I've watched this show since the second season (I've since seen the first season in reruns), and it's really interesting to see how the show has changed over the years--especially with this latest cast. Sex & hooking up is obviously what Bunim-Murray thinks will keep its viewers watching--and they're probably right. But there's so little substance now that I often wonder why I even bother watching. It's like the show has gotten too big, and is anything but real anymore. It has been this way for a while, but it just keeps getting progressively worse. If you ever get a chance to watch the first few seasons in re-runs, you'll see the difference. People dealt with other issues rather than just who in the house (or outside the house) to hook up with tonight. The original New York cast actually felt somewhat authentic to me (as authentic as anyone could be in those circumstances). Now it's like they're all showing us what Bunim-Murray wants them to.
It's sad to see the Real World desperately trying to compete in the arena of shows it pioneered more than ten years ago. Like with Road Rules, all the missions either involve eating something putrid or some other really "extreme" stunt (gee, sound like any other shows you've heard of?) and now they vote someone off once per season (ditto).
I think it's time they put a gun to the temple of these two shows. They've dropped through the floor in credibility as far as I'm concerned. They mainly seem like venues for whiny actors and launching pads for vain 20-somethings with entertainment career aspirations.
l2c