The Truth About The Real World: New York Reboot
Everything old is new again — including the beloved MTV reality TV franchise The Real World. The series aired on the network from 1992 until 2017, when it left for Facebook Watch for a season. However, The Real World will have a revival series on the new streaming platform Paramount Plus, according to Us Weekly. The New York Post reported that the platform is set to launch in March 2021.
But that's not all; the series, known for its rotating casts and locations, will actually feature a group of seven non-strangers that'll stop being polite and start getting real. That's right — the original The Real World: New York Season 1 cast is reuniting. According to the NY Post, the series was even filmed in the same exact location as they did in the first season all those years ago: a 6,500-square-foot loft in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.
Read on to find out more details about The Real World: New York reboot — especially who is all returning.
Who is returning from the original 'Real World: New York' cast?
According to the New York Post, Paramount Plus' The Real World: New York revival will feature the series' entire Season 1 cast. Becky Blasband, Andre Comeau, Heather B. Gardner, Julie Gentry, Norman Korpi, Eric Nies, and Kevin Powell are all set to reunite.
If you don't remember the first season, MTV has the pilot episode available free to watch on its website. Julie moves from Birmingham, Alabama, to New York City, where the cast meets for the first time and quickly discusses issues like sex and racism. It's the episode that kicked off a franchise that ran for 25 years on MTV (and one season on Facebook Watch in 2019).
"MTV's The Real World has been credited with creating the reality TV genre and was one of the first series that tackled important and yet unrepresented topics of the time, from HIV/AIDS, race, gender, orientation and religion," Chris McCarthy, president of the MTV Entertainment Group, said in a statement to the NY Post, citing the series' continued relevance.
The Real World didn't just launch reality TV as we know it — the franchise also launched the careers of its stars.
What is the original 'Real World: New York' cast doing now?
The Real World: New York revival on Paramount Plus is reuniting the Season 1 cast — but when they come together, they'll be much different people than they were in 1992, when the first season aired.
Back then, the cast was chasing their dreams as twenty-somethings in the Big Apple. Model Eric Nies, musician Becky Blasband, rocker Andre Comeau, rapper Heather B. Gardner, artist Norman Korpi, activist Kevin Powell, and aspiring dancer and Birmingham, Alabama native Julie Gentry became friends and clashed in the SoHo, Manhattan loft.
In 2021, their lives will likely look extremely different as older, more mature people. Eric is now an alternative and holistic wellness facilitator. Heather hosts a popular YouTube series, The Happy Hour with Heather B. Norman created an innovative laptop stand, the A/Stand. Kevin (pictured above) is a prolific author who has written over thirteen books, according to his author bio. Andre is still a rocker, just with a new band called River Rogue. And, after the season wrapped, Julie returned to her native Alabama, where she's a mom, according to People.
So what'll happen when these seven not-so-strangers reunite and get real? It sounds like fans will have to tune in on Paramount Plus to find out.