TV Every season of The Real World ranked This is the true story of 32 seasons of 7 strangers... We're ranking every single season of the revolutionary MTV reality series. By Breanne L. Heldman Updated on May 31, 2022 01:03PM EDT Close The New York City cast from the first season of 'The Real World'. Photo: Everett Collection When The Real World debuted in 1992, its creators couldn't have known the cultural force they had unleashed. The groundbreaking series inspired a flood of imitators and a hunger for more and more reality TV. It would be years before shows like Big Brother, Survivor, and American Idol helped unscripted programming dominate the airwaves. Still, The Real World's appeal wasn't just that it was first: There was always something special about its youthful, confined chaos. For decades, The Real World has taken fans across the globe, filming seasons not just from coast to coast but in Hawaii, London, Paris, Sydney, Cancún, and the Virgin Islands. Each season has its merits, but — let's "stop being polite...and start getting real" — not all of them clicked. Below, we're ranking every season of The Real World from its most tepid to unmissable best. 32. Season 32: Bad Blood (Seattle) (2016–2017) MTV Cast: Anika Rashaun, Jordan Anderson, Katrina Stack, Mike Crescenzo, Robbie Padovano, Theo King-Bradley, and Tyara Hooks. Memorable Element: Each roommate was soon joined by their "bad blood" mate: someone they once liked but with whom they had a rift before entering the house. Those roommates were Anna Stack, Jenn Geoghan, Kassius Bass, Kimberly Johansson, Orlana Russell, Peter Romeo, and Will Groomes III. The Realness: That wound up just being wayyy too many roommates. 31. Season 27: St. Thomas (2012) Ian Spanier/MTV Cast: Brandon Kane, Brandon Swift, LaToya Jackson, Laura Waller, Marie Roda, Robb Schreiber, and Walter "Trey" Weatherholtz III. Memorable Element: Brandon K. entered the house six months into his sobriety. He begins drinking again and fails a drug test during one of the final episodes of the season, subsequently getting evicted. 30. Season 22: Cancun (2009) MTV Cast: Ayiiia Elizarraras, CJ Koegel, Derek Chavez, Bronne Bruzgo, Jasmine Reynaud, Jonna Mannion, Joey Rozmus, and Emilee Fitzpatrick. Memorable Element: The cast worked with StudentCity, a college student-driven travel agency, and had to plan an event that included an appearance from LMFAO. The Realness: Jonna became quite the reality vet; in addition to competing on several seasons of The Challenge, she was a regular on TruTV's Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel. 29. Season 18: Denver (2006–2007) MTV Cast: Brooke LaBarbera, Tyrie Ballard, Colie Edison, Davis Mallory, Stephen Nichols, Jenn Grijalva, and Alex Smith. Memorable Element: The season kicked off with Colie and Jenn bonding, Colie crushing on Alex, and then Jenn sleeping with Alex. And that was just the premiere. Fights over race and sexuality ran rampant among this cast, the most memorable of which was after Brooke got lost looking for a nail salon and called the neighborhood she walked through a "ghetto," to which Tyrie took offense. Also, Colie came down with mono from actually kissing so many people. The Realness: Did this cast ever really jell? 28. Season 24: New Orleans (2010) MTV Cast: Ashlee Feldman, Eric Patrick, Jemmye Carroll, McKenzie Coburn, Preston O'Neil Robertson-Charles, Ryan Knight, Ryan Leslie, and Sahar Dika. Memorable Element: The police got involved when Ryan Leslie and Preston did some seriously disgusting things to each other's toothbrushes, cigarettes, and other personal objects. The Realness: Knight, whose romantic relationship with Jemmye lasted well after their season, entered the house six months into recovery for a painkiller addiction. He died in 2014 of acute mixed drug and alcohol intoxication. 27. Season 19: Sydney (2007–2008) MTV Cast: KellyAnne Judd, Cohutta Lee Grindstaff, Trisha Cummings, Shauvon Torres, Parisa Montazaran, Isaac Stout, Dunbar Flinn Merrill, and Ashli Robson. Memorable Element: The romantic relationship between KellyAnne and Cohutta was both unexpected and totally delightful. 