The reality TV show that started it all, MTV's Real World, is heading into its twenty-ninth season, and rumors abound that its next seven strangers will be picked to live in a house in none other than the Magic City. This Saturday, an open casting call from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Vibe on Las Olas will give you the chance to become a part of the next chapter.
If the current season in Portland is any indication, today's collective of American youths aged 20 to 24 are rife as ever with reality TV potential. In fact, with lots of us still freeloading at home, binge drinking into oblivion, and taking up menial service industry jobs to fund our flailing, post bachelor's degree lifestyles, you might argue the Real World is more real than ever.
Here's a list of eight reasons why you should take a break from scouring the part-time section on Craigslist from your couch and audition for the next season of the Real World.
8. Location, Location, Location
It's not a surprise that MTV would consider bringing the show back to South Florida. We've got the Heat, the Kardashians, Rick Ross, and face-eating zombies running around creating all kinds of watch-what-happens drama. Not to mention a burgeoning art scene and one of the world's most notorious nightlifes.
In 1996, the fifth season of Real World followed a cast as they partied it up on South Beach and squandered the $50 thousand they were given to start up their own business. This season, maybe they'll be dropped into the graffiti rainbow world of Wynwood, left to discover empanadas, cafecitos, and 24-hour liquor licenses all on their own. Either way, for you, home might just be a short drive up to your parents' in Boca, so if escape becomes necessary, you shouldn't have any problems.
7. Networking
They keep telling us it's all about who you know. That's why we're saying, if you're going to party, bone, and generally act a fool through your early twenties anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone and surround yourself with an experienced production crew, casting directors, and MTV executives who can help you get a foot in the door when it's all over. One cast finalist from the last Miami season went on to produce Jersey Shore. It's called thinking ahead, and we think Real World = job opportunities! Just think of it as a really long, completely backwards job interview.
6. Love (Sex)
On the current season, Boston boy Johnny Reilly and independent Hooters gal Averey Tressler bonded over Averey's cute little terrier, Daisy, and the rest was history.
Like many couples of seasons past, these two have been hooking up all over the place, even in the bathroom of the pizza place where they work, on their very first day. Who wouldn't want that kind of passionate love? But really, you never know where you'll meet your next butt-buddy. What we do know, is that close proximity with hot, young peeps, alcohol, and lots of free time usual results in at least one thing...
5. Free Alcohol
As good as, or better than, free room and board? You decide.
4. Learn Something About Yourself
Maybe you'll be shacking up with a gorgeous, fast-talking megalomaniac; or a chiseled, wake-boarding misogynist with one hand; or a "not gay" former college football star who's just really open about his sexual past. Maybe you will learn about prejudice, politics and religion, sexuality, romance, unrequited love, and coping with illness.
Maybe living with a group of strangers who were hand-picked with the sole goal of creating the perfect synergy for sustained drama will be one of the best decisions you ever made. Maybe, just maybe, you will find yourself.
3. Resume Building
This goes back to what we were saying before about networking. Don't let anyone fool you. People might be getting married and having kids later, but the 30s are definitely not the new 20s; you've still got some important ground to cover in these early adult years! Not only will MTV practically hand you a job (so what if that job is handing people frozen yogurt through a window?), but in this day and age, having "Reality TV Star" on the ol' CV can really take you a long way. Right? That's like, a big step above YouTube star or Twitter luminary. Right??
2. Get Famous
If you're cool enough.
1. Stall
This is really at the heart of it all. Sure, you could buy a Europass and backpack across Europe for a few months. You could bike South America on a mission trip. You could get a job bussing at Friday's and save up for a really cool Vespa. Or you can go on an expenses-paid, extended vacation with a few other kids in your same shoes and become a part of reality TV history on MTV's the Real World. It's all about buying time and delaying the inevitable. We're not sure if you'll have it all figured out once everything's said and done. Chances are, you will be more confused than ever. But there's really only one way to find out!
The casting session for Real World's 29th season is open to anyone over the age of 20, who appears to be between the ages of 20 to 24. You will need to bring a valid ID and a recent photograph.
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