In what is arguably the strangest bit of socially distant accommodation we’ve seen in this whole year-and-count-oh-god-yet-count crisis, TVLine notes that Real world housemate Eric Nies didn’t actually live in the show’s house during the recent shootings of the upcoming reunion season The Real World: Homecoming New YorkRather than serving as a loft mate, Nies was instead a screen mate, broadcast via a video monitor to the loft where the other members of the show’s cast – pulled from that famous first season – at least in part as an effort. to make you all care about Paramount Plus, Please– lived. Given that the whole point of The real worlddepending on who you ask is to see how rude people can approach each other during a prolonged period of forced roommate, which seems contrary to the show’s ostensible purpose, but Nies says it wasn’t his calling, noting that the intent was “not by my choice, but I accepted the outcome.”
Sneezing promised explanation will come but the immediate assumption probably has to do with COVID quarantine requirements as it would be a pretty bad look for MTV to push 7 people into a house and see what happens when they are no longer polite and start to become really contagious. However, the other six contestants on the show – Becky Blasband, Andre Comeau, Heather B. Gardner, Julie Gentry, Norman Korpi and Kevin Powell – were all formally reunited and lived together in the SoHo loft where the groundbreaking reality show hosted the was filmed first.
The Real World: Homecoming New York airs tomorrow, March 4, alongside the launch of Paramount Plus.