RW: Los Angeles (1993)

[ljenkins782]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

(From the thread about the NY Homecoming)

Other than the time she spent sculpting her curls, no, I don't think Irene engaged in any artistic endeavors.  Aaron was a business major.  And Beth A. - like Beth S. - was sporadically working behind the scenes jobs in the entertainment industry (craft services, PA, etc.).  I know she continued working in production assistance roles after the show, but have no idea if that continued long term.

I don't think they were deliberately seeking artists for season 1. I always assumed they ended up with a group of people in that space because those people weren't tied to 9-5 jobs and were free-spirited enough to consider the social experiment of it all. But I could be wrong about that. 

I do know that at some point, they deliberately avoided casting people with acting aspirations, it was a red flag in casting if the person wanted to be in the entertainment industry because they thought it would mean they wouldn't be themselves on camera.

I remember next to nothing about Beth A, she was one of the many casting misfires in this season. Aaron was getting his MBA, I remember his graduation being on the show. 

[snarts]

I remember Dominck seemed like such an odd cast choice at the time. His friendship with Aaron was surprising as was Aaron's virginity pledge (in the 90s oral sex didn't count).

Beth A was a terrible choice.  She & Glen paired up to form an obnoxious duo.  

Did LA get to interview potential roommates or was that just SF?  I remember one of them interviewed but passed on Mark from Road Rules S1.  

[Giuseppe]

2 hours ago, snarts said:

Did LA get to interview potential roommates or was that just SF?  I remember one of them interviewed but passed on Mark from Road Rules S1.  

I'm pretty sure Mark was a potential Puck replacement in SF. I remember Rachel likening his picture and some other blond girl candidate's picture to Barbie and Ken. I THINK the LA roommates interviewed David replacements and decided on Glen, but I really can't remember the specifics. Wait, I think I remember one of the candidates being another black guy who was maybe a track athlete. I vaguely recall them putting names in a hat to choose, or something. And I think Beth A just showed up sometime after Irene got married.

ETA: the track guy's name was Ed...confirmed by reading earlier posts in this thread, haha.

Edited March 31, 2021 by Giuseppe

[ljenkins782]

1 hour ago, Giuseppe said:

I'm pretty sure Mark was a potential Puck replacement in SF. I remember Rachel likening his picture and some other blond girl candidate's picture to Barbie and Ken. I THINK the LA roommates interviewed David replacements and decided on Glen, but I really can't remember the specifics. Wait, I think I remember one of the candidates being another black guy who was maybe a track athlete. I vaguely recall them putting names in a hat to choose, or something. And I think Beth A just showed up sometime after Irene got married.

ETA: the track guy's name was Ed...confirmed by reading earlier posts in this thread, haha.

Yeah, I guess after the roommates were given options and inexplicably chose Glenn, production said "hold my beer" and picked an even worse replacement when Irene left.

[Stiggs]

Rewatching this now after rewatching the OG season - which will always be the best - but I’m shocked that Beth S doesn’t annoy me as much as she did the first time I watched this. 
Glen, however, is impossibly worse than I remember. He and Beth A are just pieces of shit. They are hard to watch, especially on the group trip. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Tami...I remember at the time thinking how brave she was to show her abortion story, and now I am just like, blown away. She wasn’t perfect, but she was the most interesting on this season. And she gave us “it wasn’t not funny” and “slave to your lovin’” so I feel like she should get some sort of grand reward. 😁

Still kind of adore Dom and go back and forth liking and not liking Aaron. 
 

I would have kicked Perch TF out of my house immediately. Even when I was a hard-partying 20-something, I had 0 tolerance for that kinda bull shit. But I also dated too many musicians so I might be projecting, lol. 
 

Oh, and the soundtrack of this season is epic. Such great songs...

Edited April 4, 2021 by Stiggs

[Bastet]

I remember Glen was annoying, but don't remember a single specific scene about/with him.

Beth A. I remember coming out to her roommates by wearing an "I'm not gay but my girlfriend is" t-shirt, which I thought was great (she doesn't owe them a grand proclamation as it's not a "confession" of something they "deserve" to be aware of; they can either ask or not ask about the shirt and she'll take it from there).  But I don't remember any other specifics about her, either.

