RW Homecoming: New York (2021)

[TattleTeeny]

Ooooh, I just had to come back and recant my comment above about Norman’s “shut up”—it was harsher than I originally thought. It doesn’t change my mind about Becky or anything, or make me mad at Norman; I just wanted to correct myself!

[DearEvette]

So far the show has been really positive and a great comfort watch, Becky is the only turd in the bowl.
I got a cackle of Heather burning sage to get the witch vibes out of her old room.  LOL.
I love that look back and Heather and Eric’s early contentiousness relationship to the friendship that came out of it.  I admit I could barely stand Eric and never saw a minute of The Grind.  But I am digging his vibe.

Poor Norman.  I felt for him but I loved everyone rallying around him.  Real talk tho, chocolate bunny paintings are not my thing.  More power to him. They look like they'd be a good fit for a store like Fish's Eddy. 

I love Julie but honestly her take on Becky is overly generous.  "She's not here to talk for herself". Well whose fault is that?  She is the one who dramatically flounced and was bitchy about it to boot.  I am totally team Norman.  Honestly I think Andre and Norman were the ones who were just completely over her drama.  I liked Heather's attitude also, just let her go and do what she gotta do.  I love that Heather didn't even try to reach out.  That would be me.  My ass is too old to run after people who transparently want to be chased down.  Ugh.  She is annoying.

But Heather is joy she really is shaping up to the MVP of this reunion.

[Miss Slay]

Another great episode. I'm loving this series, it reminds me of how I used to feel after watching reality tv in the 90s. I guess it isn't that reality tv has changed it's that the people on it have.

I loved the roommates banning together to help Norman. It highlights what sets season 1 from other seasons - these relationships ended up being lifelong friendships.

I do wish the show would address some moments on the show beyond arguments between roommates. For example, I wish they could have Julie discuss that moment with the homeless woman (Darlene?), I wonder what happened to her. 

I followed the official real world instagram and it appears to follow everyone but Becky. Also, Becky doesn't follow anyone from the cast and has deleted all mentions of the show. I assume she's had a falling out with production. I do hope she didn't have a following out with the cast. That would be a shame. (Although Julie and Norman do follow her)

Edited March 26, 2021 by Miss Slay

[EdnasEdibles]

I understand why Kevin and especially Norman were upset about the silent treatment from Becky. I absolutely hate silent treatment and since Norman and Becky were friends, for her to just ignore him is not cool. Like at the very least I feel like you owe someone a text that says "I will reach out but right now I just need some space." and hope that they can respect that. But I'd be peeved too if I found out she was talking to Julie since I didn't get the impression that she and Julie were friends.

I did feel for Norman with his issues with money. Poor guy. He is just so good-hearted in his first season and now this one. 

[txhorns79]

9 hours ago, EdnasEdibles said:

I understand why Kevin and especially Norman were upset about the silent treatment from Becky. I absolutely hate silent treatment and since Norman and Becky were friends, for her to just ignore him is not cool. Like at the very least I feel like you owe someone a text that says "I will reach out but right now I just need some space." and hope that they can respect that. But I'd be peeved too if I found out she was talking to Julie since I didn't get the impression that she and Julie were friends.

Had it even been a day since she left the loft?  I understand everyone is different, but I would probably give her a few days to cool off before I expected to hear anything.  The only way I might feel that an immediate text was required is if it was a situation where someone's safety was legitimately in jeopardy.  I think we as a society have gotten too used to being able to access someone at all hours and times via our phones, and have forgotten how to exercise patience in waiting for a response. 

I do appreciate how everyone in the cast (except Becky for the moment) really does get along and seems to like one another.  I can't think of any other seasons where everyone managed to stay close. 

Also, did I see Eric wearing a Malcolm X hat in the flashback from '92?  I remember when those were everywhere.

 

[Stiggs]

On 3/25/2021 at 8:08 AM, docmatt said:

Twenty-nine years in and Julie and Heather are still the best reality TV people ever!

For real. They are just delightful. 
Really enjoying the love they’re showing for each other. Rallying around Norm, visiting Eric, love it. ❤️

[snarts]

On 3/25/2021 at 11:01 PM, DearEvette said:

Poor Norman.  I felt for him but I loved everyone rallying around him.  Real talk tho, chocolate bunny paintings are not my thing.  More power to him. They look like they'd be a good fit for a store like Fish's Eddy. 

It was go great to see the roommates rally around Norman.

Not exactly my taste either but I was so moved by the story and wanted to help my fellow Michigander.  Figured I could donate the bunny painting to charity or gift to a young relative.  In any case, I emailed to inquire about pricing.  $1,000/each.

I also loved hearing more about some of their post-show journeys/careers, hope that they all have a chance to share details on where they've been.  I don't miss Becky at all.  Wish Julie had left it alone. I don't anticipate her conversation with Becky will go well and it just hurt Norman to hear that they've been in contact and that Becky's still in NYC.

Sounds like I'm repeating myself but I really hope Eric gets to join them before filming ends. 

[peachmangosteen]

15 minutes ago, snarts said:

Not exactly my taste either but I was so moved by the story and wanted to help my fellow Michigander.  Figured I could donate the bunny painting to charity or gift to a young relative.  In any case, I emailed to inquire about pricing.  $1,000/each.

Yea I looked it up while watching the ep because I was actually considering buying one. But $1000, Norman, honey, no lol.

UO but I can't really stand Julie.

