Reunited: Real World Las Vegas: Pick-Up Way After You Left-Off
Missing trashy Trishelle and slutty Steven? Wish you could return to those fond days of yore in the Palms Casino and Hotel when seven (former) strangers were picked to live together and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real? Well, MTV let you live your dream last night - partially - when it premiered Reunited: Real World Las Vegas, the first Real World season to follow-up on a former season's cast of characters. They're not strangers anymore!
So, where are they now? Brynn is a non-partying mother of two. Frank is looking (in his words) to indulge himself and thus rid himself of his former good-boy status/limitations. Arissa drifted apart from everyone because she (in her words) alienated herself from them, including former BFF Irulan. Irulan and Alton dated for three years, broke up, and haven't seen one another for a year. Plus, Trishelle dyed her hair blonde, and Steven shaved his head!
After all of the former roomies re-roomie-ify in their posh pad, owner of the Palms George Maloof sends up some champagne to get the roomies drunk. At a Maloof-funded dinner that night, Alton observes that no one wants to admit too much information to anyone else. Irulan and Arissa have an altercation while the gang parties it up in Ghost Bar. The two throw words and expressive gestures, and the audience learns that Arissa somehow became enmeshed in Alton and Irulan's relationship three years ago. However much both of them want to fight against it, Arissa's and Irulan's emotional rehashing of their old friendship clarifies that they still care about one another.
How does this compare to the first Real World: Las Vegas, the 12th season in the Real World series, which premiered in 2002? Within the first episode of the first season, viewers witnessed more sex than some do in their entire lives: a hot-tub threesome between soon-to-be-legendary, informal couple Trishelle and Steven and experimental though shy Brynn. Within the first episode of this season, a sloshed Frank has sex in the confessional with some woman he met at the club. The original definitely maintains the bar as far as compressed sluttiness is concerned.
But the reunion doesn't attempt to hold a candle to its shadow self. The style of the show, like Brynn, has matured. It's about emotional backlash and the complexities of reality. The new season focuses on the fallout between Arissa and Irulan, not the sexcapades of Steven and Trishelle. The Real World has finally gotten real.
The six-episode mini-season airs Wednesdays at 10pm on MTV.