When Did MTV's The Real World Lose It?

Tempted to vote for Back to New York, but that season did have a drag queen in the cast, years before RuPaul's Drag Race, so I voted for Vegas.

I voted Miami, because that's when I stopped watching full seasons. I think they had to run a business or something (i.e. a gimmick)? I remember thinking it didn't really measure up to London, and after that and the U.S. trifecta, what really was left? All the other U.S. cities would pale in comparison. At that point, I was more interested in another international city like Berlin or Paris, even though I knew that wasn't going to happen, due mostly to production costs and possible language barrier. I never really tuned back in for a whole season. I must have watched some of Seattle though (one of the girls said she had Lyme's Disease I think?), but that's only because I grew up in the PNW.

Back to New York.

There was a huge racial divide on that show, and I hated it.

Plus, Coral was awful and toxic.

She really bullied Mike "The Miz" because he was just a kid at the time.

Before it ever went into production. I'm a little hazy on the timeline, but wasn't this the beginning of the canker sore on humanity we now call Reality TV? There's a reason why actors are so good. They're talented, and they don't have a personal agenda of needing to have their face in close-up all the time.

I don't mind it when an actor portrays a character who possesses a personality disorder. When some ego blown psycho on some reality tv show gets to trot out their fuckery and people feed their narcissism by posting about them on social media, I don't take issue. I just don't watch it.

I do enjoy reading the threads about it here on DL. I have no idea who the threads and replies are about, so I get to read impassioned little snippets. THAT's entertainment.

Everyone has always agreed that Las Vegas was when the show fundamentally changed.

Coral. Ugh.

I hate her.

Steven and Irene fight.

More toxicity.

First ten minutes of the very first episode of The Real World.

They did a Paris... that's when I stopped watching because the oldest girl (Janet) was my age.

[quote]I voted Miami, because that's when I stopped watching full seasons. I think they had to run a business or something (i.e. a gimmick)?

You are correct. They had to start their own business. They failed.

[quote]I remember thinking it didn't really measure up to London.

You're the first person I know who liked that season. I and everyone I've met who watched the series found it rather boring. It actually picked up the following year in Miami.

I stopped watching after Chicago. That was around 2002. By then, reality TV was going on two years and I had fatigue. The show seemed different by then, too.

London is unwatchable, but a lot of good stuff came post-London. Las Vegas is when the show went off the rails.

The last season I watched was New Orleans, which was OK. I just felt like I had outgrown the show by then. But I have always heard that Vegas was the real shark jumping season.

I voted Hawaii. That’s the first season I mostly skipped over. I did watch BtNY, Chicago, New Orleans and Paris, which I think were after. I really liked Chicago and to a slightly lesser degree NO. BtNY was mediocre, but I totally agree that Vegas was the death knell for the show. Paris was the last season I watched in any capacity, but by that time it wasn’t exactly must see tv for me. Never saw anything past that season. .

Chicago was creepy. It was taped in late summer/early fall 2001 and aired during the late winter/spring of 2002. Normally, the show was taped in late winter/early spring and aired during the summer/early fall. But doing it the new way allowed them to capture many people's reactions to 9/11. Also, the token dyke Aneesa's 21st birthday fell on September 11, so there was a lot of build-up to that date anyway. Her first gay bar and legal drink and what-not. ,On top of that, one of the rooms had been designed with airplanes crashing into the walls. Needless to say, those were taken down immediately..

Chicago premiered just one month after Back to NY had ended. I remember thinking "Too soon.' Afterward, it became standard to do two shows per year. Too much.

Chicago was the last good season. The cast driving around singing the "kidney stones" song mocking Tonya. Aneesa cursing out Veronica and Veronica's not-so-ex-girlfriend "Fat Cow." Cara Jessica Parker bedding down with Kyle's friend while New Orleans David's "Come On Be My Baby Tonight" song played. The 9/11 episode with U2's "Walk On" at the end. Keri calling out Kyle for his fakeness, sending him into a sputtering rage. Good times.

