"Paradise Can Be Hell": Meet the cast of the Real World: St. Thomas

With his tattoos and gauged ears, Brandon does not look like your typical Real Worlder. Growing up in Boston's infamous "Southie" neighborhood, he has had to steal and hustle to survive. Right now he is homeless and couch-surfing. Since graduating high school, he has worked day and night in order to support his mother and his younger sister Savannah, who is the light of his life. Though he's currently doing electrical and construction work, Brandon's dream is to leave all that in the dust and become a music journalist. He's extremely open about his past and often comes on very strong, very quickly. He typically goes for tattooed punk girls with indie sensibilities, but that doesn't mean he is averse to challenging himself with a preppy girl every once in a while. That time may have come because it looks like Laura might have caught his eye in St. Thomas. And he certainly won't be shy to express his affections. With extreme exhibitionist tendencies, Brandon -- who was a virgin until he was 19 -- has since slept with over 100 women and deflowered a nearby high school's cheerleading captains. After a particularly heart-wrenching breakup with his first love, Brandon had a year of promiscuous sex and coke-fueled partying. He has now been drug-free for five months. Brandon sees the Real World as his opportunity to get out of his town and have a shot at a normal life. Will he be able to stay on the straight and narrow path while in St. Thomas or will he succumb to his old wild ways?

Don't let the name fool you. LaToya Jackson is not a member of that Jackson family, but this self-proclaimed "Head Bitch in Charge" still has plenty personality to spare. Bubbly and energetic, Toya, as her friends call her, worked in local TV news but soon realized that she is meant for something greater. Toya grew up, went to school and spent her entire life in the same city. But her outgoing personality cannot be contained and she is desperate to experience life outside her little town. A recent graduate of Virginia State University, where she was an RA, LaToya was admired on campus and even considered herself and her then-boyfriend to be the Michelle and Barack Obama of VSU. Full of sass and style, what kind of drama and mischief will Ms. Toya bring with her to St. Thomas?

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, this corn-fed cutie got an unusual present from her adoptive parents when she was born: a shotgun. Extremely sporty and outdoorsy, Laura's passion is leading her towards a career as a wilderness guide. Though Laura grew up in a strict household full of antiques and needlepoint, this ugly-duckling turned swan is anything but a conservative country girl. After breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, Laura has really let her inner party girl fly free. A former cheerleader for much of her life, she now does a standing backflip while drinking to test how drunk she is. In high school, Laura was booed out of the men's locker room for wanting to join the football team. So instead she tried out and made first string quarterback for the Lingerie Football League. She is also a master flirt who has high standards for the men in her life. That doesn't mean that Laura dates less frequently, she's just a pro at finding hot guys. Maybe she'll put her expertise to use in the Real World house with Trey. The problem is Laura has a reputation for falling fast and hard. Will history repeat itself?

A self-described "down ass bitch," Marie is one hell of a good time. With "Statitude" to spare -- that's Staten Island Attitude, for those not in the know -- Marie describes her worst trait as calling people out too often. She is going to put you in your place, whether you like it or not. Marie seems to be rebelling against her strict SVU cop mother who ruled with an iron fist while she was growing up. Partying and drinking often, she is a treasure trove of good stories and always seems to end up in bizarre situations. She once called in sick from her new job at a bar so that she could party. Later in the night, she got so drunk that she ended up partying at the same bar that she had called in sick from. Needless to say, she was fired. There's also the time that Marie lost a tooth and just went on partying for two weeks, toothless and fancy free. Marie is always looking for Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now. With a house full of hotties, including a roommate who has the same Hakuna Matata tattoo as her, it doesn't seem like Marie will have any trouble finding a man. St. Thomas -- it's a wonderful place.

Robb will be the first to tell you that white guys CAN jump. At 6'6" with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes, Robb stands out wherever he goes. Robb is extremely competitive. A former basketball star, he regularly shocked people with his dunking skills. He also has a great sense of humor, which he uses to his advantage when it comes to wooing women. But Robb's nonstop jokes conceal a rough upbringing. His relationship with his father has been strained and, although he doesn't hold a grudge, he is much closer with his mom and even moved home in part to be closer to her and his sister. He is studying criminal justice with an eye on becoming a cop or an FBI agent but is having trouble balancing schoolwork and partying. Robb likes to shock his mom with explicit details about his sex life and, like fellow roommate Trey, is developing a reputation as a "man-whore." But the emotional scars left by his father are more than just skin deep and this baggage seems to have found its way on the flight to St.Thomas. Will Robb be able to live by his problem-free philosophy and embrace the mantra behind his Hakuna Matata tattoo?

