There is no denying the fact that this is a make it or break it season for MTV’s The Real World.
Facing sagging ratings and a Portland season that never really seemed to find its groove, the grandfather of reality television is shaking its format up for the first time since its inception in 1992.
The 29th season of The Real World premieres on MTV on January 8 and is set in San Francisco. Unlike the previous 28 seasons of the show, however, the location is quite irrelevant this year. The real focal point is that after the initial group of strangers move into the house, they will be joined by their ex’s as the season progresses.
The format is quite similar to the exes season of Big Brother.
After having screened the first two episodes, the cast certainly seems to jive well and just like with past Real World seasons, the show will live and die by the likeability of its core cast.
With that said, here’s my initial take on them.
ARIELLE
Arielle had a rough childhood and spent a short time in the foster care system. She still managed to complete her degree at UC Berkeley and is now a model and filmmaker. Arielle’s ex-girlfriend is Ashley and the two have always seemed to be on different career wavelengths. Will Arielle finally settle down with Ashley once she finds out that they will be living together in the Real World house? After having screened only two episodes so far, I can say that Arielle certainly comes off as the voice of reason on the cast. She seems the one who is the most together and despite an incident with Ashley M. throwing a hot frying pan on her (!), she still manages to keep her calm, cool, and collected personna intact. It will be interesting if she will be able to keep this up after her ex arrives. Lesbians are never a bad thing.
CORY
Cory is a football star who lost his athletic scholarship to Ohio Dominican University because of a pregnancy scare with his girlfriend (only to discover that the pregnancy was a hoax). He currently works as a personal trainer in LA and has an ex-girlfriend named Lauren who he has dated since the seventh grade. After the first couple of episodes, Cory hooks up with Jenny. What will happen when she moves in? Cory reminded me a lot of Tyrie from The Real World Denver. They both have a laid-back personality, but only until you wake the sleeping dragon within. Cory feuds with Ashley M. early on (that seems to be a trend), but clearly it’s his dueling relationships with Jenny and Lauren that will determine whether the Ex-Plosion twist works or not.
JAY
This New Yorker has clearly been cast as the San Fran version of Vegas’ Frank. He works as an emcee and club promoter and is described as ‘a womanizer with a girlfriend.’ I expect him to be the guy who delivers the classic one-liners in the confessional room. I don’t know how much drama or trouble we can expect from him even after his on-again/off-again girlfriend Jenna moves in. He seems to be more of a spectactor than a participant in all the fireworks that will undoubtedly transpire. With that said, his girlfriend Jenna is ridiculously good-looking.
JENNY
Jenny is the castmember that grew on me the most after the first episode. After I initially found her grating, her club antics were pretty amusing and she will definitely be fun to watch as the season progresses. She typifies what The Real World is all about. Moving to LA from Missouri in order to pursue her big-city dreams of acting, Jenny was in a serious relationship with Brian for four years prior to her move to California. After hooking up with Cory during a roommate vacation, it will be interesting to see how she reacts to seeing her ex living in her house. There is no doubt that the Brian/Cory battle will be absolutely epic and the highlight of the entire season. I just want to see if Jenny relishes the role of being fought over.
THOMAS
At first glance, Thomas seems like the prototypical frat boy, but after screening the premiere, he is much more reserved than I initially tagged him to be. The Texas native lost his virginity to fellow virgin and highschool sweetheart Hailey, but when Thomas’ twin brother alleges that that Hailey wasn’t a virgin when they did the deed, their relationship explodes. Inside the house, Thomas finds love with Jamie, but like the others… is shocked to see his ex return. I am quite interested to see how the Thomas/Jamie relationship plays out. While they are both from Texas, I didn’t think their personalities would click but they do and very quickly. With that said, I don’t think there is any doubt that Jamie would destroy Hailey in a fistfight so here’s hoping one breaks out!
ASHLEY M.
Totally the hottest girl this season. Ashley is a pageant queen and has homefield advantage as she now lives in the Bay area after relocating from West Virginia. She immediately clashes with Jamie who doesn’t seem to believe anything she says. With that said, I am hoping she sticks around for the long haul because she was clearly the most entertaining part of the premiere episode. It is telling, however, that she won’t have an ex invade her space.
JAMIE
Jamie is clearly my favourite houseguest of the season. She seems tough, gets into a relationship and has a wickedly cool tattoo. Despite all of the changes to the show’s format this year, it still adheres to the real concept and it is for that reason that I think Jamie will be the star of the season as she clearly doesn’t hold back any of her opinions. Along with Ashley M., she is the only roommate whose ex decided not to move into the house and I think this will give her the freedom to enjoy the experience for what it is versus being boiled down by the presence of a past relationship. We know that she hooks up with Thomas and that his ex does not feel like she is a good fit for him…
Here’s an exclusive trailer for what to expect this season:
The Real World Ex-Plosion premieres on January 8 at 10 p.m. on MTV
