| The Real World: Philadelphia | |
|---|---|
| Season 15 | |
 The cast ofThe Real World: Philadelphia | |
| Starring |
|
| No. of episodes | 26[1] |
| Release | |
| Original network | MTV |
| Original release | September 7, 2004 (2004-09-07) – March 8, 2005 (2005-03-08) |
| Season chronology | |
← Previous The Real World: San Diego Next → The Real World: Austin | |
The Real World: Philadelphia is the fifteenth season ofMTV'sreality television seriesThe Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It is the third season ofThe Real World to be filmed inPennsylvania.
The season featured seven people who lived in a three-story building, and production began filming from April 30 to August 20, 2004.[2] The season had a cast introduction special on August 24, 2004.[3] The season premiered on September 7 of that year and consisted of 26 episodes. The season premiere was watched by 3.3 million viewers.[4]
The Philadelphia season is the first with two openlygay men,Karamo Brown and William Hernandez, in the cast. (The first season to have twogay cast members, regardless of sex, wasthe 2002 Chicago season, althoughthe 1999 Hawaii season featured a bisexual woman and a gay man).
Beginning with the show'sfifth season, almost every season ofThe Real World has included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates, continued participation in which has been mandatory to remain part of the cast since theBack to New York season. The Philadelphia cast worked for thePhiladelphia Soul, anArena Football League team, which was formerly partly owned byJon Bon Jovi. As part of their duties for the Soul, the cast planned and built a playground for underprivileged children as part of the Northern Home for Children program.[5]
The cast lived in a building at 249-251Arch Street at 3rd Street in theOld City Philadelphia section ofPhiladelphia at (39°57′08″N75°08′43″W / 39.9522°N 75.1453°W /39.9522; -75.1453). The 14,494-square-foot (1,346.5 m2), three-story building, which is adjacent to theBetsy Ross House, was built in 1902, and is known as the Union Bank of Philadelphia Building until 1970, when it was sold to Seamen's Church Institute to house global seafarers. It was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in January 1977,[6] and purchased in 2003 by Yaron Properties, Inc for $2.2 million USD. An additional $3 million was spent on renovating and furnishing the building for production of the series, which included 42 mounted cameras for filming. The interior was designed by Norm Dodge of Norm Dodge & Associates.
In March 2004, producers ceased construction after completing two thirds of the project, and announced they were leaving Philadelphia because of disputes with Philadelphia trade unions. Joey Carson, CEO ofBunim/Murray, and Ted Kenney, a producer onThe Real World, met in private over a two-week period with the trade unions. The meetings were brokered by MayorJohn F. Street, GovernorEd Rendell, CongressmanBob Brady, and other civic leaders in order to keep the production in Philadelphia. The flap delayed renovations by several weeks. The interior decorations used for the series remained until as late as October 2004.[7][8] Since filming ended, the building has served as an art gallery for The Art Institutes of Philadelphia's F.U.E.L. Collection[9] and has become an office forLinode since late 2015.[10]
| Cast member | Age1 | Hometown/State |
|---|---|---|
| Karamo Brown | 23[11] | Coral Springs, Florida |
| Karamo lives inHouston, Texas who donates much of his time to charities and political causes, which he says are his passion. He is very close to his mother and three older sisters.He attendedFlorida A&M University, where he majored inBusiness Administration. Prior to casting, he lived inLos Angeles, where he worked at the Brotherhood Crusade, writing proposals for grants and establishing programs for underprivileged people.[12] He is an avid fan ofBeyoncé Knowles, theLos Angeles Lakers, and the band Octavius, enjoys going to art galleries, and dreams of visiting Japan.[13] Although he is gay, Karamo appeared as a contestant on a 2003 episode ofThe 5th Wheel, a heterosexual realitydating game show. He and another male contestant went on a joint date with three female contestants, with Karamo giving no indication that he is gay.[14] | ||
| Landon Lueck | 24[11] | River Falls, Wisconsin |