Brandon Swift, who goes by Swift, recently graduated from Temple University with a Business Administration degree in legal studies. In addition to having entrepreneurial aspirations, he also wants to become a sports and entertainment lawyer, a career he may be ideally suited for. Swift will argue his point endlessly and he's easily fired up when he feels disrespected. But there's another side to him, one that is charming, charismatic and drives the ladies wild. A strong sense of loyalty he has for his friends and family also causes people to gravitate towards him. Currently, Swift is working as a VIP host at a popular local club. He is conflicted about relationships. Girls tend to get obsessed with him and while he's not exactly ready to settle down, he finds the player's life shallow and empty. Will he find depth with one of his female roommates or will he just end up playing her?

Born in a blue collar section of Baltimore, Trey had a rough childhood. His drug addict father was in and out of jail for much of Trey's life on charges related to murder, leaving Trey to be raised by his mother and grandmother, to whom he's incredibly close. He remembers fondly watching soap operas with his mother, which to this day has remained a guilty pleasure for Trey and maybe a potential career goal. He had once hoped to erase his father's legacy by pursuing a career in law enforcement, but those dreams were dashed when he got caught selling prescription drugs to his football teammates. This star athlete with an aggressive temper and "old school" values is actively working on becoming a better man. He credits his sessions with a life coach for motivating him to turn things around. A bit of a "man whore," Trey is also struggling to change his reputation and to find the right woman. He arrives in St.Thomas with a girl back home, but is the relationship strong enough to withstand temptation?

New Challenge Spoilers: A potential new cast list has been leaked for next season!

A potential cast list has been floated out there for this upcoming Challenge. Challenge lists are not typically leaked this early. In addition, the cast is still active on Twitter. This list is subject to change. But here's the list:

Alton (Las Vegas) Chet (Brooklyn) @chet_cannon CJ (Cancun) @CJKoegelMTV Danny (Austin) Derek (Cancun) @DerekRW22 Dunbar (Sydney) @DunbarMerrill Dustin (Las Vegas) @DustinZito Frank (San Diego) @MTVFrankSweeney Issac (Sydney) @DrIsaacStout JD (Brooklyn) @JDOrdonez Knight (New Orleans) @Knight_MTV Preston (New Orleans) @PrestoMagic24 Robb (St. Thomas) @RobbMTV Trey (St. Thomas) @MTVTrey Wes (Austin) @BergmannWes Zach (San Diego) @ZachMTV

Ashli (Sydney) @AshliRobson Ashley (San Diego) @AshleyMarieMTV Devyn (Brooklyn) @DevynSimone Jasmine (Cancun) @JazMTV Jemmye (New Orleans) @JustJem24 Jonna (Cancun) @JonnaMannion Kelly Anne (Sydney) @KellyAnneJudd Lacey (Austin) Laura (St. Thomas) @LauraLeeMTV Marie (St. Thomas) @MarieMTV McKenzie (New Orleans) @McKenzieCoburn Melinda (Austin) @MelindaStolp Nany (Las Vegas) @NanyMTV Sam (San Diego) @SamIAmMTV Sarah (Brooklyn) @Sarah_Rice Trishelle (Las Vegas) @TrishelleC

Check back for updated information as we get more spoilers on the cast!

Some tidbits that make this cast list interesting, post your observations in the comments section!

• There are 32 challengers. 
• There are only Real World castmembers represented. 
• There are eight cities represented in the cast:  Austin, Brooklyn, Cancun, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, St. Thomas, Sydney
• There are two males and two females represented in each season. 
• Frank (San Diego), Knight (New Orleans), Preston (New Orleans), Robb (St. Thomas), Trey (St. Thomas), and Zach (San Diego) are Challenge virgins. 
• Ashley (San Diego), Devyn (Brooklyn), Jemmye (New Orleans), Lacey (Austin), Laura (St. Thomas), Marie (St. Thomas), McKenzie (New Orleans), Nany (Las Vegas), Sam (San Diego) are female Challenge virgins. 
• Nearly half of the cast has never been on a Challenge. 
• Enemies last time we saw them: Ashley/Zach & Frank/Sam (San Diego); JD & Sarah (Brooklyn); Danny & Melinda (Austin)
• Couples last time we saw them: Ashley & Zach (San Diego), Knight & Jemmye (New Orleans)
• Past winners: Alton (Gauntlet 2), Wes (Duel), Dunbar (Cutthroat)

Mark will host TV Guide Channel's "Hottest Celebrity Bods"

Mark (USA Tour 1) will be hitting your TV screens this coming Monday. 

Mark Long - Road Rules (USA Tour 1)

Mark is hosting TVGuide Channel's Hottest Celebrity Bods for 2012. The show will air this coming Monday at 9PM. Congratulations Mark!

Tami is appearing on the Wendy Williams show today

Former Real World: Los Angeles castmember Tami will be making an appearance on the Wendy Williams Show today.

