The Not Quite Real World

I have to admit I have drifted in and out of seasons of the Real World like Max Talbot does the NHL regular season while the Challenges have become can't miss TV. Since the Real World is a feeder to the Challenges you want to be well informed on the new competitors before your Challenge draft and good casting can always keep you interested and invested in a Real World season. The 24th edition of this MTV staple has the cast returning to New Orleans 10 years after the memorable first N.O. cast. I am never a big fan of returning to cities previously used, but N.O. is a safe bet that can be used multiple times like Miami, LA, NY, and Las Vegas. My suggestion would be to go back overseas, the Paris and London seasons were underrated and the overseas element adds to the overall show. The original N.O. cast had members go on to future success' like marrying Bailey from Party of Five (Kelly), performing as a musical guest on The Chappelle show (David), and becoming a Phoenix Suns beat reporter (Matt). Along with fellow cast members who made the rounds on the Challenges (Jamie, Melissa, and Julie). Like hoops coach at UCLA these are tough shoes to fill, but after the premier this cast looks more like Ben Howland than Walt Hazzard.

Knight: He started out very strong with the first clip showing him playing pick-up hockey with friends in Milwaukee Wisconsin. During his back story we learn he was a fairly successful high school player in the Jarkko Ruutu mold with a scholarship waiting until he blew out both of his shoulders. Put on painkillers for those surgeries he became addicted and subsequently completed a rehab program. He was shown in a meeting with his Rehab counselor and they were talking about his move to N.O. I am not an addiction specialist though I watch plenty of Intervention, but I don't think a recovering addict should be entering the Real World environment, on the good decision meter this seems on par with the NBA naming Isiah Thomas as their commish in waiting. Overall he seems like a good dude in the athletic all American mold, but not nearly as cool as Wes, Ace, and my all time favorite Eric Nies who all filled this same role on previous seasons. NBA ref Jack Nies could officiate 50 Finals' and he still wouldn't match the stature his son has for hosting "The Grind".

McKenzie: Describes herself as a typical Florida beach girl from Jupiter. She is in a sorority at UCF, is proud of her drinking personality and said "I black out easily" in the first 20 minutes of the show. Something tells me sorority girls saying they black out easily gets MTV producers as excited as NFL GM's when they hear the words raw speed. After this season she could pass Daunte Culpepper and Brandon Marshall as the most popular former UCF students. She comes off innocently with an Annalynne McCord like vibe and was the only roomate that did not want to share a room with a member of the opposite sex. During their first night out, naturally on a Wednesday she was hit on repeatedly and managed to show her drinking personality by continuing to pound beers after losing the ability to speak. Over/Under at 5 episodes before she mentions that she has been at parties with Tiger.

Jemmye: Pronounced Jimmy she is a bartender from rural Mississippi who wants to do "Crazy shit with other crazy people." She lives with her mother and when her mother asks her about meeting a guy in N.O. Jemmye states that she is only looking for a guy to fill her needs, again this is a conversation with her mother. On her application video she wore a bikini top to show off her tattoo's and had to unbutton her jeans to show off her sixth. This is like running a flea flicker when you are winning by 30 points in the fourth quarter, the game is over now and you are just showing up your opponent. She was one of the first to get to the house and MTV had to blur out her pose on the steps while meeting her new housemates to avoid a Brittany limo shot. She is shown downing shots and using Knight as a prop while dancing on their first night out and later tells him she has never slept with a white guy, which Knight is determined to change. After one episode she immediately merits first round consideration in a Challenge draft as she has shown she can compete with Jenn and Paula in the you never know what they are going to do next category.

Preston: He is from Boston and is a dead ringer for Rajon Rondo, but the comparison ended when the first words out of his mouth are "I have an amazing sense of fashion". In a complete stunner along the lines of Germany being good at soccer he tells us that he is openly gay and is not afraid to show it and tell it like it is. The first roomate he meets is Jemmye and he remarks that she looks like a complete stripper and he loves it, they get along amazingly well and become roomates. His thoughts on his new experience of being cast on The Real World "I am going to explode like glitter." After 5 minutes with Preston it is easy to see that he will be involved in plenty of drama in the house.

Ashlee: Originally from New Jersey and currently resides in Boston where she was a college basketball player at Northeastern and currently sells power tools. Everyone in the house comments on her Angelina Jolie like lips when meeting her and though she is different than McKenzie and Jemmye she draws the same attention from the straight guys in the house. She tells Eric that she has been single since college and her roomate in the house ends up being Knight after some last minute shuffling. From the start with her basketball background she seems like a threat to do well in any future Challenge and is an under the radar cast member this season.

Eric: At 24 years of age, he is the oldest of the cast members and resides in Arlington Virginia where he works for the State Department in security for diplomatic relations. The Real World house is a long way from that job and he must have a lot of vacation days or he is embarking on his side job as a stand-up comedian. He seems to take on the Yoda role in the house and you can see that his former job in the State Department will help him with all the upcoming disputes in this house. He first meets Ashlee and though only a small part of the discussion is shown in a "Wow moment" he correctly guesses that Ashlee's last boyfriend was black.

Sahar: She is a Muslim from an all Muslim community in Dearborn Michigan who has only ever lived with her parents. She is from a sheltered upbringing and thinks that living in this environment will help her break away from home and allow her to chase her dreams as a singer/songwriter. Claims she is single but did meet a guy a month before leaving for N.O. and is talking to him on the computer the first night she arrives in the house. Not as outgoing or friendly as McKenzie, Jemmye, or Ashlee, but Eric is overhead telling his brother that he thinks she is the best looking of the four. Looks like she will be in the middle of the age old struggle of the boyfriend back home vs. the new guy she is sharing a house with in N.O. Eric has to be a -500 favorite as few old boyfriends outlast the allure of the cast mate hookup.

Ryan: A hairstylist from Tempe Arizona who comes from a family of hairdressers with his grandfather and father preceding him in the family trade. In the biggest shocker of the premier episode states that he is not gay, but is extremely sensitive and emotional leading to his roomate Eric stating that he is the most emotional man he has ever met. After one episode he is on pace to rival Puck and David as the most hated man in the history of the franchise. He immediately picks a fight with Knight and refuses to room with him because of his overall jock mentality. He tells Jemmye she is asking to get raped due to her choice of clothing for their first night out on the town. After failing to impress McKenzie with a full court press he goes with Preston to a gay bar where he allows a guy to buy him drinks and then flips out when one guy kisses him on the cheek. After Preston tries to convince him it is a compliment, he remarks that he wants to kill himself after being kissed by one of Preston's kind. This leads to the ensuing requisite drama and Ryan seems to get more agitated that Preston will not fight with him and in the process calls Jemmye trailer trash after busting into their room. Cooler heads prevail as he and Preston discuss their overall outcast backgrounds over a cigarette and promise to get coffee and and discuss this more in the future. For a prediction that I don't need Eric to make I think we have not seen the end of these two clashing this season.