[gesundheit]

On 3/25/2021 at 1:59 PM, shantown said:

I hope Becky stays away. I appreciate that Julie tried to reach out and wanted them all to continue this together, but there's no reason to coddle her as much as she wants. What's more annoying is that it seems Becky is back on camera next week, so apparently things aren't that terrible or fake if you still want cameratime. 

Everyone else seems incredibly chill and fun and appreciative. 

Agreed. When I saw the previews for next week I was so annoyed. If you're going to leave, leave. Otherwise just take a break. We already know she doesn't move back in and make up with everyone, but we still have to watch another episode about Becky. It's weird how joyful it is to watch an episode without conflict, I don't know, watching everyone try to be kind and patient and supportive but also have fun and acknowledge weaknesses, it's kind of balm for the soul (as much as TV can be) in these times. (Or maybe that's hyperbolic and it's just comforting, but damn does comfort feel good right now.) Wouldn't work if these weren't people we were familiar with and had seen in conflict ages ago, but I'm pretty happy just watching nice people enjoy one another.

[WendyCR72]

Eh, I say "girl, BYE!" to Becky as far as I'm concerned. Her out-there coffee house 20s persona worked in 1992. But it is clear she hasn't learned a damned thing in almost 30 years and has even seemed to regress.

Just keep the good vibes going with Heather and Julie (the remaining women) and the rest. I still love how real (pardon the pun!) these people are versus the later casts (which is why I was tickled when Drunk!Julie! called them out!).

And while I admire Julie trying to keep the peace, sometimes you just have to let people go. I agree with Heather there.

I do love just how much Julie has grown, both solo and in her relationships with the others, especially Kevin, when you look at their very rough beginning. (Then again, it started off a bit rough with Heather, too, with the beeper [how '90s!] and the drug dealer talk. And look at them now.)

I felt for Norm. Glad everyone wanted to help him and I loved the workaround they devised to visit/include Eric more, as best as could be done.

I'll miss this crew. Can't say I'm that eager for any other reunions, but we'll see.

[Hiyo]

Quote

I do love just how much Julie has grown, both solo and in her relationships with the others

On paper, both then and now, you'd think Julie wouldn't be so open minded about exploring new experiences, cultures, different ideas, etc. But she really does seem like she genuinely wants to explore the world outside her own little bubble of life, and is open to seeing other viewpoints besides hers, even if she may not always agree with them.

In many ways, Julie is what Becky wishes she could be, and probably how Becky sees herself, even though that isn't the case these days.

[Prairie Fire]

On 3/25/2021 at 11:39 PM, Miss Slay said:

I loved the roommates banning together to help Norman. It highlights what sets season 1 from other seasons - these relationships ended up being lifelong friendships.

To me, this is still my favorite thing about them doing this with the original cast, but also why I'm completely gobsmacked they're even considering doing it for later seasons.

Just like almost every other show in the reality genre that TRW supposedly launched, the original season was in a different category than the others. Nobody knew what they were getting into, and that's why it was the most "real" in terms of interactions and conversations and relationships, all of which made it possible for them to reunite 30 years later and actually have something meaningful to talk about.

The next few seasons changed just because everyone knew the drill and were a little more aware of what gets them on camera (read: sex and drunken antics). They could probably still do this with seasons 2-4 and maybe 5-11, but for any season later than that, it would be pretty embarrassing and cringy.

[gesundheit]

1 hour ago, Prairie Fire said:

To me, this is still my favorite thing about them doing this with the original cast, but also why I'm completely gobsmacked they're even considering doing it for later seasons.

Just like almost every other show in the reality genre that TRW supposedly launched, the original season was in a different category than the others. Nobody knew what they were getting into, and that's why it was the most "real" in terms of interactions and conversations and relationships, all of which made it possible for them to reunite 30 years later and actually have something meaningful to talk about.

And everyone in this season was already an artist of some sort pursuing their own thing. I don't even remember the artist thing lasting into the second season, did it? Certainly there were some, but it wasn't the main concept anymore, plus even though they went to some fun cities they weren't quite all cities where you could pursue whatever career you were going after at a high level. And didn't they specifically give them a group job of some sort eventually? I can't remember which season was the last one I watched but I have some vague memory of that. (Generally the people I remember are from NYC and San Francisco, even though I'm pretty sure I saw a lot more than that.)

I honestly don't remember many later cast members who had the kind of fame these ones did, where they were famous for being on TRW and rode those coattails for a bit, while others were famous more for being recurring people in TRW franchise, if that makes sense.

[Glade]

On 3/25/2021 at 6:39 PM, Miss Slay said:

I loved the roommates banning together to help Norman. It highlights what sets season 1 from other seasons - these relationships ended up being lifelong friendships.

 

1 hour ago, Prairie Fire said:

To me, this is still my favorite thing about them doing this with the original cast, but also why I'm completely gobsmacked they're even considering doing it for later seasons.

The producers only mentioned the possibilities of San Francisco, LA, New Orleans, and Hawaii from what I've seen.  They also feature life-long friendships.  In SF, Rachel and Puck are still friends (no comment,) Pam and Judd are married and still friends with Corey and Mohammed.  I do think they could probably do SF by having Jo live in the house and Puck just video in for an hour or have seperate sit-downs with just Rachel, since I imagine she'd be storming out of the house ala Becky anyway. There are other examples from the earlier seasons of life-long friendships (and even here, Kevin hadn't spoken to Julie or Becky, etc in decades,) and I don't agree that every season after S1 was tainted by self-awareness or that it's absurd to imagine this working for the first 9ish seasons.

