BY DC CUEVA
The next chapter in the ongoing story that is the MTV Trifecta is already ongoing with season 31 of The Real World taking place in Las Vegas, NV. Among the shows that make up this triple, if you consider The Challenge to be the main course with all that competition and Are You The One? the dessert with all that lovin', then The Real World is the appetizer, and the one that's steeped in history. It's not only the longest-running show on MTV but the longest-running primetime entertainment series in all of cable and, of course, the pioneer of the reality television genre, as the show is in Sin City for Go Big or Go Home.
The Real World's way of having told the stories of the generations who've been documented on this show serve as a template to ExtraTime and to our position of covering these shows in a unique way. From personal hardships and great moments, to the people of this unique franchise, we've been able to tell the kinds of stories that sometimes get shuffled in the limelight but proves that there's more to them than what you see on TV. And the show's long and storied history provides a vault full of stories that makes it unique among MTV shows, which for this post provides a perfect example.
On this dedicated edition of ExtraTime, DCBLOG will look back at the first time The Real World set foot in the city that never sleeps. When it came to Las Vegas in fall 2002, the show was, pure & simple, a documentary series documenting the MTV generation going through this transition into adulthood, and in many ways it still is. But when the cast moved out of the Palms Hotel at the end of Season 12, it was in a whole new level with a memorable cast that rewrote the rule book and set the pace for every season that followed to emulate its kind of wild excitement, big time drama and hookups aplenty.
After the jump, DC ExtraTime presents a special, unique retrospective of the season that changed the game of television's longest-running reality-based series: The Real World Las Vegas.
For the first eleven seasons of The Real World, the show had already become a TV pioneer before the genre of reality TV became mainstream. In 1992, MTV decided to add to its limited slate of shows around its video blocks a soap opera & documentary hybrid from producer duo Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jon Murray, and reality TV as we all know it was born. The gritty first season in New York, the debut of longtime reality TV stalwart Tami Roman in LA, the memorable San Francisco season with Pedro Zamora, the infamous Stephen slap on Irene in Seattle, Teck & Ruthie's skinny dip in Hawaii, and the introduction of future WWE champ Mike "The Miz" defined its first decade.
When it began its second decade in Chicago, Season 11 saw a serious cast romance featuring future sports radio producer Kyle Brandt, the first appearance of a future Challenge staple in Aneesa, and the cast dealing with the generation-defining events of 9/11 on her 20th birthday. When it aired in that spring of 2002 - the first RW season to be filmed in the summertime, it also had the enviable task of being a relative undercard in leading into what was, until Jersey Shore came along seven years later, the highest-rated series in MTV history in Ozzy, Sharon and The Osbournes.
So, what could MTV and Bunim-Murray Productions do to capitalize on this expanded platform and viewership of the show that predated the reality TV boom that came on before Survivor made the genre more mainstream? They thought of one thing, and one thing only: take The Real World to a whole new frontier. It's a city where you'd have to be 21 to roam its casinos no less have a sip of alcohol, and where roaming the Strip at night alone would actually be against the law for some of MTV's audience who had daily dates with Carson Daly and the TRL crew.
When it was chosen for season 12, Las Vegas had experienced a tremendous decade-long period of growth with new resort casinos popping up everywhere on the Strip and outwards. One of those was The Palms, a young-adult focused hotel casino west of the Strip, owned by Vegas tycoon & then-NBA owner George Maloof and intent on drawing travelers away from the world's largest concentration of hotels on any single street. For BMP, producers have long had the city on their radar as America's pleasure playground, but were afraid that the roommates would find themselves in the pitfalls of those seven deadly sins. Plus of course, Vegas is a 24/7 city, where the cast could be out at any time of day and putting a strain on production crews too - and even added an extra camera team as a result.
The seven strangers chosen to undertake this surreal experience were an eclectic bunch best suited to handling the assignment of living together in a city whose nightlife is best suited to this town. But they also share something with the Vegas XXV cast and some of this season's group in having endured personal hardship before entering the 28th floor suite in the Palms.
● FRANK: Frank was the small-town Pennsylvania native used to everything a town far from the city would have: a perfect family with a local pizza parlor owned by his dad and a stay at home mom. When he went to college, he had a chance to emerge out of that bubble of being in his traditional nuclear family and do everything his way. Wide-eyed and with a good energy, he's also able to make friends easily through his open, affable style, as well as a knack for telling great stories.
