The Real World is a
reality television program on
MTV originally produced by
Mary-Ellis Bunim and
Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show is the longest-running program in MTV history.
[The Real World: Hollywood; Press Release from MTV.com] Following Bunim’s death from
breast cancer in 2004, Bunim/Murray Productions continues to produce the program. The
twenty-second season, set in
Cancun, Mexico, premiered on June 24, 2009, and ended its first run on September 9, 2009. The
twenty-third season will be set in
Washington, D.C., and will premiere December 30, 2009.
[Stabley, Matthew. "Real World" Cast Exits; D.C. Exhales" December 30, 2009][Jeff Dufour and Kiki Ryan. "'Real World D.C.': MTV makes it official" [[Washington Examiner]; June 10, 2009]] MTV has also picked up the show for four more seasons, taking it through its 26th season.
History
MTV
The show focuses on the lives of a group of strangers
[Each cast consisted of seven cast members for the first nineteen seasons, and was changed to eight with The Real World: Brooklyn. In addition, replacement cast members are sometimes brought in when a member of a season's original cast leaves the show prior to its conclusion.] who audition to live together in a house for several months, as cameras record their interpersonal relationships. The show moves to a different city each season. The footage shot during the housemates’ time together was edited into 22-minute episodes for the first 19 seasons, and into 44-minute episodes beginning with the
The Real World: Hollywood, the series' 20th season. The narration given over the opening title sequence by the seven housemates states some variation of the following: