(thing) by Quenton Cassidy Mon Mar 03 2003 at 1:03:05

Reality TV has become somewhat of a fad during the 1990's and early 2000's. The popularity began when MTV began airing Real World in 1992. The show developed immediate popularity based on it's documentary and soap opera style. MTV's Real World could easily have been the springboard for all reality TV that we are bombarded with today.

Here a listing of the seasons and the cast members

  1. New York- This season was the jumping point for many more to come. The show focused on 7 normal people with big dreams of fame. Key conflicts involved racism and a long term relationship for Norman, the only gay member of this cast.
    • Andre
    • Becky
    • Eric
    • Heather
    • Julie
    • Kevin
    • Norman
  2. Los Angeles- Throughout this season there is actually nine cast members. A new precedent is set when one of the members is asked to leave. And thus begins voting off the island. Other key points of interest are a wedding and a return trip to Ireland for other cast members.
    • Aaron
    • Beth
    • David
    • Dominic
    • Irene
    • Jon
    • Tami
  3. San Francisco - The Real World continues to pick up steam with a more geographically diverse group of people. As viewers, we have the pleasure of being introduced to the infamous Puck, another casualty of house booting. On a serious side, HIV and AIDS get some much needed public exposure.
    • Cory
    • Judd
    • Mohammed
    • Pam
    • Pedro
    • Puck
    • Rachel
  4. London - The show heads overseas. House members are chosen from various countries, which lead to even more cultural differences than domestic episodes.
    • Jacinda
    • Jay
    • Kat
    • Lars
    • Michael
    • Neil
    • Sharon
  5. Miami - The show begins to take a new direction when the residents are put up in an extravagant waterfront residence. This is a change from the more modest housing of previous seasons. Another added component is the beginning of a team work environment. For the first time, thc cast members are charged with working together to start a business. Another point of interest for this season is the shower scene.
    • Cynthia
    • Dan
    • Flora
    • Joe
    • Melissa
    • Mike
    • Sarah
  6. Boston - The show continues the trend of growing more dramatic and extravagant. The cast lives in a refurbished firehouse. Syrus has an affair with a mother from the children's program that the cast works with, Genesis spends some time with a drag queen, and Montana gets fired.
    • Elka
    • Genesis
    • Jason
    • Kameelah
    • Montana
    • Sean
    • Syrus
  7. Seattle - Once again, the case is housed in an amazing location. This time it is Pier 70 overlooking Elliot Bay. This show is the first time where cast members knew eachother before moving into the house. Probably the most memorable moment from this season is the bitch slap heard around the world.
    • David
    • Irene
    • Janet
    • Lindsay
    • Nathan
    • Rebecca
    • Stephen
  8. Hawaii - Arguably the best season thus far, the setting is the beaches of Honolulu. The world is introduced to Teck for the first time, who becomes a mainstay on MTV and even lands some film roles. Also, a serious bought with alcoholism is undertaken.
    • Amaya
    • Colin
    • Justin
    • Kaia
    • Matt
    • Ruthie
    • Teck
  9. New Orleans - This season the cast lives in a gigantic mansion. They live front and center to the party life of New Orleans. A first from this episode is the hidden relationship between Danny and his boyfriend, who must protect his identity because he is in the military.
    • Danny
    • David
    • Julie
    • Jamie
    • Kelly
    • Matt
    • Melissa
  10. New York - The show makes it's first return to a city. This show was actually airing on MTV during the September 11, 2001 tragedy.
    • Coral
    • Kevin
    • Lori
    • Malik
    • Mike
    • Nicole
    • Rachel
  11. Chicago - This season grasps for originality, but is basically the most uneventful season until 9-11. One recurring and annoying problem is watching Tonya continually whine.
    • Aneesa
    • Cara
    • Chris
    • Keri
    • Kyle
    • Theo
    • Tonya
  12. Las Vegas - The show moves to sin city, and as can be expected, this is the trashiest season to date. This seasona also features the most physically attractive cast. MTV seemingly drifts more from the Real World.
    • Alton
    • Arissa
    • Brynn
    • Frank
    • Irulan
    • Steven
    • Trishelle

The Real World displays an evident trend of becoming more dramatic and less real. Although it was the starting point for the popularity of Reality TV, it has recently began following it's succesors to become over dramatized and manipulated to gain ratings.

Information gathered from various web sources and MTV.com
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