● ARISSA: The multi-racial firecracker Arissa has been described by her inner circle of family and friends as "a tough girl with a heart of gold" with brains and beauty aplenty. Described by casting as "a charismatic smart talker," she was raised in the projects of Boston by a work-busy single mom, and Arissa had to adjust to being self-sufficient and get along everywhere she is. Coming into Vegas, she was anticipating leaving behind her home and taking on the world to experience life to its fullest, while also being very compassionate and mindful of putting other peoples' needs ahead of her own.
● TRISHELLE: Trishelle is the quintessential Southern belle, who was born to a devout Christian family in the small, conservative town of Cutoff just 90 minutes from New Orleans. But when Trishelle was 14, her mom lost a battle with brain cancer, and that was where she turned away from the church (where she went many times a week) to cope with this loss in other ways. In spite of those events, she maintained a strong academic and athletic presence in high school, while maintaining her good girl status while being both stunningly beautiful and charming too that attracts the guys.
In the book Real World Las Vegas: Confessions from Sin City, Coordinating Producer of that Vegas season, Tracy Chaplin, knew he had something special with this cast: "There's an energy to this cast. There were the seven that really made me want to get to know them more. We needed all these amazing people, but then there were these bright, shining stars remaining--like a pile full of stories and a few little gold specks. They were just dynamic--lighting up the room, and the screen."
And of course, there was what happened on night #4 and episode 2. A night of alcohol and partying - with a girl-on-girl club kiss to boot - would lead us to the inevitable. Trishelle, Steven and Brynn went into the bathroom's hot tub, and the rest became history, captured by MTV cameras, and their roommates having a front row seat. Them being on one another in that small tub as if they're young kids having fun in the pool, and then bringing that sexual excitement into their room and under the covers that late night was the moment when The Real World as we knew it then became something different and addictive, and a new generation of fans became permanently hooked by this shocking threesome.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg. For the cast's group assignment in this 24/7 city, it was no surprise that their job was to throw parties for the numerous bars and clubs at the Palms. During the season we saw them put together elaborate parties, from fashion shows to exotic dance numbers and the like. It was shortly after they got the assignment that the group's boss, Marc, had turned himself temporarily from a working professional supposed to do his job and represent Nine Group the best he can, into with one sip, one of us. One night, he decided to go downtown with Irulan and Arissa and slept in the same bed, and it was after that episode aired that he was given his walking papers. Of course, only in Vegas would something like this happen.
For their overseas trip, the roommates flew to Australia where they helped to promote The Palms and Las Vegas for the people Down Under. Their task was to perform a rather interesting choreographed routine, which they get to do as well as enjoy everything the country is known for - topless beaches included. But the drama went down under as well for Alton & Irulan, which began back home with him hooking up with a girl while she was getting wasted on her birthday and making her jealous, and him going in bed naked. Alton's girl drama continued while they were in Australia, and led Irulan to temporarily cut ties. And there was drama with Steven, Trishelle & Frank too when the ladder two started hanging out with the former joining the rest of the group after a drunken night before the trip when Steven called time to his sexual relationship with Trishelle.
When the group returned to the Palms, the trip changed Arissa's outlook on life. But for what she went through before and during the trip, Irulan would ultimately reach a breaking point when she regrets forgiving Alton and his behavior. But when buzz on the grapevine suggested that he was flirting with Australian locals and that he had a threesome on the trip, the stress of that situation became too much for her to handle and decides to pack up, move out and return to Gabe in New York. But after pleads from the girls, buzz spreading like wildfire around the loft, and even via phone to the Bronx that led him to break up with her, Irulan decides to stay in Las Vegas - wrestling session with Alton included.
For the threesome, a business school interview brought Frank, Trishelle and Steven down to L.A. that saw sexual tension rise back up between the former two and the trio enjoy themselves in SoCal and where a night of drinks & mechanical bulls saw temptations erupt, but Frank resists. When they returned - where they actually sacrificed much of a nice work assignment of doing photos and interviews for Stuff Magazine for the sake of future career aspirations, the alcohol and flirtation finally sees Frank give in and kiss Trishelle. Eventually, and being honest and upstanding, Frank calls her girlfriend Emily back home and decides a long-distance relationship is not in their interest.
