RW: Miami (1996)

[Stinger97]

The Real World: Miami is the fifth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It is the first season of The Real World to be filmed in the South Atlantic States region of the United States, specifically in Florida.

 

 

[Pickles Aplenty]

Glad I found this thread.  I may be the only person who actually liked the Miami cast quite a bit and considered the housemates to be "normal" compared to the three casts that came before them (I'm excluding London, because they seemed pretty "normal", too.)  I know Miami got a lot of flak for getting drunk and partying all the time, but that's exactly what I liked about them.  No one was an activist or had some sort of political agenda, they just wanted to have a good time.  I know that attitude didn't do them any favors as far as starting a business is concerned, but let's be real; when you have seven very different twenty-somethings who have never met before, the odds of agreeing on enough matters to actually start a business are slim to none.  They didn't stand a chance.

 

I remember people saying that they were overtly sexual, but looking back now, their antics are pretty damn tame.  No one had a threesome in a hot tub the first day of filming, and no one bent over and flashed their vagina for the world to see.  The raciest thing I remember is Melissa watching Mike and the waitress get it on in the shower, but we didn't even see that.  Instead, we watched Flora break a window with her monster boobs, one of the funniest RW moments ever.  Ah, memories.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Billina

[Bastet]

I loved Cynthia.

 

The entire scene of the roomies trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in that bathroom was hilarious (back when threesomes in a communal space were something for the roommates to gape and giggle over, not just a usual Friday night at the homestead), and Flora getting stuck in - and breaking - the window does, indeed, remain one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[Starscream]

The raciest thing I remember is Melissa watching Mike and the waitress get it on in the shower, but we didn't even see that.  Instead, we watched Flora break a window with her monster boobs, one of the funniest RW moments ever.  Ah, memories.

No moment on this show has ever made me laugh so hard as when Flora and Helga and Olga broke the window.  One thing I never understood was how that was "Dan's" shower.  I must have missed it when it was explained how Dan didn't have to share with everybody else.

 

As entertaining as Miami was, I see it as the true beignning of the show's decline.  While I can see where they were coming from with the idea of having everybody work together, all it really did was further isolate them from their outside interests and create even more of a summer camp atomsphere which leads to the orgy of debauchery that the show became.

[Maharincess]

I once saw Cynthia at an Arbys here in the Bay Area, she was in line in front of me. She had a couple of people looking at her and asking why she looked familiar. It was obvious she was getting annoyed.

She looked over at me and I smiled and winked at her. I said to her that that shit must get annoying. She agreed.

She's really tiny in person.

Jenn from Denver lives in the next town over from me. I've seen her around a lot. She's tiny too. And a huge bitch.

[Sister Havana]

 

I remember people saying that they were overtly sexual, but looking back now, their antics are pretty damn tame.

I have a copy of The Real World Ultimate Insiders Guide (the book published after the Boston season), and in it, several cast members from earlier seasons commented on how racy and shocking the Miami season was. Miami was downright wholesome in comparison to the current show! 

 

 

[WhitneyWhit]

My favorite moment of this season, other than Helga and Olga and the window fiasco, was Dan and Melissa's all out bitch fest. It was so dramatic and over the top that I can't help but laugh when I think about it.

[Bastet]

I remember muttering at the TV during the Dan and Melissa argument, when he had his eye-popping reaction to being called a ... now I'm blanking on which slur she used -- "flamer"? ... after having found it totally appropriate to call her a "stupid bitch." 

 

She was completely out of line, of course, but having a "I can't believe she just did that!" reaction when he'd already done the same thing to her irked me.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Bastet

[Decider]

Yes, Melissa called Dan a flamer.

Cynthia was my absolute favorite in that season.  Nic's baby voice when she talked to Joe on the phone made me stabby.

[OnceSane]

 

Nic's baby voice when she talked to Joe on the phone made me stabby.

 

That voice was so annoying.  & now I hear women doing it all the time.