Talk show host Wendy Williams

Tami will appear to talk about her VH1 show, Basketball Wives. This will be her first appearance on the show. They might talk about The Real World, but it's highly doubtful. Check your local listings for showtimes.

The Real World: St. Thomas Trailer is now online!

Watch the Real World: St. Thomas trailer, which first premiered online earlier tonight! Watch as we get the first glimpse of Brandon, LaToya, Laura, Marie, Robb, Trey, and Swift.

The season airs Wednesday, June 27, 10pm on MTV.

Watch the Real World: St. Thomas Trailer on MTV

The Real World: St. Thomas trailer premiered on MTV tonight. The season premieres on June 27. 

(From L to R): Trey, Brandon, LaToya, Marie, Robb, Laura, and Swift

The trailer first appeared online after MTV's "Ridiculousness." This story is pending. It also looks like MTV is updating their website.

Follow The Real World: St. Thomas cast on Twitter

The Real World: St. Thomas trailer just premiered tonight on MTV!

Take this opportunity to follow the castmembers on Twitter. All seven strangers have opened accounts to interact and talk with fans as the new season nears.

Brandon: @FaithinRuins
LaToya: @LaToyaJMTV
Laura: @LauraLeeMTV
Marie: @MarieMTV
Robb: @RobbMTV
Swift: @BSwiftMTV
Trey: @MTVTrey


Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter @rwrrblog!

Favorite Moment: Dan and Melissa's Fight on the Real World Miami

Here's a blast from the past, The Real World: Miami. In 1996, Cynthia, Dan, Flora, Joe, Melissa, Mike, and Sarah lived in a million-dollar mansion on the Florida coast. 

"Was it fucking yours to open up, you stupid bitch?!"

One of the stand-out moments from the season was Dan and Melissa's fight on the stairs. After Melissa had irritated the housemates by going through other people's things, Dan confronted Melissa. Apparently, Melissa had found projection slides in an envelope. The envelope was unmarked, but they were two slides from the Birdcage, the Robin Williams/Nathan Lane movie. Supposedly, they were hundred-dollar slides from Dan's job.

Dan found the slides conspicuously lying around, outside the envelope. He waited the entire day for Melissa to come home, stewing in his juices, ready to confront her. What resulted was one of the shortest, yet most epic Real World fights.

In 2007, Jezebel covered the fight. The fight erupted into a grotesque confrontation, with both Melissa and Dan lobbing horrible insults toward the other in less than two minutes. Jezebel has the full video, complete with uncensored language and commentary from Dan, Flora, and Nathan (Seattle).

Plenty has changed since Miami aired 16 years ago. The Miami house actually had a television, which producers found created hours of footage with the roommates sitting on the couch. Melissa was also a Miami native. Producers would later avoid casting locals in the cities they would film. Melissa would often escape the house to find refuge with family and friends, and moved out before the season wrapped.

However, even with the sensationalized nature of recent seasons, this fight stands out as one of the best Real World fights in the 20-year history of the series.

MTVs longest running program, the Real World, turns 20 today

Twenty years ago tonight, MTV debuted The Real World: New York. 

The first cast of the Real World. 

On May 21, 1992, The Real World: New York was broadcasted into homes and a generation stayed tuned in. The series, a pioneer in the reality television genre, brought contemporary issues to light in the eyes of seven twenty-somethings. The series has aired twenty-six seasons, is currently filming in St. Thomas, and has been renewed into 2013.

Since its debut, The Real World has been responsible for setting off a national conversation about young people and the issues they face today. The series brought serious discussions to the national stage. For example, a fight between Julie and Kevin in New York culminated in a discussion about race relations in the United States. Tami allowed cameras to document her abortion in Los Angeles, setting off a discussion between roommates. Most notably, after HIV-AIDS activist Pedro joined the San Francisco cast, the series gained widespread notoriety for its attention to the global issue.

The Real World is MTV's longest running program. In 1995, the network brought the first spin-off to life, Road Rules. Road Rules came to light after Jon, Tami, and David drove cross-country in a RV during the first two episodes of the Los Angeles season. The two shows experienced a rivalry that would ultimately culminate in the Challenge spin-off in 1998. Road Rules ran for fourteen seasons and the Challenge has started pre-production on its 23rd season.

Critics argue that the series has de-evolved from an honest documentary to a drunken revelry. During the Hawaii season in 1998, out of control Ruthie was sent to a 30-day program for alcohol abuse. The Las Vegas season in 2002 brought constant partying, debauchery, and pregnancy scares. The first Las Vegas season marked a turning point for the series, when the series began to become known for its party atmosphere.

Nonetheless, the series still tackled sensitive issues. In 2004, Frankie, a castmember with cystic fibrosis joined the cast, passing away three years later. In 2009, Katelynn, the show's first transgendered roommate, battled misperceptions and insecurities in Brooklyn. And for the first time, Dustin of the show's second Las Vegas season, a castmember was forced to deal with the consequences of a troubled past that resurfaced during the show.

