What These Stars Of The Real World Season 1 Look Like Today
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History was made in 1992 when the first season of The Real World debuted on MTV. The cast of seven strangers consisted of model Eric Nies, musician Becky Blasband, rocker Andre Comeau, rapper Heather B. Gardner, artist Norman Korpi, activist Kevin Powell, and country girl Julie Gentry. And, of course, don't forget Gouda the dog! Over the course of three months, the young cast members built friendships and butted heads on camera while living in a gorgeous SoHo loft, showing the world exactly what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. Once the cameras were done rolling, each person found themselves more famous than they ever anticipated.
But this wasn't just the first season of yet another reality show. Rather, it was the first-ever reality show, created by producers Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. It spawned multiple shows, which have borrowed from The Real World to this day. "I wish the people who use these techniques would credit us," Murray told People in 2001. "Or that we got royalties!"
Over 30 seasons later, The Real World is still going strong while continuing to adhere to its original formula. But what happened to each of its Gen X pioneers after the fame faded? Read on to find out what the stars of The Real World Season 1 look like today.
Heather Gardner hosts her own YouTube show
Heather Gardner, better known by her rap moniker Heather B., became known for both her outspoken nature and burgeoning career in hip hop during her tenure on The Real World. Interestingly enough, Gardner didn't intend to get too personal while filming the show, hoping instead to keep her head down. "I had a plan," she once revealed in an interview with People magazine. "I told myself, 'I am not going to get caught up, I'm not speaking to anyone, I will just be me and get my money.'" Well, we all know how that turned out!
While Gardner did find some commercial success in film and hip hop with 1995's "All Glocks Down" because of her presence on the show, in the end she parlayed her reality TV stardom into a successful career in radio. In addition to co-hosting Shade 45's Sway in the Morning on SiriusXM, she's also hosted the popular show The Happy Hour with Heather B. on YouTube, which you can also find on SiriusXM. Outside of showbiz, Gardner has often enjoyed cooking.
Eric Nies is a married new age guru
If anyone on the first season of The Real World gets to be deemed the eye candy of the group, that honor goes to the hunky Eric Nies, a model who never missed an opportunity to show off his six pack. So popular with the ladies was he that MTV signed him up to host the dance show The Grind after The Real World wrapped, as well as a series of affiliated workout videos.
But Nies' days as a television star have since passed him by, and he's since worked as an alternative and holistic wellness facilitator. He's also hosted men's wellness retreats in California, per a post on his Instagram page. In his personal life, Nies married the love of his life and mother of his child in Vietnam. "Iona kind of came in and amplified my light," he said of his wife in a 2014 episode of Oprah Winfrey's Where Are They Now? (via In Touch Weekly). "There was an energy about her that was undeniable ... [As] soon as she looked at me, she saw all of our past lives together." Looks like this sex symbol has settled down for good!
Becky Blasband is still pursuing her musical dreams
There were a few things that made Becky Blasband stand out when she was on The Real World, one of them being her romance with one of the show's directors — which wound up getting him fired. Slight televised scandal aside, she was also known as an aspiring musician, although her open mic debut on the show didn't go very well. "I was put up to doing that show and the next thing I know it happened," she recalled in an interview with Pause & Play. "I wasn't ready to do it and I was very uncomfortable and I felt exploited. I didn't want to be exposed to the public as somebody who thought they were ready when they weren't." She added that the experience was anything but organic.
Frustrated by the sudden fame The Real World foisted upon her, Blasband left civilization to go live in a cabin in Northern California in order to reset. When she returned to New York, she jumped back into the music hustle, something she still continues today, according to her website. She's also known to regularly update her Instagram page.
Norman Korpi is an inventor, and is still making art
There's no question that artist Norman Korpi was a groundbreaking reality television star, given that he was openly gay at a time when it wasn't as accepted as it is today. But Korpi was up for the task, even though he hadn't yet come out to his parents — which he did before The Real World premiered on MTV. And when it did, Korpi's presence was well-received by audiences, both straight and queer alike. "All of a sudden on TV is this average, dorky kind of person who was gay — not the stereotype," he explained in an interview with People magazine. "People were refreshed."
After The Real World, Korpi continued to work in showbiz, first creating Gay Entertainment Television, and later directing his first feature film, The Wedding Video, according to his website. He's also continued to create art, and has maintained an active presence on both Facebook and Twitter. To top it all off, Korpi has also become known as the inventor and entrepreneur of A/Stand.
Kevin Powell is a published author
Scholar and activist Kevin Powell didn't have cable when he was cast in The Real World, and because of that, he didn't know a lot about MTV. But once the cameras started rolling, it soon became clear that Powell was quick to jump into an argument with the other cast members over a variety of issues. "I had a chip on my shoulder," he admitted in an interview with People magazine. However, he added that "being in that space with someone who was gay, and with women, made me see how human they were. I had to start working on some of my own issues."
Powell has been on a journey to self-discovery ever since, having written and published more than a dozen books, according to his author bio. Most notably has been his autobiography, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood, which chronicles his childhood and rite-of-passage into manhood. Powell has also been active on Instagram, where he's often promoted a vegan diet and yoga practice.
Andre Comeau has continued to rock
In the final episode of The Real World Season 1, Andre Comeau confessed that the main reason he signed up for the show was to get exposure for his band, Reigndance. But that was pretty evident from the very beginning, as the vast majority of Comeau's arc was about the band, which appeared frequently on the show.
In retrospect, however, Comeau has admitted that MTV wasn't the right place to promote the group, as the audience it drew in wasn't necessarily serious about the music. "They were teenyboppers who bought our album and then threw it away as soon as the next flavor of the month came along," he lamented in an interview with Generations of Gotham in 2011. Eventually, the band broke up, and Comeau eventually moved out to Los Angeles permanently.
Comeau has continued to make music, most recently with his band River Rouge, which has incorporated new influences on the rocker. "My love of acoustic music and bluegrass stems from my own prejudice against it," he continued. "It spoke to me when I realized how wrong I was."
Julie Gentry is a mom in her native state
When Julie Gentry (née Oliver) was cast on The Real World, she didn't quite realize what it would become. "I was just thinking that I would have rent paid for while I studied dance, and that that would be my springboard," she revealed in an episode of Where Are They Now? on OWN. "I was under the impression that it would be seven people who were coming from all over the country to, kind of, pursue their different art in New York City." She added that it was intimidating to learn how accomplished her roommates were in comparison with her.
As the show progressed, it was clear that the producers wanted her to be the fish out of water, a bumpkin from Alabama in the big city. But Gentry isn't mad about it, and has since kept busy being a wife to catering chef Joshua, as well as a mom, back in her native state, according to People magazine. And when the time was right, she planned to show The Real World to her son, as she shared, "I think he'd be really impressed with his mom."