The Real World: Cancun

The Real World: Cancun
The cast of The Real World: Cancun.
Genre	Reality
Created by	Bunim/Murray Productions
Country of origin	USA
Production
Camera setup	Camera Men and Stand Still
Running time	1 hour
Original release
Network	MTV
Release	June 24,2009

The Real World: Cancun is the twenty-second 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 document their lives and interpersonal relationships. Cancun, Mexico was first announced as the location for the season on Jan 26, 2009. This will be the fourth season of the series to be set outside the United States, after The Real World: London, The Real World: Paris, and The Real World: Sydney. Series co-creator Jonathan Murray explained the choice of Cancun, saying, "Cancun is a good one to do after Brooklyn, which was a more gritty environment."

Primary production wrapped up in April and was not affected by the swine flu outbreak in Mexico. Executive Producer Jim Johnston said, "We had stopped production before this thing reared its ugly head." The season premiered June 24, 2009.

Bunim-Murray Productions also shot an unscripted 2003 movie called The Real Cancun, although it was unrelated to the series. Mexico also served as the season vacation spot for the cast of The Real World: Los Angeles and Cancun in particular served as the vacation spot for the cast of The Real World: Hollywood.

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 Cancun cast was assigned to work with the spring break resource site StudentCity.com to serve as guides for visiting college students, helping to, as Jonathan Murray puts it, "give people a safe and fun vacation."

The residence

The cast stayed at the Cancun resort, ME Cancun, at Boulevard Kukulkan, km. 12 in Cancun, Mexico. The resort is located in the hotel zone between the Beach Palace and Park Royal Piramides resorts. Fifteen hotel rooms were converted into the cast's suite: eleven on the second floor, and four rooms on the third floor. Production Designer Chuck Aubrey used the hotel's signature furnishings to decorate the suite, along with the vivid colors that are typically used by the Real World production to adorn the residences. The suite, like all of the resort's other 418 rooms, features an ocean and sunset lagoon view. The suite is currently available to the public under the name SuiteMe.

Cast

The cast is made up of eight individuals, in line with the prior season. Two of the cast members, Jonna Mannion and Derek Chavez, previously worked together at a bar in Tempe, Arizona, and are the first set of cast members in a season to be acquainted with one another prior to casting since David Burns and Nathan Blackburn from The Real World: Seattle.

Cast Member	Age1	Hometown	Biography
Ayiiia Elizarraras	22	San Diego, California	Ayiiia is a model and Hooters waitress who won the realworldcasting.com contest, having been chosen by viewers who voted for her with the help of a campaign run by her friends. She says she has "an issue with guys" due to her last boyfriend, with whom she got pregnant, and who broke up with her a week before she had an abortion. She is of Mexican descent, and this is her first extended trip to that country. She is not easily forgiving, and her candor is sometimes seen as vicious by her roommates, which makes living in the house difficult for her. She has a history of drug abuse and self-mutilation, the latter of which recurs in Episode 5, after repeatedly coming into conflict with various other members of the cast throughout the first several episodes.
Bronne Bruzgo	21	Yardley, Pennsylvania	Bronne is a student at the Pennsylvania State University and a member of the Marine ROTC. MTV describes him as the resident comic and life of the party, willing to do anything for a laugh. A former nude model and boxer on the Penn State boxing team, he struggles with boundaries, and comes into conflict with his roommates because of this.
Christian "CJ" Koegel	24	Boca Raton, Florida	CJ is an NFL free agent who was the #4 punter in the country when he graduated from the University of Massachusetts. He did well at tryouts in Las Vegas, and is awaiting the results. MTV describes him as "the All-American boy" and a "heartthrob" who takes pride in his body and his appearance overall. CJ says he would be a devout Christian if it were not for his sex drive. He has a girlfriend named Danielle back home, but the temptations of Cancun may present a challenge to their relationship.
Jasmine Reynaud	22	Friendswood, Texas	Jasmine, despite her 5-foot, 88 pound frame, is outspoken, and exhibits what MTV describes as "a hard edge", which she readily admits is the result of a Napoleon complex. Despite this, she is also sensitive and vulnerable. Her friends say she has poor taste in men, often choosing womanizers who treat her badly, a motif that may recur in Cancun. She is a former competitive cheerleader who likes to be the center of attention, particularly among women. She enjoys partying, but may have difficulty with moderation. She works as a waitress at Chili's.
Emilee Fitzpatrick	21	Boston, Massachusetts	Emilee, like Ayiiia, is a Hooters waitress, and a daughter of therapists. MTV describes her as a sensitive girl who sometimes lets her emotions get the best of her. She is working to change her views on men, sex and love, and hoping to find a man with whom she can have a monogamous relationship.
Jonna Mannion	20	Tempe, Arizona	Jonna is a multi-racial woman who has lived a difficult life, having been put in foster care at age four with a strict religious family, adopted by her caseworker at nine, and kicked out when she turned 18, but she intends to make the best of life as a hairdresser. She struggles between her boyfriend, Matt, back home and the temptations of Cancun, as well as her own tendencies toward flirtation and promiscuity. She worked with Derek at a bar in Tempe, Arizona. Jonna won the first season of the Discovery Kids reality show, Endurance.
Joey Rozmus	22	Lawrence, Massachusetts	Joey is a tall, skinny, tattooed man who plays guitar in a pop punk band, and, according to MTV, relentlessly pursues women in Cancun with his "bad boy charm", and makes a point of being the first roommate to have sex in Cancun. He has been expelled from two different high schools, and eventually dropped out of a third. He has a past history with excessive drinking. He is passionate about the arts, and enjoys drawing, tattooing, writing poetry and creating music. He claims to have seen a UFO. He experiences personality conflict with the women in the first two episodes.
Derek Chavez	21	Phoenix, Arizona	Derek is described by MTV as the resident "nice guy", who gets along with everyone in the house. He was raised in the small town of Loving, New Mexico by his grandmother, whom he calls his mother. He is an overachiever who was president of the student council in high school, captain of the basketball and track teams and class valedictorian. He is openly gay and single, currently uninterested in a commitment, though baggage from previous relationships continues to haunt him. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in kinesiology at Arizona State University, and wants to be a physician's assistant. He worked with Jonna at a bar in Tempe, Arizona.

