The Real World: New Orleans

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The Real World: New Orleans
Format Reality show
Created by Jonathan Murray, Mary-Ellis Bunim
Starring Melissa Howard
Danny Roberts
Jamie Murray
Julie Stoffer
David Broom
Kelley Limp
Matt Smith
Country of origin United States
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel MTV
Original run Summer 2000 – Fall 2000
Chronology
Preceded by The Real World: Hawaii
Followed by The Real World: Back to New York

The Real World: New Orleans is the ninth 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. The New Orleans season first aired on MTV in 2000, with the cast living in a remodeled Civil War-era mansion, called The Belfort, in the Garden District, New Orleans. It was the second of four seasons to be filmed in the American South, the first being The Real World: Miami in 1996.

Contents

[edit] The residence

The cast lived at the Belfort Mansion, a 7,000 square foot, two-story 19th Century Greek revival mansion at 2618 St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District of New Orleans. The mansion was originally built for Alexander C. Hutchinson, who lived there with his wife until his death in 1902. It was later divided into apartments, but was in the process of being returned to a single family residence when producers discovered it. New Orleans based art director Monroe Kelly and architect Lee Ledbetter restored the mansion’s original plan, enabling it to serve as the season's production set. After filming ended, it took nearly four and a half years to complete the process of returning it to a single residence. The property managed to survive Hurricane Katrina in 2005 without any serious damage.[1]

[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. The New Orleans cast was assigned to work at a New Orleans public access television station, with a different cast member acting as the producer of the segment every week.

[edit] Cast

Cast Member Age1 Hometown Biography RW/RR Challenges
Jamie Murray 22[2] Wilmette, Illinois Jamie, who is described by MTV as "cocky, confident and astoundingly ambitious", is a Web entrepreneur and Ayn Rand fan who likes spending time with his male friends, but hopes to get married one day.[2] Melissa developed a crush on him, and flirted with him during the series, though he does not return the feelings beyond friendship. After the show, he appeared on more than one season of the spinoff Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Extreme Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, The Gauntlet 2
Matt Smith 21[3] Matt is a devout Catholic, and an avid fan of hip-hop and culture, who's been putting himself through Georgia Tech by working as a web designer.[3] During the season, Matt occasionally criticizes Julie for her actions, and says he has a male instinct to protect her. She developed feelings for him, but he did not reciprocate, even when she playfully kissed him on the day they moved out of the house. Matt pursued girls in New Orleans, but never began a relationship on the show. Smith married his wife Candyce on April 13, 2007.[4] They live in Phoenix, Arizona,[5] and had first child, Norah, in September 2008.[6] He is a sports writer for the NBA's Phoenix Suns and webmaster of www.lifeteen.com.[7] The Gauntlet
Melissa Howard 22[8] Tampa, Florida Melissa, is a half African-American and half Filipino whom MTV describes as a "5-foot-2-inch bundle of manic wit." Her friends compare her to Chris Rock for her sense of humor. She admits she doesn't easily get along with other women, and demands attention from guys. Her mother is a very traditional Filipino, and Melissa is eager to leave Tampa, which she feels is largely populated by closed-minded people.[8] Melissa sometimes channeled her emotions into painting after she befriended Lionel Milton, a popular New Orleans artist. She was part of the cast of Oxygen Network's defunct prank show Girls Behaving Badly. She married on September 29, 2007, and is now named Melissa Beck.[9] Battle of the Sexes
Danny Roberts 22[10] Rockmart, Georgia Danny is a man whom MTV describes as an adorable, spontaneous and playful "modern day James Dean", with a devilish grin and sly gaze who, having escaped small town roots, is something of a "lost soul". He is close to his mother, but not as much so with his strict father. Despite being gay, he does not connect with the local gay community back home in Atlanta.[10] During his stay in the house, Danny was in a relationship with Paul Dill, a serviceman in the military.[11] To protect Paul's identity during his visits, his face was blurred each time he appeared on camera. After his time in the military ended, Paul and Danny appeared together in an MTV special, with Paul's face no longer blurred. Battle of the Seasons
Kelley Limp 21[12] Fayetteville, Arkansas Kelley is a sorority girl who was dating a medical student named Peter, and spent her time with him rather than in the house. MTV describes her as "opinionated, sassy, strong-willed" direct in her honesty, and loyal to her friends.[12] Kelley works today in television marketing in Los Angeles. On May 29, 2004, she married actor Scott Wolf, of the TV show Party of Five.[13] Battle of the Seasons
Julie Stoffer 21[14] Delafield, Wisconsin Julie is a Mormon college student who was attending Brigham Young University, and was worried about repercussions from the school administration, as she was living with men as well as women, in violation of the school's honor code. Her coming to terms with the world outside of her home and upbringing provided was a recurring theme throughout the season. Julie's strained relationship with her father was also a focal point of the show: they have a heated argument when her parents come to visit and her father dismisses her as "just being emotional". She was later suspended from BYU for her stay in the house. She had the option to appeal the school's decision, but chose not to do so. She briefly worked as a host on the video game-themed G4 TV channel. Extreme Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno, The Inferno II, The Gauntlet 2
David Broom 22[15] Chicago, Illinois David is an African-American singer who works out every day, does not drink or smoke, has a 4.0 grade point average, and aspires to be the first black President of the United States, a mindset he achieved after bouncing back from the heartbreak of a breakup with the girl of his dreams. MTV describes him as "a superbly talented musician and a deeply entertaining person" and a "sweet, vulnerable guy trying to run as far away as possible from the Chicago ghetto he grew up in and the legacy of his preacher father's departure from the family".[15] He has several sexual partners during the course of the season. He avoids conflict with his housemates, dismissing them when they attempt to resolve issues with him. During the season, he performs a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a sporting event attended by his housemates, which brings Melissa to tears. In 2003, he performed his original song "Come On, Be My Baby Tonight" on the sixth episode of the first season of the Comedy Central sketch comedy TV series, Chappelle's Show. Battle of the Sexes, The Gauntlet