26. Season 15: Philadelphia (2004–2005) MTV Cast: Landon Lueck, Willie Hernandez, Sarah Burke, M.J. Garrett, Karamo Brown, Melanie Silcott, and Shavonda Billingslea. Memorable Element: The Philadelphia season marked the first season to feature two gay men, Karamo and Wilie, and the cast had a fun job working for the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football League team, but all we really remember about this season was Mel getting body lice. The Realness: Karamo would later become the resident culture expert on Netflix's Queer Eye. 25. Season 17: Key West (2006) Carlo Allegri/Getty Images for MTV Cast: Svetlana Shusterman, Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio, Paula Meronek, Tyler Duckworth, Zach Mann, Jose Tapia, and Janelle Casanave. Memorable Element: The cast had to evacuate their house not once but twice for hurricanes. The Realness: This season may not have been the most thrilling, but it certainly brought The Challenge some of its biggest personalities with Johnny Bananas, Paula, and Tyler. 24. Season 20: Hollywood (2008) MTV Cast: Sarah Ralston, Joey Kovar, Brianna Taylor, David Malinosky, William Gilbert, Kimberly Alexander, Greg Halstead, Nick Brown, and Brittini Sherrod. Memorable Element: Compared to other seasons, it seemed like each cast member's desire to be famous was turned up to an 11, with everyone being a singer! Plus, the residence was a former soundstage, and this season was also the first to air as one-hour episodes; the previous seasons all had 30-minute episodes. The Realness: An important addiction story line ran throughout the season, with both Joey and Brianna in stages of recovery. Joey ultimately left the house in episode 4 to attend a treatment facility. He returned in episode 8, only to leave the following episode as he feared a relapse. In 2010, he appeared on a season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, and he died in August 2012 of an opioid overdose. 23. Season 26: San Diego (2011) MTV Cast: Alexandra Govere, Ashley Kelsey, Frank Sweeney, Nate Stodghill, Priscilla Mendez, Sam McGinn, and Zach Nichols. Memorable Element: This season's theme seemed to revolve around sexuality, especially the topics of bisexuality and gay people in the military. Not surprisingly, some rather offensive things were said. The Realness: This season had "Hurricane Frank"—what more do you need to know? 22. Season 30: Skeletons (Chicago) (2014–2015) MTV Cast: Bruno Bettencourt, Jason Hill, Madison Walls, Nicole Zanatta, Sylvia Elsrode, Tony Raines, and Violetta Milerman. Memorable Element: Each week, one cast member was forced to face people from their past with whom they had unresolved issues. So, yeah, that meant quite a bit of drama. It reached a fever pitch in the final episode when Jason's birth father turned up. The Realness: After the show, Tony had a daughter with Madison...then a daughter with one of his "skeletons," Alyssa Giacone, nine months later. 21. Season 23: D.C. (2009–2010) MTV Cast: Ashley Lindley, Tyrell "Ty" Ruff, Callie Walker, Erika Lauren Wasilewski, Josh Colon, Andrew Woods, Mike Manning, and Emily Schromm. Memorable Element: There was something "classic" about this season that just worked, even though there weren't a whole lot of political storylines that one might expect from an installment set in Washington, D.C. The Realness: Emily was voted America's Next Fitness Star by Women's Health in 2014. 20. Season 28: Portland (2013) MTV Cast: Anastasia Miller, Averey Tressler, Jessica McCain, Johnny Reilly, Joi Niemeyer, Jordan Wiseley, Marlon Williams, and Nia Moore. Memorable Element: Nia doesn't enter the picture until episode 4, but the scene-stealer — who constantly argues with Jordan — seriously changes the game. The Realness: The season's nonstop fighting continues today on The Challenge. 19. Season 25: Las Vegas (2011) Ian Spanier/MTV Cast: Nany González, Heather Marter, Michael Ross, Dustin Zito, Adam Royer, Leroy Garrett, Naomi Defensor, and Heather Cooke. Memorable Element: Sparks flew between Heather and Dustin, but their relationship hit the skids when Dustin's gay porn past came to light. Eventually, they got back together and remained together for quite some time following the series' end. The Realness: Leroy and Mike's bromance remains one of the best in 32 seasons. 18. Season 16: Austin (2005) MTV Cast: Wes Bergmann, Lacey Buehler, Rachel Moyal, Nehemiah Clark, Johanna Botta, Danny Jamieson, and Melinda Stolp. Memorable Element: The love story of Danny and Melinda took up much of the season, as she stood by him through the death of his mother, as well as a bar brawl that resulted in him needing surgery. The Realness: The pair got engaged just before the season's reunion special, and they married on Aug. 2, 2008. Unfortunately, it didn't stick, as Melinda revealed they were divorcing in 2010. 