The Real World: Chicago

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The Real World: Chicago

Cast of The Real World: Chicago overlooking Chicago's famed skyline
Genre Reality show
Creator(s) Jonathan Murray
Mary-Ellis Bunim
Starring Kyle Brandt
Tonya Cooley
Aneesa Ferreira
Cara Kahn
Keri Evans
Chris Beckman
Theo Gantt III
Country of origin United States
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel MTV
Original run Winter 2001 – Summer 2002

The Real World: Chicago was the eleventh season of MTV's popular reality television series The Real World, which focuses on seven diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. The Chicago season debuted in 2002, with its cast living in a converted warehouse in the Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. This season received heavy criticism from locals who protested the show during filming. The protesters felt that exposure from the show would lead to gentrification in their neighborhood.

The season, which featured themes centered on issues such as romance, illness, recovery from alcoholism, and the events and aftermath of the September 11th attacks, enjoyed some of the highest ratings in the history of the show. This was the first, and to date, the only season of The Real World to be filmed in the Midwestern United States.

Contents

[edit] Ratings and praise

While on-air, The Real World: Chicago consistently received high viewer ratings, and also broke several records. The September 11th episode holds the record for the highest ratings ever in the history of The Real World and still remains the highest rated episode of any show ever on MTV, according to Nielsen Media Research. The season finale of the Chicago season has the second highest ratings ever for MTV and The Real World.

Along with high ratings, the Chicago season of The Real World has also received critical acclaim. Nikki Carra, of The Chicago Tribune pointed out that the show dealt with the attacks of September 11th in the "most appropriate and emotionally impacting way possible". John Algerson of USA Today even went as far to say that MTV "has finally captured the voice of Generation Y, ...and has returned to the character driven roots of the original, The Real World: New York". Finally, GLAAD responded enthusiastically to the two gay characters, a first for The Real World, by saying that "With the Chicago season, The Real World has returned to not only being a pioneer in reality tv, but also a pioneer in the visibility of the LGBT community."

[edit] Assignment

Every season of The Real World, beginning with its fifth season, has included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates. The Chicago roommates were assigned to three different jobs at the Chicago Park District. Some roommates are lifeguards at the Lake Michigan beaches while other work with inner-city children on a park mural. The cast then worked on "Chicagoween" and had to come up with a story to act out to for the children for Chicago's Halloween celebration.

[edit] Cast

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kyle Brandt (January 24, 1978 in Hinsdale, Illinois) comes from a Chicago suburb and just graduated from Princeton University. Although he first was on track for a football career, he got involved in theater. Kyle dreams of acting and being in the spotlight. His "will they or won't they" relationship with Keri takes up most of his screen time in the Chicago season, though their romance inevitably does not work out. After the events of the September 11 attacks, he realized how important his ex-girlfriend Nicole, who was in New York at the time, still is to him. Kyle shares a room with Keri and Chris.

Tonya Cooley (January 7, 1980 in Visalia, California) is from Walla Walla, Washington and has been very sheltered. Tonya was a foster child, going from home to home from a young age until she moved out on her own at age 17. She is very taken aback by Aneesa's openness about nudity and is often offended by it, she also appeared to have homophobic views when Chris came out to the other roommates she replied to the cameraman with "I think the gay lifestyle is full of drugs and a lot of sin!" However as the season rolled along she appeared to open her mind up and put behind her past prejudice additudes. She also claims to be afraid of Theo and men in general. Tonya suffers from kidney problems from medical problems that were never addressed when she was younger. She experiences problems with her condition while in Chicago and is admitted to the hospital several times. Tonya is very attached to her boyfriend Justin back home, and spends much of her time in the house talking on the phone with him. The other roommates accused her of being a drama queen. Tonya shares a room with Cara.

Aneesa Ferreira (September 11, 1981 in Narberth, Pennsylvania) is from Philadelphia and comes from an interracial relationship- her mother is Jewish-American, and her father is West Indian. Aneesa is a very liberal lesbian who does not mind walking around nude, or even showering with a male roommate, much to the dislike of small-town girl Tonya. She has a quick temper but also is very funny and caring. Throughout the season, Aneesa clashes frequently with Tonya and argues with her mother (by phone) frequently mainly due to her mother not being quite as accepting of her sexual orientation. She enters a brief relationship with a woman named Veronica, but Veronica's history with her ex gets in the way of getting close to Aneesa. Aneesa then finds romance with Danielle, who, while tending to be overbearing and bossy, allowed Aneesa happiness during her months in Chicago. In the house, Aneesa shares a room with Theo.