| Landon is an athlete who in high school was a state champion indoubles tennis and ranked fifth in the state inwrestling. At theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison, he was on thewater skiing andwake boarding teams. He doesn’t like being labeled a "dumb jock", however, and fears that others won't accept him. He recently ended a seven-year relationship with his high school sweetheart, and still hasn't gotten over her. He loves female attention, and longs for a long-term relationship again. He is a fan ofBrad Pitt,AC/DC, andNewlyweds: Nick and Jessica, and dreams of visitingThailand.[15] He is sometimes observed to drink too much, which leads to problems with his castmates.[16] | ||
| Melanie Silcott | 21[11] | San Jose, California |
| Melanie ("Mel") was adopted at six months after being placed into foster care by her seventeen-year-old mother.[17] She is an alumna of theUniversity of California at Santa Cruz and hopes to become a high school English teacher. She has a boyfriend named Andy. She claims to have a spontaneous, wild streak, loves to dance and party, is close to her family, and claims to be passionate about music, art, and politics. She is an avid fan ofDavid Bowie and the band Modest Mouse.[18][19] The cast often takes umbrage at what they perceive as Mel's rudeness and lack of consideration for others,[20] as well as aloofness for choosing to frequent a local tavern by herself, and consorting with some friends there to the exclusion of her housemates.[21] | ||
| M.J. Garrett | 23[11] | Nashville, Tennessee[22] |
| M.J. graduated fromVanderbilt University, where he majored in Human and Organizational Development, and was a football player. He had dreams of playing professional football, but he was turned down by theNFL. He auditioned after finding his post-graduate, 9-to-5 desk job doing marketing at a non-profit organization unfulfilling, and after a chance meeting with a member of the casting department during a visit to Los Angeles, to which he intended to move. M.J. began a two-month relationship before moving to Philadelphia, and he struggles to maintain it long-distance. He is close to his father, and his younger brother Austin, and is proud to be “a jock who can express himself.” He is a fan ofAli G andDashboard Confessional.[23][24] He has a preference for blonde women,[25] which is partially the cause of conflict between him and Sarah in Episodes 2 and 3.[26][27] | ||
| Sarah Burke | 23[11] | Tampa, Florida |
| Born and raised in Florida, Sarah graduated fromEmory University and at the time of casting, was working 9-to-5 at a law firm, and planned to attendUniversity of Florida School of Law. According to mtv.com, she is opinionated and outspoken, and isn’t afraid to use her sex appeal to get what she wants. She has overcome aneating disorder, which began when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. As her mother is still undergoing treatment, she continues to struggle with her weight.[28] She was onceraped, and she attributes her highly sexual behavior to this.[29] She enjoys cooking, is passionate about politics, is a fan of theTampa Bay Buccaneers, and dreams of visitingBrazil.[30][31] | ||
| Shavonda Billingslea | 21[11] | San Diego, California[22][32] |
| Shavonda is a woman who likes to party and to socialize with men. She lived a turbulent childhood, and in high school, she was a cheerleader and her school's first African-American homecoming queen. She struggles to support herself, and is putting herself through Grossmont Community College by working nights at aHooters inMission Valley. She has a boyfriend to whom she wants to be faithful, even though he is not the kind of jock that usually pursues her. She prefers jocks with a sense of humor.[33][34] | ||
| Willie Hernandez | 23[11] | New York City, New York |
| Willie is a writer/actor with a passion for the arts and performing who works part-time as a personal shopper.[22] He left home at the age of 15 after conflicts with his religious parents who do not "accept his lifestyle." He and his straight twin brother are the oldest of six children, who all remain close. He admits to being stubborn and confrontational. As a child, he worked in commercials and musical theater and was a regular on the children's television showGhostwriter, which promoted literacy for children. He is an avid fan ofMadonna and the bandScissor Sisters.[35][36][37] | ||
^Note 1 : Age at the time of filming.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 314 | 1 | "Welcome to Philly!" | September 7, 2004 (2004-09-07) | |
