‘The Real World’ Season 1: How to Watch the First New York Season of the Classic MTV Show Before the Reunion
Get ready for some serious ‘90s nostalgia. The Real World Season 1 cast is reuniting for the first time in nearly 30 years in a new series that will stream on Paramount+. The Real World Homecoming: New York will premiere March 4 on the rebranded version of CBS All Access.
All seven of the original cast members from the groundbreaking reality series will be on hand for the reunion. And you can bet they’ll be revisiting all the drama from season 1 in the new episodes. So, before you dive into The Real World Homecoming, you might want to make time to binge the original episodes so you’re up to speed.
Where to stream ‘The Real World’ Season 1
At one point, it was relatively difficult to re-watch earlier seasons of The Real World. But now, you can stream many seasons of the MTV show on CBS All Access/Paramount+. That includes all 13 episodes of season 1.
During The Real World’s debut season, the case engaged in candid — and sometimes heated — conversations about race, sex, and other issues. In the new series — which was actually filmed in the same New York loft where the cast lived during the original show — they’ll “revisit the shocking moments and explosive issues that transpired during the historic season and discuss how they parallel in today’s social climate.”
‘The Real World: New York’ cast reflects on their reunion
Producers managed to convince all the original cast members, who are now in their late 40s and early 50s, to return for the reunion: Becky Blasband, Andre Comeau, Heather B. Gardner, Julie Gentry, Norman Korpi, Eric Nies, and Kevin Powell.
In addition to revisiting past drama, The Real World Homecoming will also explore how being on the iconic series changed the lives of cast members in the decades since the cameras stopped rolling.
For those who appeared on the show, having the chance to connect again with all their roommates was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“We’ve all stayed in contact over the years. We just all haven’t been in the same room at the same time,” Nies, 49, told People. “We’re all like, in our 50s so I think the reaction is a little bit different at this age. But, yeah, it was really cool.”
What the cast has been doing since the show ended
All the original Real World cast members have been keeping busy in the years since the show ended.
Blasand is a musician and songwriter who has released multiple albums since appearing on The Real World. She’s also worked in music sound design for television and film, according to her website.
Comeau is also a musician and is still recording and performing, according to a 2020 interview in The Entertainer! Magazine.
Gardner — who goes by Heather B. — continued to focus on her career as a hip-hop artist after The Real World ended. She released a solo record, had small roles in Luke Cage and Dead Presidents, and co-hosts Sway in the Morning on SiriusXM.
Gentry, who was 18 and went by the name Julie Oliver when she appeared on The Real World, lives in her hometown of Birmingham, Ala., according to AL.com. She is married and has two children.
Korpi was an artist and the first openly LGBTQ cast member on The Real World. After the show, he appeared on The Challenge. Now, he’s a patent holder and technology developer, according to CNN.
Since his stint in reality TV, Powell has built a successful career as an author, commentator, and speaker. He also ran for Congress twice and produced the first exhibit about the history of hip-hop in America at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to a bio on his website.
Nies, a model, continued to work with MTV after The Real World ended. He hosted The Grind and appeared on The Challenge. In a recent conversation with Andy Cohen, he talked about his past issues with drug abuse, revealed he was on probation while living in the loft, and said appearing on The Real World “saved my life.”
The Real World Homecoming: New York premieres March 4 on Paramount+.
