It’s truly amazing to look back and see how far MTV’s The Real World has come. It is the grand-daddy if group living reality TV shows and it continues on, even with the intense competition that has emerged since its humble beginnings.
This is the show that taught the other shows what to do and how to do it. The casting calls bring people from all over and the casting directors work very hard to bring together personalities that will prove interesting but also clash on an array of topics ranging from religion, ethnicity, politics, sex and romance, to personal hygiene and cleanliness, and so on.
Apparently, season 23 will be in Washington, DC.
Real World 22: Cancun, Mexico (2009)
The Cast
Ayiiia Elizarraras, Derek Chavez, Emilee Fitzpatrick, Bronne Bruzgo, Christian “CJ” Koegel, Jasmine Reynaud Jonna Mannion, and Joey Rozmus.
Review/Commentary
The season looks promising!
Items of interest
- RW Cancun began airing June 24, 2009.
Real World 21: Brooklyn, New York (2009)
The Cast
Ryan Conklin, J.D. Ordonez, Scott Herman, Katelynn Cusanelli, Sarah Rice, Devyn Simone, Chet Cannon, and Baya Voce.
Review/Commentary
Overall, this season wasn’t particularly interesting. It could be summed up as a mix of immaturity, clashing personalities that don’t really clash, hiding significant others to see who will get laid, and girls against boys. Aside from Katelynn, the transgendered female in the house. And, even that got kind of eerie after a while.
Items of interest
- The show broke new ground by adding an 8th person to the house that was transgendered. She had undergone gender re-assignment, turning him into a her just prior to the show.
Real World 20: Hollywood, California (2008)
The Cast
Sarah Ralston, Joey Kovar, David Malinosky, Kimberly Alexander, Brittini Sherrod, William Gilbert, Brianna Taylor, Nick Brown, and Greg Halstead.
Review/Commentary
This season was okay at best. Too many people spent their post-episode conversations discussing how Greg’s attitude was ridiculous. His enormous ego and arrogance got him booted off the show early on for not playing nice. Joey left the show to enter rehab for alcoholism.
Items of interest
- Brianna was also a singer on American Idol (in 2005).
- Greg was the first person in RW history to be chosen by a poll.
Real World 19: Sydney, Australia (2007)
The Cast
Trisha Cummings, Cohutta Lee Grindstaff, Kelly Anne Judd, Dunbar Flinn, Isaac Stout, Parisa Montazaran, Shauvon Torres, and Ashli Robson.
Review/Commentary
This was one of the best seasons in the history of Real World and the cast was even hotter! The continual fights between Trisha and Parisa gave viewers a lot of drama. Trisha, who deserved to be kicked off and was eventually booted, was easily one of the hottest people ever on the show. Parisa really kept a mature cool about herself throughout the show which is commendable. Shauvon going home for some guy was unfortunate. Ashli, her replacement was nearly as interesting to look at although she did hook up with Dunbar. The cast worked for Contiki Tours, an international travel company. Kelly Anne lives for attention and in the season premier, her casting tape is shown where she’s in her underwear showing off her hot @$$.
Items of interest
- Cohutta and Kelly Anne dated for a while after the show.
Real World 18: Denver, Colorado (2007)
The Cast
Jennifer Grijalva, Brooke LaBarbera, J. Davis Mallory, Colie Edison, Alex Smith, Tyrie Ballard, and Stephen Nichols.
Review/Commentary
The season is had a lot of drama right from the start. There were two African-American guys on the show at the same time which is a first for Real World. Given that the last season never real went anywhere, this was quite a change!
Items of interest
- RW Denver filming ended September 2006 and began airing in 2007.
- The cast lives in the LoDo (Lower Downtown) district.
- How many of you thought about pretending to be on the Real World while partying? During the Denver season, a fake film crew and phoney cast members went clubbing and managed to fool hundreds of people!
Real World 17: Key West, Florida (2006)
The Cast
Janelle Casanave, Jose Tapia, Tyler Duckworth, Svetlana Shusterman, Zach Mann, Paula Meronek, and John Devenanzio.
Review/Commentary
Overall, this was a pretty boring season. Nothing really happened. Svetlana was interesting in a hot/odd sort of way. They spent a lot of time running from storms in the Florida Keys.
