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Bonus! Why is HEATED RIVALRY such a hit? And is that a good thing?
Heated Rivalry is so popular that it has straight-bro sports podcasts providing enthusiastic coverage of what is, essentially, a gay love story that's also a gay sex story. So why did that happen? Has anything like it ever happened before on TV? And is its success a good thing? Let's dive into it! H
Feb 15, 2026 0
Bonus Video! The story of the nude photo scandal that nearly ended The Real World
There was a nude photo scandal that nearly stopped The Real World from ever making it to air -- early in Season 1, over half the cast threatened to walk away from the project because of how the producers were treating them. I've got the behind-the-scenes story in this week's bonus video ... plus the
Feb 9, 2025 0 1
Bonus Video! Highlights from the never-aired Real World pilot
Huge thanks to Patron Kimberly, who pointed me in the right direction to find the never-aired pilot of The Real World! In this week's bonus video, I want to share a bunch of fascinating moments from this experimental not-for-broadcast artifact, from the awkward meetings to a loft party to a fake rom
Feb 2, 2025 0 1
Sewers of Paris: The Entire Planet Was Paying Attention (Ep 504: The Real World/Judd Winick)
Cast your mind back, if you will, to the 1990s, when reality TV was new. Though the genre was young, many had already written off shows like The Real World as trash. But one young man saw an opportunity, and thought that maybe there was a way he could use television to save lives. His name was Pedro
Jan 30, 2025 0 31
New video! The REAL Real World: How Pedro Zamora Used MTV to Save Lives
Jan 26, 2025 0
Bonus video! Gay high school boyfriends, and David Lynch's queer work
Hello there! I just came across the application letters from a bunch of the early cast of The Real World, and found a funny story about Pam (from San Francisco) and a high school experience that I suspect many of us will find familiar. Plus! As we remember the wonderful work of David Lynch, I want t
Jan 19, 2025 0 1
Bonus Vid! The incredible bravery of The Real World's Norman Korpi
Hello there! Imagine it's 1992, when being an openly gay person is tremendously dangerous in most of America -- and you've volunteered to have your big queer life broadcast to millions of homes. Norm from season 1 of The Real World had absolutely no idea what he was signing up for, but he knew enoug
Jan 12, 2025 0 1
Sewers of Paris: I Accidentally Found Myself on MTV (501: The Real World/Danny Roberts)
My guest this week is Danny Roberts, one of the stars of Real World: New Orleans, which originally aired on MTV in 2000. Danny was planning to become a teacher and wound up on the show through a series of coincidences, accidents, and last-minute changes of plan, so he was a little unprepared for the
Jan 2, 2025 0 21
Bonus video! The behind-the-scenes story of how MTV created The Real World
Hello there! I'm recovering from some back trouble this week so I'm sliiiiiightly woozy on muscle relaxers... but I won't let that stop me from making a bonus video! This week, I have the real life story of how MTV created The Real World in a desperate attempt to prove that they were still cool, and
Dec 29, 2024 0 1
Matt's So-Cast Pod: My So-Called Life's Second Life on MTV (with Peppermint)
My So-Called Life lives again! This week on the podcast, we're chatting about how MSCL was saved from oblivion, resurrected on cable. What made MTV such a perfect home for this show -- better, in fact, than the network where it originally aired? Joining me this week for a chat about MTV is the delig
Oct 28, 2024 0 21
The Sewers of Paris: Behind the Orange Curtain (Ep. 252 - The Real World/Brian Moreno)
Where do you find the nerve to stand up for yourself? My guest this week is Brian Moreno, who discovered a big wide world of gay culture in his conservative town. By day he was a shy nerd, by night a nightlife photographer documenting wild queer parties — at one point helping to throw a gathering th
Sep 19, 2019 0 1