12 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

And everyone in this season was already an artist of some sort pursuing their own thing. I don't even remember the artist thing lasting into the second season, did it?

It definitely continued into London, which featured three musicians, a playwright, a model, a race car driver...and after that they made everyone work in the same job.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Glade

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, Glade said:

It definitely continued into London, which featured three musicians, a playwright, a model, a race car driver...and after that they made everyone work in the same job.

During the Miami season (Season 5), they tried to have the cast come up with a business idea.  I don't think they had to work at a specific place.  The season after that, Boston, was where they first started assigning the cast to a particular job. 

[Hiyo]

Yeah after Miami they probably realized they definitely couldn't depend on the cast to come together for a start-up lol

[EdnasEdibles]

9 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

During the Miami season (Season 5), they tried to have the cast come up with a business idea.  I don't think they had to work at a specific place.  The season after that, Boston, was where they first started assigning the cast to a particular job. 

If they do a Miami reunion they'll have to get the guy who was their business advisor to join them. I just remember that guy initially being so excited and then after a while he just looked broke down and exhausted. Like "Why the hell can't these kids get Delicious Deliveries off the ground? What am I doing with my life? Why is this short guy always coming to me for advice on his girlfriend Nicole? Why? How?"

[Giuseppe]

21 hours ago, Prairie Fire said:

Just like almost every other show in the reality genre that TRW supposedly launched, the original season was in a different category than the others. Nobody knew what they were getting into, and that's why it was the most "real" in terms of interactions and conversations and relationships, all of which made it possible for them to reunite 30 years later and actually have something meaningful to talk about.

The next few seasons changed just because everyone knew the drill and were a little more aware of what gets them on camera (read: sex and drunken antics). They could probably still do this with seasons 2-4 and maybe 5-11, but for any season later than that, it would be pretty embarrassing and cringy

My thoughts exactly. A reunion with any season post-Vegas1.0 wouldn't work like this one, partly because we've seen a good many of those guys repeatedly on various challenges over the years, but mainly because those earlier seasons definitely had more meaningful interactions and dealt with actual issues that weren't drunken hookups and fights. I can't imagine any of those later casts coming into a reunion like this and it being an introspective, happy family get-together. Plus, the newer casts have all mixed and mingled so much that some of them have become closer with people from other seasons than their own, so reuniting their original casts doesn't seem like it would have the same emotional resonance.  I'm definitely up for them doing this for seasons 2-4 though.

Back to this reunion, I finally got to catch up on the last two eps. Not much else to say about Becky that hasn't already been covered. I do wish she hadn't left because it takes a bit of magic away from having the OG 7 there, but I'm afraid if she had stayed, things would have continued to go south. Also, I really loved how they all went to see Eric from his balcony, and I join the chorus of others who really hope he gets to get into the loft at some point, even if just for a day.

 

Edited March 29, 2021 by Giuseppe

[Giuseppe]

20 hours ago, gesundheit said:

I don't even remember the artist thing lasting into the second season, did it? Certainly there were some, but it wasn't the main concept anymore, plus even though they went to some fun cities they weren't quite all cities where you could pursue whatever career you were going after at a high level.

They definitely tried to replicate the same concept in season 2, but on the west coast. Fish-out-of-water-Julie became fish-out-of-water-Jon (except Julie had dance and Jon had...TV and kool-aid), and they had Tami and her music, David and his comedy, Dom and his writing, and Beth S and her acting. I don't think Irene or Aaron had any 'artist' type ambitions, but when David left, they brought in Glenn and his rock band. I don't remember what Beth A did except telling the Beth S there's nothing wrong with being a lesbian, lol. But most of their career paths and even their looks seemed very "L.A." And now that I think about it, the majority of the early season casts were actually from the cities they filmed in, and they were already pursuing their goals there. I think that pretty much stopped with Boston.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Giuseppe

[ljenkins782]

On 3/26/2021 at 3:34 PM, EdnasEdibles said:

I understand why Kevin and especially Norman were upset about the silent treatment from Becky. I absolutely hate silent treatment and since Norman and Becky were friends, for her to just ignore him is not cool. Like at the very least I feel like you owe someone a text that says "I will reach out but right now I just need some space." and hope that they can respect that. But I'd be peeved too if I found out she was talking to Julie since I didn't get the impression that she and Julie were friends.

I did feel for Norman with his issues with money. Poor guy. He is just so good-hearted in his first season and now this one. 

Yeah, Becky and Julie definitely are not close. I assume Becky answered her and not Norman because Julie was mostly quiet during the argument that preceded Becky's exit. I'm not looking forward to more screen time for Becky next episode, especially after reading her "explanation" from Instagram. Clearly she hasn't gained any perspective in the months since filming, so she definitely won't have gained any after one day. 

Quote

 

Quote

I don't even remember the artist thing lasting into the second season, did it? Certainly there were some, but it wasn't the main concept anymore, plus even though they went to some fun cities they weren't quite all cities where you could pursue whatever career you were going after at a high level.

They definitely tried to replicate the same concept in season 2, but on the west coast. Fish-out-of-water-Julie became fish-out-of-water-Jon (except Julie had dance and Jon had...TV and kool-aid), and they had Tami and her music, David and his comedy, Dom and his writing, and Beth S and her acting. I don't think Irene or Aaron had any 'artist' type ambitions, but when David left, they brought in Glenn and his rock band. I don't remember what Beth A did except telling the Beth S there's nothing wrong with being a lesbian, lol. But most of their career paths and even their looks seemed very "L.A." And now that I think about it, the majority of the early season casts were actually from the cities they filmed in, and they were already pursuing their goals there. I think that pretty much stopped with Boston

 

I don't think the artist thing was on purpose, I thought it was just because people pursuing those types of careers would be most available and most open to the idea of the show. 

