The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the longest-running reality series in history, credited with launching the modern reality TV genre.
The series was hailed in its early years for depicting issues of contemporary young-adulthood relevant to its core audience, such as sex, prejudice, religion, abortion, illness, sexuality, AIDS, death, politics and substance abuse, but later garnered a reputation as a showcase for immature and irresponsible behavior.
Following Bunim’s death from breast cancer in 2004, Bunim/Murray Productions continues to produce the program. The 28th and most recent season, set in Portland, Oregon, premiered on March 27, 2013, and ended its first run on June 12, 2013. An upcoming 29th season, set in San Francisco, California, is currently in production, and is expected to air in 2014.
The series has generated two notable spin-offs, both broadcast by MTV: Road Rules, which lasted for 14 seasons, and the reality game show The Challenge, which has run for over 20 seasons since 1998. The Challenge is mostly cast-contestant dependent on both The Real World and Road Rules, as it combines contestants from various seasons of both shows. Coordinating the series with its spin-off, MTV alternates between airing seasons of The Real World and The Challenge and ends out seasons of both shows by showing previews for the upcoming season of the other.
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Living history show presented by Fi Glover. Six celebrities travel back in time to the relentless graft of Victorian Britain.
North Woods Law follows Maine’s elite Game Wardens as they navigate the Pine Tree State’s rugged terrain and twisted back roads.
In the state of Maine, the elite Game Warden Service patrols more than eighteen million acres of rugged terrain filled with wild animals… and wild people. Each Autumn brings the hunting season, the Warden’s busiest and most dangerous time of year. These ‘State Police of the Woods’ never know what to expect from one moment to the next.
Actor/adventurer Jack Maxwell learned a lot working in South Boston bars, and one lesson stood out: Enjoy a couple of drinks with a stranger, and the whole world opens up. Those experiences inspired “Booze Traveler,” which follows Maxwell to various countries to quench his curiosity about what people drink, why, and the tales it prompts. In Armenia, Belize, Lithuania, Mongolia, Nepal and elsewhere, Maxwell learns its intoxicating traditions, meets with locals, joins in activities, and even helps with the alcohol-making process. He finds a unique drink, makes friends and shares stories in each spot.
In the desolate outreaches of Bristol Bay, Alaska, the most competitive fishing season on Earth takes place throughout four short weeks. 1,800 captains and their crews draw the battle lines to help save Alaska’s ecosystem by reeling in a massive sockeye salmon payday. With potential fortune swimming just below the surface, five captains prepare to battle the unforgiving bay, the battering ram of boats jockeying for position and the law, which strictly monitors the season with recon choppers and police squads. On the bay, fishing for the nearly 44 million salmon is necessary for the environment, and arm of the law is long, tempers are short and every single decision is the difference between drawing a huge income and settling for pennies.
Fear Factor is an American sports stunt/dare reality game show. It originally aired between 2001 and 2006, when it was canceled. It was later revived in 2011, only to be cancelled again on May 13, 2012. After its second cancellation, a two-part special aired in July 2012. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a grand prize, usually of US $50,000. From Seasons One to Five, the contestants were generally three men and three women, all competing for themselves, but in Season Six, the show moved to a permanent format of four teams of two people, each with a pre-existing relationship with one another. The show was hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan, executive produced by Matt Kunitz and David A. Hurwitz and directed by J. Rupert Thompson.
Filmed from the perspectives of dealers, users and the police, this vivid series offers a bracing look at the war on drugs.
Holiday cookies are more than mere sweets: they are gifts, mementos of childhood, and most certainly made with pride. In this Christmas Cookie Challenge hosted by Jonathan Bennett, five confident and daring bakers compete to prove their holiday cookie-making skills. Tough-love judges Duff Goldman, Damaris Phillips, and Sherry Yard are on hand to crown the holiday cookie master, who will go home with a $10,000 prize!
Tarek is a self-proclaimed real estate genius with determination and drive. Christina is Tarek’s picture-perfect wife, who Tarek’s friends still can’t believe he landed. In each episode of Flip or Flop, Tarek and Christina flip a new property. From the nail-biting purchase at auction, to the frustrating renovations and maddening showings, to the giddy acceptance of an offer, we’ll follow along as these two relatively novice flippers try their hand at the toughest game in town. From purchase to resale, weaving their personal lives within the story of the flip. From paying cash, sight unseen, for a property at auction, through the hapless remodeling process, to the frantic sale, this young couple is putting everything they have into this venture.
Oxygen Media dances to the beat of its own drum with the uplifting, inspiring and amusing new docu-series The Prancing Elites Project. This African American, gay and non-gender conforming dance team comprised of Adrian Clemons, Kentrell Collins, Kareem Davis, Jerel Maddox, and Timothy Smith is challenging societal norms while overcoming several obstacles with passion and humor on their journey to be their authentic selves. The series delves into the personal lives of these five best friends in Mobile, Alabama as they fight to be accepted in the female dominated dance culture of J-Setting.
There’s no such thing as “a regular day” at Denver’s Planned Pethood Plus veterinary clinic. For 80,000-plus clients and their pets, the clinic and its maverick ER vet Dr. Jeff Young represent one last hope and possibly the difference between life and death.