The fierce Latina who grew up in a trailer park, the annoying little brother who will hook up with anyone, the inner-city orphan with enough machismo to own this city, the country girl who lived in a barn, the high school sweetheart who discovered he was bisexual, the rebel from a Christian cult and the wannabe rocker.
Say hello to “The Real World,” Washington, D.C.
They interned, they partied, they got a little rowdy, they made Washingtonians sign waivers at every club in the city — they even claimed to have made a few “real” friends. (Please let us know who you are.) But mostly the roommates who were in town to film the 23rd season of MTV’s reality franchise gave us a laugh with their attempts to assimilate into Washington, as many real residents who encountered the cast shunned the cameras for their own future political careers.
“This is as real as it can get,” said cast member Ashley Lindley, the Portugese diva. It must be their $6 million mansion covered in Ronald Reagan pop art, the “Situation Room” confessional or the inviting love sacks. Yup, it’s all very real.
The “Real World” cast recently wrapped up filming, but not before Yeas & Nays got to step into the Dupont Circle mansion — complete with new holes in the walls that suggest high drama during the shoot. One wonders why cast member Erika Wasilewski departed early (with a “no comment” from the cast) or why another cast member was rumored to have been dangling from a window one crazy night.
Or why, when Yeas & Nays asked how “The Real World” would play out “Survivor” style, Lindley blurted out “Tyrell” as the first person she’d like to vote off their S Street island. It was apparent that the feeling was mutual from roommate Ty Ruff. Clearly, these roommates got along well.
The cast’s shenanigans were well-documented as bloggers, Tweeters and local media followed their every move. The cast told us they were unable to read blogs like Anti-Real World D.C., because social networking sites and Google searches of their names were blocked in the house, but cast member and Africa Action intern Emily Schromm said she invited bloggers to come meet the cast.
So what makes “The Real World,” known these days for hot tub hookups and drunken brawls, different when it’s filmed in Washington?
I guess we’ll have to wait and see it on TV. The season will premiere Dec. 30.
