Seven wide-eyed anglophones living, working and being filmed around the clock for 4 months, together in Paris... Is that a mischievous cultural experiment, or every young person’s fantasy come true?
Whatever the inspiration behind the latest season of MTV’s long-standing reality hit “The Real World” airing this fall on MTV Europe, the result is a bracing change of pace. This season’s cast — which includes an athletic Midwestern ingenue, a gay Irish model, a Vegas party girl and a womanizing Stanford grad — is the first since the show’s inception in 1992 to undergo this contrived yet unique experience in a non-English-speaking location. Shot last January through May, “The Real World Paris” was set in a breathtaking 4-story château in elegant banlieue Le Vésinet, where its chosen participants resided, working on a Frommer’s guide to Paris nightlife and restaurants.
Any American anti-Gallic sentiment has evidently not affected the popularity of the series, which premiered in the States in early June to strong ratings and positive buzz. In fact, resentment towards the French might have actually boosted upport for the show on the other side of the Atlantic; moreover, the appeal of this cast is undoubtedly linked to their inherent vulnerability as strangers stumbling along in a captivating, but not necessarily welcoming city.
Besides having to deal with an explosively diverse mix of personalities and invasive camera crews, these kids — none of whom speak French — were forced to contend with the language barrier, culture shock, and mounting political uneasiness between France and Bush’s war-faring America.
Were they able to enjoy the “City of Light” despite these challenging conditions? Absolutely, insists Simon, the trendy 18-year-old Irishman (which makes him both the youngest, as well as the only European in the house)... “Paris is such a fun city, with so much to do and see beyond the tourist attractions. I found Parisians very respectful towards production, far more than I imagine Americans would be.”
Parisians are often stereotyped — even by natives of other regions of France, as haughty and unpleasant — but Simon dismisses this notion. “I never had a problem... Most of the Parisians I came in contact with were extremely kind and polite.” Nevertheless, the season’s initial episodes are fraught with the tension of guileless young foreigners nervously negotiating the customs of a new land; aside from predictable frustrations with unfamiliar restaurant menus and metro maps, there’s a shouting match with a belligerent bunch of Parisian clubbers on the Champs-Elysées and a near-violent confrontation with a mercurial taxi driver.
Yet, whatever the difficulties, these seven young voyagers — and the show itself — have been left with Paris’ indelible mark. “I can’t wait to go back there,” enthuses Simon. “But this time without the cameras.”
