Real World Look Back: Seattle

1998 was a tumultuous time in America. The Monica Lewinsky scandal erupted, Titanic won 11 Academy Awards, and Google was founded. But for me, my world was forever turned upside by an event that surpassed all other events: Real World:Seattle premiered. From that point on, my life would involve a series of references to hot tubs, alcohol poisoning, and questionable life decisions by some of America's finest. Real World: Seattle was the first season I became fully aware of the show, following every episode and really delving into the characters. This was the season that hooked me in, for better or much much much worse.

So let's take a look back at the season that got it started for me and many others. The Real World...Seattle!

The cast- I've decided to separate the cast based on how they performed on the season. They will be divided into: Minor Leaguers (should not have been on the show, dragged down the entire season) Role Players (served a purpose, had some moments, but ultimately did not make the season), All-Stars ( made the season much better, not the main star, but could carry the show for a few episodes), MVPs (was the star, took the show to another level) and finally, Hall of Famer (left a lasting impact on the series, so over the top they transcend the show)

For the most part, Real World: Seattle was comprised of role players and All-Stars. There was no one that was so bad that the show suffered. While there were transcendent moments, only one person truly rose to MVP status.

Role Players:

Janet Choi: I'm not sure, but she was the first Asian American cast member. Has anyone noticed that there hasn't been a male asian cast member? What is up with that? My theory is white guys make up a significant chunk of the audience, and white guys tend to find asian women exotic and hot. It's the only thing I can come up with. Janet really didn't have any compelling story lines, mainly because she was too normal. It's no knock on Janet as a person, but she really isn't the Real World-type that we are all looking for. Aside from struggling to balance her parents Korean values with her Gen X lifestyle, she really had no emotional or family baggage. It's a shame, she could've been great. Maybe if she had an eating disorder.

Nathan Blackburn: Went to VMI with David, broke up with his long time girlfriend, the end.

Lindsay Brien: Wild child, cute girl. Really didn't add a whole lot. She had some moments but was mostly there to progress the story for others. When her good friend committed suicide, it really gave the season a sense of purpose. A lot of people, myself included, joke about how fake the show seems. But that was genuine, real emotion that no one should have to go through, and she went through it on camera. Lots of kudos for the way she handled it all.

Rebecca Lord: Sounds like a porn star name, but she doesn't live up to the name. This season didn't have a ridiculously hot or promiscuous girl, and Rebecca was the closest that they had. This is a problem. A truly great season needs to have certain elements, one of which is a very hot and/or slutty girl. It is a testament to the collective strength of the cast that they pulled off a great season despite not having one.

All-Stars

David Burns: Wow, what to say about this guy. If it wasn't for Stephen and Irene, he would have been the obvious MVP choice. At first look, you wouldn't think so since he is in a military academy. But dig a little deeper and we find out he was a drug addict. Bingo! He winds up getting extremely obsessive during the few romances he has. In the second episode, he flirts with housemate Rebecca. Then Rebecca shows interest in some other guy. So David does the non-stalker thing by waiting up all night til her date ended, then called her a heart breaker who leaves a trail of destruction in her wake. Fun guy! The next relationship meltdown involved the casting director for the show. Luckily, the casting director, Kira, has some serious issues of her own. Who puts their job on the line in the first place for some person they just met? She was a casting director for MTV, and she gave it up for a former drug addict who she only knew for a couple of months. Jeez, when I say it like that, it makes perfect sense! During this train wreck of a relationship, David utters the following gems:

"When you stole my heart, you stole my sexual desire. For the first time I'm giving my heart to another woman."

"This is my life. I would choose you over anything."- You sure, David? What about some drugs, some delicious wonderful drugs?

All of this pales in comparison to one of the great moments of the show. This moment almost propelled David to MVP status. To be an MVP, you need a season defining moment. If he was on any season in the last 5 years, he would have had the season defining moment and gone down as a legend. As such, he is a very serviceable All-Star, much like Scottie Pippen was to MJ.

Signature Moment: Who could forget the passionate argument between David and Kira in the car? They didn't want to be in front of the cameras, so they hid in a car. Unfortunately, VMI must not teach common sense because they still left their mics on. I wish Youtube had it, but suffice it to say David is literally screaming at the top of his lungs and crying about how much he loves Kira ( they couldn't have been dating more than a couple of months, by the way) and he really deserved at least an Emmy nod for his performance.

Irene McGee: You may be asking yourself: Wait, why isn't she the MVP? She was insane and had to leave the show because of Lyme's Disease and got slapped!! Here is my reasoning:

Irene was clearly an odd flower but most of the season she was kind of in the background. Before she went crazy from Lyme's Disease, she was having a subpar season. Also, she left the show early so that really hurts her cause. However, she was an amazing house mate who made the season legendary. A good, recent comparison can be made to the movie "Zombieland." Bill Murray had a cameo that stole the entire movie. You could say he was the MVP, but in reality, he was only in the movie for about ten minutes.