I do remember reactions to her sexual orientation, specifically John being John, and Tami telling Dom and one or two others I can't recall that she was uncomfortable, and wouldn't want to share a room with a lesbian.

Of course, there's lots more I remember about Tami, good and bad.  The work she did at the HIV clinic, her abortion decision, wiring her jaw shut to lose weight, going on some tacky-ass dating show, knowing CB lingo from pop culture but not understanding it, so having to be told by Dom "you only say breaker 1-9 if you're on channel 19" as they road tripped it to pick up John, and, of course, "I'm a slave, I'm a slave, I'm a slave to your lovin'".

Beth S. I remember bringing a cat, having a mom who was a local Polish radio personality back home, standing up for Tami when David tried to play off her discomfort with his blanket "shenanigans", and often trying too hard.

Dom I remember liking, and have vague recollections of a trip home to visit his ill father.  Oh, and maybe passing out on a beach?  And allowing the cameras to record an interview he conducted.  Not a lot of specifics with him.

Aaron I just remember as a walking stereotype of an MBA student and surfer.

John, just his love for country music consisting of watching TNN all day and expecting a career to fall into his lap because he was a big hit as the singing virgin in his little hometown.

Irene, getting up at the crack of dawn to do her hair ritual at the sheriff's station, working in a courtroom, and then getting married.  I don't remember anything else she did during her time there, other than seeming ill-suited to the environment.  (Which I kind of liked, because as cool as the whole RW experience sounded to me back then at my age [a few years younger than them], I also knew I wouldn't actually like having to live with that many people, especially strangers, never mind have my life taped.  And she was the most mature of the group, and I was the most mature of my friends - although still crazier and goofier than she seemed to be - so I maybe I wanted to relate to her, but didn't, because having a law enforcement job and getting married were two things I'd rather jump into a volcano than have in my life.)

David, I only remember was a stand-up comic and was totally tone deaf to Tami's response, even after it was spelled out to him outside the immediate aftermath.  I think there was a scene where he took his house key off its ring and put it on the table when asked to leave.

I wish the old seasons aired on something I get so I could re-visit them.  Some were on a Pluto channel, but Pluto stopped working on my Fire Stick, and I am not paying for the Paramount+ streaming.  I wish MTV Classic would air them.

[Stiggs]

20 hours ago, Bastet said:

I remember Glen was annoying, but don't remember a single specific scene about/with him.

Beth A. I remember coming out to her roommates by wearing an "I'm not gay but my girlfriend is" t-shirt, which I thought was great (she doesn't owe them a grand proclamation as it's not a "confession" of something they "deserve" to be aware of; they can either ask or not ask about the shirt and she'll take it from there).  But I don't remember any other specifics about her, either.

I do remember reactions to her sexual orientation, specifically John being John, and Tami telling Dom and one or two others I can't recall that she was uncomfortable, and wouldn't want to share a room with a lesbian.

Of course, there's lots more I remember about Tami, good and bad.  The work she did at the HIV clinic, her abortion decision, wiring her jaw shut to lose weight, going on some tacky-ass dating show, knowing CB lingo from pop culture but not understanding it, so having to be told by Dom "you only say breaker 1-9 if you're on channel 19" as they road tripped it to pick up John, and, of course, "I'm a slave, I'm a slave, I'm a slave to your lovin'".

Beth S. I remember bringing a cat, having a mom who was a local Polish radio personality back home, standing up for Tami when David tried to play off her discomfort with his blanket "shenanigans", and often trying too hard.

Dom I remember liking, and have vague recollections of a trip home to visit his ill father.  Oh, and maybe passing out on a beach?  And allowing the cameras to record an interview he conducted.  Not a lot of specifics with him.

Aaron I just remember as a walking stereotype of an MBA student and surfer.

John, just his love for country music consisting of watching TNN all day and expecting a career to fall into his lap because he was a big hit as the singing virgin in his little hometown.

Irene, getting up at the crack of dawn to do her hair ritual at the sheriff's station, working in a courtroom, and then getting married.  I don't remember anything else she did during her time there, other than seeming ill-suited to the environment.  (Which I kind of liked, because as cool as the whole RW experience sounded to me back then at my age [a few years younger than them], I also knew I wouldn't actually like having to live with that many people, especially strangers, never mind have my life taped.  And she was the most mature of the group, and I was the most mature of my friends - although still crazier and goofier than she seemed to be - so I maybe I wanted to relate to her, but didn't, because having a law enforcement job and getting married were two things I'd rather jump into a volcano than have in my life.)

