"Real World" Cancun Episode Recap/Review

MTV.com Real World: Cancun cast

I don't think I'm alone in proclaiming "Real World: Brooklyn" the lowest face on the "Real World" totem pole.  Usually, an individual season is a bit like a boxing match: you watch, skeptical of its entertainment value, and end up staying 'til the knockout.  Last season, however, even two homosexuals and a transsexual couldn't stir up enough trouble; the cast looked great on paper, but the personalities were bland, and petty in uninteresting ways.  

This seemed like a sign o' the times for the landmark Mary Ellis-Bunim /Jonathan Murray creation, which has been on the air nearly twice a year since 1992.  Twentysomethings are more progressive than ever, and not even Katelynn, a post-op who walked around in her underwear, could raise eyebrows.  

This season's cast is friendlier, more belligerent and less diverse.  MTV is betting Cancun's tropical setting and abundance of tan college students will tempt the three castmates with S.O.'s to stray from their relationships.  Jonna, a promiscuous bartender with her first serious BF, and CJ, a monogamous All-American punter who is simply too good-looking and confident not to get laid in Cancun, look like prime candidates for divergence.  Perhaps with each other--they hammock-cuddled extensively in last night's episode. The fact that this season is basically "Temptation Island"--tropical setting and all--doesn't bother me.  The show has always been where tenuous relationships go to wither and die. This time out, the potential for infidelity is simply more pronounced.

Elsewhere, drama is created by Joey, a sarcastic indie-rocker at odds with Ayiiia and pretty much everyone else. At the risk of making an amateur diagnosis, I'd say Joe has some form of bipolar disorder.  He hops around jocularly, singing about cast members, until Emilee (unarguably the least interesting cast member) throws water on his guitar.  Then he launches into a crying jag, as if his newborn son had just been scalded with bleach. As for Ayiiia , she's the online fan pick, which says a lot about the average "Real World" fan.  Her personality is a mix of Rush Limbaugh and Perez Hilton--equal parts arrogance and hypocrisy.  

Clearly, the conflict between these aggressive Type-As is the one to watch. Their bickering is somewhat predictable--Joey says or does something offensive, but meant in jest, Ayiiia overreacts--but entertaining nonetheless.  The set-up between genders here reminds me of a romantic comedy--the guys are boorish louts, the girls are emotional and oversensitive.  But these stereotypes are validated by the way each cast member is particularized: Bronne (a dude) is loud but sweet-natured, Jonna is sensitive but self-confident.  As a result, the interplay between castmates is way more engaging than on previous outings.

Appropriately enough, this time around, Derek, the token gay man, is the quietest of the bunch.  In the first episode, the gang gathers around a sun-drenched picnic table to discuss personalities.  "Who's gay?" Outspoken Ayiiia asks.  Derek raises his hand.  Everyone cheers, as if to say:  "Yeah, he's gay.  Who cares? We're in Cancun!"

Grade: A minus 

For more info:

Real World: Cancun homepage on MTV.com

Trailer for "The Real Cancun," a 2003 documentary by the producers of "Real World." I'm positive my brother and I were the only two people in America who saw this movie.