I loved Pedro and his whole story, but honestly, SF was the first season that really seemed cast for conflict. It was clear from the jump that Puck was just in it for the publicity and the chance to be famous and that he was cast to cause trouble. And casting an openly gay, HIV+ man with a straighlaced, latina, catholic, young republican type like Rachel was just courting controversy. The manipulation on that season was really starting to show, which makes it a real love/hate season for me because there was a lot to like (Pedro's whole storyline, Pam and Judd) but I also feel like SF was the beginning of the end for The Real World as a show at all interested in being something beyond trash TV. Then after the boring London season, Bunim-Murray just said "Fuck it" and started casting for looks and conflict and making the kids work together in bullshit, made up jobs and anything real about The Real World went right out the door.

TAR is good for that reason. Plus, the scenery! No matter what else is going on, I get to see a lot of things I wouldn't otherwise.

Isn't that when they started the whole give them a job/project thing?

Yes! That was not a great idea.

Yes, I love that about TAR. Even when they cast people who play to type, once they get out there and start running the race, the chips fall pretty much where they may. It's refreshing.

And I would so re-watch a marathon of S1 Survivor. Someone should get on that.

Oh, and they started the give them a fake job/project thing in Miami, which was before Seattle. For me, it really ruined the show and turned it into something else entirely. I did keep watching after that, but I wasn't a capital "F" fan anymore. I probably watched pretty religiously up through Hawaii, but that season was so uncomfortable because they put Ruthie on and she was so clearly an alcoholic and really needed help and not to have her life paraded on MTV and it was really bad to watch those kids act as enablers as she got closer and closer to killing herself on TV for our amusement. After that, I kind of couldn't watch anymore.

Oh god, Ruthie. Wow, I forgot all about that. That was a train wreck.

I must have given up before Hawaii cause I have no memory of Ruthie. I did watch the first couple of the Challange seasons and it was a mix of people I remembered and total unknowns.

Yeah, kat's impressions are mine. I watched every RW season through Chicago (Season 11). Tonya, as you might imagine, put me off the franchise forever. That was also the last year I watched the RW/RR Challenge. A year or two before I gave up on Road Rules.

You know, I was just thinking about Seattle and how David became involved with the casting director Kira. I think about Kira maybe 2x a year because I just don't understand what she was thinking.

I am cynical about how much "reality" is in reality TV. Anything after the very first Real World, I just assume that there is a lot of producer manipulation going on.

A good friend of mine knows someone (yeah, I know, but I trust my friend) who was approached to do a reality show, was told that he would win the competition, and told what the challenges would be so that he could prepare.

Okay, I didn't think it was that bad.

ETA: And I just reread my tag. Sigh.

A good friend of mine knows someone (yeah, I know, but I trust my friend) who was approached to do a reality show, was told that he would win the competition, and told what the challenges would be so that he could prepare.

We know a reality casting producer (this is a different person from the writer above. It's LA). He was asked if he knew someone with a nerdy/fun vibe. He suggested Bob Bob. The producers of that show auditioned Bob for a role in a Pawn Stars-type reality show where he would be the video game expert.

N.B.: Bob knows nothing about video games. This was not a problem.