The Real World: Back to New Orleans
Encyclopedia
The Real World: New Orleans is the twenty-fourth season of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

's reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 series The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...

, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras document their lives and interpersonal relationships. New Orleans was first reported as the location for the twenty-fourth season in a December 2009 article on the website Vevmo.

This is the second season of the program located in New Orleans, after the ninth season
The Real World: New Orleans
The Real World: New Orleans is the ninth 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. The series was filmed...

, which aired in 2000. This season also marks the third city to be re-used as a season's location, following New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in the tenth
The Real World: Back to New York
The Real World: Back to New York is the tenth 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...

 and twenty-first seasons
The Real World: Brooklyn
The Real World: Brooklyn is the twenty-first 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 document their lives and interpersonal relationships...

, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 in the twentieth season
The Real World: Hollywood
The Real World: Hollywood is the twentieth 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 document their lives and interpersonal relationships. It premiered on...

 (though in the latter two cases, the settings' specific focuses were Hollywood and Brooklyn, respectively). Production began on December 2, 2009, and lasted until May 12, 2010. It premiered on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, and averaged nearly 2 million viewers for the season, a 25% increase from the previous season, and ranked as the #1 cable program for Wednesday night's 10pm–11pm time slot among viewers aged 12–34. The season premiere was watched by 1.26 million viewers.

New Orleans singer-songwriter Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-General:Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 to play violin with fellow singer-songwriter and Swede, Anders Osborne. Nine years later, she left the band...

 guest stars this season, in which she mentors cast member Sahar Dika, an aspiring singer.

Assignment

Most seasons of The Real World, beginning with the fifth season
The Real World: Miami
The Real World: Miami is the fifth 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 and document their lives and interpersonal relationships...

, have included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates. Continued participation in the assignment has been mandatory to remain part of the cast since the Back to New York season. Pre-production announcements by Bunim-Murray Productions indicated that the cast would participate in Hurricane Katrina recovery activities, with co-creator and executive producer Jon Murray stating in a news release, "Hurricane Katrina threw New Orleans for a punch, but the city is coming back and we’re hoping our cast members and the series can play a small role in the city’s rebirth." Nola.com viewed this announcement as an attempt by Bunim-Murray to reverse the series' reputation as a den of immature and irresponsible behavior on the part of its young cast members. The cast provides assistance to the homeless by working at the New Orleans Mission, and building homes with Habitat for Humanity.As depicted in Episodes 7 and 12.

The residence

The cast lived at a house at 1633-1635 Dufossat Street, in Uptown New Orleans. According to Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...

 website, the 9860 square feet (916 m²) house, which is currently on the market for $1.7 million USD, features 7 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a landscaped front garden, a pool, historic mantels, and an additional apartment equipped with a full kitchen that can be used for an entertainment room or separate quarters for guests or live-in staff. The house, which is located 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from the Belfort Mansion used as the residence for the ninth season
The Real World: New Orleans
The Real World: New Orleans is the ninth 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. The series was filmed...

, was owned by Baron Davis
Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis is an American professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Davis was a star at Crossroads School and UCLA....

 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

, who paid $1.5 million in 2002 for the property, which was featured on an episode of MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...

. Because the cast was housed in a residential unit instead of a commercial building this season, it was not furnished by IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...

, as residences in recent past seasons.

Police incident

On March 1, 2010, New Orleans' 2nd District police were summoned to the house by cast member Ryan Leslie, who complained that his housemate, Preston Roberson-Charles, with whom he had an argument three weeks earlier, urinated on his toothbrush, and used it to scrub in the inside of a toilet bowl, causing a subsequent sore throat and fever that required Leslie to go to the hospital on February 21, where he was treated for a viral infection. According to Leslie, Roberson-Charles previously called Leslie a "faggot
Faggot
Faggot, fagot, faggots, or faggoting may refer to:* faggot or fagot, branch or twig, or bundle of these** Fasces** Faggot , archaic unit of measurement for bundles of sticks...

", and threatened to take some action against Leslie's belongings. Leslie learned that Roberson-Charles had soiled his toothbrush only after Leslie had been using it for two weeks.

