I don't think anyone really cares about The Real World anymore . . .

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I know I don't. But I caught an episode of the new San Diego season recently, and there was all this drama about how Frankie, a tiny little female Axl Rose lookalike, was stressed by the fact that she has cystic fibrosis and her job as a crewmember on a chartered sailboat could endanger her health with all the cold and the wet, cause she gets pneumonia really easily, and her roommates muse on perhaps her condition explains why she seems to be in such a hurry to have a family, cause she probably won't live very long because of this devastating congenital lung disease and so on and so forth.

And then she's smoking in every other scene.

Not really a question, I just had to get that off my chest, so to speak. Now I feel better.

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 5 April 2004 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

when exactly did the real world change? what season? was it like this dramatic shift or was it more gradual? because i just can't imagine them putting any of those ugly mugs from the first three-five seasons on now. they're always such tanned, blonde gods and goddesses now. even the "gay guy" (usually a girl now, i notice for that exxxtra girls gone wild vibe), the "country girl", the "outcast". plus, they were always cranky, disagreeable, possibly venal, usually useless, but now they seem to possess nothing close to a human soul.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

(there's an overarching theory to be made linking the shift of the real world's character to MTV's own demographic/aesthetic shift as well as that of the broader "youth culture". but not by me.)

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I stopped watching regularly after the New Orleans season. Some people think that was the most boring one, but I really liked it - you can't go wrong putting a practicing Mormon on your reality show, at least around my house.

I made it about two episodes into the next season, which was the return to NYC. Got bored, stopped watching, haven't returned.

― mike a, Monday, 5 April 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

...though putting the RW in Philadelphia would've been a great idea. I'll come back if there's ever a RW: East St. Louis or RW: Camden, NJ.

― mike a, Monday, 5 April 2004 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

haha they would have been eaten alive

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"i can't BELIEVE they blocked our car in! well someone just better go in that bar and tell them to move them!!"

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Participants in the RW are just too savvy about reality television now; they know exactly what the producers want, they know conflict drives the show, and they're so starved for attention that if they have to play the asshole or the shrew, well, that's what they'll do. So everybody has nada complexity from the git-go, and since I get no sense they're going to ever show any suprising aspect of themselves, I give up pretty quickly. Even soap operas have more complex forms of character development, even if it's just Susan Lucci ping-ponging from good to evil and back again every so often!

The great thing about the granddaddy of all reality TV, an *American Family,* was that even as showed folks going through alarming trauma it was so fascinatingly BORING, it was filled to the gills with the awkward silence of people who didn't know how to act in front of cameras, so you got something which didn't resemble sitcoms, soap operas, movies OR real life. The only contemporary reality TV that remotely came close to that was the legendary failure Big Brother USA Season 1.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 5 April 2004 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Example of cast members knowing what the producers want: first episode in Hawaii (?) where one of the girls goes topless (or skinny-dipping, or something) "to get a tan" even though IT'S FUCKING OVERCAST.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 5 April 2004 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

i think the irreversible change in the show was when teck jumped into the pool on the first day.

x-post.

― todd burns (toddburns), Monday, 5 April 2004 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

or: stephen (sp?) slapping irene was the last "real" thing to happen on that show.

― todd burns (toddburns), Monday, 5 April 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

This year they had a bar-fight arrest and a date-rape scandal. Hopefully that's the nail in the coffin.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 5 April 2004 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/40/40_images/youllneverhead.gif

― Dada, Monday, 5 April 2004 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll come back if there's ever a RW: East St. Louis or RW: Camden, NJ.

the Real World in a crackhouse!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

yall suck

― your momma, Monday, 5 April 2004 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

the Real World in a crackhouse!

Dave Chappelle beat MTV to that.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

How so, exactly?

― dean! (deangulberry), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The "Mad Real World" sketch (1 white guy, everyone else black, in Hoboken).

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 5 April 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I never watched the show too avidly after the first season, but I did check in now and then, and also caught a few episodes of the new one recently.

I think part of the change has something to do with the fact that while before, people were chosen because they did something relatively interesting, they're now chosen for their blandness. I don't think I've seen anyone really doing anything of any substance in this season. Earlier shows seemed to have some mix of artists, musicians, activists, etc. The current crew spends its time bitching, fighting, and drinking. (Drinking all the time, though that's probably a matter of editing.)

― the krza (krza), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

(This change may have come earlier, but like I said, I hadn't seen the show for a while.)

― the krza (krza), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

i wonder how much of that has to do with the difference between gen x and gen y though.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

in the early 90s EVERYONE was "doing something".

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)

The "Mad Real World" sketch (1 white guy, everyone else black, in Hoboken).

I'm pretty sure they were not all crack addicts. They were black, if that's what you mean.

― dean! (deangulberry), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

but surely they could find people who are "doing something" these days just by dredging williamsburg. i guess it goes back to what you said above about the shift in mtv's audience. boring is the new fun?

― the krza (krza), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think part of the change has something to do with the fact that while before, people were chosen because they did something relatively interesting, they're now chosen for their blandness.

. . . or their stupidity. Despite the fact that castmembers these days should be ever more aware of the cameras, the editing, and the susquent potential for looking like complete asses, they seem less aware of the peculiarities of their situation and more likely to act out their worst, least mature impulses. Of course that makes for better television, so I'm sure it's part of the casting department's mandate now.

