DaveChung.com - A Guy’s Blog From Girl World

In just a few short weeks, Joey has officially been made The Real World’s most hot-headed, out of control, male cast member in the history of the show.

There may have been more scary cast members in the past, but the way that he was portrayed this past week was beyond scary for his roommates on what has been anything but the productive, career-driven season that we were supposed to get in the show’s 20th version.

After going on one of the most unbelievable drinking sprees every caught on camera, Joey literally became the worst roommate I have every seen in my whole life.

While other Real World cast members have gone on rage-enduced sprees, Joey’s put them all to shame. He threatened the guys (Dave and Greg), along with the girls (Sarah and Kimberly, who apparently has stopped caring about trying to look cute on camera as made obvious by how she just curls up in a blanket with no makeup on all the time). Wasn’t Greg supposed to be the house psycho?

As Joey went around banging his head on everything in site, punching walls, and throwing anything that he could get his hands on in between Tourettes syndrome-like words from Satan coming from his mouth, you wondered if he was somehow going to do something unbelievable, like attack Sarah, this season’s voice of reason. Both Sarah and Kim were fearing for their safety, trying to hide from The Incredible Hulk that Joey had transformed into, while Dave braved the storm and tried to bring the house crazy to some form of sanity.

While Brianna and Will were in Philadelphia trying to figure out the situation with the warrant for her arrest, the housemates were dealing with a suicidal, alcoholic, addiction plagued roommate who is probably the craziest that the show has seen in 20 seasons. After his psycho tirade, the guy slept with his eyes wide open!! Not only did he sleep with his eyes open, but he had no idea what had happened the night before after he woke up the next morning with all the roommates looking at him in total fear.

Some of the people closest to me know that I tried out for The Real World’s 21st season. I turned in an application and they asked me to fill out the extended questionnaire, and I actually received a call back from one of the show’s casting people. While I didn’t make it to the in-person interview, I knew that I was going to be a little too normal for them and I’m positive that it came out during the phone interview.

So yes, I’m not a psycho, but is casting someone who is completely impossible to control a smarter move? Somehow, casting Joey seems like a mistake, but his absence in the house during his 30 day rehab stint could do a lot of good for the house. I’m not at all bitter, but I just feel like Joey is completely insane, that’s all.

However, with rumors swirling that Greg will soon be leaving the house as well, something tells me that the drama and tears are no where near stopping this season. It took me 3 whole days to gather myself to watch another episode of the train wreck that is The Real World Hollywood because of how insanely bipolar Joey has been. Now that he’s out of the house, I’m hoping to learn some more about the other roommates and see how Will is somehow brought to snap considering he is probably the most patient roommate in the house.

And at least Sarah is really cute.

After watching three episodes of The Real World Hollywood, I wonder if there has even been a more unstable group of strangers picked to live in a house before this group.

Sure, nice guy Will and way too cute Sarah try and hold the house together, but the reality is that Joey and Brianna are so unstable that it makes watching the show feel like we’re watching an episode of Hell’s Kitchen.

I’m noticeably tense as I’m watching the show and I feel like this raw, scary kind of Real World has just gotten worse since the show left Sydney last season, where there were more than enough arguments to go around.

This week, it was revealed that Joey (pictured above) struggles with an alcoholism, while Brianna is working on overcoming an addiction to meth and a stint with cocaine. With the two being romantically linked for two and a half episodes, it led to a volatile situation that really had nothing positive come out of it. Clearly, the two have self-esteem issues and the rest of the housemates try and help them, but both of their personalities are so hostile that it makes it difficult to reason with either of them.

“The Chosen One” Greg might be crazy, but despite all of his antics, he seemed tame compared to Joey this past week. Joey’s jealousy and ways that he channels his anger is not only unhealthy, but it’s actually painful to watch. It’s becoming very clear that it will only be a matter of time until he hits someone or gets arrested (though that appears to be Brianna’s job this season) and gets kicked out of the house.

And really, it couldn’t come any sooner. I cannot wait for Joey to leave the house because his high maintenance personality not only brings down his housemates, but it completely brings down the show - even worse than Dunbar did in Sydney. He scares his housemates and it makes it difficult to get to know one another when they’re living with The Incredible Hulk.

Though the housemates got their job at IOWest Improv Theater in Hollywood this week, where they’ll be taking improv classes together, I’m really disappointed at how much the shortened season has already gone far, far away from the idea of having the show be based around people with goals that they wanted to come to Hollywood to achieve. This Real World was supposed to be different, but so far, it’s turned out to be more of the same. Unfortunately, it’s more of the things that I dislike on the show, rather than the reasons why the show has been able to exist for twenty seasons.