[WhitneyWhit]

I loved Cynthia. I remember when they were all talking about something and the subject turned to criminals, Cynthia mentioned having connections to a bunch of wanted people and then said "Y'all I should work for the FBI, I know so many criminals"

[Bastet]

Cynthia was great.  Her scenes were often funny, but touching, too.  Their first night at the house, with her just standing on the dock looking at her surroundings and marvelling how different it was from her home environment, is bookended with the finale scenes of her putting away groceries in the apartment she was so happy to be renting for herself after having been offered a job in Miami.

[spaceytraci1208]

I loved Cynthia too. I thought she exercised great restraint when Flora said to her "Don't get that black attitude with me!"...I hated Flora. I think that argument would have gone a whole other way had Flora been cast the following season in Boston and said that to Kameelah lol

Edited September 7, 2014 by spaceytraci1208

[Decider]

One of my other favorite Cynthia scenes was when the roommates had been out at a club and Flora had been hanging all over Luis despite her relationship with Mitchell, then ended up leaving the club with him in his car.  After they got home, a couple of the roommates were talking in the kitchen (I think?) when Flora finally came home and they asked her how her evening had gone.  Cynthia walked into the kitchen and said directly to Flora "I'm gonna tell you to your face, not behind your back, I thought you were acting like a ho and that you could have been better than that" and "Just don't fuck him, okay, even if he has three rubbers on, okay? I thought you were gonna fuck him!"  

I DIED.  I still laugh from that to this day.

[LadyNebula]

I loved Cynthia. I remember when they were all talking about something and the subject turned to criminals, Cynthia mentioned having connections to a bunch of wanted people and then said "Y'all I should work for the FBI, I know so many criminals"

I totally forgot about that. Wasn't that when they caught the Unabomber and Cynthia was like,"I know him!" I think he had been her friend's professor or something.

I actually knew who Sarah was before she was on the show. She was an editor for Image Comics, which I thought was the Best Job Ever (still do, to be honest. Reading comics for a living? Sign me up!). As a female teenaged comic geek, I loved seeing a woman involved in the comic industry who was successful. I wonder whatever happened to her and if she's still working in comics.

[pakalolo]

Miami Sarah was my all time favorite real worlder, someone that I would genuinely would have wanted to be friends with. I remember watching the original episodes geeking out over her skating while wearing television character outfits and having a creative job, she was one of the very few real worlders that really resonated with who I was/wanted to be on so many different levels. The last time I saw her mentioned on a "where are they now" Sarah was a life coach, something I know next to nothing about, kind of a bummer cause I though she would be doing something that would interest me much more.

[choclatechip45]

I remember reading about 10 years ago she was decorating Britney Spears dressing room.

[Sister Havana]

I liked Sarah - I thought it was so cool that someone from my alma mater was on the show. She was a couple years ahead of me at IU. We were both journalism majors and we apparently worked at the Indiana Daily Student at the same time, but I don't remember our paths ever crossing while we were there.

[Decider]

I liked Sarah, too.  Her pushing Mike off her when he was jokingly trying to hug her after his escapade with Melissa and the waitress in the shower and telling him "you reek of...broads" still makes me laugh to this day.

[scowl]

I mostly liked Sarah but she behaved like a child a little too often (yeah, I know this was MTV). Building a skateboard ramp in the middle of the night in a nice neighborhood was clueless. In one argument she just yelled "You rot! You rot!" over and over. It's hard to believe she was a journalism major when her most of her comments more or less "That sucks!"

[Pristine]

I'm pretty sure I saw Cynthia, on a home makeover show, years ago.  Still as cute as ever.

[Sister Havana]

Sarah was a couple years ahead of me at the IU J-school and we both worked at the Indiana Daily Student at the same time, but I don't remember crossing paths with her back then. I'm sure we sat in a couple of the same staff meetings, though!

[AndySmith]

Miami was one of my least favorite seasons from the 90s Golden Era of the show. I didn't really like anyone in the cast (Sarah and Cynthia included), so there really wasn't anyone for me to root for. It had it's entertaining moments, but if I had to chose which season I'd want to rewatch the most...this would be low on the list.