Congratulations to Bunim-Murray Productions for twenty years!

The Real World: St Thomas premieres June 27

MTV has set a premiere date for the next season of The Real World. 

The Real World: St. Thomas cast

St. Thomas will premiere on June 27 at 10PM/9PM central. The cast includes (from L to R) Trey, Swift, LaToya, Marie, Robb, Laura, and Brandon.

Where Are They Now? Road Rules South Pacific's Dave

Every so often there's news about previous castmembers who have had some success with the entertainment industry, either as an actor or entertainer.

Road Rules' South Pacific Dave

Dave (South Pacific) hasn't been seen on an MTV show since he and Cara (South Pacific) were both o on the Gauntlet. The two were dating on that show, and went on to win the final Challenge. Since the show, the two went their separate ways, with Cara eventually posing for Playboy and having a child. Dave has been making a name for himself as an actor. He has steadily found work since his appearance on Road Rules in 2003.

He has had roles in Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars, Grey's Anatomy, and The Ghost Whisperer. This Fall, Dave actually starred in his own NBC show called Grimm. The show follows his character, Nick Burkhardt, and his battles against the mythological characters of fairytales. The catch is that Nick is actually a police officer in Portland. Grimm airs on Fridays on NBC and has been renewed into its second season.

New York's Kevin will not be running for Congress in newly created district

Besides Sean (Boston), another castmember has thrown their hat into the political circus. Kevin (New York) ran for Congress in Brooklyn.

Kevin now and then.

Kevin (New York) challenged Ed Towns as recently as two years ago. Ed Towns recently made the news when he announced that he would retire at the end of his 15th term. Kevin will not be running for office, but he did comment on the situation.

I think it’s a great day for Brooklyn and New York City politics,I think it’s a great day for Brooklyn and New York City politics... It definitely represents, finally, a shifting. And we are proud of where we come from, because even though we are proud of where we come from, we see the world a little bit differently than the older guard of black leadership." Kevin is still an active part of the Brooklyn community.

The Real World: San Diego House is hosting a Cinco de Mayo Party

Long after the San Diego castmates moved out of the house, you can get in on a piece of Real World history by partying in the La Jolla house.

The interior of the Real World: San Diego house. 

A company called Green with Envy events is hosting a party, in part to benefit the United States Youth Advocate Foundation. For $99, you can party it up in San Diego for Cinco de Mayo. The event is catered, has entertainment, and you can even purchase VIP tickets. The $99 price tag includes access to an open bar, so the event is a pretty good deal. Check out the link here.

Sean is up for reelection in Congress this November and faces stiff competition

The Real World Boston's Sean is facing a tough challenge this November as his congressional seat is up for re-election.

Sean from his appearance on the Real World: Boston

Sean won the seat in 2010, which was held by longtime congressman Dave Obey, a Democrat. Sean, a Republican, won the seat in his home district in Wisconsin. Sean had been living in Wisconsin, working as the Ashland District Attorney. That being said, his seat, which was held by a Democrat for many years, is looking to be one of the most contested races this November.

Pat Krietlow, a former news anchor, is running for the seat. Polls conducted as early as last year show that Sean faces an uphill battle to keep his seat. Sean is married to Rachel (San Francisco) and they have six children together.

Real World Los Angeles' Tami appears on the cover of EGL Magazine

Tami (Los Angeles) has not been part of press and media for the Real World for quite some time. However, she is now part of the cast of the VH1 reality show Basketball Wives. 

Tami from her Real World days. 

Basketball Wives is a reality show that follows current and former wives of NBA players. Tami is divorced from former NBA player Kenny Anderson. In EGL's April issue, Tami appears on the cover and talks about reality television, her decision to open up about sexual assault on the show, and her divorce.

You can check out the spread here. Basketball Wives is currently airing its fourth season with episodes every Monday. The series has been confirmed for a fifth season.

Real World Brooklyn's Scott participates in an anti-bullying forum

Scott (Brooklyn) continues to do work with organizations that educate schoolchildren about the dangers and hazards of bullying.

Real World Brooklyn's Scott

In the most recent seasons, editing does not really reflect too much on the castmembers past experiences. Most of the episode is devoted to events unfolding in the house, with castmembers using past experiences to explain motivations. Nonetheless, we did hear about Scott's (Brooklyn) childhood, being bullied as a child.

Scott was a guest speaker at the Salisbury Anti-Bullying Jamboree, which was intended as a forum to educate children about bullying. Currently, Scott is a successful fitness instructor, and has his own business Scott Herman Fitness. He offers consultations, meal plans, workout plans, and even posts YouTube videos of his workouts online.

Wikipedia reveals castmembers who have won the most and least money on Challenges

A fan has gone through the Wikipedia pages of past Challenges and has ran a tally of how much money each castmember has earned on the Challenges.