Agreed that they tried to replicate the dynamic for season 2, but proved the point that they couldn't create chemistry or plot lines. LOL at Jon having TV and kool-aid...so true. Jon was the polar opposite of Julie, she was wide open to new experiences and change, he was determined not to change a single thing and that closed him off to new experiences...hence the months of parking in front of the TV with his kool-aid. 

The job thing was unpopular, but the reason for it was touched on this past episode of the Reunion. It was hard to get people to spend time together when they all had their own stuff going on in that city. So they stopped casting locals with ties to the city and introduced the job to increase the amount of time they'd spend all together. Easier for the camera crews too, I guess.

Quote

 

So far the show has been really positive and a great comfort watch, Becky is the only turd in the bowl.
I got a cackle of Heather burning sage to get the witch vibes out of her old room.  LOL.
I love that look back and Heather and Eric’s early contentiousness relationship to the friendship that came out of it.  I admit I could barely stand Eric and never saw a minute of The Grind.  But I am digging his vibe.

Poor Norman.  I felt for him but I loved everyone rallying around him.  Real talk tho, chocolate bunny paintings are not my thing.  More power to him. They look like they'd be a good fit for a store like Fish's Eddy. 

I love Julie but honestly her take on Becky is overly generous.  "She's not here to talk for herself". Well whose fault is that?  She is the one who dramatically flounced and was bitchy about it to boot.  I am totally team Norman.  Honestly I think Andre and Norman were the ones who were just completely over her drama.  I liked Heather's attitude also, just let her go and do what she gotta do.  I love that Heather didn't even try to reach out.  That would be me.  My ass is too old to run after people who transparently want to be chased down.  Ugh.  She is annoying.

But Heather is joy she really is shaping up to the MVP of this reunion.

 

Heather has always had a wariness toward Becky that she mostly kept quiet about. In contrast to how she just yelled right at Eric, Heather seemed to mostly keep her distance from Becky. I rewatched the original season recently and the episode where Becky puts the Dixie cups in her dress and is throwing herself at every man in a 50-foot radius is the closest Heather ever came to admitting that she didn't really like Becky. She was fairly diplomatic about it, but it came through that she didn't get Becky, didn't relate to her, and wasn't that psyched about digging deeper into Becky (presumably because she correctly assumed that Becky wasn't really that interested in other people and it wouldn't be a 2-way street). But she always stops short of directly criticizing Becky and she did it again in this past episode. Lots of general talk about "people" who don't want to put the work in, etc, without naming Becky.

Her response to Becky's flounce was more of the same, she didn't say much, but it was clear that she wasn't that invested in spending more time with Becky. I really, really wanted her to reprise her reaction to Eric storming out in the original, when she just yelled out "BYE." 

Andre's reaction was very Andre. He doesn't have much patience for the drama and he poked holes right through Julie's attempts to make excuses for Becky. And credit to Julie for accepting that he was right to poke the holes. They were all in the same circumstances, they were all in the same room together for the "most time they'd ever spent in one room" and only Becky couldn't handle it. That's on her.

I liked the roommates all supporting Norm, but I get the sense that he's always had a somewhat messy life. I remember his feud with Beth S over some kind of business deal back in one of the earliest challenges. And the repeated emphasis on his lack of focus was telling, like it's been a chronic thing with him to not be able to follow through on a path.

I loved them going to visit Eric and him doing his Grind voice from the balcony, lol. Also, he has incredible posture, the way he sits up perfectly straight in those TV chats with the roommates is striking. Must be all the yoga and the abs.

I cracked up when they were showing the old footage of Heather saying Eric cares too much about his looks. There was a moment where they showed his 1992 hairline close up and 2020 Eric suddenly started messing with his much-receded hairline. So he definitely still cares, lol.

I also loved seeing the brief snippet of him chatting with New Orleans Melissa, I guess that was from an all-cast reunion? They need to stream those somewhere. As I said it another thread, there is SO much content related to this franchise, they could easily fill a streaming channel with all of that. Too bad they didn't do that during quarantine, I know I could lose myself for quite awhile if they streamed all the early casting specials, etc.

[Giuseppe]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

Andre's reaction was very Andre. He doesn't have much patience for the drama and he poked holes right through Julie's attempts to make excuses for Becky. And credit to Julie for accepting that he was right to poke the holes. They were all in the same circumstances, they were all in the same room together for the "most time they'd ever spent in one room" and only Becky couldn't handle it.

The bolded part was actually fascinating for me to find out. I know the original season had various episodes talking about how Andre was never around or Kevin was never around, but I always assumed they at least came home every night to sleep. I don't know why I thought that, except maybe because I was 14 at the time and didn't know how roommates "worked" (especially in a situation like this) lol. But still, they've only been back in the loft for a few days, so the fact that it's the most time they've ever all spent together kinda blows my mind. I had no idea they were coming and going THAT much during the original run. Kind of makes their closeness all the more touching.

[ljenkins782]

48 minutes ago, Giuseppe said:

The bolded part was actually fascinating for me to find out. I know the original season had various episodes talking about how Andre was never around or Kevin was never around, but I always assumed they at least came home every night to sleep. I don't know why I thought that, except maybe because I was 14 at the time and didn't know how roommates "worked" (especially in a situation like this) lol. But still, they've only been back in the loft for a few days, so the fact that it's the most time they've ever all spent together kinda blows my mind. I had no idea they were coming and going THAT much during the original run. Kind of makes their closeness all the more touching.

