The Real World: Miami
Encyclopedia
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. The season was filmed in Miami Beach, Florida
, and first aired in 1996.
The Real World: Miami was the first season filmed in the United States
outside of New York
and California
, and the first of two seasons to be filmed in South Florida, the second of which was The Real World: Key West
, which followed in 2006.
SallyAnn Salsano
, a finalist for this season's cast, went on to become a successful producer and director, best known as the creator the MTV reality television program Jersey Shore
.
dispensed with it). This season the cast was given $50,000 startup money to begin a business of their choosing. The cast's efforts were marked by much disorganization and conflict, and while ideas such as a dessert delivery service and a fashion line were floated about, they were ultimately not able to start the business.
on affluent Rivo Alto Island
. The four bedroom, three bathroom house is on 3/10 acre of land, and is 4976 square feet (462.3 m²). Its current owner is former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser
.
When Sarah and her friends join Melissa and Flora for dinner at a restaurant, Melissa questions if Sarah's friends could be able to afford dinner there, offending Sarah, who points out that her friends all have jobs, while Melissa does not. Sarah's friends, make a statement to Melissa by paying for the entire dinner and an embarrassed Melissa thanks them for the gesture. She later gets into a fight with Dan after she opens his mail, during which they exchange heated epithets. The next day they talk, and Melissa tearfully admits that her anger comes from a verbally abusive father, and she hated seeing her father in herself. They both apologize for their actions and come to an accord.
Sarah is visited at the house by her friends from Kenosha, Wisconsin
, one of whom, Hank, makes a home movie about life in the house. While filming, Flora repeatedly flashes the camera. When the movie is produced, Flora says she does not want the movie distributed to anyone. She claims she was on heavy medication and tries to convince Sarah's friend to sign a contract that the movie won't be released.
During the The Real World Reunion 2000, the first reunion show that involved the Miami cast, Flora revealed that she and Mitchell got married. Joe revealed that he and Nicole broke up, to which Mike expressed relief, because, as he told Joe, Nicole was a "bitch".
Cynthia Roberts appeared in "Floating Deck", a 2008 episode of the DIY Network
show Yard Crashers, which depicted the renovation of her back yard.
After enjoying a career in runway and print fashion modeling, Dan Renzi became a model scout for a Chicago agency, a field researcher with the Los Angeles Department of Epidemiology and director of AIDS/HIV program at the Kansas City Gay and Lesbian Center. He has made appearances at celebrity Spring Break
parties in the Bahamas.
The contestant was a finalist on the Challenge, but lost in the Final Race.
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 follow and document their lives and interpersonal relationships. The season was filmed in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and first aired in 1996.
The Real World: Miami was the first season filmed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
outside of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and the first of two seasons to be filmed in South Florida, the second of which was The Real World: Key West
The Real World: Key West
The Real World: Key West is the seventeenth 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...
, which followed in 2006.
SallyAnn Salsano
SallyAnn Salsano
SallyAnn Salsano is an American television producer. Her company, 495 Productions, produces several television reality shows for MTV, including Jersey Shore.-Biography:...
, a finalist for this season's cast, went on to become a successful producer and director, best known as the creator the MTV reality television program Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore (TV series)
Jersey Shore is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 3, 2009 in the United States. The series follows the lives of eight housemates spending their summer at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Season 2 followed the cast escaping the cold northeast...
.
Season changes
This was the first season in which the housemates were given a season-long assignment or task, an aspect of the series that would continue in almost all subsequent seasons (the Brooklyn seasonThe 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...
dispensed with it). This season the cast was given $50,000 startup money to begin a business of their choosing. The cast's efforts were marked by much disorganization and conflict, and while ideas such as a dessert delivery service and a fashion line were floated about, they were ultimately not able to start the business.
The residence
The house is located at 445 E Rivo Alto Dr, in Miami Beach, just north of the Venetian CausewayVenetian Causeway
The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in south Florida. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the...
on affluent Rivo Alto Island
Rivo Alto Island, Miami Beach, Florida
Rivo Alto Island is an artificial island and neighborhood Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is one of the Venetian Islands, a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. It is between Di Lido Island and Belle Isle...
. The four bedroom, three bathroom house is on 3/10 acre of land, and is 4976 square feet (462.3 m²). Its current owner is former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser
Jacques Nasser
Jacques Nasser is a leading global business executive who currently serves as Chairman of the Board of BHP Billiton. After serving as a Director of BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc since 2006, Mr. Nasser was appointed Chairman of both companies effective 31 March 2010...
.