The seven strangers settle into their Philadelphia house. MJ and Landon are the first to meet, and find they have things in common. They meet Shavonda and then are joined by Willie and Sarah, who finds MJ very attractive. Karamo and Melanie meet and arrive at the house last. Sarah says she likes to walk around nude, and after removing her bra, invites her roommates to inspect herbreast implants, but Landon demurs. Shavonda is surprised when Karamo reveals that he is gay, but keeps this from the others.[22] | ||||
| 315 | 2 | "'Out' in Philadelphia" | September 7, 2004 (2004-09-07) | |
After expressing some trepidation to a friend, Karamocomes out to MJ and Landon. MJ and Sarah flirt. The housemates visit a gay bar. | ||||
| 316 | 3 | "Bed-Swapping Begins" | September 14, 2004 (2004-09-14) | |
After MJ and his girlfriend break up, Sarah hopes that he will turn his attention to her, despite MJ's penchant for blondes. Landon is unsure of how to address his feelings for Shavonda.[27] | ||||
| 317 | 4 | "Boys Will Be Boys" | September 21, 2004 (2004-09-21) | |
| 318 | 5 | "Gunning for Karamo" | September 28, 2004 (2004-09-28) | |
While at a bar with MJ and Landon, Karamo is approached by several police officers who received a tip that he was carrying a weapon. Afterward, he becomes upset with MJ for not vouching for him. Shavonda has money problems.[39] | ||||
| 319 | 6 | "The Roomies Have Soul" | October 5, 2004 (2004-10-05) | |
MJ has a chair thrown at him by a random guy at a bar. Also, the roommates receive their job assignment: working for the city's arena football team. Karamo and MJ make their peace.[40] | ||||
| 320 | 7 | "Ivana Have Some Fun!" | October 12, 2004 (2004-10-12) | |
Sarah reveals a secret from her past to Melanie, explaining her needy behavior. Shavonda breaks up with her boyfriend before flirting with Landon.[41] | ||||
| 321 | 8 | "Frustrations" | October 19, 2004 (2004-10-19) | |
Karamo has a crush on Dorian, who works at the gym, and later meets him while out clubbing. However, Karamo has some issues with the cameras chronicling that part of his life. Melanie's opinionated self grates on everyone's nerves; and the roommates scout locations for a playground they're to help build.[5] | ||||
| 322 | 9 | "Landon & Leo" | October 26, 2004 (2004-10-26) | |
Landon has too much to drink while out on the town, which doesn't sit well with Shavonda. Melanie opens up to Sarah about her childhood.[17] | ||||
| 323 | 10 | "Things Change" | November 2, 2004 (2004-11-02) | |
Shavonda learns Shaun has plans with his ex-girlfriend. Landon's ex-girlfriend Becky, who's dating his former roommate, visits.[42] | ||||
| 324 | 11 | "Happy Birthday MJ!" | November 9, 2004 (2004-11-09) | |
The roommates celebrates MJ's birthday. Landon and Shavonda have a fight about the phone. Landon brings a young woman back to the house. Shaun sends Shavonda flowers.[43] | ||||
| 325 | 12 | "Passive Aggression" | November 16, 2004 (2004-11-16) | |
Sarah cleans the house and has a run-in with Landon after he and MJ arrive home at 3 a.m. Later, the roommates work on the playground project, but Sarah, Willie and Karamo have no input into it, which upsets them.[44] | ||||
| 326 | 13 | "Switchin' Teams" | November 23, 2004 (2004-11-23) | |
Sarah finds herself attracted to a gay man and contemplates pursuing a physical relationship with him. MJ meets an attractive blonde at a bar and brings her home.[45] | ||||
| 327 | 14 | "Forbidden Affair" | November 30, 2004 (2004-11-30) | |
Landon is attracted to the accountant for the Philadelphia Soul, but their relationship is tempered by a "no fraternization" rule for interns. The roommates take part in the Easter Seals walk-a-thon.[46] | ||||
| 328 | 15 | "Gone Sour" | December 7, 2004 (2004-12-07) | |
Sarah's mother, who is battling leukemia, visits with Sarah's sister and father. Karamo and Dorian's relationship hits a bumpy patch.[47] | ||||
| 329 | 16 | "MJ's Having Trouble with The Ladies" | December 28, 2004 (2004-12-28) | |
Sarah and MJ argue aboutMel Gibson'sThe Passion of the Christ, which Sarah believes is anti-Semitic. MJ butts heads with Shavonda over the phone. Willie misses work after a late night of revelry.[48] | ||||
| 330 | 17 | "Altercations" | January 4, 2005 (2005-01-04) | |
After a night of partying, Landon almost gets into an altercation with Melanie's friends.[49] | ||||
| 331 | 18 | "Ew, Scabies!" | January 11, 2005 (2005-01-11) | |
| 332 | 19 | "Fiji" | January 18, 2005 (2005-01-18) | |
| 333 | 20 | "Romantic Getaway" | January 25, 2005 (2005-01-25) | |