 

Mike's 3some shower sexcapade with the others watching is a classic scene, though.

[giaNtsandYankees]

I enjoyed the Miami season as a young teenager, and I still enjoy it as an adult (more so than the more recent seasons) based on the nostalgic factor (and the 90's music that is tied in). Now there is a conundrum for me with regards to Miami. This was the beginning of The Real World's downfall. Even though there were minor changes with each season (of the seasons 1-4), there was a huge change with Miami. I read somewhere  that Pam Ling herself said that Miami was part of The Real World's "Fat Elvis Years."

The Real World went from choosing seven people, and watching them as they chase their dreams/break into the entertainment industry (season one, and in a way, season two), to following the cast mates, catching a glimpse as to what they are all about, and their passions - an example in season three, Pam in Medical School, Pedro with his activism and education, Mohammad with his schooling (even though we saw a glimpse of it) and music, Rachel with Young Republicans. With season four, we had Kat hoping to continue her studies while in London, and her fencing, Mike with his race car driving, Lars with his Disc Jockey work and Jacinda with her modeling. The Real World  went from the latter to choosing regular people, mostly college students (season five). I doubt you had another twenty-six year old (like Kevin Powell of season one) cast for The Real World. 

The Miami season was in the works at around or after the time Road Rules was birthed. And I doubt that Road Rules was going to cast people looking to looking to break in the entertainment industry, or take classes or residencies while on the road in a Winnebago. I guess Bunim-Murray wanted to keep things consistent with the casting since they would eventually cast for both shows simultaneously. I also believe that Bunim-Murray wanted to keep things fresh by changing things up as far as the casting, and the show's objective.

With Miami, you had some college students (Joe) and professionals on leave (Sarah) and young people that wanted to have a good time while in Miami. There was only one local cast (Melissa) which would be another change from seasons one and two, and in a way seasons three and four, when you noticed less and less locals were cast. And instead of casting people to follow them as they go after their ambitions (but of course, we had Flora and Dan who looked for, and obtained side jobs, and Dan working  to be come a model), they are given the challenge to start a business, which failed miserably. I'm assuming that is probably why they had the Real Worlders working together with a job already provided from season six on. 

Now why I believe this is where the Real World's downfall began was because this was the beginning of where you saw the roommates party constantly, instead of working. Since there were no ambitions to chase (as seen in seasons one through four), that left some free time to go clubbing. 

Even though a threesome did take place, the cameras didn't go after it to film it (maybe the bathroom door was locked to keep them out, I don't know). But you did have a good TV moment with Flora trying to get through  the window and her boobs getting in the way. Of course, that was pretty tame compared to what we see on The Real World these days. And even though the cast mates did go clubbing quite a bit (based on the confessional commentary) we did get an in depth (sort of) look into their lives. Cynthia visiting her family in Atlanta, and her commentary on Atlanta and its landmarks. Dan visiting his family (I forget which town, I'm little too lazy to go to Wikipedia to look it up, ha!) and them discussing Dan's sexuality, which was still something looked down on at the time. I lived outside of Washington, DC when Miami aired, and I still heard of hate crimes against homosexuals taking place nearby on the news.  Another moment with Dan was watching how his younger brother reacted to seeing Dan and his then quasi-boyfriend, Artie. 

Sarah and Cynthia were my favourite cast mates. Cynthia's commentary was hilarious and for me added to the season. 

Edited December 28, 2018 by giaNtsandYankees

[Giuseppe]

On 12/27/2018 at 11:53 AM, giaNtsandYankees said:

I enjoyed the Miami season as a young teenager, and I still enjoy it as an adult (more so than the more recent seasons) based on the nostalgic factor (and the 90's music that is tied in). Now there is a conundrum for me with regards to Miami. This was the beginning of The Real World's downfall. Even though there were minor changes with each season (of the seasons 1-4), there was a huge change with Miami. I read somewhere  that Pam Ling herself said that Miami was part of The Real World's "Fat Elvis Years."