Note 1: Age at the time of filming.

[edit] Season highlights

  • The New Orleans cast was the first (and to date the only) cast to be featured on the cover of TV Guide, appearing on the June 24, 2000 edition.
  • Discussions on race are a staple on The Real World. On a boat trip in Louisiana, the boat guide referred to a type of stork the group spotted as a "nigger stork". Melissa took offense to the comment and to the fact that Jamie was not as offended. After the show, it was revealed that the tour guide apologized to Melissa. In another discussion on race, Julie expressed that she was raised to cross the street if she saw a black person. After this, Melissa stated she was tired of talking about racism.
  • During the cast's group trip to South Africa, Melissa and Julie learned about themselves and racial issues, but were upset that David again sequestered himself from the group, preferring to spend time with their African tour guides.
  • In a crossover event with that season's Road Rules, (the sister series to The Real World), the Road Rules cast’s mission was to steal the mansion's toy robot dog. The housemates, recalling that the Road Rules team from years back had stolen the eight ball from the Miami cast’s pool table, hid their eight ball, not realizing that it was not the target.

[edit] After filming

Melissa and Julie left the house as friends, but at some point later the friendship dissolved after disagreements regarding speaking engagements and monetary disputes. Melissa developed a deep animosity toward Julie, and made it clear by the time they appeared on the 2003 Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Sexes that they were no longer friends. This argument continued onto MTV's website for the show and both girls' personal websites (Princess Melissa and Planet Julie), where both girls aired their side of the story.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Belfort Mansion at Real World Houses
  2. ^ a b "Jamie Murray's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1114. 
  3. ^ a b "Matt Smith's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1117. 
  4. ^ "Matt Smith. "Married Life" supafly.com April 28, 2007". http://supafly.com/married-life/. 
  5. ^ "Matt Smith. "2008: My Life So Far" supafly.com August 6, 2008". http://supafly.com/2008-my-life-so-far/. 
  6. ^ "Matt Smith. "Flip a Strip at SMoCA, Photos of Norah at 3 wks" Matt Smith. supafly.com October 7, 2008". http://supafly.com/flip-a-strip-at-smoca-photos-of-norah-at-3-wks/. 
  7. ^ "Matt Smith's blog for the Phoenix Suns". http://suns.marqui.com/blog/Matt_Smith_.aspx. 
  8. ^ a b "Melissa Howard's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1115. 
  9. ^ ""Like Daaamn That's Hot..."; Blog entry in which Howard announces her nuptials". http://www.princessmelissa.com/weblog/archives/2007/09/my_heart_is_rac.html. 
  10. ^ a b "Danny Roberts' biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1116. 
  11. ^ "MTV reality stars explore depth of military's controversial 'don't ask, don't tell' policy to SU audience", The Daily Orange, December 2, 2005, http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2005/12/02/Pulp/Mtv-Reality.Stars.Explore.Depth.Of.Militarys.Controversial.dont.Ask.Dont.Tell.Po-1119220.shtml, retrieved 2008-01-20 
  12. ^ a b "Kelly Limp's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1118. 
  13. ^ "Steve Rogers. "'Real World New Orleans' castmember Kelly Limp marries actor Scott Wolf" realitytvworld.com May 31, 2004". http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/real-world-new-orleans-castmember-kelly-limp-marries-actor-scott-wolf-2592.php. 
  14. ^ "Julie Stoffer's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1113. 
  15. ^ a b "David Broom's biography page at mtv.com". http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/realworld-season9/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=1119. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Real World, Road Rules, and Real World/Road Rules Challenge
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Real_World:_New_Orleans"