The Real World

- Season 1

(1992)

It all begins with small-town country girl Julie and her family in Birmingham. Her family is nervous about the whole thing, but Julie is stoked about spending three months in the big city.

The sexual tension between Julie and Eric is highlighted The roommates discuss image and pornography after watching Eric's half-naked debut on a talk show. Heather brings Eric and Julie to the studio where she is recording, "The System Sucks." Heather discusses her career history. Heather falls while on a walk with Gouda and is embarrassed. Eric goes to Julie's hip-hop class. Eric gets upset when Becky talks about setting Julie up on a blind date.

Julie fumbles her way across town to get a new dance studio. Eric does a nearly nude photo shoot with Taryn, a model. He begins a relationship with her he doesn't understand. She takes him shopping and dresses him up. The police shut down a Reigndance rehearsal in their New Jersey house. Becky makes dinner for the roommates. Norman, Julie and Heather go roller-skating.

Becky sings in the studio. Becky's sexual drive is evident at the Limelight party, which disturbs Heather. The roommates talk about sex. Kevin is upset about being woken up by the roommates coming home from the party and invading his room. A tense house meeting reveals people's dissatisfaction with certain house issues.

The tension in the house is tangible as Eric and Kevin square off. Kevin's letter to Eric addresses the cultural and socio-economic differences between them. Kevin and Eric talk it out on the front steps. Eric discusses his checkered past with Julie.

In this episode Kevin urges Julie to keep her virginity as she goes on a date with an artist. The roommates decide to play a practical joke on Kevin, which unfortunatly backfires, causing Kevin to bolt from the loft.

The joke backfires! Kevin returns after leaving the house in horror at his roommates' transformation. Julie and Norman explain and apologize. Heather's infatuation with basketball player Larry Johnson climaxes when she gets to meet and spend time with him.

The girls leave a house full of jealous men in snowy New York as they head off for a sunny Jamaica. They decide that the goal of their vacation is to meet men, only later find that the choices of men in Jamaica are slim.

Politics is the focus as Norm takes everyone to a pro-choice rally (and gets a speeding ticket) and, in a sea of 1 million people, runs into Charles. Norm's obsession puts too much pressure on Charles and he puts the brakes on their relationship. Julie meets a homeless woman, Darlene, while walking Gouda in the park.

Julie's mother comes to visit and is the cause of much anxiety as Julie enlists her roommates assistance to keep her mother entertained for the weekend. The roommates find "the ugliest dog in the world" and, on a search for its owner, Andre belatedly remembers his mother is in town to see him.

In this episode, which takes place against the backdrop of the LA riots, Julie and Kevin's friendship explodes. Heather is interrogated by the police.

The friction in Heather and Eric's relationship comes to an end when they finally confront each other. Reigndance shoots their video, with the help of Bill, the former Real World director.

As the end draws near, everyone reflects on what they've learned from their experiences together. All of the roommates analyze each other. While playing "The question game", Eric inarticulately admits that he wants to sleep with Julie.