Competitors face off for cash in the Challenge

If anything, the list is incredibly interesting, albeit incomplete. These totals only reflect the amount of money won from final missions. Often times, castmembers were given individual prizes and appearance fees. In fact, in the past few years, castmembers have commented on the fact that they are beginning to get paid more than they have in the past for appearing on the Challenge. 


Nonetheless, in terms of prize money, here's the top 10:

1. Johnny (Key West): 8 Challenges/4 wins ($266,543)
2. Darrell (Campus Crawl): 6 Challenges/4 wins ($240,555)
3. Kenny (Fresh Meat): 8 Challenges/3 wins ($236,293)
4. Wes (Austin): 6 Challenges/1 win ($185,000)
5. Landon (Philadelphia): 4 Challenges/3 wins ($184,166)
6. Jodi (Extreme): 3 Challenges/2 wins ($176,666)
7. Derrick (Extreme): 9 Challenges/3 wins ($176,293)
8. Ev (Fresh Meat): 7 Challenges/3 wins ($167,000)
9. Evan (Fresh Meat): 6 Challenges/2 wins ($151,293)
10. Rachel (Campus Crawl): 7 Challenges/2 wins ($135,555)

The Challenger with the most amount of money is Johnny (Key West). However, Landon (Philadelphia) has made the most amount of money per challenge. The most unsuccessful Challengers of all time are tied for a four-way finish:

1. Danny (Austin): 5 Challenges/0 wins -- Last Challenge: Fresh Meat II
1. Eric (Fresh Meat): 5 Challenges/0 wins -- Last Challenge: Cutthroat
1. Ryan (Fresh Meat): 5 Challenges/0 wins -- Last Challenge: Fresh Meat II
1. Tyrie (Denver): 5 Challenges/0 wins -- Last Challenge: Battle of the Exes

San Diego's Ashley threw the first pitch at yesterday's Lexington Legends Game

Since the season wrapped late last year, Ashley (San Diego) moved back to Connecticut to live with family.

Real World: San Diego's Ashley

Ashley threw the ceremonial first pitch at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington, KY. Last night's game marked the first home game for the Legends. The Lexington Legends are the minor league affiliate of Houston Astros. The Legends played the minor league team for the Chicago White Sox. 

Last anyone heard, Ashley and Zach (San Diego) were still dating. You can follow Ashley on Twitter at @AshleyMarieMTV. 

Names of the Real World St. Thomas cast revealed

Although the Real World: St. Thomas cast is currently in production, details are slowly coming out about the cast.

The Real World: St. Thomas cast 

From left to right, we have LaToya, Trey, Robb, Marie, Unknown, Brandon, and Kate. The identities of six of the seven castmembers have been revealed and here's some pretty basic information about the six castmembers.

LaToya Jackson, 22
From: St. Petersberg, VA

Trey Weatherholtz, 23
From: Dundalk, MD

Robb Schriber, 21
From: Bensalem, PA

Marie Roda, 23
From: Staten Island, NY

Brandon Kane, 24
From: Boston, MA

Kate, Age unknown
From: Location unknown

This year, there are two self-proclaimed models on the cast (LaToya and Trey), a college basketball player (Robb), a self-proclaimed "party girl" (Marie), and a former addict (Brandon). Exact details about two of the castmembers have yet to be revealed, but we broke news about Kate yesterday.

Alex contributes to MTVs Voices series, discussing what confidence means to her

Alex (San Diego) has been keeping busy, working as an official correspondent for MTV's Voices series. 

The Real World: San Diego's Alex Govere

The Voices series is an online collection intended to represent the voice of a generation. Alex contributes regularly with video blogs on a number of different topics. This week, she talks about confidence. But in the past, Alex has talked about topics such as sex, activism, and bullying. You can follow Alex on Twitter @alexgovere and she writes for her own personal blog, The High Fiver.

The Real World: St. Thomas -- Third female castmember is Kate?

A couple days ago, a number of pictures crept online from the Real World: St. Thomas cast, MTV's latest and 27th season of The Real World. 

The Real World: St. Thomas' Trey & Kate

So far, the Internet has confirmed a number of castmembers including Brandon, LaToya, Marie, Robb, and Trey. This left one female and male castmember unidentified. Apparently, a fan ran into the cast in a bar in St. Thomas and has identified the last female castmember as Kate. Kate is the redhead that appears in the photo above with Trey. 

Otherwise, the fan was smart enough to snap two photos of the cast, including a close-up of Trey and a line-up of four castmembers. Check out the photos below. 

The Real World: St. Thomas' Trey

Marie, Trey, Brandon, and unidentified male castmember

Stay tuned, more information should come out soon.

