Real World Las Vegas: Reunited and it Feels So Good!

Episode 1: I was 12 years old when the very first Real World episode aired on MTV and even in my pre-pubescence, I knew that I was not only watching these seven strangers learn to live, love, learn and grow from each other but I could feel that I was being drawn into a cult of sorts that 15 years later, I still make it my business to follow; via Tivo or one of the numerous showings throughout the week morning, noon , and night, and the marathon that leads up to the final episode and of course the reunion. Through the various seasons and cities of The Real World, I’ve have had my share of being thoroughly disappointed, annoyed, disgusted and completely frustrated with the fact that no cast was ever going to be as great as the original New York cast (and I’ve watched EVERY season…some not as religiously, but I still watched). I mean, Heather B getting arrested, Eric being the hot model guy, Andre wandering aimlessly, Julie the original naïve southern girl and Kevin the original angry black man fighting in the street, Norm chiming in at all times when a punch line was needed, and Becky doing whatever it was that Becky did (strum on her guitar, I think). They were and still are classic, and no other cast, while many came close, managed to compare and even at 12 years old, I knew that. Then came Real World Las Vegas and something shifted. The cast was made up of three, not one, or even two, but THREE beautiful black people, no one was gay, but of course everyone was HOT (well, Frank….eh). Very, very untypical casting used for this season and then this non-standard group of seven strangers were put up in Vegas! Oh it was beyond obvious that there was all type of debauchery just brewing and waiting to explode for all of us to witness. We, I more importantly, were not dissatisfied. Each and every cast member provided us exactly what we were waiting for and then some! (Again, Frank….eh). We watched the development of true love as Irulan and Alton found their way to each other despite Irulan having a boyfriend, Alton being a “Dirty Bird”, Alton having a threesome in Australia, Alton having random sex with some chic in the “communal” hot tub….um, yeah Alton had quite a lot going on but he was in love with Irulan all the same. Sigh….wasn’t it beautiful. Fast forward five years later and the beautiful love story ended after three years of bliss, with both Alton and Irulan moving on to new relationships that we can only hope get jacked up because you have to know, Alton and Irulan will get it on. Oh they will get it on. But then there is Arissa, who may possible ruin any chance of lovemaking between Irualn and Alton because her card carrying membership to the “Trinity” has been revoked due to a he/she said battle of who kissed who in the bathroom, um that would be kissing between Arissa and Alton and who initiated it or didn’t. Yeah, there has only been one episode so details are rather sketchy. The point is, however, that Alton has a reputation of being a “Dirty Bird”, Irulan’s term, not mine, yet in the explosive argument that took way too long to pop off, Irulan was strongly convicted that Arissa was waaay more suspect than Alton EVER was. Really, Irulan? Very interesting indeed! It is also why Arissa now lives alone, well with her cat, on the beach in CA spending her time cooking and painting. The drama and break-up of the Trinity was just way too much for her to bear and she is healing herself via large containers of lasagna. Note: Arissa is really thin and doesn’t look like she eats too much of anything, let alone lasagna. Who do you think she was cooking that lasagna for? Maybe for her boyfriend whom she very awkwardly acknowledges existed and then seemed to make up a time frame in which they have been together? The “grown-up the most” in the last five years award most definitely goes to Brynn. The cute little girl, who couldn’t understand why Steven wanted to continually sleep with Trishelle and not her, and was so jealous and angry that in a random fight about nothing, she threw a fork at him. Thanks to Steve choosing to let himself stay (make that clear, not Brynn, but himself…confused? gotta check out the old eps) Brynn got over all that and then got really focused on making her dream come true. Go-Go dancing, yeeaahhh baby! In my personal opinion, she was not that good and I hoped she would realize that, but then she got a call because one of the girls dropped out. Dreams do come true! Fast forward five years later and Brynn, is now all Britney Spears with it – well she actually takes care of children and is still married to Austin – and has two boys! She looks grown-up and like she really is just there to see her friends and not involve herself with all the sinning that is indeed bound to take place. Or at least let us pray….for in Vegas, we know not what we do and her jugs are bigger than they ever were and I’m sure she still has the number to that Go-Go spot. Trishelle, Trishelle, Trishelle. Trishelle, soon to be seen at a DVD store near you in the most anticipated Ninja Cheerleaders, seems to not be able to believe that she behaved the way she did on the show and would never act like that again. Whenever she speaks I am always taken back to the one time I actually remember that Frank exists and he makes one most profound statement. He and Steven are in the car talking about the scary possibility that Trishelle may be pregnant and Frank says, “You both are dumb as rocks.” How true, Frank. And Trishelle, at least, manages to prove that sentiment over and over again. Yet, this time around, she somehow has become an investor in a club (I’m sure with her Ninja Cheerleaders money) and of course, there is her “acting”. We know it is Trishelle immediately when her red high heel cowboy moon boots step out of the car and she starts strutting her stuff and smacking her gum and gives a hearty “hey boys” to the doormen. Truthfully, her walk to the penthouse was about as exciting as it got for her in this episode. Oh, but I’m not fooled you bleached blonde Ninja Cheerleader! I know you still have all that foolery in you, and I gladly wait for your release. Episode 3, maybe? Steven has decided to become a psychiatrist. Nice!! I so won’t be surprised when his kids end up like Brooke (Real World: Denver). Steven truly seems to have matured. He is still quite the looker and yet has vowed not to have sex while he is back in Vegas. What is up with the lying people (and by people I mean Trishelle and Steven and possibly Alton and/or Arissa)?! It is nice to at least have intentions to not embarrass yourself again in front of the world, but it is what you do best! It is your best achievement to date. Embrace it. Do it again. Make us proud. Show us that in real life, people don’t really change. And yes Steven, as you have learned, condoms are our friends. Clearly we could talk for days about the greatness that is Reunited: Real World Las Vegas. I mean, I cannot describe for you the joy….wait, did I forget to talk about Frank? I did. Well let’s see here. Frank is an idiot. He is so upset with himself for being the one that no one cared about that he has made it his sole mission to embarrass himself as much as possible this time around. He managed to “score” with some random girl in the confessional (again, taking his date to the communal area. Did he not learn after the debacle with Arissa where he slammed the door on her face?!) and then drunkenly (or not) pretend to be cool and say that the girl who may or may not be waiting for him has either left or is really stupid. Oh Frank, really, you are such a stud muffin. You really are going to be the hot guy this time around that everyone remembers because he got so much ass! That I know for sure will not happen, no matter how much ass Frank gets because he is trying way too hard to be that guy that he can’t be. It’s sad actually. I’m waiting for Frank’s “woe is me I just want to be cool breakdown.” Let’s put 5 on it that it will happen in episode 5 after he realizes that even after bringing girl after girl into the confessional, Alton and Steven still are everything (hot, cool, hot) that he wishes he could be. And enough about Frank. So like I was saying to learn that my favorite seven no longer strangers were reuniting was a joyful moment. I was elated and boy, it does indeed feel so good.