Police confiscated Leslie’s toothbrush as evidence, but did not take a statement by Roberson-Charles. The police report did not indicate whether the police viewed video footage shot in the house while investigating the complaint. Executive producer Jim Johnston declined to comment. Officer Garry Flot, a New Orleans Police Department spokesman, opined that Leslie may have merely wanted the incident documented, as the police would have likely issued a municipal summons to both roommates in order for a judge to determine if a crime had been committed, had Leslie wanted to press charges. Flot further suggested that the incident may have been contrived to generate publicity for the series. Roberson-Charles' soiling of Leslie's toothbrush, as well as Leslie's soiling of Roberson-Charles' cigarettes by rubbing them on his anal cleft, were both depicted in Episode 4. The summoning of the police was depicted in Episode 6.

Cast

Like the previous three seasons, this is the fourth and final season to have a roster of eight roommates. The next season will go back to a roster of seven.
Cast Member Hometown Biography
23 Boston, Massachusetts Ashlee grew up in the small New Jersey suburb of Collingswood
Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,926....

, where she was the top athlete of her high school. She was captain of her Division 1 basketball team at Northeastern University, though she described her position as that of a "babysitter". She demonstrates and sells power tool
Power tool
A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labour used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed air are also commonly used...

s, while majoring in communications in school, in the hope of becoming a sideline sports reporter. She and Preston pursue work with local radio station WWOZ
WWOZ
WWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana broadcasting at 90.7 FM. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana.-Programming:...

 while in New Orleans.
24 Arlington, Virginia Eric works for the U.S. State Department, for which he travels the globe to brief foreign service personnel on American policy, though his true passion is standup comedy, in which he performs regularly, and has won several competitions. MTV describes him as a "handsome ladies' man" with "dreamy eyes" who dates various girls simultaneously. He has a brother named Brian. He exhibits an attraction to his roommate, Sahar, and becomes friends with her, encouraging her after she sees him perform comedy on stage in New Orleans.
21 Starkville, Mississippi
Starkville, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...

Despite growing up from a conservative Southern Baptist community, Jemmye is a supporter of gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. She enjoys drinking and casual sex, and prefers black men, as her roommate, Knight, is the first white man
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...

 she sleeps with, in Episode 3. She is close to her mother, Alice, in whom she confides all the intimate details of her life (One of Jemmye's six tattoos honors her mother's victory over breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

), though she has not told her about the abusive relationship that she ended just prior to her recent relationship with Mississippi State basketball player Kodi Augustus. She and Knight enter a casual sexual relationship, but it experiences complications due to Jemmye's ambiguity over Kodi, deepening feelings between her and Knight, and Knight's hurtful comments to her, which lead her to seek help at a battered women's shelter in Episode 7. Though Knight is more sympathetic to her problem in Episode 8, when she decides to begin seeing a social worker, and reveals the past abuse to her mother, the tempestuous nature of their relationship recurs subsequently.
21 Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research....

McKenzie is a psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 major and sorority girl from the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...

, who grew up in a beach community. She is described as a devout but open-minded Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 from family that includes her parents and three siblings, though according to MTV, she enjoys the bar scene "a little too hard", and knows how to "use her sexuality to get what she wants", sometimes finding herself in compromising situations, though she believes that sex should be based on love, in contrast to others like Knight. MTV also describes as her as a "natural born leader". Her castmates become concerned over her drinking, which she says leads to blackout
Blackout (alcohol-related amnesia)
A blackout is a phenomenon caused by the intake of alcohol or other substance in which long term memory creation is impaired or there is a complete inability to recall the past. Blackouts are frequently described as having effects similar to that of anterograde amnesia, in which the subject cannot...

s. Preston in particular observes her to exhibit an alter ego named "Mary" when she becomes drunk. She eventually meets a man named Grant in Episode 8, with whom she pursues a relationship by the time of the season finale.
22 Boston, Massachusetts Preston is a gay Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

 man originally from Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...

, currently living in Boston. Preston's first childhood memory involves the crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...

 addiction of his mother, who later abandoned him at age 17. During the season, he discusses how he came out in high school, and how he was subject to ostracization. He does not have a relationship with his father, who has been in prison, and suffered from medical and financial problems. The conversation Preston had with his father a month prior to moving to New Orleans was the first time he spoke to him in a decade. MTV notes Preston for his provocative, "bitchy" side, and his "outlandish antics." Preston claims to have an "amazing" fashion sense, and expresses his opinions without any "filter". He says he does not become close to many people, though those he does with become his family. He has run a store and worked at a car dealership, but dreams of being a television personality, and pursues radio work with Ashlee at WWOZ. Though he initially eschews monogamy, he and a man named Marty begin seeing each other exclusively by Episode 10.
23 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

Ryan, who prefers to be called by his last name, Knight, played hockey for the Kenosha
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...