Items of interest
- RW Key West launched February 2006.
- The cast and crew had to keep moving because of the hurricanes.
- MTV’s filming of Real World Key West pissed off the neighbors who saw it as a nuissance.
Real World 16: Austin (2005)
The Cast
Melinda Stolp, Johanna Botta, Lacey Buehler, Danny Jamieson, Nehemia Clark, Rachel Moyal, and Wes Bergmann.
Review/Commentary
This was a season of ups and downs. The interplay between between Melinda and Danny was one of the focal points of the season. The cast certainly did its share of partying this season. Each season the Real World casting agents pick people an an attempt at trying to find a certain chemistry among the housemates. The Real World Austin season had a good mix. A word about Melinda… wow, can she ever look bad?! There were three alcohol-related, police-involved, events which added some drama. The cast worked on a covering two bands at the South by Southwest Music Festival.
Items of interest
- Melinda and Danny got married in August 2008.
- There was tons of off-camera end and post-season drama… we need more!
- MTV Real World Austin, Texas began filming in early 2005 and premiered June 21, 2005.
Real World 15: Philadelphia (2004)
The Cast
Shavonda Billingslea, Landon Lueck, William “Willie” Hernandez, Karamo Brown, Melanie Silcott, MJ Garrett, and Sarah Burke.
Review/Commentary
Even though this was a good season, we want more drama! This is The Real World dammit!! It’s great that Jon Bon Jovi was involved in the playground project and kudos to the MTV Real World Philadelphia cast for building it. We really see how parents can influence their kids psychologically with Sarah’s mom being so mean. No wonder she has eating disorder issues. Still, Sarah is a sexy babe and she’s not fat, despite what her mother says. Maybe her mother is insecure that Sarah is so hot so she puts her down to compensate. Who knows?
MJ hooked up with a girl he picked up at a bar in the Real World house closet. She wasn’t bad but I think it’s hilarious that she had the money to pay for the fake boobs which got her the attention she wanted, got her action on Real World, and then she claims to have had no money for a cab to get home.
Karamo and that guy he was seeing… when they were sitting outside the house… perhaps bad editing but what the hell was that all about?!
Melanie gets into trouble just for talking. People should cut her some slack because she means well but speaks her mind. I have very high respect for that.
The MTV Real World Philadelphia cast works for the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football team.
Items of interest
- William Hernandez played Hector Carrero in the TV show Ghostwriter (early 1990s)
- Sarah has breast implants and jokes about how expensive they are! Maybe she’ll end up in Playboy!
- The Real World Philadelphia house use to be a Maritime Museum.
- July 2004: More criminal activity, as in the San Diego season… a bar room brawl.
- May 2004: MTV Real World Philadelphia seems to be causing a lot of heat in the city. The police officer that was hired to guard the house was beat up by 3 fellow police officers who were off-duty but wanted to get in the house and on the show. In fact many restaurants are posting signs telling MTV Real World to come eat there.
- March 2004: Bunim-Murray which is the company that produces MTV Real World pulled out of Philadelphia for season 15. Apparently there were union issues related to the company’s hiring of non-union workers (who work for much less $$) to renovate the living space which was the former Seamen’s Church Institute in Old City. But by early April, an agreement was reached and they are filming once again.
Real World 14: San Diego (2004)
The Cast
Robin Hibbard, Frankie Abernathy, Cameran Eubanks, Jamie Chung, Randy Barry, Brad Fiorenza, Jacquese Smith, and Charlie Dordevich (mid-season newbie)
Review/Commentary
This was a decent season with hotties and one psychodrama queen. It was turbulent for the first half and then slowed down towards the end. The cast works as the crew of sailboat for tourists, which they don’t enjoy. They also took a trip to Greece which rocks. Greece is just so awesome!
One of the more interesting points of this season was that Frankie, who is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, leaves the show a few episodes before the end of the season. She is replaced by Charlie Dordevich, whose Real World San Diego appearance seems like more of a cameo than anything else.