San Diego's Zach is back playing professional football with the Saginaw Sting

One of the castmembers from the most recent San Diego season has rejoined his old football team, the Saginaw Sting. 

Real World San Diego's Zach

Zach is a wide receiver for the professional indoor football team. The team consistently does well and is currently the second place team in the league. In an interview with a local newspaper, Zach briefly spoke about his Real World experience. "It was just a fun experience, I try to stay level-headed. It was an experience that not everyone gets to have, and I got to enjoy it. I got a little more notoriety but that's about it."

This is a little different than the perspective shared on the Reunion, where Zach and Ashley (San Diego) separated themselves from the rest of the cast. Nonetheless, when asked about potentially returning to MTV for a Challenge, Zach leaves the door open. We may be seeing Zach on tv screens soon enough. 

Mike opens a new business, Greenest Genius, helping schools

Mike (Las Vegas) opened the doors to his new business on Tuesday, Greenest Genius.

Real World's Mike

Mike just opened GreenestGenius.com, a website that buys your old electronics, and then refurbishes them for use in schools. They refurbish old computers, iPads, and iPhones to schools that needs them the most. They also support schools with financial donations. Take a second and check out Mike's latest venture.

Season 28 of the Real World is in full casting mode, even though the series has yet to be renewed

Bunim-Murray is embarking on a nationwide tour this month, looking for the next group of seven strangers.

The last cast of the Real World. 

Bunim-Murray is currently making the rounds, looking for the next group of seven strangers. Production is touring a number of large cities, hitting nightclubs and bars, interviewing people for a new cast. This is extremely peculiar, given that MTV has only greenlighted the St. Thomas season. Nonetheless, casting has drawn crowds in several different cities.

Bunim-Murray has a casting webpage online, where hopefuls can fill out an application. A few lucky potentials are contacted via email, given VIP appointment times, and are asked to appear at the casting call. You can also show up at the casting call without an appointment and try your luck there. The casting call usually consists of a short group interview where everyone is asked to talk about themselves in a small group of hopefuls. Unfortunately, this turns into a free-for-all whoring competition, where people throw out random stories they think make them interesting.

If you think you have an interesting story, casting calls are being held in Missoula, MT, Riverside, CA, Tuscaloosa, AL, Columbia, MO, Columbia, SC, San Francisco, CA, Buffalo, NY, Philadelphia, PA, State College, PA, Norfolk, VA, Providence, RI, Tempe, AZ, New York, NY, Oklahoma City, OK, Las Cruces, NM, Seattle WA, Las Vegas, NV, and Columbus, OH. If The Real World isn't renewed, you may have a shot at the next Fresh Meat.

Real World creator Jon Murray on his production company turning 25

The creator of The Real World, Road Rules, and Challenge series recently gave an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. 

Jon Murray & the Denver cast in the background

Jon Murray, creator of the Real World, Road Rules, and Challenge, is also responsible for a number of different reality shows. Bunim-Murray is at the helm of the wildly successful Kardashians series, the Bad Girls Club, and are now producing Project Runway. Murray sat down with the Hollywood Reporter to discuss his production company turning 25 and the changing nature of reality television. 

In the interview, he discusses his most proudest moment, when Pedro (San Francisco) impacted the nation by sharing his story with the world. Upon Pedro's death, former president Bill Clinton complimented Murray for his work on the series. Murray also opens up with other series including Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Simple Life, and explains why The Real World wouldn't be picked up as a series today. 

Cast photos of the Real World: St. Thomas slowly appear online

Through various sightings at nightclubs, the cast of MTVs Real World: St. Thomas has slowly been revealed.

We've seen most of these castmembers while they've been out on the town, partying it up in local clubs. Filming in St. Thomas ends in May. But, we've seen photos of each of the seven strangers appear online. There are three females, four males. More on each castmember in an upcoming post!

The Real World St. Thomas house is on it's own island

The new season of MTV's The Real World will feature a first: the cast will live on their own island.

Hassell Island, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

According to Real World Houses, the 27th season of the series will have its own 15-acre island, with three houses, totaling 15,000 square feet of space. The main house overlooks Saint Thomas Harbor and was listed for sale last year. Some pictures of the house pre-renovation are already up online.

Apparently, you can see the house brilliantly lit up at night. The cast gets to the mainland by using speedboats and have been frequently seen in local bars at night.

Hulu Plus Offers Full Episodes of Real World and Road Rules

Hulu Plus, a web-streaming service, is currently offering full seasons of The Real World and Road Rules for a monthly fee.

Road Rules: USA Tour II

Hulu offers old school seasons including the first two seasons of Road Rules and the first four seasons of The Real World. So, if you're late to the game, you can catch up with Mark (USA Tour 1), who first appeared on the series in 1994. Amazon actually offers recent episodes of The Real World and The Challenge and their catalog is recent, but much more substantial than Hulu. From time to time, old clips will appear on YouTube and other file sharing services, but are usually taken off.

