The Real World, MTV's first "reality-based" television series, was launched in the fall of 1991 to immense critical and popular acclaim which has increased over its eight-year run, transforming it from a controversial experiment into a money-making franchise. A pseudo-documentary, its concept—reiterated in the opening credits of each week's half hour episode—is "This is the story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, and have their lives taped, to see what happens when people stop being polite, and start being real." As columnist Benjamin Svetkey observes, "we get to witness these telegenic urbanites live out their 'real' lives. We watch as they feud with each other (over everything from telephone manners to race relations), flirt with each other, rush off to work or school, chat with their moms on the phone (the ubiquitous microphones eavesdrop on both ends of the conversation...