Frankie has a lot of growing up to do but that’s to be expected since she is kind of the young, lost of the season. Jacquese and Jamie are good people and it’s a wonder why they were picked for the show. Both are pretty low key. Cameran is a super hot southern belle who also does not engage in any overly-exciting behaviors. Although she is flirtatious and you gotta love how she enthusiastically exclaims “Yes, mother! I have a vibrator!” in a proud admission about her sex toy!
In one of the most popular episodes during the RW San Diego seaon was when by fluke, Robin and Brad were arrested on the same night in two unrelated incidents. Robin was arrested for punching some guy who was standing in line at a nightclub. It turns out he was a marine and obviously did it to show that he is Mr.-all-powerful and won’t be a pushed around by a Real Worlder (or “Fake Worlder” as he or his friend called it). Too bad he was too dumb to realize that he would become the laughing stock of the show. Dude, can the jealousy and get a life. He claims that Robin went back into the club and scratched his neck (something that was not shown on TV). Ok, enough of that.
Items of interest
- Jamie Chung recently had some sexy poses in Stuff Magazine – July 2004 issue. They a did a feature on the girls of reality TV, which also included the incredibly cute Kendal Sheppard from MTV Road Rules.
- Robin worked as a barmaid at Coyote Ugly in Florida before appearing on Real World San Diego. She’s just so hot… and you have to admit her fake breasts look great! Too bad she whines so easily!
- MTV commercials looking for cast members aired in July 2003 and MTV Real World Season 14: San Diego premiered in January 2004
- The cast took a trip to Mexico but it wasn’t shown during the regular season.
Real World 13: Paris, France (2003)
The Cast
‘Ace’ Clyde Amerson, Adam King, ‘CT’ Chris Tamburello, Leah Gillingwater,
Mallory Snyder, Christina Trainor, and Simon Sherry-Wood.
Review/Commentary
As predicted by Citynet Magazine, this season went back to being more what people are used to, cutting down on the blatant and rampant sex in MTV Real World Las Vegas. This season is ok at best. It went along slowly with nothing major happening.
Well, aside from CT’s Valentine’s Day lie which was pretty dramatic! Ace and Mallory trying to dodge the camera was funny in that we see her true side come out. You gotta love the ridiculousness of people fighting it out to be on the show and then trying to avoid the camera. That’s the real world!
Adam hooks up with quiet a few women. He seems like an unlikely candidate to be the season’s player but he does become just that. Of course, when you have TV cameras following you everywhere you go, there are a lot of women who suddenly become interested, even if they wouldn’t have been under typical circumstances.
Simon was almost never around. CT has maaaajor anger management and maturity issues. Mallory is cute and it’s too bad she didn’t really go anywhere in terms of “character development” if you can call it that! Leah is also cute in her own way, and feisty.
Items of interest
- About 45,000 people applied to be on this season.
- The Real World Paris house is actually 30 minutes away in a town called Le Vesinet.
- The show began filming in January 2003 for about 4 monthsLeah was a communications major at the University of MarylandMallory turned down a full soccer scholarship at Iowa State to be on the show.
- Adam attended Stanford University.
- Can you believe that Ace’s real name is Clyde?!
- Inferno update: Ace! What happened to you?? On the MTV Real World Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno, Ace had to compete one to one with the loser going home. Ace stuck his head in an aquarium full of bees and after about .0002 seconds, he gave up and ran into the resort’s pool, leaving the Road Rules challenger to win. What the hell was that?!
Real World 12: Las Vegas (2002)
The Cast
Trishelle Canatella, Alton Williams, Arissa Hill, Brynn Smith, Frank Roessler, Irulan Wilson, and Steven Hill.
This was a season of the hottest babe to ever appear on MTV Real World: Trishelle Canatella and her roomates. Las Vegas is very different from what we are used to seeing. I’m not overly impressed with the characters this season. I get the impression that the producers chose the most shallow and apparently dumbest people they could find. There are no gay or lesbian people, although Trishelle (wow! hottie!) appears ready to hook up with anyone. Then again, everyone got action.
Items of interest
- This season was the most watched in MTV Real World history
- Joining The Real World Los Angeles’ Beth Stolarczyk, The Real World Miami’s Flora, Veronica , Jisela, Road Rules Semester at Sea’s Veronica Portillo and Road Rules Quest’s Jisela Delgado, who all posed for Playboy in May 2002, are Trishelle and Arissa. They are in the “Playboy: Girls of Reality TV” DVD which went on sale in October 2003.