David, I only remember was a stand-up comic and was totally tone deaf to Tami's response, even after it was spelled out to him outside the immediate aftermath.  I think there was a scene where he took his house key off its ring and put it on the table when asked to leave.

I wish the old seasons aired on something I get so I could re-visit them.  Some were on a Pluto channel, but Pluto stopped working on my Fire Stick, and I am not paying for the Paramount+ streaming.  I wish MTV Classic would air them.

Irene’s hair was a while other roommate. I mean, that was impressive. 

Tami was uncomfortable with Beth A at first - even expressed that she was surprised because she knew so many gay people at work. I was glad that she was so blatantly honest, and seemed to work through whatever she had to with Beth A - and then Beth A and Glen bullied the HELL out of Beth S before and after the group trip, where Tami embraced the Beth S and Jon outsider group and she seemed to write off both Glen and Beth A then. After that it was all about the damn showcase where Tami lip-synched. I remember thinking, if you can't do it live, you can’t do it ladies. 

Perch is the worst band ever. 

Dom got hammered and passed out on a beach. He did go visit his dying dad who perked right up just having Dom at home and seemed to not be dying anymore. He was even driving! Recklessly! 

The Singing Virgin of Owensboro. 🤣 Oh, Jon. He made a comment about how he never really had friends and I just got way too sad about how freaking terrified of any and all intimacy poor Jon was back then. I hope to god he can at least hear women talk about sex without losing his mind at this point in life. 

The David and Tami thing...watching it again made me uncomfortable on new levels. Tami was trying to keep it light but she was clearly serious - and they pulled her off the fucking bed. David took it too far, and then he dropped his damn pants - and not for the first time, from what they said, and he tried a few times to literally attack Jon. If that shit happened today there’d be no roommate discussion about whether or not he had to leave. 
But at least we got It Wasn’t Not Funny. 😝

Beth’s Polish radio Mother explained every single annoying thing about Beth...

Oh, and the Outward Bound trip where their instructor/leader had no idea what they were doing. I feel like they should do that to every cast. Bonded them right away. 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Stiggs

[Giuseppe]

2 hours ago, Stiggs said:

Oh, and the Outward Bound trip where their instructor/leader had no idea what they were doing. I feel like they should do that to every cast. Bonded them right away. 

Oh man, I forgot about that. Was that when one of the douchebag instructors was all "you guys need to make a choice! A choice about what you want to get out of this trip!" or something like that?

[Stiggs]

12 minutes ago, Giuseppe said:

Oh man, I forgot about that. Was that when one of the douchebag instructors was all "you guys need to make a choice! A choice about what you want to get out of this trip!" or something like that?

Yeah - Aaron was basically leading them and the instructors got pissed, heh. I think it was the one time they all got along for the most part. 

[Hiyo]

The LA segment from the 1995 Real World reunion special...

 

[choclatechip45]

I am rewatching LA and I don't hate Aaron. He is annoying, but I don't think he is as bad as I remember.

[Liamsmom617]

On 9/3/2016 at 3:19 PM, carrier76 said:

I forgot about the amazing vocal stylings of REALITY, Tami's girl group. Heh.

The girl who sang lead on that ballad they performed at the showcase, though (I guess it's called "I Wish I Didn't Love You"?) really COULD sing (as Tami said). I wonder if she made it in the music business w/another group? Anyone know?

 

[Tatum]

On 11/29/2021 at 7:48 PM, choclatechip45 said:

I am rewatching LA and I don't hate Aaron. He is annoying, but I don't think he is as bad as I remember.

I don't think Aaron was really that bad at all. I really liked when Jon asked what he would do if a girlfriend got pregnant, and Aaron replied he wouldn't be in the position, which we found out later was because Aaron only engages in oral (likely in receiving only, but maybe he was a giver) which he said was primarily to avoid possible pregnancies. It would be nice if the assholes on Teen Mom who have no interest in fatherhood or their girlfriends would have a similar philosophy. I thought he was pretty supportive of Tami as well and pretty much low drama all around, other than the calendar incident, but he admitted he overreacted at least because he was so embarrassed.