The Real World went from choosing seven people, and watching them as they chase their dreams/break into the entertainment industry (season one, and in a way, season two), to following the cast mates, catching a glimpse as to what they are all about, and their passions - an example in season three, Pam in Medical School, Pedro with his activism and education, Mohammad with his schooling (even though we saw a glimpse of it) and music, Rachel with Young Republicans. With season four, we had Kat hoping to continue her studies while in London, and her fencing, Mike with his race car driving, Lars with his Disc Jockey work and Jacinda with her modeling. The Real World  went from the latter to choosing regular people, mostly college students (season five). I doubt you had another twenty-six year old (like Kevin Powell of season one) cast for The Real World. 

The Miami season was in the works at around or after the time Road Rules was birthed. And I doubt that Road Rules was going to cast people looking to looking to break in the entertainment industry, or take classes or residencies while on the road in a Winnebago. I guess Bunim-Murray wanted to keep things consistent with the casting since they would eventually cast for both shows simultaneously. I also believe that Bunim-Murray wanted to keep things fresh by changing things up as far as the casting, and the show's objective.

With Miami, you had some college students (Joe) and professionals on leave (Sarah) and young people that wanted to have a good time while in Miami. There was only one local cast (Melissa) which would be another change from seasons one and two, and in a way seasons three and four, when you noticed less and less locals were cast. And instead of casting people to follow them as they go after their ambitions (but of course, we had Flora and Dan who looked for, and obtained side jobs, and Dan working  to be come a model), they are given the challenge to start a business, which failed miserably. I'm assuming that is probably why they had the Real Worlders working together with a job already provided from season six on. 

Now why I believe this is where the Real World's downfall began was because this was the beginning of where you saw the roommates party constantly, instead of working. Since there were no ambitions to chase (as seen in seasons one through four), that left some free time to go clubbing. 

Even though a threesome did take place, the cameras didn't go after it to film it (maybe the bathroom door was locked to keep them out, I don't know). But you did have a good TV moment with Flora trying to get through  the window and her boobs getting in the way. Of course, that was pretty tame compared to what we see on The Real World these days. And even though the cast mates did go clubbing quite a bit (based on the confessional commentary) we did get an in depth (sort of) look into their lives. Cynthia visiting her family in Atlanta, and her commentary on Atlanta and its landmarks. Dan visiting his family (I forget which town, I'm little too lazy to go to Wikipedia to look it up, ha!) and them discussing Dan's sexuality, which was still something looked down on at the time. I lived outside of Washington, DC when Miami aired, and I still heard of hate crimes against homosexuals taking place nearby on the news.  Another moment with Dan was watching how his younger brother reacted to seeing Dan and his then quasi-boyfriend, Artie. 

Sarah and Cynthia were my favourite cast mates. Cynthia's commentary was hilarious and for me added to the season. 

 

Completely agree with this whole assessment...couldn't have written it better myself. Miami is also the season where the houses started getting more and more decadent. The first few seasons, the houses/lofts actually looked like a place that seven people would rent out and live together. Big, but with modest furnishings and normally decorated rooms. The Miami house was still modest, but still seemed to me to be a little extra with the decor. Then you had the firehouse in Boston, and the pier warehouse in Seattle which is really when the whole open concept houses with high-end fixtures and off-the-wall furniture seemed to take off. I know that eventually it became easier for production to use these big warehouses and convert them into living spaces and bling them out, but I just never cared for them. Probably why most of the kids on these shows today feel so entitled. I bet if they did a new season and put everyone in a regular old townhouse with builder-grade fixtures, they'd consider it a dump.

San Francisco had my favorite house at the time. On a family road trip in 1997, when we stopped in San Francisco I made my dad drive us to Lombard Street specifically so I could take a picture!

Edited January 8, 2019 by Giuseppe

[giaNtsandYankees]

Thanks, @Giuseppe! I agree with you on the houses becoming more decadent as the seasons went on. Even though work was done on the loft for Season One/New York, it was still simple. The house in Los Angeles was big, but still simple. Even with the colourful walls in the girl's room, and the cloudy walls of the confessional. 