- You have to admit that the shoots were HOT! Great curves…The Real World Las Vegas cast lived in a suite in the Palms Hotel and Casino Resort. Now that they have moved out, the hotel charges $7,500 per night to stay there. Britney Spears has since stayed there.In the Real World – Road Rules Challenge, Trishelle fell off a bike and down a hill. She looked pretty bad, with bruises all over face.
- Trishelle has become something of a celebrity, having been on MTV Punk’d and the MTV Extreme Challenge “The Gauntlet”. She was on the WB’s Surreal Life (another reality TV show) that included porn star Ron Jeremy and Tracy “bitchy brainless Baywatch bimbo’ Bingham, among others.
- A couple of Trishelle’s quotes from the Surreal Life: “Everyone in America thinks I’m a total slut” and “I like to drink a lot.”
- Trishelle on the MTV RW-RR Challenge had a fit when she saw her ex-boyfriend, Mike “The Miz” from Real World 10, go after other women at a nightclub.
Real World 11: Chicago (2002)
The Cast
Aneesa Ferreira, Cara Nussbaum, Chris Beckman, Keri Evans, Kyle Brandt, Theo Gantt, and Tonya Cooley.
Review/Commentary
This was the season of goddesses and missed opportunities. After the pathetic 10th season, I think MTV wanted to spice things up a little by encouraging everyone to have sex – sex books are all over the place, most of the characters are very attractive, and, well lets pause for a second… Keri (far left on pic below) and Tonya (far right on pic below) are just so incredibly hot. If I had to pick one, I’d choose Keri since she looks much cooler than Tonya who’s from Walla Walla Washington making her naive to big city living and the fact that she’s so damn whiney about everything. Ok, I know she’s ill but then stay home and don’t come on the show. Jesus H X! Actually, the truth is that I felt for her the entire season up until the very end where she ADMITS to being a major liar and telling people what they want to hear so she can get what she wants. She’s a psycho! This season soooort of came together in the end so I’ll give this cast a thumbs up. I think I’ll add more about this season as I reflect further on it!…
I watched the reunion show in amazement as Tonya revealed that she had broken up with Justin. I know! I know! I can’t believe it either! She was a little shaken up during this special episode where the cast gets together and talks about the show and answers the audience’s questions. She said that seeing herself act as such a bitch made her see that she needed to make changes in her life. Another surprising move that’s probably doomed to failure is that Keri is engaged… like, uh, say what?! Finally, the cast tended to agree that Cara was not in fact the ho that MTV made her out to be. Seeing their conviction, I believe it.
Items of Interest and Analysis
- In December 2004, Tonya Cooley posed nude in Playboy’s Cybergirls.
- While many other MTV Real World and MTV Road Rules cast members have posed nude for Playboy, Tonya’s photo shoot was somewhat different. First, it doesn’t even look like her! Next, she has breast implants but it’s not really evident in these photos. Finally, while the photos themselves are taken by a great photographer, Tonya isn’t as appealing in most of them as you might expect. Perhaps knowing her personality clouds one’s judgment. It figures that Tonya would pose for Playboy. You have to really want attention to be on one of these reality shows and once the show ends, everyone tries to get in a few more minutes of fame, some by posing nude. From what we’ve seen of her, many say that Tonya certainly fits into the attention seeking-world.
- Kyle is now on a soap opera and does commercials.
- On the 2003 Real World Road Rules Extreme Challenge: The Gauntlet, Tonya showed us why people think she is so screwed up, regardless of her external beauty. First, she mentioned during her season of RW that she had breast implants. When Matt (RW New Orleans) comments on how young girls/women tend to get breast implants for self-esteem purposes. Tonya goes ape-s**t on him. The reality is that Tonya likely fits right in with the self-esteem issue crowd. She was just being an @$$. Secondly, we see how she is a major attention-seeker and a liar. She majorly hurt her leg in one of the challenge episodes and loudly announced to her teammates that she would be out for the next little while. This was done in order to get as much attention as possible as the poor sick girl. When it is suggested that she go to fight in the gauntlet match (where she could lose and be sent home), she denies that her leg is majorly injured. Here’s the take-home message: Beauty fades but dumb is forever.