It was the last season when it was SORT OF about the original premise of different personality types sharing space and clashing with/learning about each other. Then Las Vegas turned it into a total drunken sleaze-fest.

Seasons 1 and 2 (NYC and Venice/LA) will always be the best. It was still experimental. By season 3/San Fran, they knew the general construct of the show and it became formulaic.

Mike was old enough to know who Rosa Parks is and her importance in American history, so he deserved the takedown he got from Coral.

The commercials for the New Orleans reunion have been tormenting me. I know I watched that season because I remember Danny, and his military boyfriend that never showed his face. And I remember the house. But I'll be damned if I can recognize any of the other cast members or their stories. Is it my elderbrain conking out, or was this a particularly unmemorable season?

The only reunions I'm remotely interested in would be San Francisco and Seattle, but apparently neither of those are happening.

[quote] Before it ever went into production. I'm a little hazy on the timeline, but wasn't this the beginning of the canker sore on humanity we now call Reality TV?

But wasn't it Survivor that brought reality shows to the forefront given it's bigger budget and being on a major network like CBS? And then other major networks like NBC and ABC followed. Stuff like Fear Factor, The Bachelor, American Idol, etc followed.

MTV began airing reality shows in the 90s. But I imagine it was due to a cheaper budget and a younger market. And music videos 24/7 wouldn't be profitable any longer, so they needed to fill in space. After the Survivor phenomenon, MTV went overboard with reality shows.

Las Vegas is defintely when the show jump the jark because all the cast did was drink and fuck. Also Las Vegas is such a shitty city outside the casino strip. There's nothing to do. The arguments had no states cause everyone seemed like a bimbo, even the pretty black couple.

Las Vegas is defintely when the show jump the shark because all the cast did was drink and fuck. Also Las Vegas is such a shitty city outside the casino strip. There's nothing to do. The arguments had no stakes cause everyone seemed like a bimbo, even the pretty black couple.

So most of this thread is the same person, if not every single post. Funny how someone who keeps count of how many times others post on a thread they make but he literally keeps posting on a thread he made that no one is interested in.

Why do people watch reality shows? I find the fact that they do to be incredibly sad.

[quote]Seasons 1 and 2 (NYC and Venice/LA) will always be the best. It was still experimental. By season 3/San Fran, they knew the general construct of the show and it became formulaic.

I consider season 2 Venice/LA one of the weaker seasons of the first 11, along with London and Back to New York. A sophomore slump, you could call it. Almost all of the cast members in the LA season wanted to be entertainment stars, but they had even less talent than the New York cast.

San Francisco was ultimate Real World for me. It had a genuinely diverse cast in personalities and aspirations. The producers now had practice and knew how to cut an episode and hold interest over a season, but their "sevens strangers" idea hadn't become stale yet.

The first Vegas was the last season I watched. I remember when I was teenager I would see these 20 somethings being crazy and I thought it was so "cool," but as I approached their age, their antics just started seeming lame and petty.

First New Orleans season was the best. Melissa had me cracking up as a kid watching it. Julie went on to be crazy fake bitch though.

And David ending up getting HIV several years ago.

[quote] And David ending up getting HIV several years ago.

Huh?

Which David?

Danny, most likely. None of the four Real World Davids would shock me with an HIV-positive diagnosis, but I don't think any of them has gone public with one.

R30 yes you're right, it was Danny not David.... it has been a while.

OMG! I had such a crush on Seattle David! His two different colored eyes and Boston accent were to die for!

R32 He also apparently had a massive schlong. I remember there was an episode where he showed it to the girls and they ran shrieking out of the room like Victorian women.

He’s not the only one.

I’m a huge Rw fan, started watching about 2 yrs after it started, but have caught every single episode. For me the show changed a lot with Sydney, when the show went from 30 min eps to 60.

I’ve enjoyed something in every season, but hated Exx-plosion, it was gimmicky with an awful cast.

The last season, Atlanta on Facebook Watch (!) was pretty bad too.