Episodes

Episode 1. "Yes We Cancun!"

Premiered June 24, 2009

The eight roommates move into their penthouse in Cancun. Joey and Emilee experience the first conflict over his views of her occupation. At a club, Emilee and CJ exhibit a mutual attraction, and Joey makes out with a girl named Courtnee at a club, later making a point of being the first in the house to have sex in Cancun. A courtesy to Joey and Courtnee results in a night of closeness between Emilee and CJ, and damage to CJ's relationship with his girlfriend, Danielle. The male roommates ponder whether Jonna will remain faithful to her boyfriend, Matt, with Joey expressing the hope he gets lucky with her.

Episode 2. "Jerkface Joes and Romeos"

Premiered July 1, 2009

CJ and Jonna become close, with the newly single CJ (and the others) anticipating possibilities between them should she break up with Matt. Joey experiences a personality clash with Ayiiia and the other women. The roommates meet their new boss and learn about their new job, but the restrictions and responsibilities imposed on them may pose challenges.

Episode 3. "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It (At First)"

Premiered July 8, 2009

As Jonna becomes closer to the men, conflict arises in the house between them and the women, with Ayiiia and Emilee each alienating the others over various issues. Ayiiia and Emilee become closer in an unexpected way, though their relationship soon sours over conflict on the group's first day of work, and eventually, Ayiiia is pitted against the other seven.

Episode 4. "Cancun Cassanovas"

Premiered July 15, 2009

Ayiiia attempts to make amends with Emilee, though Emilee wonders how difficult it may be to restart their friendship. Derek enjoys a visit for his birthday from his brother, Bo, and his ex-boyfriend, Kyle, whose infidelity led to their breakup just prior to moving to Cancun. This, as well as Derek's ability to adhere to Student City rules when he meets a Student City client named Tyler, causes conflict for him. Joey's self-professed promiscuity continues, but he suffers a devastating loss that returns him home. CJ and Jasmine both meet people to whom they are attracted.

Episode 5. "Payback, Piglets and Projects"

Premiered July 22, 2009

C.J.'s romantic escapades continue, but he and Joey continue to experience conflict with Ayiiia, which leads to a huge fight, and a physical confrontation that includes threats of violence. This leads to a recurrence of Ayiiia's self-mutilation. Joey and the other men, unsympathetic when they learn of her condition, decide to enact a campaign of behavior designed to get her to leave the house. Jasmine sees a man who she thinks is giving her mixed signals. The episode ends with a public service announcement by Ayiiia in which she states that she received professional help, and implores others exhibiting self-mutilation to do the same.

Episode 6. "Flirting With Disaster"

Premiered July 29, 2009

Jonna eagerly awaits her boyfriend Matt's visit to Cancun, but when Matt's insecurities get the best of him, Jonna finds herself spending some quality time with another guy. Joey's party-lifestyle interferes with work obligations at StudentCity and his irresponsibility nearly cuts his time in Cancun short.

External links

• The Real World: Cancun at mtv.com
• Cast bio page at mtv.com