| The Real World: Las Vegas | |
|---|---|
The cast of The Real World: Las Vegas |
|
| Format | Reality show |
| Created by | Jonathan Murray Mary-Ellis Bunim |
| Starring | Alton Williams Arissa Hill Brynn Smith Frank Roessler Irulan Wilson Steven Hill Trishelle Cannatella |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 28[1] |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | MTV Syndication |
| Original run | September 17, 2002 – April 1, 2003 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Real World: Chicago |
| Followed by | The Real World: Paris |
The Real World: Las Vegas is the twelfth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. Premiering in September 2002, the Las Vegas cast lived in a converted penthouse suite on the 28th floor of the Las Vegas Palms Casino and Resort. The Las Vegas season was the second highest-rated season of the series after 2002's Chicago installment. This was the fourth season of The Real World to be filmed in the western United States (after The Real World: Los Angeles in 1993, The Real World: San Francisco in 1994 and The Real World: Seattle in 1998). The season ran for 28 episodes, which along with the Denver season, is the highest number to date.[1]
During the weekend preceding the debut of the Denver season, MTV re-aired the Las Vegas season. The marathon ran November 18–19, 2006. The entire season was again re-aired on May 26–27, 2007, preceding the airing of the miniseries Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas.
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The owner of The Palms Casino Hotel, where the season was filmed, asked for production to cast exclusively people over 21 years old. Thus this was the first season in which all the castmates were at least that old.
The Palms demolished six rooms to make the hotel suite that the season was filmed in, at a cost of over $2 million USD. It was designed by Sharmila Tankha of the Jerde Partnership, the same firm that designed the hotel itself. Unlike previous Real World residences, the suite is not decorated with IKEA furnishings.[2][3]
The suite, which is now called "The Real World Suite", is the one former Real World residence that not only overall remains in the condition in which it was used for filming (minor changes have been made, such as the addition of doors for the bedrooms, TV's and the removal of the Confessional), but in which the public can potentially reside. The hotel rents the suite for $11,200 a night (including tax), and has done so to numerous celebrities that have stayed there. Among them are Britney Spears, who stayed in the suite on New Year's Eve 2004.[3][4]
Most seasons of The Real World, beginning with the fifth, have included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates, continued participation in which has been mandatory to remain part of the cast since the Back to New York season. The Las Vegas housemates had various jobs throughout the season involving the Palms Casino and Resort in which they lived, including promotional work for the night club, Rain in the Desert, cocktail waiting, and go-go dancing.
| Cast Member | Age1 | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Arissa Hill | 22 | Malden, Massachusetts[5] |
| Frank Roessler | 22 | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Trishelle Cannatella | 22 | Cut Off, Louisiana |
| Brynn Smith | 21 | Portland, Oregon |
| Alton Williams | 22 | San Diego, California |
| Steven Hill | 23 | San Marcos, Texas |
| Irulan Wilson | 21 | Bronx, New York |
^Note 1 : Age at the time of filming.
Trishelle Cannatella appeared in the May 2002 Playboy magazine with other Real World alumni.[6][7][8] Arissa Hill also posed for the magazine.[9] In 2003 she was a cast member on The Surreal Life, and has played in the Lingerie Bowl, and in Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling series as "The Red Hot Redneck". She also appears at poker events.[10]
Irulan Wilson and Alton Williams' relationship continued for three years after the show. Williams later became a radio host,[11][10] while Wilson appeared in various documentaries and TV specials like Kill Reality and Real Hot. She now works as a photographer in New York City.
In 2005, Trishelle Cannatella, Steven Hill, Irulan Wilson and Tonya Cooley appeared in the TV movie, The Scorned along with alumni of other Real Worldseasons.[12]
In 2007, the cast reunited to appear in Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas, a six-episode spin-off reunion miniseries in which they lived in the same suite they filmed the original series in.[13][14][15] Trishelle Cannatella was the last castmember to agree to appear, as assurances were needed that filming would not conflict with her schedule.[16] The mini-series premiered May 30, 2007 and concluded on July 11, 2007.
| Cast Member | RW/RR Challenges | Challenges Won |
|---|---|---|
| Arissa Hill | Battle of the Sexes 2* | None |
| Frank Roessler | Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet III | The Gauntlet III |
| Trishelle Cannatella | The Gauntlet, The Inferno | None |
| Brynn Smith | - | - |
| Alton Williams | The Gauntlet,* The Gauntlet 2, The Inferno 3* | The Gauntlet 2 |
| Steven Hill | Battle of the Sexes 2 | None |
| Irulan Wilson | The Gauntlet | None |
^* The contestant was a finalist on the Challenge, but lost in the Final Race.