In the end, by the time the roommates took a chopper tour of the city on the season finale in April 2003 (Yes, the season premiered in Sept. 2002 as RW episodes back then were only 30 minutes compared to an hour nowadays and as many as nearly 26 episodes compared to just 12-13 today), we had not just an all-time favorite cast, but a season that totally changed the game of this franchise. No longer was The Real World just a simple documentary-based project that at times could be a bit dull for some, but now it had become a true reality show with all the drama, fun and beyond that we now expect of our favorite shows, while staying true to its old-school style that give it distinction from other shows in this genre.
If the first season in New York in 1992 was a baptism of fire and the legendary San Francisco season two years later was its graduation day, then the Las Vegas season was the sweet sixteen party for The Real World. Fourteen years ago, seven strangers went to Las Vegas to enjoy the fruits of being young and wild in a city that knows how to do it all big time. An eclectic group of diverse backgrounds had the time of their lives that greatest adult playground and in the end changed the game of the show that gave the world reality television. The modern era of one of TV's most-enduring series as many take for granted began that fall, winter & spring of 2002-03 there, and in the end we had a cast that connected with viewers and redefined many words in the MTV lexicon. All of us can thank Alton, Arissa, Frank, Brynn, Irulan, Steven and Trishelle for bringing that element of fun, big time drama and great personalities to this great show and for being a great cast as well.
Be sure to follow DCBLOG for the blogosphere's most-unique and insightful coverage of the MTV Trifecta, as this site brings you wall-to-wall coverage of the current Real World season, Go Big or Go Home from Las Vegas, season 28 of The Challenge - Rivals III, and later this year season 4 of Are You The One?. As this is being posted on Saturday, April 9th, stay tuned to DCBLOG for our signature DC SocialPulse twitter diary and DC WRAP of Episode 4 of RW 31 as well as the launch of the countdown to Rivals III. And near to its premiere on May 4, the next ExtraTime will look back at the legendary first Rivals season of five years ago.
As always, follow my dedicated live Twitter hub, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for live and real-time tweets of The Real World, plus this weekend live coverage of the weekend's play at The Masters Tournament and tonight's Pacquiao-Bradley fight. And as always, you can drop me a line on Twitter @DC408Dxtr and here to leave me your comments on this ExtraTime special.
Again, hope you enjoyed this ExtraTime special on the game-changing Real World Las Vegas season. Make sure to join me right now on DCNOW for golf's first major of 2016, and for now, thanks for reading.
- I AM DC
Bibliography:
The Real World Las Vegas: Confessions from Sin City (K.M. Squires, MTV Books/Pocket Books)
For the first eleven seasons of The Real World, the show had already become a TV pioneer before the genre of reality TV became mainstream. In 1992, MTV decided to add to its limited slate of shows around its video blocks a soap opera & documentary hybrid from producer duo Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jon Murray, and reality TV as we all know it was born. The gritty first season in New York, the debut of longtime reality TV stalwart Tami Roman in LA, the memorable San Francisco season with Pedro Zamora, the infamous Stephen slap on Irene in Seattle, Teck & Ruthie's skinny dip in Hawaii, and the introduction of future WWE champ Mike "The Miz" defined its first decade.
When it began its second decade in Chicago, Season 11 saw a serious cast romance featuring future sports radio producer Kyle Brandt, the first appearance of a future Challenge staple in Aneesa, and the cast dealing with the generation-defining events of 9/11 on her 20th birthday. When it aired in that spring of 2002 - the first RW season to be filmed in the summertime, it also had the enviable task of being a relative undercard in leading into what was, until Jersey Shore came along seven years later, the highest-rated series in MTV history in Ozzy, Sharon and The Osbournes.
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| Brynn, Frank, Trishelle, Irulan, Steven (stand), Alton & Arissa (sit) |
When it was chosen for season 12, Las Vegas had experienced a tremendous decade-long period of growth with new resort casinos popping up everywhere on the Strip and outwards. One of those was The Palms, a young-adult focused hotel casino west of the Strip, owned by Vegas tycoon & then-NBA owner George Maloof and intent on drawing travelers away from the world's largest concentration of hotels on any single street. For BMP, producers have long had the city on their radar as America's pleasure playground, but were afraid that the roommates would find themselves in the pitfalls of those seven deadly sins. Plus of course, Vegas is a 24/7 city, where the cast could be out at any time of day and putting a strain on production crews too - and even added an extra camera team as a result.
