The Real World: Las Vegas

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The Real World: Las Vegas
Cast of the Real World: Las Vegas
Format	Reality show
Created by	Jonathan Murray Mary-Ellis Bunim
Starring	Alton Williams Arissa Hill Brynn Smith Frank Roessler Irulan Wilson Steven Hill Trishelle Cannatella
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	MTV
Original run	September 17, 2002 – April 1, 2003
Chronology
Preceded by	The Real World: Chicago
Followed by	The Real World: Paris

The Real World: Las Vegas is the twelfth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. First airing in Fall 2002, the Las Vegas cast lived in a converted penthouse suite on the 28th floor of the Las Vegas Palms Casino and Resort. The Las Vegas season was the second highest-rated season of the series after 2002's Chicago installment. This was the fourth season of The Real World to be filmed in the western United States (after The Real World: Los Angeles in 1993, The Real World: San Francisco in 1994 and The Real World: Seattle in 1998).

During the weekend preceding the debut of the Denver season, MTV re-aired the Las Vegas season. The marathon ran November 18-19, 2006. The entire season was again re-aired on May 26-27, 2007, preceding the airing of the miniseries Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas.

Contents 1 The residence 2 Assignment 3 Cast 4 Season highlights 5 Criticism 6 Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas 7 References

[edit] The residence

The owner of The Palms Casino Hotel, where the season was filmed, asked for production to cast exclusively people over 21 years old. Thus this was the first season in which all the castmates were at least that old.

The Palms demolished six rooms to make the hotel suite that the season was filmed in, at a cost of over $2 million USD. It was designed by Sharmila Tankha of the Jerde Partnership, the same firm that designed the hotel itself. Unlike previous Real World residences, the suite is not decorated with IKEA furnishings.^[1][2]

The suite, which is now called "The Real World Suite", is the one former Real World residence that not only overall remains in the condition in which it was used for filming (minor changes have been made, such as the addition of doors for the bedrooms, TV's and the removal of the Confessional), but in which the public can potentially reside. The hotel rents the suite for a reported $5,000 a night, and has done so to numerous celebrities that have stayed there. Among them are Britney Spears, who stayed in the suite on New Year's Eve 2004.^[2][3]

[edit] Assignment

Almost every season of The Real World, beginning with its fifth season, has included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates, continued participation in which has been mandatory to remain part of the cast since the Back to New York season. The Las Vegas housemates had various jobs throughout the season involving the Palms Casino and Resort in which they lived, including promotional work for the night club, "Rain in the Desert", cocktail waiting, and go-go dancing.

[edit] Cast

Cast Member	Age1	Hometown	RW/RR Challenges
Arissa Hill	22[4]	Malden, Massachusetts[5]	Battle of the Sexes 2
Frank Roessler	22[6]	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet 3
Trishelle Cannatella	22[7]	Cut Off, Louisiana	The Gauntlet, The Inferno
Brynn Smith	21[8]	Portland, Oregon	None
Alton Williams	22[9]	San Diego, California	The Gauntlet, The Gauntlet 2, The Inferno III
Steven Hill	23[10]	San Marcos, Texas	Battle of the Sexes 2
Irulan Wilson	21[11]	Bronx, New York	The Gauntlet

Note 1: Age at the time of filming.

[edit] Season highlights

• During a visit by Arissa's boyfriend, they attend a nightclub, where Arissa gets into a physical altercation with another female patron who calls her "bitch."

• Trishelle and Steven have an on-again-off again sexual relationship (even though Steven was in the middle of a divorce), which at one point resulted in a pregnancy scare for Trishelle. Trishelle later posed for Playboy after the show.

• On the castmates' third day in the suite, three of them (Steven, Trishelle and Brynn) have a threesome.

• Alton and Irulan begin a romantic relationship, which results in the break up of Irulan and her long-distance boyfriend Gabe. Alton and Irulan were still together when they appeared in their first season of the spin-off show Real World/Road Rules Challenge, but later broke up.

• Arissa has difficulty trusting her roommates, and at times exhibits a temper. She also has a strained relationship with her family, including her mother and her uncle who frequently call and upset her. Arissa posed for Playboy magazine after the show.

• Brynn experiences emotional outbursts, including one in which she throws a fork at Steven. This incident sparks major controversy in the suite, and Steven is adamant about having Brynn thrown out until they have a heart to heart discussion; showing Steven that Brynn is just like him when he was younger.

• Frank searches for love while in Las Vegas, starting with Trishelle, though this ends quickly after Trishelle makes out with Steven in front of him. He later dates a girl from out of town, but he admits cheating on her over the telephone. Frank also applies to USC and is accepted.

[edit] Criticism

While being one of the most popular seasons to date, the show became matter of criticism for its sexual content. Many consider this season to be the show's "turning point" that changed the subsequent seasons' tone in favor for attractive castmates, sex, drama, and fights. Although the previews characteristics were already present in previous seasons, the Las Vegas cast took it to more raw and explicit levels.

Some of the fans from before this season and the latter itself have noticed MTV's constant attempt to recreate the phenomena the season was by casting roommates that are reminiscent to the Las Vegas cast and film in locations that set up a similar environment in its following seasons, more recently in The Real World: Cancun, which was also set on a hotel suite.

[edit] Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas

In 2007, the cast reunited to appear in Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas, a six-episode spin-off reunion miniseries in which they lived in the same suite they filmed the original series in.^[12][13][14] Trishelle Cannatella was the last castmember to agree to appear, as assurances were needed that filming would not conflict with her schedule.^[15] The mini-series premiered May 30, 2007 and concluded on July 11, 2007.

[edit] References

1. ^ Andy Dehnart. "Las Vegas house cost the Palms $2 million; Ikea-free space matches hotel." realityblurred.com; September 11, 2002.
2. ^ ^{a b} The Palms suite at realworldhouses.com
3. ^ Andy Dehnart. "Fate of 'Real World' houses varies after filming" MSNBC April 27, 2008
4. ^ Arissa Hill at the Internet Movie Database
5. ^ Arissa Hill's website. Her place of birth is given in the "About" section
6. ^ Frank Roessler at the Internet Movie Database
7. ^ Trishelle Cannatella at the Internet Movie Database
8. ^ Brynn Smith at the Internet Movie Database
9. ^ Alton Williams at the Internet Movie Database
10. ^ Steven Hill at the Internet Movie Database
11. ^ Irulan Wilson at the Internet Movie Database
12. ^ "the Real World Las Vegas cast reunited for two weeks and lived in the Palms suite beginning later this month". http://realworldroadrules.blogspot.com/2007/04/real-world-las-vegas-cast-will-reunite.html. Retrieved 2007-04-06. 
13. ^ "NORM: 'Real World' may be back at Palms". http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Mar-29-Thu-2007/news/13463311.html. Retrieved 2007-04-06. 
14. ^ "Las Vegas cast leaves for Vegas beginning this Monday and filming wraps up the last full week of April". http://realworldroadrules.blogspot.com/2007/04/las-vegas-cast-leaves-for-vegas.html. Retrieved 2007-04-07. 
15. ^ "Real World Las Vegas 2 Film Again with the Same Cast and Suite". http://www.mm-agency.com/blog/mtv-real-world/real-world-las-vegas-2-film-again-with-the-same-cast-and-suite/3110/. Retrieved 2007-04-06. 

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