Yeah, I remember Julie being very upset about people never being around, but the editing made it seem like everyone was there all the time. They also said stuff about Kevin not being there for a week or so, but the editors did a good job of showing footage when they were all there. 

In episode 1, they showed the old footage from the 1993 reunion where the others were complaining that it was the Eric and Julie show. I don't really think anyone got an invisible edit, but I guess it feels different if it's you.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

I also loved seeing the brief snippet of him chatting with New Orleans Melissa, I guess that was from an all-cast reunion? They need to stream those somewhere. As I said it another thread, there is SO much content related to this franchise, they could easily fill a streaming channel with all of that. Too bad they didn't do that during quarantine, I know I could lose myself for quite awhile if they streamed all the early casting specials, etc.

Yea, it was the 10 year reunion thing. I remember when the 10 year anniversary of Real World happened and they showed every single episode of every season and then they had that special and a special where potential cast members for the new seasons of both Real World and Road Rules all lived together before they finalized the casts for each. Man, memories!

[TattleTeeny]

Oh my goodness, I am watching the old RW season 2 and I swear I just heard Beth tell Dominic, who was complaining about her cat sitting in his bed, to “just hit it” and that’s how s/he learns. She better have meant the bed. It’s making me way too upset, I admit.

[Hiyo]

Yeah, the ten year anniversary special was interesting. You can see the group pic on the RW wiki page. The same page lists who did and didn't attend, but doesn't seem quite correct, since there are people who are listed as attending but not in the group pic.

Also, early 2000s fashion lol

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Hiyo

[Miss Slay]

I hope Becky watches the show so she can see how much she hurt Kevin.

But I doubt she will.

[EdnasEdibles]

When Becky kept saying “you’re telling me how to be!” I wanted Kevin to say “yes, I’m telling you how to be anti-racist.” Because she kept talking about how she’s an ally while saying really terrible things and he was just saying “if you think you are an ally, you’re saying really problematic things.” But she didn’t want to hear anything other than compliments. Ugh. It all reminded me of a fight I had with my sister where she was so convinced she was “not even a little racist” and she kept saying really bad things. Like “I’m not racist! Not even a little! I don’t notice race because we are all actually the same race! The human race!” And it was as cringe as this conversation. 

[Stiggs]

Man, Becky sucks. Poor Kevin - I think this experience means a lot to him and then it turns out Becky really is just a clueless dolt who will never get it while always congratulating herself for having Black friends. She IS white fragility. I’m glad she’s not there anymore. Shame on her for making Kevin cry.

I just wish Eric could be IN the loft. 

Julie the control freak was funny. The water gun footage was wild because, lord, a sign of more innocent times.

Andre thinking he was having a private conversation with his wife, heh. 

I’m just really enjoying the nostalgia and the “big chill” aspect of it all. The genuine affection they have for each other is lovely. And my god, the music is giving me life. Every song makes me smile. Ah, the early 90s...
 

Heather B is just a gift. Love, love, love her. 

[DearEvette]

"She removed herself from the situation, so let's remove her from the conversation."  Andre for the money quote!

Becky's conversation with Kevin was still so tone deaf. She is just so frustrating. There is a reason she chose to speak to Julie out of all of them.  Julie was her white girl safe haven.  I had no feelings about her before this now I actively hate her. 

OMG somebody in production is still shady.  The lyrics to Tom's Diner they were playing as Julie wen to meet Becky:

"There's a woman on the outside looking inside, does she see me?

No, she does not really see me 'cause she sees her own reflection"

I mean, the entire 90s soundtrack of this show is awesome.  I found myself singing along every time a new song came on.  I especially loved them skating to Finally by CeCe Peniston

Once again, Heather B is everything.  From her Shady shades to her calmly cutting an onion wanting no part of the Becky conversation.

Edited April 2, 2021 by DearEvette

[Giuseppe]

So next week is the last episode? I thought I heard it was going to be 10 episodes, but I also remember reading it was only 6 episodes, so I guess this is it. Man, that's gone by fast. Well, Becky drama aside, this episode was really what I'd been wanting to see since I first heard about the reunion...everyone having fun, (for the most part), chilling, laughing, seeing old FUN clips of themselves, behind the scenes info from the original season, etc. Kinda feels like the Becky stuff consumed the past three eps, so we didn't get as much lightheartedness as I wanted. But still, I've enjoyed every minute.

Also, I know they were only there a week, but I can't tell anymore what's taking place on what day. Seems like Kevin is forever in that puffy jacket and skullcap. I feel like most of what we've seen took place over just like two days.

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, Stiggs said:

Andre thinking he was having a private conversation with his wife, heh. 

I feel like we are nearly 30 years later and production still does not find Andre all that interesting.  I think we've been shown more scenes of Eric watching the action from his television screen than anything to do with Andre.  

36 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Becky's conversation with Kevin was still so tone deaf. She is just so frustrating.

I felt like it was two people talking at one another and neither really was interested in what the other had to say.  Kevin was not going to convince Becky, Becky was not going to convince Kevin.  Neither knew how to deescalate, and neither was willing to just let it go. 

[Hikergrrl]

46 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

"She removed herself from the situation, so let's remove her from the conversation."  Andre for the money quote!

