The Real World, Season 17 Episode 24, Recap 8/08

8-August-06

As this season of THE REAL WORLD winds down, milestones are reached and bridges are built for the return to the actual real world.

The baby of the house is growing up. Svetlana Shusterman is having her 20th birthday. Her boyfriend, Martin, is heading down to the Key to visit her and THE REAL WORLD house. She is nervous; Martin is a quiet, reserved guy, and she's afraid her outgoing roommates, with their outsized and occasionally confrontational personalities, will overwhelm him.

The other castmates are anticipating the arrival of Martin. When Janelle tells Tyler Duckworth that Svetlana is worried about Martin's reaction to THE REAL WORLD roommates, Tyler wonders aloud if he should "gay it up" for Martin. (This involves, apparently, shimmying and jazz hands.) Svetlana walks by in the midst of their scheming and gets a sense they are planning something.

Happiness is in store for Svetlana as well. Martin arrives and she's thrilled to see him.

That night, the roommates all get together to celebrate Svetlana's birthday. Not content to let her off easy, they play a little joke on her by first presenting her with a sloppy-looking cake that is nowhere near her specifications. She's a good sport about it, but obviously happy to see the better one a little later.

As their time on THE REAL WORLD winds down, this set of roommates seems to be coming together, and putting conflicts aside to focus on the positives. We'll have to tune in next week to see if they are able to dredge up any drama for the final episode or if this increasingly tight-knit bunch will make it off the Key as good friends.