Real World 10: Back to New York (2001)
The Cast
Coral Smith, Kevin Dunn, Lori Trespicio, Mike Mizanin, Nicole Jackson, Rachel Braband, and Malik Stevenson (aka Malik Cooper)
Review/Commentary
This season was a mix losers and some kinda cool people. This season began in June 2001 and couldn’t end fast enough. It sucked. Some of the people in this season are such losers. Mike, the token middle class white guy, is the only person of interest on here and the other cast members harass him to death, forcing him to fall apart during a call to a friend at home where he says something like ‘I don’t know what’s wrong but I’m less than zero here’ and the chick on the phone can’t believe it.
Eventually Mike and Coral make peace which goes a long way toward saving any respect I had for the season and post-season during the Real World – Road Rules Extreme Challenge where they team up. The blond 18 year old going on 12 was a total waste. Malik seemed kinda cool with that ‘fro and all but that never went anywhere. Lori was ok although her singing was great at some points and not so great at others. Maybe she couldn’t really sing on a professional level, but with practice who knows… she’d probably be good. That other girl, Nicole, was… ugh, I can’t even comment – I wouldn’t know where to begin and I would probably piss a lot of people off more than I care to.
There were only 3 ‘events’ that involved this season that were meaningful. First, when Malik goes on and on about how him and Gisela (a chick he hooked up with from Road Rules season 10, see Playboy pic below) have a certain connection and then she majorly disses him and sleeps with a Road Rules buddy, showing how she’s a total psycho. The second one wasn’t even during the season but rather during the Real World-Road Rules Extreme Challenge when someone comments about Mike/The ‘Miz’ (his made-up wrestler alter-ego) and how the Miz is really just Mike after he swallows his own bathwater (hilarious!!!!). And the third most important event of this season was when it ended, putting us out of our misery.
Items of Interest
- Lori was featured in Yoga Video
- Lori was seen making out with Kyle from Real World 11: Chicago at the Whitehorse Tavern in Boston. Someone reportedly took a picture and Kyle gave her the finger! Nice guy that Kyle…
- I was at a bar in Boston a while back and Lori was my waitress. I was sitting in a booth with a friend of mine from England who had never heard of the Real World and as we were ordering, I noticed that she looked familiar. While ordering I just blurted out “What’s your name?!”. “Lori.” “Lori from Real World?” “Yeah.” At which point I asked her a ton of questions. I think she got annoyed. I promised that I wouldn’t reveal where she works.
- Lori moved to LA in Sept 2003
MTV Real World 9: New Orleans (2000)
The Cast
Julie Stoffer, Jamie Murray, David Broom, Matt Smith, Kelley Limp, Danny Roberts, and Melissa Howard.
Review/Commentary
This was the season of character development and is one of my favorite casts. The entire season is interesting, has great people, and the personality development is truly what the show was intended to be. It is a learning experience for all and you get a real sense of the REAL world. Even though David is the only dork/trouble maker, you see how he is working hard to get out of poverty and is close with his mother which is very respectable in its own right (and wow, can he sing!).
By the end of the show’s season, Danny was all over the place as a representative of gay people everywhere. He just seems like a nice kid. Julie, the Mormon chick from BYU put her schooling on the line for the show and made it to Larry King! She may cry every 2 seconds but she is entertaining and definitely grows as a person as she gets away from home and sees the world. Matt is kind of a strange mix between punk, innocence and religion! Kelley was probably on the show least.
Items of Interest
- In May 2004, Kelley Limp got engaged to Party of Five’s Scott Wolf. So much for the guy she fell for on the show…
- If you only ever watch one season, watch this one. It’s the BEST.
- House address: 2618 St. Charles Avenue
- Like many Real World alum, Julie and Melissa were giving talks about their Real World experiences. It turns out that Julie was badmouthing Melissa so she could get gigs at certain universities herself, and after a huge blow out on Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes, they don’t speak to each other.
- Danny has been in just about every gay magazine in existence.
