| Season Number: | 17 |
| Starring: |
|
| Num Episodes: | 25[1] |
| Network: | MTV |
| Prev Season: | The Real World: Austin |
| Next Season: | The Real World: Denver |
The Real World: Key West is the seventeenth season of MTV's reality television series The 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 second season of The Real World to be filmed in the South Atlantic States region of the United States, specifically in Florida after .
The season featured seven people and was shot in the Key Haven neighborhood of Key West, Florida from August to December 2005. It premiered on February 28, 2006, and consisted of 25 episodes. The season premiere was viewed by 3.33 million people.[2]
In 2019, the season was made available for streaming on Facebook Watch (alongside the sixteenth and twenty-eighth seasons) ahead of s premiere.[3]
The production faced a lawsuit by tourism mogul Ed Swift, a neighbor to the Driftwood Drive house, who sought to stop filming at the location, on the grounds that the production's floodlights, commercial-sized air conditioners, and outdoor cameras capable of rotating towards his house were a nuisance, and that local zoning laws prohibit commercial use of Key Haven homes. After MTV threatened to cancel production in response to the lawsuit, a judge threw out the lawsuit and allowed Bunim-Murray Productions to continue filming the season, with some minor production restrictions put in place.[4]
During filming, Hurricane Rita made landfall, forcing the cast to evacuate to West Palm Beach. Subsequently, Wilma hit the area, forcing them to evacuate again, first to Ft. Lauderdale, and then to Orlando.[5] [6]
Almost every season of The Real World, beginning with its fifth season, 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 the Back to New York season. The Key West cast was assigned to assist in starting a Mystic Tan franchise at the Pineapple Gallery. It closed briefly after Hurricane Wilma had devastated the store, and later reopened.
The cast lived in a nearly 6000square feet Spanish Mediterranean-style, five bedroom, four and a half bathroom house at 32 Driftwood Drive in Key Haven, just north of the Key West city limits. The property spans 32000square feet of waterfront property, and includes a tennis court, indoor racquetball court, gym, and an open dock. The house, which, along with two adjacent lots, was leased from June 28 to December 30, 2005, also included a 12feet x 20feet indoor pool that was converted into a sunken lounge area for filming.[7] The house also included an outdoor pool.[8] The house sustained some damage from Hurricane Wilma.[9]
| Cast member | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Mann | 22 | Vashon Island, Washington |
| A communications grad from Lewis and Clark College, Zach comes from a Jewish family. Zach was at one time overweight, but has since transformed himself and emerged as an energetic, confident young man. He angers Svetlana when he informs her that he would also like to apply for team leader of Mystic Tan. At the reunion show, all of the castmates laughingly point to Zach when asked who "got the most booty." | ||
| Jose Tapia | 20 | Brooklyn, New York |
| Known to his friends as "The Don." He was raised in Brooklyn surrounded by drugs, violence, and the influence of "the wrong crowd". During the season, viewers learn that while living in Key West he is in the process of moving out of an apartment he shares with his former girlfriend. He attended Florida State University, and is the owner of multiple rental properties and the holder of a real estate broker license.[10] | ||
| Paula Meronek | 23[11] | Meriden, Connecticut[12] |
| Since her graduation from Quinnipiac University, Paula is a corporate employee by day, and parties at night. Paula is still experiencing problems with an abusive ex-boyfriend, and with her body image. | ||
| John Devenanzio | 22[13] | Fullerton, California[14] |
| A recent graduate of Pennsylvania State University, his casting made headlines in the Daily Collegian, PSU's student newspaper. During this season and onward throughout numerous challenges, he was appointed as "Johnny Bananas". He initially flirts with Svetlana but she remains faithful to her boyfriend at home. At one point during the season, he jokingly removes Janelle's bikini top in the ocean. Concerned about being asked to leave the house, he apologizes to Janelle and she accepts but not without reprimand. He and Tyler share a relationship characterized by numerous practical jokes they play on one another. | ||
