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