Without Will and Sarah, whose romance has somehow disappeared into thin air, the cast would be almost unbearable so far. Though Dave does a fantastic job of playing the White party boy who is kind of cool, Will feels like the only genuine guy in the house who is willing to not only listen, but change his own ways to make other housemates feel comfortable.

By the same token, Sarah is willing to listen, even if her roommates are coming from a completely different place than her, both in attitude and general outlook on life. The fact that Will and Sarah are willing to listen separates them from the rest of the house. It’s almost impossible to think that anyone will be able to change if no one listens and everyone talks.

This season was supposed to bring people together that wanted to pursue their dreams, but so far, it’s brought together people who are actually regressing from the ambitious people that we met in the first episode. It looks like there’s no relief in sight based on the preview for the next episode and it worries me that it could be a while until we see anything but Hell’s Kitchen with twenty-somethings dressed up as The Real World: Hollywood.

The Real World launched its twentieth season this past week with a brand new group of “seven strangers picked to live in a house” in Hollywood, California.

With a focus on individuals who were determined to make careers in entertainment or the arts, it looked like this was going to be a much more serious season compared to the dramafest that was Sydney.

After the first episode, I can’t say that I’m sold on the idea of a more responsible Real World actually coming true. This is definitely a cast that looks like it is going to clash and clash big, but not to the level of Sydney cast. There are at least three hotheads in the house, with the rest of the housemates playing the parts of “nice girl/boy.” 

And really, it’s worth pointing out that this season has three cast members that are Black or part Black, a big change from the last season of the show, which was filled with White people, apart from Parisa and Isaac’s girlfriend. So hooray for diversity!

LC <3’s Diversity!

In addition to missing Black people, last season’s Sydney cast lacked hotties, leaving us with just memories of Jenn and Colie from The Real World: Denver. Even more, it severely missed out on having continuity and bonding after two housemates left the house (Trisha and Shauvon) due to hitting another castmate and an overbearing relationship that didn’t end up working anyways. 

With Hollywood, the show needs to bounce back with a season where all the housemates actually stay in the house and get to know each other. It sounds simple, but it absolutely has to happen because that’s what ends up making a season worth watching. I don’t foresee anyone getting kicked out from this cast, but if they do, it would be a huge blow to the season and the franchise.

Enough psychobabble (I don’t even know what that means), on to the cast!

Sarah, a 20 year old broadcast journalism graduate from ASU, by far plays the role as this cast’s hottie. Though she’s already kissed fellow housemate Will after one episode, conveniently forgetting about her long distance boyfriend, her girl next door good looks and sweet demeanor make her the most likable member of the new cast.

She appears to have one of the cooler heads in the house and seems to be a big fan of people being nice to one another, which will be interesting when she’s living in a house of crazies for a few months. She’s smart and speaks well, which is nice when we know we’re in store for some moments where White people start arguing like rappers and screaming at one another. She’ll help balance out some of the testosterone and angry estrogen fireballs with her sweetness and ability to actually think things through.

However, something makes me think she’s going to make out with more than one guy in the house, which will lead to drama. It might happen, might not, but that’s my sneaking suspicion that the nice girl will be called out as being a dirty girl.

Sarah has quickly developed a friendship with Will, who seems like one of the more normal guys in the house. An aspiring music producer, Will is upbeat and the life of the party.

Thankfully, he doesn’t appear to be the token Black guy “enforcer” type that many reality shows like to have. He’s outgoing, friendly, and is probably the most likable guy in the house thusfar, even though it seems like he jumps to conclusions on judging people. Even though the season preview showed him clashing with other housemates, you still feel like Will has a good chance of being the one castmate that you actually want to be friends with in the house. He might have a temper, but he also just seems like a good guy deep down.

Joey is playing the “Dunbar” role from Sydney cast - a white guy with a hard knock background of abuse that will inevitably lead to some blow ups that are going to scare everyone in the house. It’s not hard to imagine all the girls thinking “Oh Joey is such a nice guy,” only to have him bust holes in all the walls with a vacuum cleaner before running through a window like The Incredible Hulk before taking an angry dump in the pool. After that, the girls will be scared of him, at least until they get drunk, hug, and laugh.

He’s an aspiring actor who is a personal trainer, but it’s his temper that is likely going to split the cast throughout the season because it’s definitely not going to sit well with everyone. As a guy who has never left his hometown of Chicago, Joey definitely has the potential to experience the heartwarming change that we like to see on the show, but it’s definitely going to take some work.

One of the “nice guys” this season appears to be token White guy eye candy, Dave. He bears the responsibility of being one of the “normal” people on the cast who I think will try to bring order to otherwise crazy situations.