Irene was one of the more unattractive Real Worlders, which normally implies she must be batshit insane to have gotten on the show. Well, she came close. It truly all started around Episode 14 (thank you MTV for your episode summaries to refresh my memory) when Irene started acting a little odd. She obsessively cleans the house, utters non-sequiturs that just leave the rest of the cast confused, and has frequent emotional breakdowns. Now, anyone watching the show would have bet money that some tragic event from Irene's past was causing this behavior. But only Irene could pull off Lyme's Disease.

No one can honestly say what Lyme's Disease is, what the symptoms are, etc. So for Irene to have to go home because of it was simply confusing. But it turned out to be a godsend for the viewers because it caused a chain of events that led to maybe the defining moment. But I have to discuss that in the MVP's section.

MVP

Stephen Williams: Every great season must have an MVP, someone who was the main focal point of the season, who could be counted on to deliver week in and week out, but more importantly, had the defining moment of the season. Stephen certainly fit that criteria. He clashed with most of the house mates, nearly came to blows a couple of times, and even questioned his sexuality.

This part needs to be discussed further. Let's break it down. Stephen had a girlfriend prior to joining the show, but his mannerisms and speech suggested he may be gay. But he was adament that he wasn't. The unintentional comedy reached a fever when he befriended a gay man named David. When Stephen's boss started a rumor that he was gay, he got very defensive. But the funniest part was when he went into the confessional and said he was very "confused." Gold, pure and simple. When a guy says he is straight and dates women, then befriends a gay guy and starts questioning his sexuality, he isn't confused. He's kidding himself. Stephen was obviously gay but in some sort of bizarre denial about it. Be gay, be proud of it, and own your feelings, buddy. What makes Stephen even better is after filming, Stephen came out as gay and said he was engaged. What makes Stephen EVEN BETTER is in 2002 he was arrested for male prostitution. Yes, this is Stephen Williams, and he is a Real World MVP.

-Why isn't he a Hall of Famer? Well, he didn't take the show to another level every episode. In fact, there were enough episodes where he wasn't involved to make a case he isn't an MVP. While he rubbed his roommates the wrong way many times, he wasn't actually that hated by his roommates. If you compare him to true Hall of Famers, you will see a distinct difference between Stephen, and let's say, Ruthie. For example, after the incident I will discuss below, Stephen talked with his roommates, apologized, and all was forgiven. The same did not happen with Ruthie after her drunk driving episode.

Signature Moment: Really this one of the 5 signature moments of the series. Aptly dubbed "The Slap," this was one of the more disturbing incidents of violence on the Real World because it was a man hitting a woman.

-Side note: Doesn't this just make the Jersey Shore seem that much crazier. Stephen slapped Irene, and honestly, not that hard, although still absolutely inexcusable. Snookie gets sucker punched hard! Jersey Shore is clearly the Real World on steroids, which is funny in itself because of all the references to steroids on this blog. Hey, I'm clever!

"The Slap" began the episode before when Stephen and Irene got into an argument and Stephen refused to sympathize with Irene's Disease. When Irene was saying her goodbyes, she pulled Stephen aside and said it would never work out between them because Stephen was a homosexual. Stephen responded by grabbing his crotch(naturally) and calling her a bitch. He then ran, got Irene's beloved teddy bear which he had been hiding, and threw it off the pier. Not content, he then ran up to her car as it was pulling away, opened Irene's door, and slapped her.

View the clip here: http://jezebel.com/350376/vintage-real-world-seattles-stephen--irene-in-the-slap-heard-round-the-world

When I watched that episode, I was dazed. It didn't seem that it really happened because it was so shocking and unexpected. Seriously, who would react that way? I guess considering how Stephen turned out, it may not be so surprising. I think the most amazing thing is that Stephen didn't get kicked out. The producer's left it up to the cast to decide. I'm sorry, but shouldn't there just be some things that are automatic eviction. You know, like drug use, violence against women, being Erika from RW: DC. (Seriously, the casting director should have been fired for that selection)

Real World Seattle was a great season. It served as a perfect bridge between the early seasons and the later seasons. The characters were dynamic and exciting. There was plenty of unintentional comedy, plus some truly raw and emotional moments. They weren't on the show to become famous, but they were there for the right reasons of having a once in a lifetime experience. The producers caught the vibe of Seattle fairly accurately, which is one of the more underrated necessities for a great season. So thank you, Real World Seattle cast mates, wherever you are, for opening me up to the show and providing a 14 year old insight into how screwed up I potentially could become when I reached my twenties.

I leave you all with this quote, which sums it all up pretty well:

"Kira, you're breaking my haaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!" David