| Season Number: | 16 |
| Starring: |
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| Num Episodes: | 24[1] |
| Network: | MTV |
| Prev Season: | The Real World: Philadelphia |
| Next Season: | The Real World: Key West |
The Real World: Austin is the sixteenth 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 to be filmed in the West South Central States region of the United States, specifically in Texas.
The season featured seven people who lived in a converted warehouse, which production started from January to May 2005. Consisting of 24 episodes, the season premiered on June 21 later that year and was watched by nearly 4 million viewers.[2] [3] The Real World: Austin won "Favorite Season" at the 2008 The Real World Awards Bash.[4] [5]
In 2019, the season was made available for streaming on Facebook Watch (alongside the seventeenth and twenty-eighth seasons) ahead of s premiere.[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 Austin cast had to shoot, edit and direct their own documentary on the South by Southwest music festival. Their "boss" was Paul Stekler, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who taught at the University of Texas.
This season the cast was housed in the west half of a 23552square feet warehouse at 301 San Jacinto Boulevard at East 3rd Street in Austin, Texas, 8000square feet of which were used for filming. The interior used for the series was designed by Austin designer Joel Mozersky. Construction took three and a half weeks. 44 cameras were mounted on walls for filming. After filming ended, the warehouse was completely gutted. The west half of it was turned into a Mexican restaurant called The Rio Grande. The east half was leased to a printing services company. The house was converted into the Vince Young Steakhouse, which opened in November 2010.[7] [8]
| Cast member | Age | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Jamieson | 21[9] | Billerica, Massachusetts[10] | |
| MTV.com describes Danny as a humble, sensitive, attractive, and assertive man. Before filming he wanted to become a lawyer, but has chosen to help his father with the family business first. | |||
| Johanna Botta[11] | 21[12] | Riverside, California | |
| Johanna is Peruvian, born in Lima, Peru, who moved to the U.S. when she was eleven, and had been living in Southern California when she was cast. She aspires to be a clinical therapist, specializing in marriage and counseling for families. MTV.com describes her as highly opinionated and argumentative. | |||
| Lacey Buehler[13] | 23 | Tallahassee, Florida | |
| Lacey was raised by ex-hippie-turned devoutly religious parents who raised her in a strict manner, monitoring the TV and movies that she viewed. This made socialization at school difficult for her, but according to MTV, has given her a unique style.[14] | |||
| Melinda Stolp | 21[15] | Germantown, Wisconsin | |
| Melinda is an aspiring dentist working as a waitress when she was cast. MTV.com describes her "sexy, creative, and quick witted", and as a "once shy girl [who] has completely come out of her shell and truly lives by the saying 'I will try anything once.'" She had a boyfriend, but she fell in love with castmate Danny. | |||
| Nehemiah Clark | 19[16] | Rancho Cucamonga, California | |
| Nehemiah was born to a mother who was currently in rehab, and mtv.com describes his life as "a combination of heartbreaking and hopeful", and Nehemiah himself as a "bright, charismatic young man who has the wisdom and experience of someone far beyond his years." | |||
| Rachel Moyal[17] | 21[18] | Valencia, California | |
| Rachel is a Jewish former U.S. Army combat nurse and Iraq War veteran who enlisted in the military to pay for college. According to mtv.com, her military experience made her resilient, confident, and outspoken. According to MTV, she possesses a high sex drive, and sees Jenna Jameson as her hero, which may call into question whether she will be able to remain faithful to her boyfriend, whom she met in Iraq. | |||
| Wes Bergmann | 19[19] | Leawood, Kansas | |
| MTV.com describes Wes, a junior and a frat boy at Arizona State University, as an "obnoxious, super-competitive jock", "the guy you love to hate", but also "bright and entrepreneurial." He cannot wait to graduate so he can start his own business. | |||
Age at the time of filming.
Six months 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, Tex, Hugs, & Rock 'n' Roll: The Real World Austin Reunion, which premiered on November 29, 2005, and was hosted by Susie Castillo.
The four female cast mates posed in lingerie for a cover feature in Stuff magazine.[20]
At the 2008 The Real World Awards Bash, the Austin season won "Favorite Season", Danny and Melinda won "Favorite Love Story" and Johanna won "Best Dance-Off". The cast also received a nomination for "Steamiest Scene", Melinda was nominated for "Hottest Female", Danny for "Hottest Male", Johanna for "Best Brush with the Law", Rachel for "Best Meltdown".[21] [22]
When filming ended Melinda moved to Boston to be with Danny. A film crew followed them in New York City as they took a carriage ride through Central Park and he proposed before the reunion show. On August 2, 2008, they married at Castle Hill outside Boston, with most of their former cast members among those in attendance.[23] Danny owns a construction company while Melinda is planning a career in dentistry.[24] During the premiere of , Melinda revealed in a confessional that she and Danny were going through a divorce.[25] In 2016, Melinda married Matt Collins.[26] Their first child, Camden, was born in 2019. After suffering a miscarriage, their second child, Hayden Thomas, was born in 2022.[27] [28] [29]
Wes and Johanna announced during the reunion show that they began dating several months after the conclusion of filming the show. They appeared together in , and Wes promised to use his prize money to pay for her engagement ring as he won the . At the reunion show Johanna announced that she and Wes are no longer together. During the reunion special for , which premiered November 5, 2008, it was revealed that KellyAnne Judd from was dating Wes at the time. Wes and Johanna both appeared on the (as did KellyAnne Judd), during which they experienced interpersonal conflicts stemming from the game and relationship issues. During the reunion for The Ruins the two indicated that they were never officially engaged, despite prior indications to the contrary. In a clip from reunion, which aired December 16, 2009, Wes and KellyAnne revealed that they were no longer a couple.[30]
Johanna married Willem Marx. Together they have a child, Diego.[31]
Wes proposed to Amanda Hornick in September 2016 at a Royals baseball game and got married in June 2018. Former roommates Lacey, Melinda, Rachel, Nehemiah and The Challenge costar Devin Walker-Molaghan were in attendance.[32] The couple's first daughter was born on September 28, 2023.[33]
This is the third season of The Real World whose entire cast has at one time or another competed in MTV's spin-off reality series The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. The first two are and The Real World: New Orleans.
| Danny Jamieson | Fresh Meat, The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Battle of the Seasons (2012) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Johanna Botta | Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III, The Island, The Ruins | ||
| Lacey Buehler | Battle of the Seasons (2012) | ||
| Melinda Stolp | Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III, Cutthroat, Battle of the Seasons (2012) | The Challenge: All Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 3) | |
| Nehemiah Clark | The Duel, The Gauntlet III, The Duel II, Rivals, Battle of the Eras | The Challenge: All Stars (season 1), The Challenge: All Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 3) | |
| Rachel Moyal | The Inferno 3, The Gauntlet III | ||
| Wes Bergmann | Fresh Meat, The Duel, The Ruins, Fresh Meat II, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons (2012), Rivals II, Battle of the Exes II, Rivals III, War of the Worlds, War of the Worlds 2, Total Madness, Double Agents | Spring Break Challenge, , The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars (season 1), The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars (season 2), The Challenge: All Stars (season 3), , The Challenge: USA (season 2) |