Seven Differences Between the Real World and The Real World (The MTV Show)

The Apartment: On The Real World, the palatial apartments are exquisitely furnished and decorated by IKEA. The roommates always play pool, always congregate in the hot tub, and always have their cupboards magically stocked with delicious food upon their arrival. I have lived in several apartments in the real world and, I am sorry to say, none of this ever happened.

The Cameras: This is an obvious one. On The Real World, there is a camera in your face nearly every second of every day. Behind those cameras, there are people, including overeager producers hoping for some serious drama. In the real world, you can lounge in your pajamas, examine your pores, put on a mud mask, eat cereal for dinner, or fight with your significant other, and nobody has to know!

The Sexuality: “Are you gay? Are you straight? Wait, wait, don’t tell me. You’re bi! Aren’t you? Huh, huh? Tell me, please!”  Few people in the real world are this obnoxious about whether you date men, women, or both. Thank goodness.

The Roommates: Imagine living with seven other people whom you neither know nor have chosen. It boggles the mind. In the real world, you will probably live with no more than four other people. Best of all, you will get to screen out the Loud, Messy, Insomiac-types from your enclave of Clean, Quiet, In-bed-before-11-types.

The Confessional: On The Real World, everyone must confess. In the real world, only Catholics must confess.

The Drama: Jolene, who is really in love with Dwight, hooked up with David. Sandy and Kelly kissed. Now, Sandy is concerned how her girlfriend back home is going to react. Wendy is upsetting everyone in the house because she leaves her toenail clippings on the coffee table. The angry tension between Michelle and Keegan came to a head when she threw a marble statue at his head, but ended up smashing the enormous fish tank instead. Will Michelle be kicked out of the house? While these sorts of things do happen in the real world, they probably all won’t happen to you. At once.

The Diversity: In the real world, there are Mormons, Blue Collar Workers, Neat People, Transsexuals, Republicans, Geniuses, Wealthy People, African Americans, Lesbians, College Graduates, Christians, Dumb People, Metrosexuals, Democrats, Jewbus, Asian Americans, or some combination thereof. On The Real World, all of these people live together. In the real world, we still tend to segregate ourselves.