The roommates continue their vacation in Fiji, where Shavonda and Landon become closer.[52] | ||||
| 334 | 21 | "Back to Reality" | February 1, 2005 (2005-02-01) | |
After the roommates return to Philadelphia from their vacation, Shavonda calls Shaun and tells him about hooking up with Landon. Later, she and Landon have a heart-to-heart about their relationship.[53] | ||||
| 335 | 22 | "Intervention" | February 8, 2005 (2005-02-08) | |
After a fight with Shavonda, Melanie contemplates heading home. Karamo, Landon and Melanie skip out on work, which doesn't sit well with Laura.[54] | ||||
| 336 | 23 | "Willie's Love Triangle" | February 15, 2005 (2005-02-15) | |
Willie meets Neil while clubbing, and the two make plans for a date, but when Dan calls to say he'll be in town the same night, Willie dumps Neil.[55] | ||||
| 337 | 24 | "Ashley’s Visit" | February 22, 2005 (2005-02-22) | |
MJ's girlfriend, Ashley, arrives for a visit, but the fun is short-lived when he's torn between entertaining her or his best friend. Meeting Ashley gives Landon a new perspective on MJ.[56] | ||||
| 338 | 25 | "Motherly Love" | March 1, 2005 (2005-03-01) | |
Sarah's mom thinks she needs to lose weight, which causes a rift between the two. Karamo wants to gift a plaque to Landon for his extra work on the playground project.[57] | ||||
| 339 | 26 | "Losing You" | March 8, 2005 (2005-03-08) | |
The seven roommates bid adieu to one another, and Philadelphia, before going their separate ways. Prior to the goodbyes, the roommates head out to a club with Willie and Landon worries about how his relationship with Shavonda will affect her after they part.[58] | ||||
On November 29, 2005, two Philadelphia police officers were arrested foraggravated assault,simple assault,criminal conspiracy andreckless endangerment, due to an altercation they had with a plainclothes officer guarding theReal World house during filming the previous year. According toUPI andTMZ.com, Officers Patrick Cavalieri and David McAndrews were off-duty when they went to the house during filming of the program, and began banging on the door. Officer Brian Copeland, the plain clothes officer guarding the house, tried to stop them, and was allegedly assaulted by the two fellow policemen, who were suspended for 30 days with the intent to dismiss, according to a department spokesman.[59]
Cavalieri, a five-year veteran of the force, was eventually fired. One of the charges against him was dropped, but he was found not guilty of another, and reinstated in his job. He later sued the city and Copeland for violations of hiscivil andconstitutional rights, asking for a minimum of $50,000 in damages. Copeland alleged that Cavalieri and his "friends" severely beat him, causing severe eye damage. Cavalieri alleged that Copeland was not an officially licensed police officer at the time of the incident, that he did not identify himself as an officer before attacking him, and that he lied several times during the investigation regarding his version of the incident and the injuries he incurred.[60]
Seven months after the cast left theReal World house, all seven of them appeared to discuss their experiences both during and since their time on the show,Fistful of Philly: The Real World Philadelphia Reunion, which premiered on March 15, 2005, and was hosted byVanessa Minnillo.
At the 2008The Real World Awards Bash, Shavonda received a nomination in the "Best Phonecall Gone Bad" category.[61][62]
William Hernandez continued his acting career, appearing in movies such asEvicted,The Undercover Man,The Narrow Gate, andA Four Letter Word.[37]
In 2016, Karamo Brown appeared as a cast member on theTV One original seriesThe Next :15.[63] In 2017, he hostedAre You the One? Second Chances.[64] He is currently a member of the "Fab 5" in the 2018 Netflix reboot ofQueer Eye.[65] In 2019, he took part in the28th season ofDancing with the Stars, thus being the first person fromThe Real World to be cast on the show.[66]
| Cast member | Seasons ofThe Challenge | Other appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Karamo Brown | The Inferno II | — |
| Landon Lueck | The Inferno II,The Gauntlet 2,The Duel II,Fresh Meat II | Spring Break Challenge |
| Melanie Silcott | — | — |
| M.J. Garrett | The Gauntlet 2,The Gauntlet III,The Duel II | The Challenge: All Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 3) |
| Sarah Burke | — | — |
| Shavonda Bilingslea | The Inferno II | — |
| Willie Hernandez | — | — |
39°57′08″N75°08′42″W / 39.95222°N 75.14500°W /39.95222; -75.14500