17. Season 6: Boston (1997) Everett Collection Cast: Jason Cornwell, Montana McGlynn, Sean Duffy, Kameelah Phillips, Genesis Moss, Elka Walker, and Syrus Yarbrough. Memorable Element: This cast was stacked with so many dramatic characters and unforgettable moments, but the cake was taken by Montana, who was fired from the cast's job at an after-school program when she gave one of the children a sip of wine. Really. The Realness: Sean went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and married Real World: San Francisco's Rachel Campos, with whom he has nine children. 16. Season 14: San Diego (2004) MTV Cast: Jamie Chung, Cameran Eubanks, Randy Barry, Frankie Abernathy, Brad Fiorenza, Robin Hibbard, Jacquese Smith, and Charlie Dordevich. Memorable Element: On the same night, Robin and Brad get arrested separately: Robin for assault and Brad for public intoxication. The Realness: Jamie has since become a major TV and film actress, starring in Showtime's Dexter: New Blood; Cameran is now a fan favorite on Bravo's Southern Charm. Frankie, who had cystic fibrosis, died in June 2007. 15. Season 13: Paris (2003) MTV Cast: Adam King, Christina Trainor, Simon Sherry-Wood, Leah Gillingwater, Clyde Daryn "Ace" Amerson, Mallory Snyder, and Chris "C.T." Tamburello. Memorable Element: Did we mention this is the season that gave us C.T.? 14. Season 29: Ex-Plosion (San Francisco) (2014) Peter Yang/MTV Cast: Arielle Scott, Ashley Mitchell, Cory Wharton, Jamie Larson, Jay Mitchell, Jenny Delich, and Thomas Buell. Memorable Element: MTV opted to shake up the format with this season, inviting the seven strangers at first and sending them on an early vacation, only to have them come home to seven new roommates: their exes (Ashley Ceaser, Brian Williams Jr., Hailey Chivers, Jenna Compono, and Lauren Ondersma). But even before that arrival, Ashley was kicked out of the house by her roommates due to her drunken antics and unstable behavior. The Realness: Ultimately, Jenny reunited with her ex, Brian, and they welcomed a baby girl in 2015. 13. Season 21: Brooklyn (2009) MTV Cast: Scott Herman, Sarah Rice, Ryan Conklin, Katelynn Cusanelli, Baya Voce, Chet Cannon, J.D. Ordoñez, and Devyn Simone. Memorable Element: This season ultimately became a battle of the sexes, as the men and women rarely got along, but they did come together when Ryan, who joined the cast upon his return from a tour in Iraq, finds out he's been recalled for a one-year deployment. The Realness: Katelynn was the first openly transgender cast member on The Real World. 12. Season 10: Back to New York (2001) MTV Cast: Coral Smith, Kevin Dunn, Nicole Mitsch, Rachel Braband, Mike Mizanin, Lori Trespicio, and Malik Cooper. Memorable Element: Coral and Mike squabbled throughout the entire season, sometimes fairly — when Mike's naive ignorance would come out — and sometimes not. But both grew immensely from knowing one another, and their finding peace in the finale was one of the more moving moments of the entire series. That friendship endures today. The Realness: Mike's dreams of becoming a wrestler came off as something of a joke. It wasn't: The Miz is now a WWE Superstar and Wrestlemania champion. 11. Season 4: London (1995) Everett Collection Cast: Kat Ogden, Neil Forrester, Jacinda Barrett, Jay Frank, Lars Schlichting, Michael Johnson, and Sharon Gitau. Memorable Element: O.G. Real World seasons really just involved a lot of talking. While this one lacked some of the fireworks of many others, it remains relaxingly compelling. The Realness: Jacinda later focused on her acting career, starring in the 2021 movie Hide and Seek and Netflix's Bloodline. 10. Season 31: Go Big or Go Home (Las Vegas) (2016) MTV Cast: CeeJai Jenkins, Christopher "Chris" Ammon Hall, Dean Bart-Plange, Dione Mariani, Jenna Thomason, Kailah Casillas, Sabrina Kennedy, and Dylan Moore. Memorable Element: This season attempted to have a Road Rules-like twist, and it didn't really pay off — no one went home — but it still had several "big," extreme characters. They included possibly the most racist person ever to grace the series (Jenna), a man going through a divorce (Dean), and a pansexual atheist in the process of officially extricating himself from the Church of Latter-Day Saints (Chris). 