THE LUCKY SEVEN
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| Alton, Arissa, Frank, Steven, Trishelle, Brynn & Irulan. Credit: MTV/Rudy Archuleta |
● FRANK: Frank was the small-town Pennsylvania native used to everything a town far from the city would have: a perfect family with a local pizza parlor owned by his dad and a stay at home mom. When he went to college, he had a chance to emerge out of that bubble of being in his traditional nuclear family and do everything his way. Wide-eyed and with a good energy, he's also able to make friends easily through his open, affable style, as well as a knack for telling great stories.
● ARISSA: The multi-racial firecracker Arissa has been described by her inner circle of family and friends as "a tough girl with a heart of gold" with brains and beauty aplenty. Described by casting as "a charismatic smart talker," she was raised in the projects of Boston by a work-busy single mom, and Arissa had to adjust to being self-sufficient and get along everywhere she is. Coming into Vegas, she was anticipating leaving behind her home and taking on the world to experience life to its fullest, while also being very compassionate and mindful of putting other peoples' needs ahead of her own.
● TRISHELLE: Trishelle is the quintessential Southern belle, who was born to a devout Christian family in the small, conservative town of Cutoff just 90 minutes from New Orleans. But when Trishelle was 14, her mom lost a battle with brain cancer, and that was where she turned away from the church (where she went many times a week) to cope with this loss in other ways. In spite of those events, she maintained a strong academic and athletic presence in high school, while maintaining her good girl status while being both stunningly beautiful and charming too that attracts the guys.
● BRYNN: From Portland, Brynn described herself as a party animal who's the life of the party, but also boasting the type of personality tailor made for TV. She's one of those who tells it like it is and says what she means when she means it, and wouldn't spare someone who she feels have faulted her. It's that razor-sharp wit that makes Brynn one of those who'll be first to lash out in a fight, but also the first to own up to her mistakes. This free spirit also came to Clark County single and with the uneasy feeling of being alone, but loves being at the center of the action with her upbeat charisma.
● STEVEN: We first saw Steven as that handsome and charismatic bartender from Texas, who supported himself in school working in a gay bar of all things. Being on his own since high school, he had to take care of himself early on, and overcame a tough adolescence where during this troubled time he got married. That experience helped him become more of a positive person, but that didn't work out on a marital level. As he came to Vegas, he was going through a divorce and had entered Vegas a single man and was eager to meet new women...of course, the rest is history.
● ALTON: Alton was an energetic, handsome guy from San Diego who's a Jack of all trades: one who can rock climb, play the violin and enjoy the outdoors. But behind those looks, and similar to the back stories of the Vegas XXV cast, Alton had also dealt with personal tragedy in his brother being abducted and murdered when he was a kid, and for which the trial took place while he was in Vegas. His charm always grabs the ladies, and his friends also appreciated his energy and jack of all trades nature. He's always been an inspiration to those in his inner circle, including his mom too.
● IRULAN: From the Bronx, Irulan had a perfect childhood being loved greatly by her parents. But she had to adjust to growing up much earlier when her dad died while she was 7 and she & her mom had to rely on each other during that traumatic time, and that bond had been strengthened afterwards. Irulan had to deal with body image issues while in high school, but she overcame that stigma as she got to hone her talents at a design school and being beautiful. And when she came to Vegas from that NYC borough, she also had an open relationship with boyfriend Gabe back home.
● STEVEN: We first saw Steven as that handsome and charismatic bartender from Texas, who supported himself in school working in a gay bar of all things. Being on his own since high school, he had to take care of himself early on, and overcame a tough adolescence where during this troubled time he got married. That experience helped him become more of a positive person, but that didn't work out on a marital level. As he came to Vegas, he was going through a divorce and had entered Vegas a single man and was eager to meet new women...of course, the rest is history.
● ALTON: Alton was an energetic, handsome guy from San Diego who's a Jack of all trades: one who can rock climb, play the violin and enjoy the outdoors. But behind those looks, and similar to the back stories of the Vegas XXV cast, Alton had also dealt with personal tragedy in his brother being abducted and murdered when he was a kid, and for which the trial took place while he was in Vegas. His charm always grabs the ladies, and his friends also appreciated his energy and jack of all trades nature. He's always been an inspiration to those in his inner circle, including his mom too.
