‘The Real World Homecoming: New York’ : Becky Blasband Releases Statement Detailing Decision to Leave
Cast members Becky Blasband and Kevin Powell rehashed their explosive race conversation from 1992 in an episode of The Real World Homecoming: New York. However, it didn’t go much better than the first time as Blasband ended up leaving the loft. Following her exit, the singer-songwriter elaborated on her decision to walk away in an Instagram post.
Becky Blasband and Kevin Powell rehash race conversation
During the second episode of The Real World Homecoming: New York, the cast members watched a flashback from their original season featuring a heated argument between Kevin Powell and Blasband.
In the clip, the singer-songwriter noted how she considered America a melting pot and a great country. However, Powell disagreed as his experiences as a Black man in America significantly differed from Blasband’s.
Their argument escalated to Powell calling his castmate a “b***h” and a racist. After watching the clip, the New Jersey-based journalist opened up about his experiences following the show because of how he spoke to Blasband.
He also clarified the stance he took in their argument and apologized for calling her a derogatory term. While she apologized for her part in their disagreement, Blasband insisted she wasn’t racist and repeatedly interrupted Powell.
The conversation became heated, and Blasband left
The next episode picked up right where they left off, and the author tried to explain why Blasband’s comments about him getting emotional “feed into white supremacy.”
However, the singer-songwriter became defensive and claimed she didn’t want to make the conversation “political” by bringing in the topic of race. She also explained how she had educated herself by taking African dance classes.
When Powell pointed out her “privilege,” Julie Gentry, who made ignorant comments during their original season, opened up about how she’s learned and committed to being “anti-racist.”
Again, Blasband didn’t understand and seemingly refused to listen to Powell, causing her closest friend in the loft, Norman Korpi, to tell her to “shut up.”
Following the conversation, Blasband told producers she felt “attacked,” “used to make a political statement,” and had “grown out” of reality television.
Blasband clarifies why she chose to leave ‘The Real World’
Believing her castmate wanted to make a statement for his activism, Blasband decided to walk away from the loft. Following the episode, the singer-songwriter released a statement on her Instagram clarifying why she left the series.
Blasband called the reality show “a lie” and claimed she returned on the pretense the rebooted show would differ from the original. She also noted she didn’t believe the series serves as a suitable “platform” for diplomatic conversations and delicate topics.
The singer continued, reiterating that she doesn’t consider herself racist and accused the reality show of “brainwashing” by the way it edited the situation.
Finally, the singer-songwriter noted she didn’t “regret leaving” and has nothing bad to say about any of her cast members. However, she noted she “feels for them” because they didn’t have the “strength” to leave as well. The Real World Homecoming: New York airs on Paramount+.