Still, I marvel. Hooking a whole episode around the tragic job-related health dramas of a CF sufferer WHO SMOKES LIKE A CHIMNEY. Even though it seems like the concept is on the wane, I'm sure the producers are laughing all the way the bank, assuming they can walk well enough to leave the office, what with those big balls. Direct deposit, I suppose.

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I haven't seen this show in ages. Except for the Las Vegas season, which was something special.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

These days, I actually prefer to read the Television Without Pity wrap-ups of the episodes rather than see them myself. This goes for all reality shows actuality.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I think I'm going to make typos my "thing" actuality.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 5 April 2004 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

The big shift came when MTV decided that they should shift from more 'interesting' people to just young, good looking, and fucking unstable people. If you notice in the first season, basically everyone in the cast is an artist of some sort. A dancer, a couple musicians, a writer, etc. You'll also notice that alot of them were around or older than 25 (I *think* I could be way off the mark). Nowadays, most of the episodes the oldest person in the cast is something like 23 maybe 24, and the rest of them are either fresh out of college or still in college. And they dont do awhole lot either. Thats why MTV forces them to have jobs and shit.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

real world state college ... STARRING ANTHONY "GOOD CHARLOTTE" MICCIO

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)

i think london was the last good one. i dont remember them fighting a lot or having any stupid people. and lars was my idol {Thick german accent} "house music is my life" ... rawk.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:16 (twenty-two years ago)

lars was my future, yet i wouldn't listen

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

london was...94? he was probably playing all that crazy mike ink retro-acid, meanwhile all the attention went to the fuckwit with the shit goth band.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, the average age of the residents in season one was like 23-24, now it's 19-20.

The drop-off in quality from season one to season two was so dramatic I never returned to watching. I don't think there was a SF housemember whom I didn't utterly detest. (Actually Pedro was okay but then he dies)

― Aaron A., Monday, 5 April 2004 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

(oops x-post)

― Aaron A., Monday, 5 April 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh but you forget Los Angeles. Who couldnt love Jon, or David, or Dominic, or Aaron even????

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:32 (twenty-two years ago)

actually, if i remember, he played house with diva vocals. it was probably proto-handbag, which might make him even cooler?
xpost- aaron pissed me off. i felt my name was being soiled somehow.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

One thing I remember about Lars was when the house wrote anonymous criticisms of each other (Except for the playwright dude, who found it wack) and Lars didn't know what vain meant. After they told him, he didn't understand why that would be a bad thing to be.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:35 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.mtv.com/onair/realworld/archive/then_flipbook/images/then_rw2_1.jpg

Unlike a lot of 21-year-olds, Aaron, a business/economics major at UCLA, already has an accounting job lined up for next fall. Originally from Orange County, California, Aaron likes the diversity of the people in Los Angeles, but he doesn't like the liberal politics. Aaron voted for George Bush, and isn't happy about having a Democrat in the White House.

CRAZZZY HONKEY

― dean! (deangulberry), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think there was a SF housemember whom I didn't utterly detest. (Actually Pedro was okay but then he dies)

even Mohammed?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Aaron needs to be ass-fucked HAAAAAARD

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:38 (twenty-two years ago)

God, there's always one psycho right-brain capitalist overachiever in every cast now.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I will say that, on the scant evidence available to me, that Jacquese from the current season might be the most-levelheaded person who's ever been on the show.

― Lee G (Lee G), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Just the fact that Mohammed knew Judd makes me hate him. xp

― Aaron A., Monday, 5 April 2004 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

You know, there's also a trend where the african-american cast member (or one of them) is the only one in the house with any sense, or sense of decency.

― Aaron A., Monday, 5 April 2004 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

that was Dave Chappelle's joke. Instead of a regular black dude in a house of crazy white people, he inverted it.

― Kingfish Balzac (Kingfish), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

that dave chappelle is a regular voltaire

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 5 April 2004 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Dead, dead, dead. It's all about High School Reunion now.

― Skottie, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 05:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll come back if there's ever a RW: East St. Louis or RW: Camden, NJ.

That's the thing. RW Paris might as well have been in Camden, for all the place-specificity of it. At least the New Orleans cast had Mardi Gras.

― Prude (Prude), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 05:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think there was a SF housemember whom I didn't utterly detest. (Actually Pedro was okay but then he dies)

Pedro was the worst of all. He elevated passive-aggression to an art-form. No wonder that poor tool Judd worshiped him.

― Timmy Knimnuts, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 06:27 (twenty-two years ago)

skee dappa dee dappa dee .....come on be my baby tonight....skee dappa dee dappa dee....come on be my baby tonight....skee dappa dee dappa dee....i've seen the way you treated other thugs you been with....skee dappa dee dappa dee....shithead....

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

nine years pass...

Holy shit @ this show. First two episodes - drunken violence, everyone blacking out, half the cast has had sex with each other.

Ruthie looks like an amateur in comparison.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 21 January 2014 03:37 (twelve years ago)

have the exes moved in yet

― Murgatroid, Tuesday, 21 January 2014 06:22 (twelve years ago)

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