Becky's conversation with Kevin was still so tone deaf. She is just so frustrating. There is a reason she chose to speak to Julie out of all of them.  Julie was her white girl safe haven.  I had no feelings about her before this now I actively hate her. 

 

I was super disappointed in Julie for how she handled her talk with Becky. She says, it’s not enough to not be racist, she also needs to be ANTI-RACIST which to me is NOT keeping quiet and tacitly supporting the bad behavior and attitudes of people like Becky. Becky left that conversation feeling like she was right, she had been wronged and the others were wrong for not supporting her, but it’s ok because Julie is on her side. Letting problematic people like Becky think you are ok with their beliefs and behavior is exactly the opposite of being anti-racist. It is especially important for white people to disagree with problematic white people, because as Kevin said,  people of color are really sick and tired of having to educate white people, It’s exhausting, and not our job.

I am not saying Julie needed to have a big confrontation and get into a debate with Becky, but at minimum she should have said “I don’t agree with you, I can see Kevin’s point and I would love it if you would do some self reflection and if you want to have a conversation, not an argument, I am willing to process this with you.” This would be a huge service to all ‘Beckys black friends’ and fellow dance class takers who are undoubtedly sick of her shit, but too exhausted to take on the chore of ‘Educating Becky’ because honestly I bet if you asked them “Is she your *friend*?” They would say no, she is just someone They know.. Even Becky doesn’t think of them as friends, they’re  accessories in her life to add a little color and validate her enlightened life of being ‘not a racist.’

 

 

[snarts]

^ I agree, I expected more from Julie. I get wanting to avoid the confrontation (especially knowing Becky won't hear her) but then why meet?  Why even give her the air time?  It was a bad look for Julie all around.

Heather B is the queen. I love that she doesn't spend a minute worrying or even talking about Becky. Andre's there too.  I feel for Kevin,, He really did have to carry the burden from their argument for almost 30 years and was really hoping they'd find some common ground and put it to bed.  Again, it's not that Becky has different views that makes her wrong, it's that she won't even stop to hear what the other person is saying.  Now, even months later, she's not listening.  Sad.

I found it interesting that Kevin mentioned both Andre & Heather B's marriages as inspiring and we go to see a bit more about their lives.  What about Julie?  Isn't she still married? Maybe Kevin just hasn't spoken to her as much?

[DearEvette]

10 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I felt like it was two people talking at one another and neither really was interested in what the other had to say.  Kevin was not going to convince Becky, Becky was not going to convince Kevin.  Neither knew how to deescalate, and neither was willing to just let it go.

And this is why I was team Heather B and Andre. Becky leaving the way she did and not answering anyone after they reached out was a Big Ass Clue.

I wonder if any of her black friends are watching this?

[ramonaflowers]

Quote

I found it interesting that Kevin mentioned both Andre & Heather B's marriages as inspiring and we go to see a bit more about their lives.  What about Julie?  Isn't she still married? Maybe Kevin just hasn't spoken to her as much?

I thought the same thing but it may be that Andre and Heather, like Kevin, were hesitant about commitment like he was/is and went on to find a great partnership. I hope Kevin finds that, I have really enjoyed his perspective and personality this time around. 

[Liquid6]

The world was not ready for Kevin Powell in 1992. He was "WOKE" when the # symbol was only reserved for telephones. He was unfairly branded the "Angry Black Man" and villain of Season 1. I'm loving the contrast of early 20s & early 50s Kevin and seeing that his message never changed, it only matured right along with the man. Bravo Real World for this reunion, and PLEASE don't fuck it up by thinking that we need to see the LA cast  again.

[ljenkins782]

6 hours ago, snarts said:

^ I agree, I expected more from Julie. I get wanting to avoid the confrontation (especially knowing Becky won't hear her) but then why meet?  Why even give her the air time?  It was a bad look for Julie all around.

Heather B is the queen. I love that she doesn't spend a minute worrying or even talking about Becky. Andre's there too.  I feel for Kevin,, He really did have to carry the burden from their argument for almost 30 years and was really hoping they'd find some common ground and put it to bed.  Again, it's not that Becky has different views that makes her wrong, it's that she won't even stop to hear what the other person is saying.  Now, even months later, she's not listening.  Sad.

I found it interesting that Kevin mentioned both Andre & Heather B's marriages as inspiring and we go to see a bit more about their lives.  What about Julie?  Isn't she still married? Maybe Kevin just hasn't spoken to her as much?

Same. First of all, I don't think it was necessary to reach out to Becky, who is a grown-up who flounced all on her own. She showed that she didn't care enough about any of them to continue the experience, so let her go. However, if you DO choose to chase her down and give her the attention she craves, don't just nod your head and pretend that you're 100% in agreement because it's too uncomfortable not to.

I wonder if she went there thinking she could talk to Becky and chickened out once she got there. She should have known that Becky wasn't going to be reasonable and that Becky was going to want to unload her own point of view. And I hate that she gave her the space and time to do that, I think if she wanted to get more air time for her thoughts, she should have had to come back and face everyone.

At first, I thought Kevin had a good point that he had some things to get off his chest and he has as much right as Becky does to give a point of view, but as the conversation unfolded, I realized it was as pointless as the conversation with Julie. He isn't going to change her world view, especially not in the heat of this moment where she was already feeling attacked, what's the point of even talking to her? 

Andre and Heather handled it best, recognizing that she was making a choice and that meant she wasn't part of this particular experience the other six were having. She'll always be part of that original 7 strangers, but she chose not to continue to be part of this time they were having, so that's a wrap on Becky. 

