The TRUE Real World

      The Real World starts off with a cast of 7 to 8 people all living together “This is the true  story of seven strangers picked to live in a house (work together) and have their lives taped   to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real” (The Real World 1992 – Present) …. Every season starts off with a new set of people, the first episode sets up the show for the entire season. Every season is different; every season has a “twist” to it. Season 32, episode 1 starts off with the cast’s introduction. The casts meet up with each other one by one and each person gets an introduction as well as their home video that they made to enter into the show shown. The videos are interview style, the cast introduces themselves, they explain a few things about themselves, like their past work, at home situation, etc. The Real World does this to sort of reinforcing the fact that the cast are not “actors” they humanize them by showing their home videos and giving them a background. Most people say that this show is just drama, but if you look pass that youll see that it is way more then just drama. 

The interview style segments they incorporate into the show makes you feel closer to the cast and you start to sympathize or relate with each character differently. Showing the cast’s casting tapes that they sent in also humanizes the cast; it shows that they didn’t have to play a part, or a different character to get onto the show, they had to be themselves. With no script things happen spontanousely and things start to get real. From race issues to AIDs to basically anything going on in the world "The Real World" has no problem talking about it. 

Watching people in real life situations and how they deal with things benefits a lot of people greatly, as they might see two people with different backgrounds, and or race working together on the show or falling for each other.  In the each season theres usually always a "Twist", every season is different. From bringing in exes to the house, to bringing in people the current tenants have problems with. All of this is for a reason and that reason is to see if these people with problems make up and fix their issues.

  

   The “twist” of this season? they bring in people that the cast has had problems with or “bad blood” like the season name. Every cast member had someone they had problems with, the people they had problems thought they were going to be a part of another TV show but instead they were being brought into The Real World to be the “twist” of the show. An ex-girlfriend/boyfriend that you broke up with on a bad note, a cousin that messed up your future, a sister you always fight with, a high school bully, etc. They do this to bring real, raw emotions to the cast. Living in the same house as an ex that you ended on really bad terms with, or a high school bully that bullied you relentlessly all through high school. This interests and engages the viewer because we get to see the cast react to their own particular situation, and most of us most likely have someone we have “bad blood” with and can relate with. 

   We would all love to see how, not a character, but a real human being would react to this situation. It is as if we would like to be these cast members; we watch reality TV to live through the eyes of other people and while we watch them experiencing different emotions it’s like we are feeling it with them. At the end of each season of the real world, the cast all end on a good positive note. After months of fighting and having problems with each other, they finally start to patch things up and work it out. Some members of the show even ended up getting married!

Cast members who had bad blood, worked it all out.

The Real World brings out the really raw,  emotions; the emotions you show when situations get real and people stop being polite. This show provides and encourages a model of behavior for viewers, a model that might be crazy at times but its a show that shows people that no matter where you come from you can work together and put your problems aside. Yes, its full of drama and fights but its also filled with real world problems it publicizes it, "The Real World" makes sure everyone knows. This show is way more than just drama, and if you give it a chance you'll see yourself. 

                                                                      Work Cited:
Deery, June. Reality TV. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2015.


Ferber, Taylor. “11 Couples That Met on Reality TV and Are Still Together.” VH1 News, VH1 News, 7 Aug. 2015, www.vh1.com/news/45631/couples-that-met-on-reality-tv-still-together/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2017.