9. Season 9: New Orleans (2000) Everett Collection Cast: Jamie Murray, Matt Smith, Melissa Howard, Kelley Limp, Danny Roberts, David Broom, and Julie Stoffer. Memorable Element: Danny was in a relationship with Paul Dill, a military officer, during his time in the house. When Paul visited, his face was blurred to protect his identity, but the pair later appeared on an MTV special together when Paul's duty with the military was over. The Realness: Julie, a Mormon, was famously suspended from Brigham Young University after the show due to the school's honor code, which doesn't allow for unmarried students to live with members of the opposite sex. 8. Season 11: Chicago (2002) MTV Cast: Keri Evans, Kyle Brandt, Aneesa Ferreira, Tonya Cooley, Chris Beckman, Cara Kahn, and Theo Gantt III. Memorable Element: The Real World famously doesn't allow its cast to have access to television and other forms of media. However, those rules were intentionally broken during the filming of this 11th season due to the events of September 11, 2001. Watching the roommates experience that day was heartbreaking, cathartic, and absolutely unforgettable. The Realness: There have been reports that some of those reactions were staged. 7. Season 7: Seattle (1998) Everett Collection Cast: Janet Choi, Nathan Blackburn, Rebecca Lord, Lindsay Brien, Stephen Williams, Irene McGee, and David Burns. Memorable Element: Naming just one of these has officially gotten difficult, but Stephen opening a car door and slapping Irene as she moved out of the house was pretty darn unforgettable. The Realness: Let's not forget David's relationship with RW producer Kara. 6. Season 5: Miami (1996) Everett Collection Cast: Sarah Becker, Dan Renzi, Melissa Padrón, Joe Patane, Cynthia Roberts, Flora Alekseyeun, and Mike Lambert. Memorable Element: Season Five marks the first season the roommates were given a job, which expanded the template for the roommates' regular arguments. But also there was that threesome in the shower. The Realness: "I'm not here to make friends"—that classic reality TV phrase—may have been uttered for the first time by Cynthia. 5. Season 12: Las Vegas (2002–2003) Everett Collection Cast: Arissa Hill, Frank Roessler, Trishelle Cannatella, Alton Williams, Brynn Smith, Steven Hill, and Irulan Wilson. Memorable Element: The season kicked off with a three-way hot tub make-out session and — thanks in large part to the season's breakout star, Trishelle — continued to provide everything else you might expect from a Sin City-located series. The Realness: Five years after the season aired, the cast reunited for a spinoff miniseries. 4. Season 2: Los Angeles Everett Collection Cast: Dominic Griffin, Tami Roman, Jon Brennan, Beth Stolarczyk, Aaron Behle, Irene Berrera, David Edwards, and Glen Naessens. Memorable Element: After David pulls blankets off Tami, leaving her in nothing but her underwear, Tami retaliates. A massive argument then ensues, resulting in the women demanding that David move out. Later in the season, Tami gets an abortion. The Realness: Tami returned to reality TV for Basketball Wives and Basketball Wives LA. 3. Season 8: Hawaii (1999) MTV Cast: Colin Mortensen, Amaya Brecher, Kaia Beck, Matt Simon, Justin Deabler, Ruthie Alcaide, and Tecumshea "Teck" Holmes. Memorable Element: In addition to the cast's naked antics, the season is most remembered for Ruthie's excessive drinking, which leads to her roommates holding an intervention. Ultimately, she departed from the house to attend a treatment facility. 2. Season 1: New York (1992) 'The Real World' season 1 cast. Everett Collection Cast: Norman Korpi, Julie Gentry, Becky Blasband, Kevin Powell, Andre Comeau, Heather Gardner, and Eric Nies. Memorable Element: The season that began it all showed us just how fascinating it could be to watch people learn from each other, whether it be through arguments about race, sexuality, politics, or just whose turn it is to do the dishes. The Realness: Pretty much every reality show you've ever watched owes at least a small debt of gratitude to these seven strangers. They even did a reunion. 1. Season 3: San Francisco (1994) Everett Collection Cast: Pedro Zamora, David "Puck" Rainey, Rachel Campos, Cory Murphy, Pam Ling, Mohammed Bilal, Judd Winick, and Jo Rhodes. Memorable Element: Pedro remains one of the biggest game changers in television history, both because of his openness in his struggle with AIDS (and his death just hours after the show's season finale aired) and his televised commitment ceremony (the first ever) with Sean Sasser. And then there's his massive fight with Puck. The Realness: Pedro and Puck weren't the only major storylines of the season — Pam and Judd have been married for more than 20 years.