MTV said on Thursday that it has renewed The Real World for a 29th season. The new season will go back to San Francisco, the location of one of its most important early seasons.
The Real World has been on MTV since it debuted in 1992 and was set in San Francisco in 1994 for its third season. That season featured Pedro Zamora, who revealed that he had AIDS and died shortly after the season ended. Zamora’s partner, Sean Sasser, died earlier this month.
“We're excited about returning to San Francisco, the location of one of our most memorable seasons of The Real World,” executive producer Jonathan Murray said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “The city has always been a great place for young people to explore who they are and what they want to do with their lives.”
The Real World was considered groundbreaking television when it premiered, but has experienced a major drop in popularity. Sources for Variety said that the new season, which will air next year, will be a make-or-break year for the show.
The Real World has spawned successful spin-offs, including The Challenge, which averaged 50 percent more viewers than the last season of The Real World, notes Variety.
The most recent season of the show was based in Portland and drew just 1.05 million viewers for its finale in June.