Road Rules: Where Are They Now? Darrell

Darrell (Campus Crawl) originally appeared on the series in 2001. He's been a frequent Challenge winner, but has not been seen since 2010's Fresh Meat II where he was sent home in the first elimination.

Campus Crawl's Darrell Taylor

Darrell recently sat down with Derrick (Extreme) to talk about the Challenge finale and updated viewers on his whereabouts. He gives some great commentary on Derrick's challenge podcast. Although he hasn't been on a Challenge in the past two years, he's up for another go, especially if the next installment is a Duel. Darrell has a two-year old daughter and has a second child on the way.

The Real World: St. Thomas cast has four guys, three girls

According to blogs and sightings, this season of The Real World: St. Thomas will have four girls and three guys.

St. Thomas Daily News writes about the cast arrival.

There have been enough castmember sightings to know that there are three females and four males on this season's cast. A local photographer spotted two males and two females on the beach in March.

Battle of the Exes originally had a 'Final Four' instead of a 'Final Three' finale

In the original rules of the Battle of the Exes, castmembers were told that there would be four teams in the final.

Sarah and Vinny in Battle of the Exes

However, early on in the Challenge, two teams were sent home early despite scheduled eliminations. Sarah (Brooklyn) and Vinny (Fresh Meat II) were sent home for Vinny's bad behavior. In the second episode, Vinny took off Mandi's (Fresh Meat II) top when the cast was at a club. Later on, Heather (Las Vegas) and Dustin (Las Vegas) were also sent home because Dustin had busted open his knee.


After the two teams were sent home, producers changed the rules from a Final Four to a Final Three. Originally, an alliance of Johnny (Key West)/Camilla (Spring Break), CT (Paris)/Diem (Fresh Meat), Mark (USA Tour I)/Robin (San Diego) and Dunbar (Sydney)/Paula (Key West) were gunning for those four top spots. The rule change quickly dissipated the alliance, breaking the bonds between the foursome, eventually leading to some friction that we saw unfold on-screen.

First clear pictures of the Real World: St. Thomas cast

Early last month, a local St. Thomas photographer caught great pictures of The Real World: St. Thomas cast. 

Unidentified male castmember #1

Candace Hall is a local photographer on the island. She graciously posted pictures of the cast playing on the beach with her son. Take a look at her Facebook page to see the complete album. And without further ado, here are more pictures of the cast.

Unidentified female castmember #1 & unidentified male castmember #2

Unidentified female castmember #1 & male castmember #1

Unidentified male castmember #1 and unidentified female castmember #2

Bunim-Murray: Here's five things we'd like to see on the next Challenge

After the season finale of Rivals, we gave a couple of suggestions about things to fix on the new season of the Challenge. We've updated that list for the upcoming 23rd season of the Challenge.

Tyler and Derrick in the Gulag on Cutthroat.

1. Bring New Blood. The most disappointing part of Battle of the Exes was the fact that Johnny (Key West) was able to pull an upset and win back-to-back Challenges. We always like to see new faces on the Challenge. If Rivals and Exes taught us anything, is that strategic casting goes a long way. New or old, the castmembers that are brought back should have pre-existing relationships that will guarantee conflict once the season starts. Try to avoid bringing back castmembers with pre-existing alliances.

2. Put the Veterans at a Disadvantage. From a casting perspective, it may be impossible to put new bodies in these spots. How many former castmembers are willing to give up a month out of their lives to go and film a series every few months? So, if we're being forced to see the same new faces again and again, use this to your advantage. Pit the Veterans directly against each other. Allowing one team to make the decision about who gets thrown in actually helps a lot. The decisions about who gets thrown in is less reliant upon the alliances. However, veterans still seem to be at an advantage because many of the group missions require group strategies. Make sure alliances don't count for much in the game.

3. Make Next Season an Individual Challenge. After the success of Rivals, it was probably difficult for producers to not use the two-person team format once again. However, Exes seemed to fall flat because some of the connections were stagnant. The most inspired pairing was CT (Paris) and Diem (Fresh Meat). Viewers, and I'm sure producers, hoped to see the pair re-kindle their romance. However, castmembers wised up. And on the reunion, the cast commented that they had relationships waiting for them at home. Thus, we saw many of the teams agree to work exclusively as partners, and to leave feelings checked at the door. Next season should have the castmembers working on their own to win the grand prize. The last time we saw this was in 2009 with The Duel II.

4. Epic Missions & Battles = Epic Seasons. Every Challenge will bring infighting and drama. However, the viewers enjoy it the most when the drama bleeds into the Challenge. The most epic battles are one-on-one and usually involve physical contact. Every mission, every one-on-one is an opportunity. Stop wasting these opportunities by repeating challenges or having lame missions.