● IRULAN: From the Bronx, Irulan had a perfect childhood being loved greatly by her parents. But she had to adjust to growing up much earlier when her dad died while she was 7 and she & her mom had to rely on each other during that traumatic time, and that bond had been strengthened afterwards. Irulan had to deal with body image issues while in high school, but she overcame that stigma as she got to hone her talents at a design school and being beautiful. And when she came to Vegas from that NYC borough, she also had an open relationship with boyfriend Gabe back home.
In the book Real World Las Vegas: Confessions from Sin City, Coordinating Producer of that Vegas season, Tracy Chaplin, knew he had something special with this cast: "There's an energy to this cast. There were the seven that really made me want to get to know them more. We needed all these amazing people, but then there were these bright, shining stars remaining--like a pile full of stories and a few little gold specks. They were just dynamic--lighting up the room, and the screen."
THE SEASON IN REVIEW
On that first night, the group indulged themselves in their new surroundings in dressing up for a dinner, then taking off their clothes for a late night at the spa. And given that the booze is just about everywhere, it didn't take that long for the sexual tension to finally boil over, once Steven and Trishelle got it on the floor and locked lips the next night. That led to tension afterwards with the other guy who had a crush on her in Frank who had seen them kiss right on his lap, and jealousy on Brynn's part in that the Southerner got him before her. |
| MTV.com/Cast Candids |
For the guy who let the Southern belle get away, Frank saw it this way: "I consider myself a pretty wild, naïve person from where I come from, and I come here and I see that, I'm like 'Wow, is this day 4? I'm really not that sort of person that's going to be hooking up with everyone in that tub in that mixture of disease and infestation." Arissa added, "I don't really know what the hell is going on. I feel like I'm in, like, a porn I can't escape." And in the RW Vegas book, Steven was left to say, "It was really fun. What problem would I have being with two beautiful women at the same time?"
Trishelle talked about that wild night in the confessional and in the book: "I feel like tonight was just really, really crazy. Stuff happened that I really, really don't know what's happened. I just kind of didn't speak up for myself enough. Alcohol played a huge factor." Not surprisingly, the folks back home in the Bayou weren't pleased about it once she phoned them and confessed her sins. And Brynn added, "The threesome in the hot tub was my most sinful Real World moment. But I'm perfectly fine with that. I did it, it was a good time, it was all fun and games to me."
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| MTV.com/Cast Candids |
When you have plenty of alcohol around, it wouldn't be that long before something had to blow up... with a simple kitchen utensil, of all things. Brynn was obsessed with Steven & Trishelle's relationship from the moment they hooked up, and was still jealous even when Frank suggest the girls switch rooms with respect to privacy. But, once she and Steven got into a heated argument in the loft, she threw a fork at him and all hell broke lose, shall we say. The fight exploded as he feels he was attacked and she yells insults at her as the heated discussion intensified. Steven does everything he can to send Brynn home, but after he is given more thought about it after things cooled off, he decided to not pull the trigger. But not before one of the biggest blowups we've seen on The Real World, for which Brynn remembers, "It was probably one of my most angry moments I've ever had in my whole entire life."
Meanwhile, the other house relationship that developed in the Palms was that of Alton and Irulan. It was about a third of a way through that she began to take this relationship to a more romantic level, despite him having a problem with, his thing (if you know what we mean). When her boyfriend Gabe arrived in town, there was concern this might blow up like what happened in the Bay Area many years later, but things were calm. But Alton would have to face his fears of being around gay people when, just weeks after he did a heterosexual dancing routine at a club event, he was grabbed at the groin by a bystander but had wanted to go off but was kept from doing so. With Trishelle taken, Frank, in the meantime, began to meet some girls at Spring Break and when Arissa finds out that he and a southerner were kissing in the confessional, she loses her mind.
If there's a memorable person from this season not counting the cast, then it is "Awesome Ann," who was brought in to do a team-building workshop after the kids were blowing off their work duties, not doing a good job promoting when they did show up despite good performances, and Steven & Arissa having a rift too. They were forced to do a single day of team bonding, trust exercises and self-improvement techniques, which saw them rediscover themselves. When I watched that episode and having not seen a single scene from it in promos, I was wondering "What on earth is going on here?" in it being one of the oddest things I've seen on the show. But it did help to serve a purpose as the group was finally able to gel and open up to one another, which turned the tide for them in becoming more focused on work and become better people.
