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by Kirk Baird
You're young, hip and beautiful.
Las Vegas is your playground.
And MTV is there to record your every step.
Welcome to "The Real World," where a group of seven twentysomethings all strangers was selected to live in a customized suite on the 28th floor of the Palms for 4 1/2 months.
Sound real?
Wait 'til you see the cast of "Real World Las Vegas," which makes its debut with a one-hour premiere Sept. 17 on MTV (Cox cable channel 19) airs from 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays for the remainder of the season.
The seven cast members are all picture-perfect. Or, as the MTV bios variously describe: "strikingly handsome," "stunning" and "the very picture of all-American charisma and good looks."
"I have to admit we are very fortunate. We have an exceptional-looking cast this season," said series producer Tracy Chaplin, who has been with "The Real World" for seven of its 12 seasons.
"And a lot of it just boils down to the people who apply to the show. They're usually highly motivated," Chaplin said. "They're very active. They are certainly conscious of their appearance. Those are the people who tend to make great cast members."
For those out of the pop-culture loop, "The Real World" was arguably the Adam and Eve of today's reality TV programming when it debuted in 1992.
The original setting was New York, followed by Los Angeles and then San Francisco. Other "Real World" locales have been New Orleans, Chicago, Hawaii, Boston, Seattle and London. The premise is always the same: Take several young adults ages 18 to 24 from different races, places, and social and economic backgrounds, and stick them in a house (or a reasonable facsimile) together for a few months.
And record nearly every moment.
Previous shows have made minor celebrities out of cast members Puck, anyone? as young people nationwide tune in to the real-life soap opera.
And from the way the season is set up after the Las Vegas cast's initial episode, it appears this group will not shortchange viewers on drama, either.
As soon as cast members meet in their "home," there seems to be the kind of chemistry both friendly and sexual that best fuels reality-based TV.
For example, it isn't long before there is an unexpected "hook-up" between roommates, complicated by hurt feelings by two other roommates who feel slighted by the randy couple.
The Las Vegas group includes four women and three men, all of whom were interviewed for this story in June, just as the series had wrapped taping and the cast was a few days from going back to their real lives. (Their last names, incidentally, were not provided.)
Brynn is a "party animal," as she described herself to a bellman when she first made her way through the casino floor of the Palms.
"My friends and I used to make bets on who could be on the show or who could be a VJ. Everyone was always like, 'You'd be so perfect for the show.' And in the back of my head, I thought, 'Oh, I so want to do that.' And I ended up here."
Arissa, too, is about fun, but remains practical and concerned about her finances. She senses a deep bond with fellow cast member Irulan.
"(The cast) went to a lot of different places and met a lot of different people, and we've experienced a lot of different things," Arissa said. "I probably never would have had the opportunity to, had I not been here. Just walking into this front door is the coolest thing that happened."
Irulan initially seems to be the quiet one of the bunch. She also reaches out to Arissa for friendship, and the two wind up sharing a room.
"I don't have any regrets, but I don't think I'd do this same thing all over again," Irulan said. "I think I've taken a lot away from it, but I'm ready to get back to my normal life."
Trishelle is from a small town in Louisiana and is worried her roommates will assume she lacks intelligence because of her background and accent.
"You make what you want of (the show). If you try to hide from (the cameras), they'll be right up on you," she said. "You just have to realize and keep reminding yourself that you chose to do the show."
Steven is the "all-American" to whom MTV was referring. He's funny in a goofy way, and a perennial flirt and women seem to respond -- including at least two roommates.
"We're bound to each other for life. We shared this crazy experience. They're like brothers and sisters. You don't pick your brothers and sisters. There are things you don't like about them, there are things you love about them. But, at the end of the day, you're all close."
Alton is a violinist and in-line skater who also enjoys rock climbing. He comes across as the peacemaker of the group -- but also seems the most likely to push buttons.
"We're just here trying to live our lives. We're not trying to have someone live vicariously through us."
Frank is the kind of son parents may wish they had: smart, athletic, ultra polite. Born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania, he is also, perhaps, the castmember most out of his element.
"I hope nobody lives vicariously through me because that would be sad. These guys, maybe."
Making it real
To accommodate the cast and crew, six Palms hotel rooms were combined into one massive suite featuring three bedrooms, a communal shower with separate stalls, a bathroom and wash area, a kitchen and dining area, living area and game area.
And, of course, there is "the confessional": the isolated small room with the fixed camera where castmembers can record their thoughts in secret ... at least, until the series airs and the confessions are put to strong dramatic use.
Construction on the room began shortly after the Palms opened in November and took seven weeks to complete. Included in the project was construction of a central room to direct the various camera crews.
Building the show's room was easy, however, compared to shooting the series in Las Vegas -- particularly on the Strip.
"We had about half the casinos on the Strip willing to work with us in an open-door policy," Chaplin said. "And then we had another percentage that, with 24 hours' notice or with an escort, would allow us to come in.
"And then there were some properties that chose not to (participate). And that's no different than any other city. There are always venues that aren't comfortable."
Taping in Las Vegas also limited the choices in cast members. Because of gaming restrictions, Chaplin said the cast selections had to be at least 21 so they could live in the casino.
"So we're losing half our casting potential," he said.
Despite the obstacles, Chaplin said Las Vegas was always very high on the list as a "Real World" setting.
"The show is getting up there in seasons. There are only so many major cities interesting to our market," she said. "In doing market studies and while we were out on the road casting ... overwhelmingly Las Vegas would come up. Not just sporadically; it was an overwhelming consensus from city to city.
"There's just become a fascination with young adults in coming here. It's an adult playground. Young adults get out and they want to have a wild and carefree weekend. And Vegas is a place to do that."
As to what to expect this season, the cast and crew were understandably mum. Reasoning that a studio would never reveal the ending of a film, MTV brass wants the show's twists and turns to remain a surprise.
And, according to the castmembers, the season will have plenty of surprises.
"There's no way to know what's going to happen," Alton promises. "It's going to be a really interesting season with a lot of twists."
No matter what transpired during the taping, though, all seven "Real World" castmembers acknowledge they are parting on friendly terms -- unlike some of the previous groups.
And, none of them have any regrets.
"I don't think there's anything really wrong with what we did," Trishelle said. "We were just having a good time. I just think we did what normal 22- or 23-year-olds would do coming to Vegas and living with six good-looking people and having a good time."