5. Keep the Stakes High, but Keep the Rules Simple. This latest Challenge was a step in the right direction. It wasn't very hard to follow eliminations or strategy in Exes. But in keeping the rules simple, you have to make sure to also keep the stakes high. Don't let teams skate by on alliances or don't let teams fly under the radar. The best Challenge rules force teams to act. And the best Challenges are the ones where the game brings drama. Let the Challenge rule the competitors, don't let the competitors rule the Challenge.

What about you? What changes do you want to see next season? Who do you want to see on the Challenge next season?

MTV's official Twitter account lobbies for 'The Miz' to be on the next Challenge

After hosting the Battle of the Exes Reunion, MTV's official Twitter account tweeted: "I'd pay anything to see@MikeTheMiz back on a challenge. Who's with me? #Exes".

Coral and Mike from The Real World: Back to New York.

The Miz (Back to New York), being more game than ever, retweeted back to the account, stating: "ANYTHING???" You can view the whole exchange here. Although MTV doesn't directly make the casting decisions, this is the first time, in a long time, that Mike has gone back to his roots. He's been wrestling professionally with the WWE for the past couple years, even going as far to win the WWE Championship. Maybe viewers will luck out and see him on the next season of the Challenge.

Smoking kept CT and Diem from winning the Challenge

One of the most frustrating parts of the finale was fan favorite CT (Paris) and Diem's (Fresh Meat) disappointing finish.

Diem and CT reunited.

The couple began the last leg of the final mission well in front of their competitors. However, CT (Paris) found himself winded going up the last mountain to the finish line. Johnny (Key West) and Camilla (Spring Break) overtook CT to win the grand prize.


Diem reveals to OK! Magazine that smoking was the culprit in CT's performance. All I can do is look down and be like that is the best stop smoking campaign known to man. CT can pucker out on national TV because he can smoke a cigarette right before they said go and [they] blew the horn. He smoked a cigarette right when TJ said go." 


Unfortunately, CT's smoking habit eventually prevented the duo from taking home the grand prize.

Battle of the Exes finale is down 500k viewers from the Rivals finale

Although MTV has renewed the Challenge for another season after Battle of the Exes, ratings for the finale drew less viewers than the Rivals finale. 

Johnny and Camilla win the Exes. 

Less than a year ago, Rivals was able to pull in 2.4 million viewers for its finale. This year, Battle of the Exes pulled in 1.9 million viewers. While not a stark contrast, Battle of the Exes was unable to keep the momentum that Rivals had going. Battle of the Exes ran out of steam in the last couple episodes, with most teams getting along leading up to the final mission. Meanwhile, Rivals benefitted from both the underdog storyline of CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) and rivalry storyline between Wes (Austin) and Johnny (Key West). 

However, the series still shows some promise. The second episode of Battle of the Exes hit a season-high of 2.2 million viewers. (That was the episode where Vinny (Fresh Meat II), Sarah (Brooklyn), Wes (Austin) and Mandi (Fresh Meat II) were sent home.) The show is still hitting high numbers consistently throughout the season and scores very well in the 18-24 demographic. Going into its 23rd season, the Challenge still has a relatively consistent viewership. 

The Real World: Where Are They Now? Pam and Judd

Pam (San Francisco) and Judd (San Francisco) are the original Real World couple. They appeared on the Real World in 1994. Pam was a medical resident at the University of California, San Francisco. Judd was a struggling artist doing freelance work while in San Francisco. As the season progressed, Judd went on several dates, while Pam worked on her relationship with her boyfriend Christopher. While it was apparent that Pam and Judd shared a special friendship, the two never dated in the house.

Pam and Judd in 2009.

Viewers were surprised when Pam and Judd started dating after the show ended. While the show was airing, fellow castmember Pedro passed away from complications of HIV/AIDS. Both Pam and Judd were at Pedro's side during most of those final days. A relationship eventually blossomed.

In August 2001, Pam and Judd married in San Francisco. Currently, the couple still lives in San Francisco. Judd writes for DC Comics. He's currently the writer and illustrator for Batwing, the first iteration of an African-American Batman and the Catwoman series. Judd previously worked on the Green Lantern series, in which he was noted for introducing HIV positive characters. Pam works with UCSF in various different capacities. She teaches as a professor at the university and has kept up with regular medical publications.

The couple have two children.

MTV renews Challenge for 23rd season; New season of the Real World films in St. Thomas

MTV announced yesterday that they will be renewing the Challenge for its 23rd season. Battle of the Exes was one of the most watched seasons of the Challenge, averaging two million viewers per week. No word yet on the setting or format, but the Challenge will presumably begin filming this summer.

St. Thomas, the US Virgin Islands

The new season of the Real World is currently being filmed in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. This season of the Real World will feature the cast living on its own island. Filming ends in May 2012.