Heather's utter blankness every single time the Becky topic came back up was cracking me up. She just shut off all expression and never said a word. Again, Julie annoyed me by demanding that Heather say something about it. Heather isn't exactly shy, so if she's deliberately not saying a word on the subject, it's pretty obvious that she isn't speaking for a reason. She didn't have any interest in continuing the Becky talk, with good reason.

Very sad to hear Norm's experiences in school. It's amazing that the Norm that came through on the TV in 1992 had such an air of joy to him, you'd never guess that he'd struggled so hard. And he was only in his early 20s then, so he wasn't that far removed from those experiences.

I LOVED the roller skating clips, especially because they changed the music on that scene when they put this season on DVD. And Heather singing along doesn't make any sense when the song has been changed, lol. I also loved Norm and Heather's reactions to watching those old clips. Such a nice moment.

Quote

Julie the control freak was funny. The water gun footage was wild because, lord, a sign of more innocent times.

Seriously. Although it seems pretty crazy even for then, like reaching into a cab and shooting the driver with a water gun? I don't see that flying at any time in NYC.

Julie the control freak was fascinating, digging through the garbage for production notes?? Admittedly, I totally would've done something like that too, but that was a side of Julie we haven't seen. I feel like this episode put a dent in Julie's "character" (for lack of a better word), she did not come off great in this one.

[gesundheit]

17 hours ago, Hikergrrl said:

I was super disappointed in Julie for how she handled her talk with Becky. She says, it’s not enough to not be racist, she also needs to be ANTI-RACIST which to me is NOT keeping quiet and tacitly supporting the bad behavior and attitudes of people like Becky.

Me too. I think Julie was disappointed in herself as well. I hope Becky watched it and saw what Julie said about having not said what she wanted to/should've. Still not enough, of course.

I wonder what the rest of the conversation was, since what we saw was like 2 sentences and apparently it was quite lengthy. 

I was cringing the whole Kevin/Becky Facetime chat. It was like watching a horror movie. How can she be that ignorant! And her whole "I agreed to revisit the conversation, but how dare they replay the conversation, they tricked us!" thing was absurd. 

Hopefully she really is gone for next week. Is that the finale? What did they mean "the last night in the loft?" It just started! I need this!!

[shantown]

22 hours ago, Stiggs said:

The water gun footage was wild because, lord, a sign of more innocent times.

This (combined with having squirt guns hidden while watching!) and the old roller skating footage was so wonderful. I love them having the chance to revisit the really funny, good memories too.

They started doing a little bit about the impact this cast and the show had on people moving forward, but I would have liked more of them talking about the effects of the show. Do they know how many 30-and 40-somethings are watching this at home slightly tearing up watching this reunion feeling such an intense sense of nostalgia? (Or is it just me? LOL)

Kevin, Heather, Norm, Andre, and Julie (despite her misstep this episode) have been so wonderful to watch. They seem to be appreciating this moment to reconnect. Even Eric, despite being separated from the group, has done his best to keep his spirits high and stay as interactive as possible. I appreciate how often he's show on the tv screen and on their phones on Facetime. 

Between this and the OG Challenge show I am overwhelmed with RW/RR nostalgia! I wish they had spaced them out though, to give us more time to appreciate both.

[Stiggs]

3 minutes ago, shantown said:

This (combined with having squirt guns hidden while watching!) and the old roller skating footage was so wonderful. I love them having the chance to revisit the really funny, good memories too.

They started doing a little bit about the impact this cast and the show had on people moving forward, but I would have liked more of them talking about the effects of the show. Do they know how many 30-and 40-somethings are watching this at home slightly tearing up watching this reunion feeling such an intense sense of nostalgia? (Or is it just me? LOL)

Kevin, Heather, Norm, Andre, and Julie (despite her misstep this episode) have been so wonderful to watch. They seem to be appreciating this moment to reconnect. Even Eric, despite being separated from the group, has done his best to keep his spirits high and stay as interactive as possible. I appreciate how often he's show on the tv screen and on their phones on Facetime. 

Between this and the OG Challenge show I am overwhelmed with RW/RR nostalgia! I wish they had spaced them out though, to give us more time to appreciate both.

I didn’t realize I needed this, heh. I was 19/20 when the show was on, in college, getting early 90s woke, desperate to eat the world. That show was lightening in a bottle, a little Gen X time capsule we can see ourselves in. Watching them now made me a little emotional, and I’m shocked by it, lol. I’m legit happy to see them mostly happy. 
Except for stupid Becky. She can suck it. 

 

[txhorns79]

4 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

He isn't going to change her world view, especially not in the heat of this moment where she was already feeling attacked, what's the point of even talking to her? 

He gets screen time, and perhaps gets to use this discussion with Becky as a jumping off point to further his activism?  I was curious why he had so many copies of his own book with him.  What was up with that? 

 

4 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

 

Julie the control freak was fascinating, digging through the garbage for production notes?? Admittedly, I totally would've done something like that too, but that was a side of Julie we haven't seen. I feel like this episode put a dent in Julie's "character" (for lack of a better word), she did not come off great in this one.

From what I had read in one of the Real World books, in the early days of the first season, production did try to occasionally manipulate the cast in order to create drama.  The example I recall was that Eric had posed naked for some photographer and the pictures were put into a book.  Production left the book in the loft purposefully for the cast to find and discuss.  That might help explain Julie's behavior from that period.     