Cast
| Cast Member | Age | Hometown | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Becker | 25 | San Diego, California San Diego, California San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round... |
Sarah is a graduate of Indiana University Indiana University Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000... who works at Wildstorm Comics in La Jolla, California. A self-described "19-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old body", whom MTV describes as a "tomboy Tomboy A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the... ", Sarah enjoys skateboarding, collect empty Blistex tubes and Swatch Swatch Swatch is a brand name for a line of wrist watches from the Swatch Group, a Swiss conglomerate with vertical control of the production of Swiss watches and related products... watches, and dressing up as television characters. In Episode 13, she brings a dog into the house named Leroy. |
| Dan Renzi | 21 | Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park, Kansas -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile... |
Dan, who is originally from Kansas, is an openly gay student at Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American... , where he has been editor of the student paper for two years. His interests include world economics, LGBT rights and environmental studies. In Miami, he begins a modeling career with Irene Marie Models Irene Marie Models Irene Marie Models was the first international full service modeling and talent agency in Miami Beach, Florida. Driven by the Agency’s forte in developing new and undiscovered talent the Irene Marie Management Group established and later re-invigorated the modeling scene in Florida.The agency... . He also begins dating a man named Arnie who is still in the closet, though he later begins dating another man named Johnny Johnny Diaz Johnny Diaz is an American novelist and a media reporter for the business section of the Boston Globe, where he writes about local television news, radio, print and advertising.... . During the season, he gets into heated arguments with Melissa and Flora. By the end of the season, he moves to Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... to pursue his modeling career. |
| Melissa Padrón | 22 | Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625... |
Melissa is a Miami native from a traditional Cuban-American family, who is about to graduate from the University of Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... . In Episode 12, she and Dan get into a fight, during which she calls him a "flamer", after Dan excoriates her for opening his mail, which according to him, could have cost him his job, though they later reconcile. In Episode 20, following an argument with Sarah, Melissa moves out of the house. |
| Joe Patane | 25 | Brooklyn, New York | Joe is a graduate business student at Fordham University Fordham University Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St... in New York City. He owns a small business, Computane Corp, and is eager to start the business with his housemates. He has a tall girlfriend named Nicole, but he indicates he has difficulty remaining faithful to her, and when she visits the house, the some of the other housemates, notably Cynthia, express incredulity at their relationship, and an aversion to her. Nonetheless, he proposes to her by the end of the season. |
| Cynthia Roberts | 22 | Oakland, California Oakland, California Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724... |
Cynthia, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... , is an African-American waitress who attends San Jose State University San José State University San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States... . Her father passed away some year ago, but she is still close with her mother and sisters. MTV describes her as a "straightforward" person who does not like to kiss on the first date. At the conclusion of the season she accepts a job offer in Miami. |
| Flora Alekseyeun | 24 | Boston, Massachusetts | Flora won several national marketing competitions while attending the Art Institute of Boston. During the season, she carries on an affair with a man named Louis, without the knowledge of her boyfriend, Mitchell. MTV describes her as an "uninhibited" woman who doesn't care what others think. She describes herself as both "a carefree spirit", and at times, a "bitch". In the premiere, she takes a job as a bartender, though Cynthia openly criticizes her for dressing provocatively in her job interview. In Episode 18, she gets into a fight with Dan, after Mike tells her that Dan related to him statements by her that Mitchell beat her, and says that Mitchell is very good to her. |
| Mike Lambert | 24 | Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968... |
Mike has a strong background in accounting and restaurant management, which he is hoping to put to use for the group's business project. He also enjoys partying, and in Episode 17, after sharing time in the hot tub with Melissa another woman he brought home, the trio move to the bathroom, where the other housemates eavesdropping outside the window hear what sound like the lovemaking, though Mike and Melissa deny any shared encounter. |
Episodes
- Episode 12. "Act Out"
When Sarah and her friends join Melissa and Flora for dinner at a restaurant, Melissa questions if Sarah's friends could be able to afford dinner there, offending Sarah, who points out that her friends all have jobs, while Melissa does not. Sarah's friends, make a statement to Melissa by paying for the entire dinner and an embarrassed Melissa thanks them for the gesture. She later gets into a fight with Dan after she opens his mail, during which they exchange heated epithets. The next day they talk, and Melissa tearfully admits that her anger comes from a verbally abusive father, and she hated seeing her father in herself. They both apologize for their actions and come to an accord.
- Episode 20. "Everyone Gets the Jackson"
Sarah is visited at the house by her friends from Kenosha, Wisconsin
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,...
, one of whom, Hank, makes a home movie about life in the house. While filming, Flora repeatedly flashes the camera. When the movie is produced, Flora says she does not want the movie distributed to anyone. She claims she was on heavy medication and tries to convince Sarah's friend to sign a contract that the movie won't be released.
After filming
In 1998, Joe Patane published his memoirs about his experiences on the show, Livin' in Joe's World: Unauthorized, Uncut, and Unreal: The Memoirs of Joe Patane from the Miami Cast of MTV's The Real World.During the The Real World Reunion 2000, the first reunion show that involved the Miami cast, Flora revealed that she and Mitchell got married. Joe revealed that he and Nicole broke up, to which Mike expressed relief, because, as he told Joe, Nicole was a "bitch".
Cynthia Roberts appeared in "Floating Deck", a 2008 episode of the DIY Network
DIY Network
DIY Network is a channel owned by Scripps Networks Interactive that focuses on do it yourself projects at home.Television stations air local versions with local hosts with segments produced by the network. Branded DIY Network programming is also broadcast in Japan and the Philippines...
show Yard Crashers, which depicted the renovation of her back yard.
After enjoying a career in runway and print fashion modeling, Dan Renzi became a model scout for a Chicago agency, a field researcher with the Los Angeles Department of Epidemiology and director of AIDS/HIV program at the Kansas City Gay and Lesbian Center. He has made appearances at celebrity Spring Break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
parties in the Bahamas.
Real World/Road Rules Challenges
| Cast Member | RW/RR Challenges Real World/Road Rules Challenge The Challenge is a reality television game show on MTV that is both dependent on and spun off from the network's two flagship reality shows, The Real World and the now cancelled series, Road Rules. It is currently hosted by T.J... |
Challenges Won |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Becker | - | - |
| Dan Renzi | Extreme Challenge, Battle of the Sexes, The Inferno II | Extreme Challenge |
| Melissa Padrón | - | - |
| Joe Patane | - | - |
| Cynthia Roberts | All Stars, Battle of the Sexes 2 | All Stars |
| Flora Alekseyeun | Battle of the Seasons | None |
| Mike Lambert | Challenge 2000, Battle of the Seasons | None |
The contestant was a finalist on the Challenge, but lost in the Final Race.