The problem with this show is that it seems too formulaic. For example, there's always the token black and gay person. In one episode the roommates were literally asking who the "gay one" was. While I do feel that the producers of the Real World cast the people they feel will be the most entertaining and create the most drama, they have also strayed from the original intention of the show which is to cast a group of seven strangers representing a cross-section of America. If you compare the first season to some of the current seasons, you can see the type of people they cast has completely changed. The first season had a variety of normal people. These days, they seem to only be casting young, attractive, and emotionally screwed up people these days.
While this show should be taken merely as entertainment and nothing else, it does promote the message that it’s okay to go out and party on a nightly basis. MTV isn’t trying to change the world; they’re just trying to get good ratings. Like everything in a capitalist society, it comes down to how much money they can make off these individuals.
I find it interesting to read other people’s opinions on reality shows like The Real World. Janet Staiger explains that we can learn a lot from what certain groups say about a cultural text. For example, I would like to see what gays and blacks have to say about how they are represented on television. Are they upset with the fact that the Real World only represents them as tokens? Do they disagree with how these individuals who are cast represent them as a whole?
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