 

I loved when Aaron and Dom were teasing Beth S. about some guy who was coming to visit, and asked if Beth was planning on having sex with him, to which she replied she was not. Dom teasingly asked her if this guy knew it, and if he would still come visit knowing sex was off the table.

 

I didn't watch the whole blanket episode. It was hard to watch, given how apparent Tami's rage and humiliation was. I understand David did not equate what he did to assault, which in a way makes it worse. Women aren't required to ignore their own boundaries just because you don't plan to physically hurt them. To me, it wasn't the act itself, it was the way he did not see what he did as a gross violation. Had he been let off with a warning, I think he would have been more careful going forward, but I don't think he would have understood why he had to be more careful.

 

David said in a book that he spoke with Beth S. and Tami after he left the house and they were all good. He said it though more in a way to suggest he has no ill will towards them, rather than worrying if they have ill will to him. The book was published in 1997 and I am pretty sure at that time David still felt he was the injured party but forgave Tami and Beth.

 

Glen is boring. They had a bunch of better choices than him. I just have such secondhand embarrassment for Jon every time he speaks. He is overall a nice guy, then and in subsequent appearances, but just so young to be so set in his ignorant ways.

[Tatum]

On 4/4/2021 at 1:46 PM, Bastet said:

John, just his love for country music consisting of watching TNN all day and expecting a career to fall into his lap because he was a big hit as the singing virgin in his little hometown.

Hahaha he met with some agent or producer who was like, do you write your own music? and Jon was like, no, I just want to sing Brooks and Dunn cover songs, I don't want to write my own songs! and acting so offended that the agent was trying to make him be something he was not. The guy could work a crowd at a karaoke bar and that was it.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Tatum

[Teriyaki Terror]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:05 AM, Tatum said:

I didn't watch the whole blanket episode. It was hard to watch, given how apparent Tami's rage and humiliation was. I understand David did not equate what he did to assault, which in a way makes it worse. Women aren't required to ignore their own boundaries just because you don't plan to physically hurt them. To me, it wasn't the act itself, it was the way he did not see what he did as a gross violation. Had he been let off with a warning, I think he would have been more careful going forward, but I don't think he would have understood why he had to be more careful.

I watched the reunion and kinda had to side with David when the blanket issue was brought up. He was going off the reactions of everyone in the house. Everyone was laughing and making a jokes about it, so he couldn't see the damage that he was doing. Him actually removing the blanked was out of line. The is the only time I would ever side with him. He was a terrible roommate and deserved to be kicked out.

[Bastet]

I recently re-watched this season, and, OMG, Glen's band (Perch) is actually even worse than I remembered them being.  And he was such an asshole to Beth S.  When someone's worst offense is being annoying, there is no cause to go after them that way.  He was absolutely unhinged during their Mexican vacation.  It was nice to see Jon, Beth, and Tami hanging out in Mexico, and more at home -- playing football on the beach and just having relaxed fun.  And, oh, how I love the producers juxtaposing clips of him self-righteously pontificating that he was raised to behave respectably while traveling, especially in foreign places, so he was appalled by Jon walking into a bar and saying "Yee-haw" and at Beth being melodramatic on a horse, with clips of him making a complete ass of himself at the mic during the "bikini" contest.

[Tatum]

On 2/7/2024 at 6:25 PM, Bastet said:

And, oh, how I love the producers juxtaposing clips of him self-righteously pontificating that he was raised to behave respectably while traveling, especially in foreign places, so he was appalled by Jon walking into a bar and saying "Yee-haw" and at Beth being melodramatic on a horse, with clips of him making a complete ass of himself at the mic during the "bikini" contest.

That was awesome. An editing highlight for sure. He was not only an asshole, but he was boring. I cannot figure out how he got picked. Every other candidate interviewed would have been better.

 

From what I can tell, Aaron and Dominic have never had any association with the show once their initial filming obligations ended. Have never given an interview or responded to requests for updates even.

[heatherchandler]

On 4/4/2021 at 4:54 PM, Stiggs said:

Perch is the worst band ever. 

It’s so bad.  Is it named for the fish or the act of sitting?

 I’m doing a rewatch on paramount+ and this show is so good.  Is better than anything else on right now.

Edited July 31 by heatherchandler