I agree that Miami was still modest, and it was still a house rather than a random warehouse converted into a home. They did get a little more creative with Boston when they turned an old fire station into a home for the cast, and then turning the pier into a home for the Seattle cast. And things became over the top from there. 

San Francisco is my favourite season as well (as you can tell by my post in that thread!), and not because it's my favourite US city. I enjoyed the cast (sans Puck, and sometimes Judd, even though I didn't think that he was as bad as Puck), and a lot of the issues brought to the table that season were relatable, or something you could learn from. Relatable because back then I probably would have reacted to Pedro the same way Rachel had. Learning, because for me Pedro brought a humanity to AIDS. Being so young and hearing about AIDS in the media, it sounded like AIDS was a disease that you could catch very easily. And also seeing love in another light (Pedro and Sean) with me having grown up Catholic, and growing up in a military neighbourhood where it was all families, and those families consisted of a husband and wife. Seeing Sean and Pedro opened my mind to love being between two people. 

It's fun that you found the house on Lombard Street. I go to SF every year (and walked along the street's switchback!) and never thought about finding the house. I wonder if it's still there!  

[Giuseppe]

1 hour ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

It's fun that you found the house on Lombard Street. I go to SF every year (and walked along the street's switchback!) and never thought about finding the house. I wonder if it's still there!  

Oh it's definitely still there! 949 Lombard. Though a fire destroyed the house a long time ago (I wanna say sometime early 2000s), it was extensively renovated and brought back to life. Doesn't look the same as it did in '94 when the cast lived there, but you can still tell it's the same house. I was in San Francisco a couple years ago on vacation, and I went back to see it and took another picture, lol. 

You can google pics of the house from after the fire, and probably find articles about the fire itself. The renovated house looks really nice.

[Lady Iris]

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2014 at 9:58 PM, Billina said:

 The raciest thing I remember is Melissa watching Mike and the waitress get it on in the shower, but we didn't even see that.  Instead, we watched Flora break a window with her monster boobs, one of the funniest RW moments ever.  Ah, memories.

I can still picture that scene. I remember, watching it at the time worrying she was gonna stab herself on the slats.

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2014 at 4:15 PM, Bastet said:

I loved Cynthia.

The entire scene of the roomies trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in that bathroom was hilarious (back when threesomes in a communal space were something for the roommates to gape and giggle over, not just a usual Friday night at the homestead), and Flora getting stuck in - and breaking - the window does, indeed, remain one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

This whole thread was a great remembrance to a fave season of mine. Cynthia was definitely awesome, down to earth and funny as hell.

On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2014 at 3:51 PM, Decider said:

Cynthia was my absolute favorite in that season.  Nic's baby voice when she talked to Joe on the phone made me stabby.

OMG, I completely forgot about that hugely annoying woman til reading this sparked the memory. I wonder if they're still together.

[giaNtsandYankees]

On 6/26/2019 at 10:29 AM, Lady Iris said:

I can still picture that scene. I remember, watching it at the time worrying she was gonna stab herself on the slats.

This whole thread was a great remembrance to a fave season of mine. Cynthia was definitely awesome, down to earth and funny as hell.

OMG, I completely forgot about that hugely annoying woman til reading this sparked the memory. I wonder if they're still together.

I remember while watching Real World Reunion: 2000 Joe stating that he and Nicole had broken up, and some of his roommates expressed relief over it.

Per social media, Joe is now living in Los Angeles doing Social Work type of work. It looks like his partner is a lady named Melanie Garrison.

Edited June 28, 2019 by giaNtsandYankees

[Hiyo]

I lobed RW during the 90s, but for some reason, this was probably my least favorite of the seasons from that decade.

[giaNtsandYankees]

Looks like Joe and Cynthia are still good friends...

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

Looks like Joe and Cynthia are still good friends...

That makes sense to me, that they'd keep in touch and occasionally get together to catch up in person.  I don't remember much of their interaction in the house, but while Joe had horrible taste in girlfriends, he was generally an inoffensive, normal guy who had his life together (didn't he get his MBA during filming?).  And Cynthia was great, a nice normal person establishing a good life for herself despite the obstacles where she came from.  No delusions of grandeur from either one, no melodrama, just two people wanting to be happy in a "regular life" way.  So I can see it.

