From TikTok influencer to reality TV, MTSU’s ‘Dr. Raj’ completes ‘surreal’ time on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘On Brand’

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Rajesh Srivastava, being a competitor on the late-night television host Jimmy Fallon’s new marketing reality show “was just so far out of left field that I can’t compare it to any other experience.”

Better known to his students as Dr. Raj, the Jennings A. Jones College of Business faculty member appeared as a contestant on NBC’s “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon,” tapping into his two decades of teaching marketing at MTSU as well as his more recent popularity as an influencer on TikTok.

“This was such a different experience from anything I had done before in my life,” Srivastava said of his recent stint on reality television.

Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Raj Srivastava, who teaches in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, works on a project on “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon” before he was eliminated on the fourth episode of the reality show, which originally aired on Oct. 10, 2025. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

The longtime marketing professor said he was approached about participating as a cast member on “On Brand” after someone from the show commented on one of his TikToks, and it all went from there.

“I thought it was a joke at first, and someone was trying to pull my leg,” he said.

But after going through multiple virtual interviews and several rounds of product presentations beginning in December 2024, he was officially cast on the reality show in March, with the first episode airing Sept. 30.

‘Such a positive experience’

According to NBC, the competition “asks 10 ambitious creatives with wildly varied backgrounds — social media experts, a Southern “momager,” a toy designer, a honky-tonk bar emcee — to prove they’ve got the marketing skills to land major ad campaigns. … The contestants work together as part of On Brand’s pop-up agency, pitching and executing marketing campaigns for major brands including Dunkin’, KitchenAid, Southwest Airlines, Captain Morgan, Marshalls, Pillsbury, SONIC, and Therabody.

“The Tonight Show” host Fallon serves as program host and plays CEO, while “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star and Marketing Hall of Fame inductee Bozoma Saint John serves as the agency’s chief marketing officer, mentor and judge.

Contestants get to pitch and execute winning campaigns and see their work in the real world — while losing campaigns will get competitors sent home. In the end, there can only be one Innovator of the Year, according to NBC.com.

Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Raj Srivastava, second from right, who teaches in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, is shown here with other castmates of NBC’s new competition show “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon,” which airs nationally and debuted on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

Dr. Raj was eliminated on the fourth episode of “On Brand,” which originally aired on Oct. 10, 2025. While he was disappointed to leave, it’s an experience that will stay with him for a lifetime.

“It was such a positive experience,” Srivastava said of his time on the show. “It was so surreal. I was here teaching one day, and the next thing I know, I’m sitting with Jimmy Fallon joking or high-fiving him.”

Dr. Raj said a typical day of shooting started around 7 a.m., and he and his other castmates would return to the hotel around 8 p.m. Shooting the entire season lasted a little over three weeks, with the cast and crew working six days a week.

He was surprised at how fast everything moves and how much time they actually had to work on projects.

“I never imagined (doing something like) this, and yet here I was doing it,” Srivastava said. “Sometimes it was just hours or a few days to work on a project.”

Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Raj Srivastava, who teaches in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, hugs one of his other castmates on NBC’s “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon” after being eliminated from the show on Oct. 10, 1025. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

Of all the things he accomplished during his time on the show, Dr. Raj is most proud of the fact that he was the oldest person competing on “On Brand.”

“It was a really positive experience. I had so much fun and really enjoyed it. I was the oldest one there; the others were 25 to 35 years old, and they’re looking at me like, ‘What is this guy doing here?’ We were all friends and just hung out after the shoots and would chit-chat.”

He also said he hopes his time on the show encourages others to step out of their comfort zones and try new things, no matter how wild the idea initially seems.

“If you think you don’t meet the stereotype, don’t worry about that,” he said. “If you are good, they will come to you. That’s what I am most proud of, at my age I went, and made it and had so much fun.”

Repping culture, facing criticism

Another thing that Srivastava is proud of is how he represented his Indian culture.

“In all of the promotions, I am wearing my Indian dress,” he said, adding he had to send the show several clothing options ahead of filming. “When they said I could wear that, I was so happy because I’m not just a person, I’m also representing the Indian community and the culture of India.”

He continued, “Me wearing that Indian dress, I wanted people to look at it and say it’s OK to wear your ethnic dress; it’s cool to wear that. Instead of hiding your culture, you should flaunt it.”

Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Raj Srivastava, who teaches in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, debuted on national television Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, as a cast member in the first episode of NBC’s new competition show “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon.” (Photo courtesy of NBC)

The longtime professor credits his TikTok account for helping him not be bothered by the criticism, saying in the moment of filming, he wasn’t thinking about millions of people watching it later; he was focused on the three judges.

“Criticism is part of it,” he said. “I told them when I teach a class, and someone’s project is not good, I criticize it because it’s not good. So, if someone is criticizing me on the show because my presentation was not up to the mark or something they didn’t like, the criticism really didn’t bother me.”

‘Nothing replaces experience’

Srivastava said he was thrilled viewers had the opportunity to hear about MTSU through him.

“That was so important to me,” he said, adding that the unique opportunity has already influenced his classroom and teaching.

“We tell students all the time that nothing replaces experience. Nothing. My going through this experience is better than 10 years of reading on something like this. Physically being there is more important. Keep doing things. That’s how you get experience,” he said.

Middle Tennessee State University marketing professor Raj Srivastava, who teaches in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, is shown here, third from left facing forward, with other castmates who are competing on NBC’s new reality show “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon,” which airs nationally. (Photo courtesy of NBC)

And above all, Dr. Raj said, besides taking opportunities to gain experience, consistency and showing up is even more important.

“Consistency is the number one thing,” he said. “It’s more important than talent, it’s more than ability. Every day that I post to TikTok, I am one TikTok more experienced than before, and I wouldn’t have gotten there any other way than by doing it. And that is important.

“You learn the most by consistently doing something. There is no other way. You can read, watch someone do it, but when you do it, the more you’ll learn. And then, once-upon-a-time, what was very difficult to do isn’t now, and it’s like, ‘OK, I can do this without any problem.’”

When he’s not teaching at MTSU, you can find Dr. Raj posting to his TikTok account, which has more than 180,000 followers. He even used his account to poke fun at himself when he was sent home from the show. Follow him at @drrajprof on TikTok.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)