Cara Kahn (born Cara Nussbaum; September 7, 1979 in Massachusetts) is a Jewish-American young woman from the suburbs of Boston. Cara has spent most of her life in relationships with men, and has abruptly ended her last serious relationship with Jared, whom she proclaimed to be her great love, to be independent for virtually the first time in her life while in Chicago. However, she does manage to attach herself to men nonetheless as the season highlights her trysts with various men, including a rock star and a visiting ex-boyfriend. The Chicago season was the highest rated up until that point, and many people believe it was because of the sex -- including Cara's sex life, which has been compared to a one-woman Sex and the City. Cara is independent and strong, although an episode discussing her weight and anti-depressants shows another side to her. Cara shares a room with Tonya. She graduated from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Chris Beckman (June 12, 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts), like, Cara, is also from Massachusetts. He is an artist and is openly gay. He has struggled in the past with alcoholism but takes up a job as a bartender during the show, much to the bewilderment of Kyle, who wonders what this does to Chris's recovery. Chris maintains his body by working out a lot, but some of the roommates see his exercise to be on the obsessive side - and maybe compensating for something else. While in Chicago, Chris enters a relationship with a man named Kurt, with whom he seems compatible. However, Chris ends the romance because he wants to focus on his recovery instead of a serious relationship. Chris's relationships with men do make the other male roommates a bit uncomfortable. Chris also does modeling during the season, and asks Kyle to join him. Chris shares a room with Kyle and Keri.

Keri Evans is an outgoing and charismatic young woman from Louisiana. Much of Keri's storylines over the season involve her tumultuous relationship with fellow cast member Kyle, whose indecision over his attraction to Keri and his on-off relationship with girlfriend Nicole, who is in New York, eventually drives a wedge between the two. Keri becomes homesick at one point, and claims not to like the men of Chicago. She remains in the house, though, and does end up flirting with guys at a local bar with Cara as she gets over Kyle. Keri shares a room with Kyle and Chris.

Theo Gantt III (September 2, 1982 in Riverside, California) is a pastor's son from California. He holds his faith close to him, but still socializes with women a lot. He is initially attracted to Aneesa upon first arriving in Chicago, but she is not attracted to men and they form a brother-sister bond instead. Theo clashes frequently with Tonya, but he is always quick to apologize. Theo is seen as a loveable naive party boy who has a good heart. Although he does not agree with Aneesa or Chris's sexual orientation, he is still good friends with both of them. Theo shares a room with Aneesa.

[edit] Season highlights

  • In July 2001, while the season was filming, about 350 activists gathered outside the cast's apartment, chanted "Free the Real World 7" and splashed red paint on their door. The motive behind this action was to break the cast's "media trance". One of the major protests happened during the episode in which Aneesa receieves a phone call from her "girlfriend's" ex-girlfriend while she is with Chris and his friends. Although the protest was not shown, the chants and screams from outside can be heard as the cast is gathered in the workout room. One of the two security guards were assaulted in the gathering.
  • The cast is shown as they learn of the September 11th attacks.
  • This was the first season of The Real World to feature two openly gay castmembers- Chris and Aneesa.
  • During a car ride, 6 of the 7 roommates performed a song about Tonya's mental instability, battle against kidney stones, and unhealthy relationship with Justin.

[edit] Other highlights

  • A day before filming began, gang members in an automobile being chased by a rival gang crashed in front of the building and gunfire erupted.
  • The local power utility, Commonwealth Edison, cited that the building exceeded the maximum amount of power draw permitted.
  • The Apple computer ethernet cable was fabricated last minute by cutting the cable, splicing the cover by teeth, twisted and stuck with electrical tape to the bottom of the table.
  • Due to the neighborhood having a dislike of the show and MTV, several individuals would urinate on the building. The staff security detained them and photocopied their drivers license and placed them on a wall in the staff areas of the building.
Seasons of The Real World
New York | Los Angeles | San Francisco | London | Miami | Boston | Seattle | Hawaii | New Orleans | Back to New York | Chicago | Las Vegas | Paris | San Diego | Philadelphia | Austin | Key West | Denver | Sydney
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