- Danny was on an MTV show depicting his gay relationship with Paul. It turns out Paul comes from a military family and was a high ranking officer which was added pressure for him not to be shown at the time. Well, now everyone knows!
MTV Real World 8: Hawaii (1999)
The Cast
Amaya Brecher, Justin Deabler, Kaia Beck, Ruthie Alcaide, Teck Holmes, Matt Simon, and Colin Mortenson.
Review/Commentary
I caught Real World marathon of this season at my country house when mainsteam Canada couldn’t get it. This season opened with Teck coming out of the swimming pool in his birthday suit to greet his new housemates and degraded to Ruthie being sent to drug/alcohol re-hab. The best part of this season for me was Amaya for a number of reasons that I won’t share at this particular juncture. Nonetheless, the season was entertaining.
Items of Interest
- Apparently Ruthie lives in Brookline (Boston). Friends and friends of friends of mine claim to see her taking the T regularly. The latest spotting was December 2002.
- Teck has been in other TV shows and movies.
- House address: 3169 Diamond Head Road
- From episodes of Road Rules – Real World Extreme Challenge, Ruthie seems to be quite the decent person
Real World 4: London (1995)
The Cast
Jay Frank, Jacinda Barrett, Sharon Gitau, Lars Schlichting, Mike Johnson, Kat Ogden, and Neil Forrester.
Review/Commentary
This was the season of specialists gone bad. In September 2000, I recorded the entire Real World London season after MTV played a commercial saying it was the ‘last chance’ to catch it. The truth is, I think they were selling the rights to make some $ and so it would be shown in syndication in the future. After a few months, I finally sat and watched the whole thing in a marathon session.
I think the idea behind the Real World London season was to see what happens when a group of people who are high achievers in a specific area come together. A model, a race-car driver, an up and coming playwright, 2 singers, a DJ, and Kat (her purpose??). This experiment was a failure. Neil got his tongue bit off while performing with his band live – maybe an act of God. That stupid model bought a dog which used the house as its toilet. The racecar driver Mike, had his arse handed to him by the European drivers, Sharon (the other singer) was such a loser that she felt she could be ‘cool’ by streaking (running nude in the street) with the model. No one really clicked and nothing major really happened aside from what I just said. If you missed this season, you really didn’t miss anything.
Items of Interest
- Jacinda has been in several major movies since the Real World, including Ladder 49 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. She is the only cast member to become “recognizably famous” among non-RW fans, even if it’s to a limited degree.
- During the 10th anniversary Real World reunion Lars, the DJ, and clearly the coolest of the bunch by far says he regretted the whole experience. Very unfortunate.
- House address: 18 Powis Terrace Notting Hill Gate
MTV Real World 3: San Francisco (1994)
The Cast
Rachel Campos, Pedro Zamora, Mohammed Bilal, Judd Winick, Pam Ling, Puck Rainey, Cory Murphy, and Jo Rhodes.
Review/Commentary
This was the season of good and evil. Every once in a while, I catch episodes of the Real World San Francisco series in re-runs. Allowing a psycho like Puck into the house was definitely screwy. Pedro’s work in AIDS education was touching and outstanding. That other loser guy, Judd, is like one of those hidden geeky guys. He just annoyed me. I am amazed that the producers were so desperate that they chose him as the token white male. Anyhoo, this season was turbulent which made it interesting.
Items of Interest
- The Judd and Pam got married after the show ended.
- Pedro was commended by then President Bill Clinton (who probably would have made a great Real Worlder since he thinks with his dick and is so controversial!)
- Puck got married during an epsiode of MTV Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes
- Puck’s house was featured on MTV Cribs
- Real World SF House Address: 953 Lombard Street
More Info
Some seasons have been left out since I didn’t catch enough of them to really have a say. Anyways, this page has become incredibly popular. Thanks for visiting! I’ll try to update it more often. CitynetMagazine.com has grown so much and keeping this page fresh takes a huge effort. On a humorous note, some of the most common search terms used to find this page have been “Trishelle nude”, “Lori nude” and “Kyle and Lori”… funny stuff! A lot of people also try to find naked pictures of guys from the show. Just FYI, in 2002, a bunch of cast members from Real World and Road Rules posed nude in Playboy. In any case (see Las Vegas for more).
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