This is a True Story...

I suppose I wasn't fully aware of the Real World when it first debuted in 1992. After all, I was only 8 years old and not quite ready to understand Generation X, Nirvana, and rocking the vote. My first genuine memory of the show I would one day start a blog about (this one, in case you didn't figure it out) was in 1998 with the Real World: Seattle. That season was a game changer. I can't tell you why I chose to watch that season opposed to all prior seasons, but something special was happening. The people on the show were evolving into reality stars, not just people living their lives who happened to be on tv. When Stephen slapped Irene after she called him a homosexual, Real World was forever altered. And I was forever hooked. Because as bad as domestic violence and abusing females are, you cannot deny that that was a monumental moment in television history. The show became about something other than a conversation about racism, homophobia, sexism and love amongst Generation Xers. The Real World now was about drinking, hooking up, fighting, and girls making out. 20 year olds no longer cared about social issues.

When Real World: Seattle premiered, there was a change of the guard. The very first episode of Real World: Hawaii had two cast members go skinny dipping a few minutes after meeting each other, followed later by an episode of drunk driving to the extreme. By the time we got to Real World:Las Vegas, the transformation was complete. Bisexual hook ups? Drunken fights? This was what we wanted, and what the producers geared the show to. It didn't hurt that every other house mate wanted a career in acting or music. They were performers now, not real people. The only thing real about the Real World were the daddy issues.

But the formula eventually got a bit stale. We still have a new season every year, and I still watch. But I'm usually left unfulfilled, annoyed by the characters. Whereas I used to be able to find something interesting or sympathetic about each cast member, now I am always left wondering: This was the best they could do? Every new cast is more unlikeable than the next, yet I keep watching. Why? For three reasons, mainly. First, you never know when a good moment is going to happen. MTV knows this, which is why they should all get excruciating kidney stones for being able to make an interminably boring season interesting with out of context preview clips. Second, as a long time fan, I just can't give up. The Real World keeps setting me up with high expectations and pulling the rug out with episodes about not doing the dishes. But like any long term relationship that is reaching the end, you hold on to the good memories and live in a state of denial that it is really over. Until finally, all of your stuff is on the porch and the producers have decided to add a tranny to the cast. Well, normally, that is the breaking point. But I am still in this relationship mainly for reason number 3: The Challenge.

The Challenge is the greatest advent to television since, well, ever (I will not admit that I sat here for ten minutes trying to figure out another great advent to television and couldn't come up with anything). Simply put, it is Real World meets Survivor with no drug testing. The Challenge is perfect television for so many reasons, which I will cover many times in this blog. As ESPN.com columnist and avid Real World fan Bill Simmons put it, the Challenge is "America's Fourth Sport, replacing hockey." The unintentional comedy is so prevalent, the debauchery is so racy, and the performance enhancing drugs is so Barry Bonds-esque that one wonders why Fox has not optioned this show for a summer run.

There you have it, all the reasons and more why I feel this blog is so sorely needed. For anyone who has ever wondered what happened to Dan from Road Rules Northern Trails, this will be the blog for you? To anyone who ever wondered how long C.T.'s probable stint in jail is lasting, this blog will be right up your ally? To anyone who wants a snarky recap of last night's episode complete with condescending cheap shots at people who make their living going to sports bars in Binghamton, NY and introducing STD's to third world countries, this blog is most assuredly what you need. I will try to cover it all, occasionally throwing in think pieces worthy of the New Yorker (if the New Yorker decided to lower their standards significantly).

Also, if you have any tips, questions, or thought, be sure to email me in the address provided. I will hopefully be updating my site at least after every new episode so there will be that to look forward to. I ultimately want to be able to interview some former cast members, and to do that I need a credible site that people visit. So if you like the site, let other people know as best you can and it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading and keep it real...mad real! The Real World: The Internet!! (God that was a sucky way to end it. I'm truly sorry.)