It was after that session that the words "Real World" really rung true. There was a pregnancy scare in the loft when Trishelle was forced to take a pregnancy test. She put off the tests ignoring the girls' advice until Steven buys her one, and he says he's ready and make a great dad if it did happen, but in the end the test comes up negative. She remembers, "Honestly, I felt in my heart I was not pregnant, but I was afraid of what Steven might say, and that's why I didn't want Steven to know. Finally I just told him and he was very supportive." Something similar to this happened on the second Vegas season when Leroy and Naomi's night led to her also having a pregnancy scare, and this event was all before we heard of Farrah, Jenelle and Teen Mom.
It was after that session that the words "Real World" really rung true. There was a pregnancy scare in the loft when Trishelle was forced to take a pregnancy test. She put off the tests ignoring the girls' advice until Steven buys her one, and he says he's ready and make a great dad if it did happen, but in the end the test comes up negative. She remembers, "Honestly, I felt in my heart I was not pregnant, but I was afraid of what Steven might say, and that's why I didn't want Steven to know. Finally I just told him and he was very supportive." Something similar to this happened on the second Vegas season when Leroy and Naomi's night led to her also having a pregnancy scare, and this event was all before we heard of Farrah, Jenelle and Teen Mom.
If you're a New Englander, then you're expected to make contribute your part in the RW drama. When her boyfriend Dario was in town, Arissa was overjoyed at his presence but also mindful of her anger issues too. When a woman continually harassed her, Arissa feels she's being harmed and decks her as she risks being fired. After telling Marc that she got into that fight as a way to protect herself, she got lucky that she was not fired. Later came some unwelcome news from home: before she left for Vegas, Arissa got into it with with a neighbor in her apartment complex. The person retaliated by giving her a restraining order and since she was 2,500 miles away and didn't report to court a bench warrant for her arrest was sent out, just as her uncle came for a visit on her birthday, where she would spend time with the roommates and not family for that big night.
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| MTV.com/Cast Candids |
When the group returned to the Palms, the trip changed Arissa's outlook on life. But for what she went through before and during the trip, Irulan would ultimately reach a breaking point when she regrets forgiving Alton and his behavior. But when buzz on the grapevine suggested that he was flirting with Australian locals and that he had a threesome on the trip, the stress of that situation became too much for her to handle and decides to pack up, move out and return to Gabe in New York. But after pleads from the girls, buzz spreading like wildfire around the loft, and even via phone to the Bronx that led him to break up with her, Irulan decides to stay in Las Vegas - wrestling session with Alton included.
For the threesome, a business school interview brought Frank, Trishelle and Steven down to L.A. that saw sexual tension rise back up between the former two and the trio enjoy themselves in SoCal and where a night of drinks & mechanical bulls saw temptations erupt, but Frank resists. When they returned - where they actually sacrificed much of a nice work assignment of doing photos and interviews for Stuff Magazine for the sake of future career aspirations, the alcohol and flirtation finally sees Frank give in and kiss Trishelle. Eventually, and being honest and upstanding, Frank calls her girlfriend Emily back home and decides a long-distance relationship is not in their interest.
That isn't the end of that relationship soap opera: the Alton & Irulan drama continued as they found each other's new romantic interests for the sake of jealousy as she shacks up with his friend, and Alton sees a local school teacher. Trishelle begins dating again with a guy she met before coming here, and there's also Brynn with a friend from back home. But ultimately, the girls began to deal with their house relationships when Trishelle looked over her relationship with Steven and Irulan with Alton. When a double date with the former and Frank took place, it ultimately led to them becoming friends. And despite him asking other girls' numbers in front of her, Alton & Irulan became official. And Arissa cut all ties with Dario when he spread false rumors about her.
Well, not all of this season was about relationship drama: Brynn had her issues both financially --- she resorted to her calling card of dancing to do Go-Go Dancing alongside her duties at Rain to help foot the bill --- and mentally ---she suffered anxiety and panic attacks and found out her mom was going into rehab towards the end of their stay. Later, Irulan and Arissa would follow in Brynn's footsteps and work for the Skin poolside bar with the hope that it's exactly what they expect of Vegas in enjoying the sun while working, but they find the job is more than just sun & skin in working all other things too.
Well, not all of this season was about relationship drama: Brynn had her issues both financially --- she resorted to her calling card of dancing to do Go-Go Dancing alongside her duties at Rain to help foot the bill --- and mentally ---she suffered anxiety and panic attacks and found out her mom was going into rehab towards the end of their stay. Later, Irulan and Arissa would follow in Brynn's footsteps and work for the Skin poolside bar with the hope that it's exactly what they expect of Vegas in enjoying the sun while working, but they find the job is more than just sun & skin in working all other things too.