[Hiyo]

Mistake.

Edited November 16, 2019 by Hiyo

[Sister Havana]

Dan is now a nurse, and is currently in NYC helping out with coronavirus patients. Rachel Maddow featured some of his recent Instagram videos documenting his experiences on her show a few days ago. 

[Bastet]

I just started on this season as my latest RW re-watch, and I do not remember a single thing about Mike other than he was part of the infamous threesome Flora broke a window with her breasts trying to get a look at.

But since, in the first episode, he, heading to a Latinx part of town to pick up a female roommate (Melissa), says he hopes she's smaller than him, has all her teeth, and speaks English.  Oh, dear.  No wonder he was not a favorite.

I love Cynthia every bit as much as I did back when this first aired.  Her excitement over the house and this whole opportunity is impossible for me to watch without smiling.

[Bastet]

I love when they're looking at Dan's modeling pictures and realize he's listed as "Dan Richardson" rather than "Renzi" - Cynthia once again speaks the truth, saying, "They done made him into who they want him to be."

I can't imagine living with Dan or Flora, let alone both - the attention seeking and drama would be so exhausting.

Nicole's baby voice when she talks to Joe physically pains me.

[Hiyo]

Quote

I do not remember a single thing about Mike other than he was part of the infamous threesome Flora broke a window with her breasts trying to get a look at.

One of the top 3 scenes of that season.

[Asp Burger]

This one was kind of a growing-pains season. They didn't want another London, and the format and tone went through the first major shift. It's the embryo of Las Vegas, which, love it or hate it (I hated it), was another season that started a new chapter for the series and changed people's expectations of what they'd see on The Real World. You could say with Miami, Bunim-Murray committed to trash TV; with Vegas, they embraced toxic-waste TV. 

This was the first time I could remember watching a Real World season and having trouble following the storytelling. The way people were or weren't getting along from one episode to the next didn't make any sense to me. In New York and San Francisco, either because the baseline stability level of the housemates was higher or because the storytelling and editing were neater, I always knew who was friends and who was having problems. In Miami (and again later in Hawaii, which was a slicker, more amusing remix of Miami), I'd think, "Wait a minute? Weren't they feuding? Did I miss something?"

[Bastet]

14 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

This one was kind of a growing-pains season. They didn't want another London, and the format and tone went through the first major shift. It's the embryo of Las Vegas, which, love it or hate it (I hated it), was another season that started a new chapter for the series and changed people's expectations of what they'd see on The Real World. You could say with Miami, Bunim-Murray committed to trash TV; with Vegas, they embraced toxic-waste TV. 

I agree.  I liked NY through London best, Miami through Chicago less but it was still appointment television, and then Vegas horrified me.  I semi-followed Paris and San Diego, but then my viewership became quite sporadic, sometimes just seeing an episode or two, and the last one I saw anything of was New Orleans II.

It's funny to re-watch Miami, because I found it almost jarringly different at the time, and absolutely hated the forced group job that became a permanent fixture, but watching it now it seems almost quaint in its normalcy.  The nostalgia factor is strong (the late '90s were a terrific time in my life, so when I watch those seasons I am not just reminded of how I enjoyed the show then, but what was going on in my own life).

[Bastet]

Add Sarah to the list of Miami roommates I would have a hard time living with.  (I don't share her interests, but I'd have enjoyed talking to her - sharing a home with her, though, nope.)  "I can do whatever I want whenever I want."  Flora and me, in unison:  "Not when you live with six other people."

But, you see, Sarah is just too cool and anti-establishment to worry about things like dirty dishes; she has so much going on in her life, and those squares who are bothered by people not picking up after themselves just need to get hobbies.

One thing I like about most of these people is that when Sarah decided to build a skate ramp at 1:00 in the morning (so the noise of sawing, hammering, and a bunch of people talking out in the backyard), it was the second time roommates had objected to late night shenanigans not just for disturbing them, but because it was rude to the neighbors as well.