 Knights and the Fond du Lac Bears, but severe injury to both of his shoulders left him unable to play hockey, and cost him his academic/athletic scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

 at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

. This also led to an addiction
Addiction
Historically, addiction has been defined as physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain.Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity...

 to painkillers, which he has been recovering from for six months. He now teaches hockey to children, and pursues a degree in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. MTV describes him as "promiscuous", though "romantic". He moved to New Orleans to escape negative influences from back home. He is attracted to his roommate, Jemmye, with whom he sleeps in Episode 3, and refers to McKenzie's more conservative views on sex as "goofy".
21 Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

Ryan is a fourth-generation hairstylist who works in a salon with his father, chafes against the assumption that he is gay, and aspires to cut hair for celebrities. Living with both ADHD and OCD, and noting his tendency to chase his roommates around the house naked, MTV describes him as "one of the most bizarre roommates in New Orleans" and the "life of the party." MTV also describes him as being "in touch with his emotions and feminine side", "charismatic" and "creative." In the past he has dealt with both depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...

 and a tumultuous relationship with his father. He indicates an attraction to McKenzie in the premiere, but socializes with her visiting friend in Episode 2, much to McKenzie's ire. After recurring conflicts between Ryan and Preston in Episodes 1 and 4, and because of McKenzie and Preston's view that Ryan does not do chores or clean up after himself, McKenzie describes him as "overall a bad roommate", "messy, inconsiderate, and rude." The cast's concern over Ryan's behavior escalates, and culminates in his eviction from the house in Episode 10. He returns, however, for the cast photo shoot in Episode 12.
21 Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County, in the Detroit metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 57,774 at the 2010 census.-History:...

Sahar is a Lebanese-American singer/songwriter and actress. She grew up in a conservative Middle Eastern community, though MTV describes her as a "strong-willed, liberal Muslim
Liberal movements within Islam
Progressive Muslims have produced a considerable body of liberal thought within Islam or "progressive Islam" ; but some consider progressive Islam and liberal Islam as two distinct movements)...

". Nonetheless, she is discreet in her home community about not being a virgin. She and her boyfriend of one month, Pablo (whose real name is Elie), put their relationship on hold during her stay in New Orleans, and MTV has indicated she is attracted to her roommate, Eric. Her cast mates nickname her "Hollywood" because of her singing voice. While in New Orleans, she pursues her musical interests by seeking advice from local musician Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-General:Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 to play violin with fellow singer-songwriter and Swede, Anders Osborne. Nine years later, she left the band...

, and by putting on performances, in part with encouragement from Eric, though she struggles with lack of confidence and conflicts with Pablo.


Age at time of filming


Episodes

Ep # Total Title US Viewers Original airdate

The Reunion

The Real World: New Orleans Reunion premiered on September 22, 2010, and was watched by 1.69 million viewers. It was hosted by Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for Today, Access Hollywood, Extra, and abroad for co-hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens, Greece.-Early life and beauty pageants:Menounos, a...

, and featured the entire cast, as they discussed how their time during filming and their lives since the show ended.

Since filming, Ashlee and Preston returned to Boston, where they continue to be friends, though Preston ended his relationship with Marty. McKenzie returned to Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research....

, to finish her final year at college studying social psychology, while remaining in a long distance relationship with Grant. Ryan returned to his father's salon in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, and stated that despite having wanted to move out of Arizona, his time in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

 led to a change of heart. Eric became a full-time stand-up comic, and stated that he no longer works for the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

. Sahar returned to Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, where she continues to work on music, and remains in a relationship with Pablo. Jemmye and Knight returned to New Orleans, were they were in the process of moving in together, as Knight did promotional work for his friends' clothing boutique.

Ryan's differences with his roommates were a central focus in discussing the cast's time during filming, including accusations of homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...

 on his part, the bitter animosity between him and Preston, and the incident involving Ashlee's missing Percocet
Percocet
The combination oxycodone/paracetamol is a narcotic pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe acute pain, marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals.-History:The U.S...

. Ryan indicated that he attended the Reunion because he was forced to, and was defiant in the face of questions by Menounos and the cast. Other issues discussed were Ryan's vacillation between kindness and abusiveness, Sahar's dismissal of the notion that she cheated on Pablo with Eric, McKenzie's behavior when drunk, Jemmye's past struggles with domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

 and her relationship with Knight, and Ashlee's love of gossip and involvement in other people's personal affairs.

Challenges

Cast member The Challenges Challenges won
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External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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