Ten months ago, seven unknown strangers dropped their lives to move into a Las Vegas hotel room. Once the faces of anonymity, these twenty-somethings now command the attention of anyone they meet.
It’s 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night at Lulu’s Mardi Gras on M Street. The music’s pumping, drinks are flowing and I’m chilling by the bar in the swanky VIP lounge upstairs.
Suddenly, all conversations come to a complete stop. What seem like a college frat guy, a male model, an exotic beauty, a cute pixie and a tall drink of water enter the room. But these are not your average Joes off the street.
A crowd of about 50 immediately rushes the five out of seven MTV “Real World Las Vegas” cast members who decided to make an appearance at the popular D.C. nightclub this weekend, part of a promotional tour. Alton, Brynn, Irulan, Steven and Trishelle have arrived.
My first instinct is to approach Steven, 23, the “frat guy” of the bunch whose 1000-watt smile could light up any room. The two of us dish for a while about relationships, what it was like to be on the show and how he got roped into auditioning, until he is whisked away by a Lulu’s manager to tend bar.
So is the “Real World” really real?
“You think people are going to know you through an hour of footage? Each person gets a role,” Steven said. “I’m known as the slutty party guy, but I slept with less people than anyone in the house did.”
Steven never even planned to audition for the Real World, let alone make it. A friend of his was rushing out the door to tryouts when she dragged Steven along for the ride.
And then the casting agents “kept calling me back so I went,” the San Marcos, Texas, native says.
Though Steven only slept with one cast member, 22-year-old Trishelle, the pair’s on-again, off-again relationship was pretty racy and a central focus of the show – complete with a pregnancy scare, footage of the two in bed and Trishelle’s emotional breakdown when Steven decided the two should just be “friends.”
But Trishelle says she’s learned a lot about relationships from being on the show, especially that it’s “totally a bad idea to hook up with a roommate.”
“Plus, I’ve learned about tolerance, patience and not to pre-judge others,” she adds.
The two say they often get together at one of their separate Los Angeles homes to watch the episodes with Frank, a cast member who couldn’t make it to Lulu’s. But Trishelle says the cast “pinky swore” not to get mad about anything anyone said in interview sessions – which are held once a week – or in the confessional, a permanent spot in the house where Real Worlders must talk to a camera alone weekly.
“They ask leading questions,” Trishelle says. “Like they say, ‘are you mad at Steven?’ And I’m not, but then they say, ‘Are you sure you’re not mad at Steven?’ So then by the end, I’m really mad at Steven.”
But one “Real World” relationship turned out a little differently than Steven and Trishelle’s, that between 22-year-olds Alton and Irulan.
At the start of the show, Irulan was involved in an open relationship with longtime boyfriend Gabe, but mutual feelings between she and Alton led the two to be more than just friends, Alton says.
After getting the scoop on both guys and one of the girls, I figure it’s time to approach another one of the females – especially because all of my guy friends were psyched I’d get to meet them. My 16-year-old sister’s friend even asked me to give his phone number to Trishelle, which I laughed off.
But I do hear one GW student propose to Trishelle, an offer she politely declines.
But no one proposed to Brynn, 22 – perhaps because of the rock on her left ring finger.
Brynn, from Portland, Orgeon, confirms her engagement to boyfriend Austin with a hint of a smile. The bride-to-be seems to be the most negatively affected by her experiences on the show, noting it’s rough to be in the spotlight.
“It’s hard. It has its days,” Brynn said. “It all depends on my attitude and (the fans’) attitudes.”
But some cast members, like Alton, enjoy the newfound fame. He considers a major perk to be “getting in places” he used to get shut out of.
I have never seen Lulu’s so crowded – everyone drinking, dancing and just having fun.
Soon, we are joined by our guests of honor as they climb up onto the bars to pour drinks and dance. And Alton, Brynn and Irulan are the best dancers of the crew.
Dubbed the craziest “Real World” cast by several magazines, this group truly lives up to its name. All five cast members are excited to give out drinks and throw Mardi Gras beads to the screaming crowd of about 1,500.
“Ah! Steven just poured me a shot!” I hear someone scream behind me. But she leaves to spread the word to her friends faster than a frat brother can down a beer, so I don’t get to hear the rest of her tale.
And I’ll admit it, when Steven winks at me from up on the speakers and throws a necklace at me on the dance floor, I get excited and giddy and can’t help screaming a little. Even if the screaming is because the beads hit me smack in the face.
