and be like, 'How can I be the clever one now?' But Ming is so sweet. She can't be that evil person, so it's really comical.” MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Lu has a really uncomfortable one as Ming: “There may be two Asian girls who walk past me and I'm next to an Asian boy, who may or may not put his hand on my boob and then put it down. And that's it.”

Ming

SEASON 3 TEASE | After losing her boyfriend to the Asian mafia, Ming is "out for revenge," according to Jessica Lu. "She's trying to be diabolical. She's trying to be sneakier. She's trying to be like how Becca is — Asian. She's not good at it, but she's trying to get in and be like, 'How can I be the clever one now?' But Ming is so sweet. She can't be that evil person, so it's really comical."

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Lu has a really uncomfortable one as Ming: "There may be two Asian girls who walk past me and I'm next to an Asian boy, who may or may not put his hand on my boob and then put it down. And that's it."

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Colin SEASON 3 TEASE | The prep school transfer in Jenna's creative writing class is “a bit of a bad boy,” previews Nolan Funk (Glee). “As part of his desire for more life experience, he's come to this school, and he shakes things up.” He's also “passionate about writing [and] very deep thinking," which forces Jenna to do “some artistic introspection. He really challenges her.” We know what you're thinking: Cute new guy must cause trouble for our heroine and her sweetie Matty, right? “I will say that there's definitely a lot of interaction between Colin and Jenna,” says Funk. “But romantic? You'll have to see… Like any kid who comes to school coming from such a different background, [Colin] unintentionally causes a little bit of chaos.” P.S. – “There's a few secrets,” hints the actor. MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | “He gets caught doing something bad,” teases Funk with a laugh.

Colin

SEASON 3 TEASE | The prep school transfer in Jenna's creative writing class is "a bit of a bad boy," previews Nolan Funk (Glee). "As part of his desire for more life experience, he's come to this school, and he shakes things up." He's also "passionate about writing [and] very deep thinking," which forces Jenna to do "some artistic introspection. He really challenges her." We know what you're thinking: Cute new guy must cause trouble for our heroine and her sweetie Matty, right? "I will say that there's definitely a lot of interaction between Colin and Jenna," says Funk. "But romantic? You'll have to see... Like any kid who comes to school coming from such a different background, [Colin] unintentionally causes a little bit of chaos." P.S. – "There's a few secrets," hints the actor.

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | "He gets caught doing something bad," teases Funk with a laugh.

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Lissa SEASON 3 TEASE | Sadie's minion just “wants to be friends with Tamara and Jenna and that group, which I guess are now more the popular kids, it seems,” previews Greer Grammer. “It's more of an inserting thing. She's not genuinely, generally friends with them yet. She just tries. She just wants to be their friend. She thinks they're really frickin' cool!” Also look for Lissa and Jake to share a scene that gives “closure” to their former relationship. MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | “She has a little bit of an accident,” hints Grammer.

Lissa

SEASON 3 TEASE | Sadie's minion just "wants to be friends with Tamara and Jenna and that group, which I guess are now more the popular kids, it seems," previews Greer Grammer. "It's more of an inserting thing. She's not genuinely, generally friends with them yet. She just tries. She just wants to be their friend. She thinks they're really frickin' cool!" Also look for Lissa and Jake to share a scene that gives "closure" to their former relationship.

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | "She has a little bit of an accident," hints Grammer.

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Lacey SEASON 3 TEASE | “Jenna and Lacey's relationship has changed,” previews Nikki Deloach. “They've never had this kind of relationship. It's just authentic. You get to see Jenna really trusting her mom with advice and secrets” -- and boy, is there a big one! -- “and [Jenna] really going to her [mom] and [Lacey] trying to be a better version of herself -- not that she's doing it right. But she does get a few things right.” Meanwhile, Lacey and hubby Kevin, who are “back to sexin' it up,” meet their counterparts in Matty's parents. “We have a family get-together that doesn't necessarily work out the way everyone thought it would,” teases Deloach. MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Lacey's humilating moment comes during a webisode in the form of a specific costume, which is “far worse than the 80s outfit. It's pretty special,” says the actress with a laugh.

Lacey

SEASON 3 TEASE | "Jenna and Lacey's relationship has changed," previews Nikki Deloach. "They've never had this kind of relationship. It's just authentic. You get to see Jenna really trusting her mom with advice and secrets" — and boy, is there a big one! — "and [Jenna] really going to her [mom] and [Lacey] trying to be a better version of herself — not that she's doing it right. But she does get a few things right." Meanwhile, Lacey and hubby Kevin, who are "back to sexin' it up," meet their counterparts in Matty's parents. "We have a family get-together that doesn't necessarily work out the way everyone thought it would," teases Deloach.

MOST AWKWARD MOMENT | Lacey's humilating moment comes during a webisode in the form of a specific costume, which is "far worse than the 80s outfit. It's pretty special," says the actress with a laugh.