| Janelle Casanave | 23 | San Jose, California |
| Friends describe her as "independent." She was accepted to the University of San Francisco School of Law, but before becoming a lawyer, is launching a career as a makeup artist.[15] In 2008, Janelle later appeared on , in which she dates cast member William Gilbert. | ||
| Tyler Duckworth | 23 | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| A gay gymnastics and figure skating enthusiast who describes himself as "manipulative" and "mischievous". At one time, he was on track to becoming a world-class swimming champion, until a freak accident that nearly took away his ability to walk shattered his Olympic dreams. A recent graduate of Tufts University, he must decide what to do with his life. In the show, he admits to feeling the closest to Jose in the house.[16] | ||
| Svetlana Shusterman | 19 | Richboro, Pennsylvania |
| Svetlana is a pre-med student at Temple University who was born to a Jewish family in Odesa, Ukraine. A first generation immigrant with a reputation for being the "crazy Russian chick," she is torn between her dependency on her family, and the need to venture out and experience life.[17] During this season and her only challenge season, she was nicknamed as "Fitz". In 2007, her 21st birthday was featured on MTV's My Super Sweet 16.[18] | ||
Age at the time of filming.[19]
After the cast left the Real World house, all seven of them appeared to discuss their experiences both during and since their time on the show, Fun, Sun, and Now Totally Done: The Real World Key West Reunion which premiered on August 22, 2006, and was hosted by Susie Castillo.[20]
At the 2008 The Real World Awards Bash, Svetlana won the title of "Hottest Female" and Johnny was named "Hottest Male". Other nominees included Paula for "Best Meltdown" and for "Best Phonecall Gone Bad", and Tyler for "Roommate you Love to Hate", "Best Dance-Off" and for "Steamiest Scene" alongside Bhakti.[21] [22]
In 2006, Paula Meronek was arrested for assault for allegedly biting then-boyfriend John Alyward.[12] In April, 2014, she married Jack Beckert and gave birth to three babies: Atlas (born in 2014), Athena Rose (born in 2015) and Aurora Mae (born in 2019).[23] [24] [25] [26]
Svetlana Shusterman became an aspiring actress and model who appeared in FHM as one of the "Girls of FHM". In 2007 she was arrested for disorderly conduct.[18] [27] In March 2014, Shusterman filed a restraining order against Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd. Boyd responded that he did not know her, and did not recall having ever met her.[28]
Janelle Casanave got married on June 13, 2015.[29]
In 2011, Devenanzio alleged in a lawsuit that the TV series Entourage damaged his name and personality and caused him emotional distress by featuring a character named "Johnny Bananas", played by Kevin Dillon. One year later, the judge ruled in HBO's favor.[30] In 2017, he appeared on Fear Factor alongside Leroy Garrett from The Real World: Las Vegas.[31] In 2018, he started hosting 1st Look, a late-night travel series on NBC.[32] In 2020, Devenanzio competed in season 19 of Worst Cooks in America.[33] Devenanzio subsequently hosted another late-night NBC show, Celebrity Sleepover, which premiered on April 3, 2021.[34] Devenanzio also competed on the first season of House of Villains,[35] and on the second season of The Traitors.[36]
| Zach Mann | The Gauntlet III | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Tapia | |||
| Paula Meronek | The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Duel II, Fresh Meat II, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II | ||
| John Devenanzio | The Duel, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Ruins, Cutthroat, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Rivals II, Free Agents, Battle of the Exes II, Battle of the Bloodlines, Rivals III, Invasion of the Champions, XXX: Dirty 30, Vendettas, Final Reckoning, War of the Worlds, War of the Worlds 2, Total Madness, Ride or Dies | , The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars (season 1), , The Challenge: USA (season 2) | |
| Janelle Casanave | The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III | The Challenge: All Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 4) | |
| Svetlana Shusterman | The Duel | ||
| Tyler Duckworth | The Duel, The Gauntlet III, Cutthroat, Rivals | The Challenge: All Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 3) |
Note: Paula appeared on the 2010 MTV special Spring Break Challenge as a commentator