MTV Reality World

The Impact of The Real World

by Shea on June 27th, 2006

Here’s a snippet of a Denver Post article about The Real World’s impact on the cities where they make their mark:

In a way, “The Real World” is like a swarm of army ants, altering everything in its path and leaving its imprint on a neighborhood for years to come.

But the television show in LoDo, now filming its 18th season, can also resemble a mosquito, buzzing, baffling and annoying … then disappearing, leaving only a small bump in its wake.

It all depends on the neighborhood - and more specifically, the cast. But as economic-impact numbers are flung around Lower Downtown like a Real Worlder’s shucked swimsuit, and as onlookers ponder the show’s lasting cultural impact - if any - history offers some lessons.

Take Season 16, when seven strangers shared an Austin, Texas, warehouse three blocks off the bustling Sixth Street entertainment district, quaffing and reeling at bars such as the Chugging Monkey and the Dizzy Rooster. Or Season 13 in Chicago, when the cast reigned over the Wicker Park District, driving rents up and ruining nightlife for discerning hipsters.

Las Vegas, host to the 14th season, was fittingly bizarre. The cast landed a 2,900-square-foot suite - nearly an entire floor - at the then-new Palms Resort Casino. Many industry experts agree that the hard-partying cast helped solidify the celeb-heavy, bad-boy reputation the Palms boasts today, five years after opening.

“The Real World” won’t necessarily transform LoDo’s Market Street (the house sits on the 1900 block) into Bourbon Street. In some cities, the popular reality show has come and gone, leaving little more than memories and empty beer bottles.

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POSTED IN: The Real World