[Glade]

I haven't watched the og series in a long time and didn't know that Norman was actually bisexual and involved in Act Up!, which is really interesting, and I'm glad that conversation came up. The water guns were fun, though I'm still waiting for them to revisit what was always my favorite part of the season--when all the room-mates picked out random characters to portray behind Kevin's back and then he came home and didn't know what was going on.  

Becky is an insufferably privileged stereotype, and really isn't capable of showing herself in a better light no matter how many opportunities she is given, so I wish she had just stayed 100% gone.  Everyone else is likeable and interesting, but she still sounds like a stoned college freshman.  And that is her fault, not the producers.

[Maurina]

Becky makes me cringe sooooooo hard.  Because I was a Becky. I was the white girl who grew up poor in Harlem, most of my neighbors were black or Latino or Asian, so of course I'm not racist! I understand poverty, I lived it! I don't see color I only see people!  Some of my best friends!!!! etc etc etc.

That was me. Until, over many years and many people being far too patient taking time to educate me, and by doing a LOT of reading and research.  And I'm sure I still have my own Becky moments.  But I keep trying and keep pushing myself to check my privilege when my first reaction is defensiveness to someone pointing out problematic things that I may say, or when I find myself identifying with the Becky's of the world.

When talking about racism and classism, if I find myself feeling uncomfortable or defensive, that's almost always a sign that it's a conversation I need to have.  And it's one in which I should NOT be doing most of the talking.

[AngieBee1]

On 3/25/2021 at 8:01 PM, DearEvette said:

Honestly I think Andre and Norman were the ones who were just completely over her drama.  I liked Heather's attitude also, just let her go and do what she gotta do.  I love that Heather didn't even try to reach out.

That would be me, as well. The house tried to reach out to Becky, she didn't want to hear it. People have to know when to just say, "I'm not going to get through to that person." and keep keeping on. I understand why Kevin wanted that closure, but he could take a page from Julie's playbook and let Becky have her say and then just wash his hands of it.  I loved the face journey Julie was doing when Becky did her "whoa is me" routine and criticized the other guests.   Julie's a better person than I because I would have never returned to the house with Becky's proposal.  They have such a short time in the loft - why keep beating this dead horse called Becky?

Also, Becky is still on the cross over the fight. She made an IG post saying how the others didn't realize they were being used by the producers.   

[tinderbox]

I’m not at all surprised, but Becky REALLY is a disappointment.  I felt terrible for Kevin after his bathroom FaceTime conversation with her.  He was hurt to his core.  
 

Also, I agree with many of you who think Julie dropped the ball during her walk with Becky.  She was wearing a mask so there were no facial expressions to analyze but Julie’s eyes spoke volumes.  Although there was probably a lot edited out, it seemed she wanted to express her true feelings to Becky but completely chickened out and became passively compliant.  After she returned to the apartment, she looked guilty as sin and sad.  My guess is that Julie wishes she could relive that conversation again.  Maybe not....
 

I cannot believe the last episode is next week.  I don’t want this to end.  We just got our friends back.  Darn it.

[marybennet]

I wonder if Rebecca's leaving New York would have broken a contract and if the conversations with Julie and Kevin helped with that.  That is, I agree that Julie was not so appealing in her interaction with Becky, but I also wonder if that interaction was made to happen by the producers, who are clearly a little in love with the Becky storyline.  It makes the program seem Important, rather than just a reunion. 

[ALittleShelfish]

On 4/2/2021 at 9:49 AM, snarts said:

Andre's there too. 

I feel like this could be a tagline for the entire show, every episode, every recap, every comment.  

"Real World New York. And Andre's There, Too."

"Becky brought up having black friends.  And Andre was there, too."

"Did you guys watch the RW Homecoming? Andre's there too!!"

[GreenlinetoHarlem]

On 4/3/2021 at 2:59 AM, Glade said:

I haven't watched the og series in a long time and didn't know that Norman was actually bisexual

I heard Norm on a podcast (Everything Iconic) saying that he was not bi but Mtv wanted him to say that because it was more palatable than gay back then.

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by GreenlinetoHarlem

[Stiggs]

4 hours ago, ALittleShelfish said:

I feel like this could be a tagline for the entire show, every episode, every recap, every comment.  

"Real World New York. And Andre's There, Too."

"Becky brought up having black friends.  And Andre was there, too."

"Did you guys watch the RW Homecoming? Andre's there too!!"

It’s so funny, because my 19-year old self was always mad they didn’t show more of Andre, who I felt was clearly the most interesting person on the show simply because he was a cute long-haired dude in a band. 🤣 On rewatch, Andre seemed really stoned the entire time. 
 

My take on Julie and Becky’s convo... I get what Julie did. She read the room, realized there was 0 to be accomplished, patted Becky on the head and just peaced out. As satisfying as it would have been for Becky to get some sort of reading, Julie wouldn’t have gotten out more than 5 words without Becky shouting over her. It’s kind of what I do when my lawn guy tells me how evil Nancy Pelosi is. That was just my take - Julie knew it would wind up in a shouting match and it would have been a shit show. Becky made a complete ass out of herself - she was given more rope and kept hanging herself. 
 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by Stiggs

[shantown]

I randomly caught a bit of the cast reuniting "for the first time in 20 years" on a new E! special about reality tv. I'm curious about when it was filmed vs when the reunion show was filmed. They had Heather, Julie, Norm, and Eric (in person!) there - no Kevin or Andre or (unsurprisingly) Becky. I wonder if it was when they were still in New York after Eric recovered? A different time? They weren't as overwhelmed about seeing each other on E! so my guess is filmed after. Was still interesting!