Out of all the castmates, it seems like most everyone either knows a “Dave” or a “Sarah” - nice White people who will listen, but be outspoken when the time is right. Dave reminds me of Kevin from The Real World: Back to New York, a cool guy, but never really the center of attention. It will be good to have Dave and Sarah in the house to diffuse some of the tention that will inevitably come from the following castmates.

Already, before the cast even gets their jobs or really gets to know one another, Brianna has a warrant out for her arrest and has already flipped out inside the phone room. A former stripper and American Idol contestant who hopes to get into singing, Brianna is reminiscent of Coral from the Back to New York cast, the girl that you just do not want to cross in the house.

There is no doubt in my mind that a good portion of the major house conflicts are going to center around Brianna and her temper, which transforms her from being a pretty cool girl into an f-bomb launching zombie stripper who will take out anyone who stands in her path, even nice White people!

Looking like she’ll be the one to stupidly stand in her path is Kimberly, an aspiring entertainment news reporter from South Carolina who “doesn’t always think before she speaks” according to her MTV bio. Kimberly is the kind of girl who reads TMZ more than she watches the news, but she’s proud of it. And why not?

While she’ll definitely be less crazy and likely not turn into a lesbian, Kimberly is a bit reminiscent of Brooke from The Real World: Denver - a girl from the South who is generally sweet, but can lose it at any moment. In the season preview, Kimberly was seen clashing with Brianna, who is clearly not about to back down to anyone.

Will Kimberly play the part of the crazy White girl? Or were these clips just put in to make us think that’s who she will become?

While nice on the exterior, Kimberly is going to be one of the housemates that isn’t afraid to speak her mind, nor care about what anyone thinks of her outspoken opinions. Her words will no doubt be hurtful and likely leave our precious Sarah in tears a time or two. 

And last, but certainly not least, is Greg, also known as PretyBoy (AKA “The Chosen One”), who was voted on to the MTV cast by fans on MTV.com. By far the least liked member of the house, Greg is already making a name for himself with the way that he calls women “associates” and refers to people as “peasants.”

Seeing someone like Greg is truly mind-boggling because he legitimately feels like he is royalty living amongst heathens in the real world (pun intended). It’s interesting that someone like him would try out for the show in the first place because he seems so detached from reality, even moreso than the characters (key word, characters) on Gossip Girl.

Immediately, house sweetheart Sarah takes a disliking to his attitude and says that he’s just too negative for her. In response, Greg takes a disliking to any of the house bonding events that the group shares in the first couple days.

Why? Because he doesn’t care and says that he doesn’t have to talk to his roommates.

When the group heads out to a laid back bar to hang out, Greg comments that it’s probably the worst bar in the whole city. The next night, when they go out clubbing, Greg bails early because he refuses to wait in line with “peasants,” only to be left to walk home by himself and play basketball by himself. It’s a little sad, but you don’t really care because he’s already been the least enthusiastic castmate in the history of the show.

Could this be the quickest alienation by a single housemate in the history of The Real World?

Greg isn’t even racist, which is normally the best alienator of them all, he just generally thinks he’s better than everyone else - not just in the house, but better than everyone in the history of the whole world. Greg appears to be laid back, but he’s so laid back with such a twisted outlook on life that you think that he’s MTV’s version of “America’s Player” on Big Brother, a person sent to shake things up and play weird tricks on everyone.

After watching the first episode, I have to wonder, can you survive on The Real World with no friends in the house?

Season previews showed Greg clashing with hothead Joey, which is going to be interesting to see if anyone can get Greg to wake up. I don’t think the show has even seen an elitist like this before, but Greg is definitely the most unique, yet completely absurd housemate that the show has seen in at least ten seasons.

He’s a beyond ridiculous person, but with that comes the biggest potential for change, which is always the most interesting part of any reality show cast. While Greg seems like he’s beyond repair, maybe living in a house with strangers will be just what he needs to realize that the rest of the world isn’t filled with mere “peasants.”

One episode in, we have fewer hotties, but a seemingly wider variety of housemates than we have in seasons past. Will this season turn out to be more of the same? Or will the 20 Year anniversary of a reality show that changed the face of television forever rejuvenate the franchise to the point that it matters in the American consciousness again?

The latter appears to be wishful thinking, but if we can get Greg to call girls, “girls,” instead of “associates” by the end of the season, at least we’ll have some progress.

I’m keeping my expectations low, but my hopes high. Surprise me, Hollywood!

With some encouragement and more positive feedback than I expected, I sent in my essay to be considered for The Real World today.

I believe they’re already filming the upcoming season, which I believe is in Hollywood, but with only one year left (have to be between 18 - 24 to apply), I thought I’d give it a shot.

I’m also going to a Hell’s Kitchen taping in November, which I’m all kinds of excited about.

If they call, you know you guys will be the first to know.