| Network: | MTV |
| Num Episodes: | 28[1] |
| Starring: |
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| Prev Season: | The Real World: Chicago |
| Next Season: | The Real World: Paris |
The Real World: Las Vegas is the twelfth 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 first season to be filmed in the Mountain States region of the United States, specifically in Nevada.
The season featured seven people who lived in a converted penthouse suite on the 28th floor of the Las Vegas Palms Casino and Resort, which production started from February 13 until June 21, 2002. The season premiered on September 17 of that year, consisted of 28 episodes, which along with the Denver season, is the highest number to date.[1] This was the first of three seasons of The Real World to be filmed in Las Vegas. The show made a return to the city twice: in the twenty-fifth and the thirty-first seasons, the latter set in Downtown Las Vegas.
Due to the popularity of the season, MTV ordered the spin-off miniseries that reunited the cast to live in the same Palms Hotel and Casino suite they filmed the original series in, five years after filming ended on The Real World: Las Vegas.
The owner of The Palms Casino Hotel, where the season was filmed, asked for production to cast exclusively people over 21 years old. Thus this was the first season in which all the castmates were at least that old.
The Palms demolished six rooms to make the hotel suite in which the season was filmed, at a cost of over $2 million USD. It was designed by Sharmila Tankha of the Jerde Partnership, the same firm that designed the hotel itself. Unlike previous Real World residences, the suite is not decorated with IKEA furnishings.[2] [3]
The suite, which is now called "The Real World Suite", is one of few former Real World residences that not only overall remains in the condition in which it was used for filming (minor changes have been made, such as the addition of doors for the bedrooms, TV's and the removal of the Confessional), but in which the public can potentially reside. The hotel rents the suite for $11,200 a night (including tax), and has done so to numerous celebrities who have stayed there. Among them are Britney Spears, who stayed in the suite on New Year's Eve 2004.[3] [4]
Most seasons of The Real World, beginning with the fifth, have 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 Las Vegas housemates had various jobs throughout the season involving the Palms Casino and Resort in which they lived, including promotional work for the night club, Rain in the Desert, cocktail waiting, and go-go dancing.
| Cast member | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Arissa Hill | 22 | Malden, Massachusetts[5] |
| Arissa is a half-African American, half-white woman who MTV describes as a "tough girl with a heart of gold". She was raised in the projects with a single mother, which helped Arissa learn to be self-sufficient. Her self-sufficiency is what is determining her to transition from her early life into adulthood.[6] | ||
| Frank Roessler | 22 | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania |
| Frank grew up in a traditional family with a stay-at-home mother and a father who owned a local pizzeria. MTV describes him as somebody who is 'affable, talkative and open' as well as somebody who makes friends easily.[7] | ||
| Trishelle Cannatella | 22 | Cut Off, Louisiana |
| Trishelle is a southern woman who was raised in a small, conservative town with her devout Christian mother, who would take the family to church three to four times a week. Her mother died from a brain tumor when Trishelle was only 14 years old.[8] | ||
| Brynn Smith | 21 | Portland, Oregon |
| Brynn is a woman who, as MTV describes, has a "razor-sharp wit" and is not afraid to say whatever is on her mind. Newly single, Brynn is ready to flirt with the boys in Las Vegas.[9] During her time is Las Vegas, Brynn began working as a go-go dancer.[10] In episode 11, she revealed to Alton that she had once been raped, and that her father is homosexual.[11] | ||
| Alton Williams | 22 | San Diego, California |
| Alton grew up as a Navy brat, and has lived in many different parts of the country because of this. He has close relationships to his extended family. MTV describes him as a "source of inspiration to people around him" and has a positive outlook on life.[12] When he was 14 years old, his nine-year-old brother, Jonathan Sellers was kidnapped and murdered.[13] [14] In episode 11, he reveals that he was molested when he was six years old, and this along with his brother's death causes him discomfort around homosexuals.[15] | ||
| Steven Hill | 23 | San Marcos, Texas |
| Steven had to learn to grow up on his own at a young age, and has been on his own since he was 16 years of age. While in business school, he supported himself by working as a topless bartender at a gay bar in his Texas hometown. When he was 22, he fell in love with a woman and married her, however the marriage ended in a divorce. In the midst of the divorce, he began a relationship with his roommate, Trishelle.[16] | ||
| Irulan Wilson | 21 | Bronx, New York |
| Irulan is a biracial woman and had a typical childhood, up until her father's death when she was 6 years old. Because of this, she and her mother share a deep bond with one another. Growing up with body image issues her whole life, she has since overcome them, and is now a student at Parson's School of Design. She has an open relationship with her boyfriend, Gabe. MTV describes her as someone who is strong and not afraid of conflict.[17] | ||
Age at the time of filming.
After the cast left the Real World suite, six of them, except for Trishelle, appeared to discuss their experiences both during and since their time on the show, 7 The Hard Way: The Real World Las Vegas Reunion which premiered on April 8, 2003, and was hosted by Hilarie Burton.
At the 2008 The Real World Awards Bash, Steven, Trishelle and Brynn took home the award for "Steamiest Scene". Irulan and Trishelle were also nominated for "Hottest Female", Alton for "Hottest Male", Brynn and Steven for "Best Fight", Alton and Irulan for "Favorite Love Story" (Steven and Trishelle were nominated in the same category as well).[18] [19]
Trishelle Cannatella appeared in the May 2002 Playboy magazine with other Real World alumni.[20] [21] [22] Arissa Hill also posed for the magazine.[23] In 2003 Trishelle was a cast member on The Surreal Life, and has played in the Lingerie Bowl, and in Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling series as "The Red Hot Redneck". She also appeared on Fear Factor alongside Mike Mizanin, and at poker events.[24] She married John Hensz in 2017. Katie Doyle from was in attendance.[25] [26] In 2024, Cannatella competed on the second season of The Traitors.[27]
Steven Hill married designer Donna Katz in 2007 and welcomed his first son, Riley James David, in 2008.[28] The couple divorced in 2010.[29]
Irulan Wilson and Alton Williams' relationship continued for three years after the show. Williams later became a radio host,[30] while Wilson appeared in various documentaries and TV specials like Kill Reality and Real Hot. She now works as a photographer in New York City.
In 2005, Trishelle Cannatella, Steven Hill, Irulan Wilson and Tonya Cooley (from ) appeared in the TV movie, The Scorned.[31]
In 2007, the cast reunited to appear in , a seven-episode spin-off reunion miniseries in which they lived in the same suite they filmed the original series in.[32] [33] [34] The mini-series premiered on May 30, 2007 and concluded on July 11, 2007.
| Arissa Hill | Battle of the Sexes 2 | The Challenge: All Stars (season 1) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Roessler | Battle of the Sexes 2, The Gauntlet III | ||
| The Gauntlet, The Inferno, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II | The Challenge: All Stars (season 1) | ||
| Brynn Smith | |||
| Alton Williams | The Gauntlet, The Gauntlet 2, The Inferno 3, Battle of the Seasons (2012) | The Challenge: All Stars (season 1) | |
| Steven Hill | Battle of the Sexes 2 | ||
| Irulan Wilson | The Gauntlet |