The Real World: Brooklyn

The Real World: Brooklyn
Season 21
The cast of The Real World: Brooklyn
Starring
  • Baya Voce
  • Chet Cannon
  • Devyn Simone
  • JD Ordoñez
  • Katelynn Cusanelli
  • Ryan Conklin
  • Sarah Rice
  • Scott Herman
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkMTV
Original releaseJanuary 7 (2009-01-07) –
April 1, 2009 (2009-04-01)
Season chronology

The Real World: Brooklyn is the twenty-first season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It is the fourth season of The Real World to be filmed in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, specifically in New York City after The Real World: Back to New York.

It was the first season to include an openly transgender cast member, Katelynn Cusanelli.[1] It also is the first season to feature more than seven cast members, as it featured eight housemates living on Pier 41 in Red Hook. Although it is the only season to set in the borough of Brooklyn, it is also the third season to take place in a city that had hosted a previous season, as the show's first and tenth seasons were set in New York in 1992 and 2001.

The season was aired as 13 one-hour episodes.[2] MTV announced the location in May 2008.[3] The series premiered January 7, 2009, and garnered an 18% increase in ratings over the previous season with 2.3 million viewers.[4][5] The premiere was made available on iTunes on January 8.[2] On January 4, MTV aired a special called The Real World: Secrets Revealed that documents the evolution of the series over the years.[6]

Prior to the beginning of the season Jon Murray, co-creator of The Real World, and Chairman and President of Bunim-Murray Productions, explained the choice of Brooklyn: "The Brooklyn season, like the Hollywood season, will focus on what people loved about 'The Real World' when it launched in 1992 - genuine people, meaningful conflict and powerful stories...We're thrilled that MTV is allowing 'The Real World' turn 21!"[3] Cast member Chet Cannon remarked on the city that was his home for three months, "Brooklyn is usually spoken of as more a place where you don’t want to go — I just don’t want to get shot down here."[1]

Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead, makes an appearance this season when cast member Ryan Conklin attends a meeting of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

In 2010, the season was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b Portlock, Sarah. "Unreal world!Our critic gets a peek at MTV’s Brooklyn reality show". The Brooklyn Paper. December 1, 2008
  2. ^ a b Michael Martin. "The Real World Brooklyn Debut on MTV Wed January 7th at 10pm" Michael Martin Agency; December 4, 2008
  3. ^ a b Sicha, Choire (May 13, 2008). "The Real World: Brooklyn. For Real". observer.com.
  4. ^ James Hibberd (January 26, 2009). "'Real World' heads south of the border: MTV chooses Cancun as setting for 22nd cycle of series". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. ^ "Premiere ratings: 'Damages,' 'Real World,' 'Browns'". January 8, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Real World: Brooklyn house". Michael Martin Agency.
  7. ^ "21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards (2010) - English Language Nominees". GLAAD. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Finke, Nikki (January 12, 2010). "21st GLAAD Media Awards Nominees". Deadline Hollywood.