August 16, 2001
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
You've got to feel a little
bad for the Chicago cast of "The Real World." The seven young 'uns probably
thought they'd get to live rent-free for the summer in a way-cool house
in way-cool Wicker Park, hang with a Pumpkin or two and use the MTV soap
opera-style documentary to launch their 15 minutes of fame.
It probably came as somewhat
of a shock that so many Chicagoans were irked by their mere presence.
Already, one cast member
has been bombarded by wads of paper, of all things. Hooligan-wannabes have
used the summer home at 1934 W. North for target practice, exhibiting remarkably
good aim with cans, bottles and red paint bombs. And just prior to moving
into their building, the real world met "The Real World" when two men not
affiliated with the show were gunned down in their car at a Burger King
just a few blocks away.
Welcome to the neighborhood,
kids. It's gonna be a long, hot summer, especially when some of your neighbors
are giving you the cold shoulder.
So I'm a little unnerved
when a grungy-looking kid comes up to me and hisses, "Are you the Asian
chick from 'The Real World'?"
Faster than I could point
out my wrinkles, one of his media-savvy friends notices there's no camera
crew with me. Turns out they didn't want to deck me. Rather, they wanted
to see if they could get on TV by being in the same vicinity as a cast
member.
Sorry to disappoint you,
sweeties. But while I definitely am an Asian chick from the real world,
I'm not one of the telegenic cast members on "The Real World."
And thank goodness for that,
too. Its bad enough that your own family knows about your wacky idiosyncrasies.
But would you really want them documented on MTV to be broadcast over and
over ad nauseum (without any residuals, I might add)?
The "Real World" Seven are
fairly easy to spot, especially when they're out in a pack heading to trendy
Whiskey Blue in the new W Hotel City Center. They're followed by a camera
operator, a sound person, an assistant who makes sure that everyone on
camera signs a waiver and a team of security guards to protect MTV's property.
My aforementioned doppelganger
has been spotted sipping coffee at the Local Grind--a coffeehouse that,
by virtue of being around the corner from their apartment, has become the
gang's unofficial hangout. Her hottie roommate--heretofore referred to
as Bodzilla--also frequents the joint and was overheard saying that being
on camera 24/7 wasn't as easy as he thought it'd be.
Patrons also eavesdropped
as the requisite Pretty Blond expressed unhappiness about an unfavorable
article she read about herself. But like the rest of her Benettonically
correct cast members, she appeared savvy enough to realize that all publicity
ultimately is good publicity.
So far, the only cast member
spotted engaging in any public displays of affection has been the African-American
woman who made out with her girlfriend in front of the cast's apartment
building.
Local Grind owner Jack Wasserman
welcomes their business and speaks protectively of his frequent customers.
"It would be devastating
if viewers got an impression that we're an unfriendly city," he says. "The
cast is really nice. They aren't always here with a camera crew, but when
they are they're never in anyone's face. It's such old hat now that we
don't realize they're even here until after they're gone."
Which makes one wonder:
How will service be at Piece, the new hip-hop pizzeria in Wicker Park,
now that two cast members have been hired as waitrons?
Have a "Real World" sighting to report? E-mail me at realworld@suntimes.com
Read more Real
World Confidential:
08/23/01
08/30/01
09/06/01
09/13/01
09/20/01
09/23/01
10/11/01
10/18/01
10/25/01
11/01/01
11/02/01
11/15/01
01/25/02
Kyle Brandt interview
Days of Our Lives
The Real World You Never Saw: Chicago dvd
review
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