[Bastet]

"It does not take a genius to understand that Flora and Helga and Olga are not going to be very well supported by a thin sheet of glass on an aluminum frame."

Oh my stars, that whole night is just as funny now as it was back then.  My only regret is that Cynthia wasn't awake to throw holy water on everybody.  "Y'all goin' to hell."

[Bastet]

This season ended so strangely; they all just left on their own schedule, and there really weren't any good-byes shown, even between the people who liked each other. 

That job, complete with furnished apartment, Cynthia wound up with in the end sounded like some shady sales thing that would get ripped out from under her in a hot minute, so I hope things worked out.

This season was just okay, but I really enjoyed revisiting Cynthia, possibly my favorite RW roommate of all time.

[Asp Burger]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

That job, complete with furnished apartment, Cynthia wound up with in the end sounded like some shady sales thing that would get ripped out from under her in a hot minute, so I hope things worked out.

I read after the season that that's exactly what happened. She was narrating as if it were a Cinderella story, and production was fine with appearing to leave it there for storytelling purposes, but it wasn't all it appeared to be and it was very short-lived. She was back in her native Oakland area very soon, where I think she has remained.  

Then a couple years after her season (edit: filmed only one year after, I guess) she did Road Rules All-Stars with Jon, Rachel, Eric, and Sean (with Puck as Master of Ceremonies), which was sort of a one-team trial balloon for the Challenge. None of those cast members was exactly a favorite of mine, but that trip was fun to watch. Good chemistry.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Asp Burger

[Bastet]

10 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

I read after the season that that's exactly what happened. She was narrating as if it were a Cinderella story, and production was fine with appearing to leave it there for storytelling purposes, but it wasn't all it appeared to be and it was very short-lived. She was back in her native Oakland area very soon, where I think she has remained.  

I knew she eventually landed back in her hometown area, but I hoped against hope the Miami job/apartment wasn't as shady as it sounded - that she hadn't been duped but had wound up with something on her resume, then returned home able to build on her job history where she wanted to be.  I knew that was unlikely, given all the neon red flags, but I just like her so much.  Still, at that age and for how short-lived it was, it was probably just a bump in the road - minor compared to what she'd dealt with all her life - and hopefully she settled into a happy existence.

[choclatechip45]

I've been watching this on YouTube. I love this season I had seen a few episodes back when YouTube first started. Cynthia is my favorite roommate of all time. I hope she is doing well. I know for old school fans the business idea was not popular, but I like it so far. Floria is great tv! Sarah and Joe would have never been cast in later seasons so I like them. Dan's model storyline is fun. Melissa is alright so far and Mike is just there. The vibe feels a lot different than the first four seasons. 

[Sister Havana]

Oooh, I didn’t know the whole season is on YouTube! 

[shantown]

The end of the first episode always gets me in the feels. All the roommates being goofy together, describing each other on the phone to families, and mostly Cynthia looking out over the water talking about how excited she is for this opportunity. Every time I hear Enya "Anywhere Is" makes me feel like preteen again watching a show that was probably a bit too mature for me but that was absolutely fascinating!

[Pickles Aplenty]

Okay.  I loved this season.

No, it isn't as deep as the other seasons, and it definitely ushered in the "fat Elvis" years of TRW, but I think it's by far the funniest season of the show.

I was fourteen when it first aired, and I remember laughing my ass off when I watched it.  I should rewatch it now to see if all those moments still hold up.  Is it on YouTube, or something?

[Sister Havana]

Cynthia is going to be on The Challenge All-Stars 3 and I am looking forward to seeing her on that.

 I would love to see a Real World Homecoming with this cast. 

[choclatechip45]

8 hours ago, Sister Havana said:

Cynthia is going to be on The Challenge All-Stars 3 and I am looking forward to seeing her on that.

 I would love to see a Real World Homecoming with this cast. 

It's been rumored that the only thing preventing a Real World Homecoming Miami season is that Melissa won't agree to do it.