LEAVING LAS VEGAS
With the amount of sex and relationship drama we saw inside the Palms, the castmates themselves were concerned that this would eventually move off of a basic cable channel like MTV and into that unlimited world of premium TV. But nonetheless, the cast really clicked with the viewers as one of those all-time favorite casts where, unlike other casts, not one single person stands out among the group and their chemistry is nothing but perfect. Producers no doubt hit the jackpot when they had seven great castmates to document. Show creator Jon Murray says, "I think with what happened with Las Vegas is that we got seven home runs---and ended up with twenty-eight episodes' worth of story. As a result, it's been a very interesting, enjoyable journey." And the proof came in the record viewership of that season, and they helped to set the mold for every other Real World season that has on since then.
We've seen a few of the original Vegas cast on a few Challenge seasons back in the day, and the entire cast got together for a special Revisited mini-series five years after their original stay. But no roommate has had as great a staying power than Trishelle. As she become a household name in Vegas, it didn't take long for her to do a Challenge, as we saw her on the first two installments of The Gauntlet and The Inferno, and became romantic with one Mike the Miz. Those two also took part in a special Fear Factor, and she even got "Punk'd" by Ashton Kutcher. Trishelle has also followed in other roommates' lead in posing for Playboy, playing LFL women's football, became friendly with everyone from Steve-O of Jack@$$ and American Idol William Hung to Star Trek OG George Takei and Hulk Hogan, as well as even RW's resident queen bee Coral after they were at odds over the Miz while in Colorado & Mexico. And she's a regular fixture at the poker table to add more to that Vegas allure.
And when I began to follow The Challenge extensively back in fall 2012, Trishelle made a remarkable comeback some seven years removed from that last appearance in Mexico, much to everyone's surprise in Turkey. She was on a mixed Vegas team for Battle of the Seasons II: her & Alton from the first Vegas season, and Dustin & Nany from Back to Vegas, and despite being shorthanded in the final the Louisiana natives still hung tough to notch second. And there was what happened on Rivals II when she got in an argument with fellow Real World OG Aneesa and then quit, which led to Sarah's exit. She might not have been a happy camper in Thailand, but for those like me who remembered watching that first Vegas season it brought back a lot of memories.
If the first season in New York in 1992 was a baptism of fire and the legendary San Francisco season two years later was its graduation day, then the Las Vegas season was the sweet sixteen party for The Real World. Fourteen years ago, seven strangers went to Las Vegas to enjoy the fruits of being young and wild in a city that knows how to do it all big time. An eclectic group of diverse backgrounds had the time of their lives that greatest adult playground and in the end changed the game of the show that gave the world reality television. The modern era of one of TV's most-enduring series as many take for granted began that fall, winter & spring of 2002-03 there, and in the end we had a cast that connected with viewers and redefined many words in the MTV lexicon. All of us can thank Alton, Arissa, Frank, Brynn, Irulan, Steven and Trishelle for bringing that element of fun, big time drama and great personalities to this great show and for being a great cast as well.
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Be sure to follow DCBLOG for the blogosphere's most-unique and insightful coverage of the MTV Trifecta, as this site brings you wall-to-wall coverage of the current Real World season, Go Big or Go Home from Las Vegas, season 28 of The Challenge - Rivals III, and later this year season 4 of Are You The One?. As this is being posted on Saturday, April 9th, stay tuned to DCBLOG for our signature DC SocialPulse twitter diary and DC WRAP of Episode 4 of RW 31 as well as the launch of the countdown to Rivals III. And near to its premiere on May 4, the next ExtraTime will look back at the legendary first Rivals season of five years ago.
As always, follow my dedicated live Twitter hub, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for live and real-time tweets of The Real World, plus this weekend live coverage of the weekend's play at The Masters Tournament and tonight's Pacquiao-Bradley fight. And as always, you can drop me a line on Twitter @DC408Dxtr and here to leave me your comments on this ExtraTime special.
Again, hope you enjoyed this ExtraTime special on the game-changing Real World Las Vegas season. Make sure to join me right now on DCNOW for golf's first major of 2016, and for now, thanks for reading.
- I AM DC
Bibliography:
The Real World Las Vegas: Confessions from Sin City (K.M. Squires, MTV Books/Pocket Books)
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