The Real World

One of the Most Popular Reality TV Shows

Other than game shows, reality television all started with The Real World, produced by MTV. It was soon copied by such reality TV hits as “Survivor” and “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Even early seasons of game reality shows involved an element of spying on the lives of the contestants. “American Idol,” and “Project Runway” all showed clips of the competitors’ lives during the competition.


The premise was simple: Find seven or eight young people, ages 18 to 25, who are willing to move to a new home, live with strangers, and have it all shown on television. We, the TV viewers, get to sneak a peek at their everyday lives in this somewhat unreal environment. Unlike some of the competitive reality shows like “The Bachelor” or “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Real World” merely records how these strangers relate to each other and the outside world during their stay.

The new roommates have a new home that is lavishly furnished, complete with pool table and hot tub. There’s always a fishbowl, too. It serves as a metaphor for the occupants of the house being constantly watched by the viewing public.

The first few years the show garnered attention as a serious depiction of the problems of young people. Issues like unwanted pregnancy, substance abuse and prejudice were tackled. More recently it has been criticized for being a showcase for bad behavior.

San Francisco was one of the most memorable seasons. We watched a gay roommate, Pedro Zamora struggle with AIDS, only to hear the tragic news of his death on the very night the final episode was aired.

Since its first season in 1992, this groundbreaking series has had a total of 24 seasons including the current one in New Orleans. MTV has decided to keep “The Real World” in its reality show mix that also includes “The Hills” and “The Jersey Shore,” and has renewed it for at least two more seasons. It is already the longest running reality show on television, and viewers keep coming back for more. As they say in the opening, “Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.”