'The Real World' Cast Members: Then and Now

Here's what all of your favorite "MTV-lebrities" are up to in 2023.

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Charlotte Chilton's avatar
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For 33 drama-filled seasons, we watched as eight strangers were picked to live in a house to find out what happens when (say it with us now!) people stop being polite and start getting real. Yes, we're talking about The Real World. If you were lucky enough to watch the series play out live on television in the '90s and into the early aughts, then you'll recognize many of these fan favorites. We dug deep into the past and present to bring you an update on some of the most popular The Real World roommates of all time, below.

Then: Karamo Brown
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Then: Karamo Brown

When Karamo Brown joined the cast of The Real World: Philadelphia in 2004, it was a monumental moment, as he was the first openly gay Black man to appear on the show. Afterward, Brown was recognized at the 16th Annual GLAAD Media Awards for sharing his story on the series. 

Now: Karamo Brown
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Now: Karamo Brown

After his season ended, Brown appeared in MTV's spin-off show, The Challenge. He didn't return to TV until 2012, when he began appearing on talk shows as a correspondent. In 2018, his career exploded when he was cast in Netflix's Queer Eye as the culture expert. Following his newfound success, he released a memoir and a podcast.

Then: Chris 'CT' Tamburello
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Then: Chris 'CT' Tamburello

The Boston native rose to fame in 2003 on The Real World: Paris and was the "bad boy" amongst his roommates, who included Adam King, Mallory Snyder, Ace Amerson, and Christina Trainor.

Now: Chris 'CT' Tamburello
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Now: Chris 'CT' Tamburello

Tamburello has remained in the MTV spotlight as a regular competitor on The Challenge. Since 2004, he has regularly appeared on the show, including the most recent season. In 2018, he married Lilianet Solares. 

Then: Jamie Chung
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Then: Jamie Chung

Jamie Chung was only 20 years old when she was on The Real World: San Diego in 2004. Afterward, she joined the cast of Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II in 2005. "It's a great experience that I would never trade for the world," Chung told the BUILD Series about her time on reality TV, while lamenting about the lack of privacy.

Now: Jamie Chung
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Now: Jamie Chung

Many people are surprised by Chung's Real World past since she's managed to turn it into something most reality stars have failed to do: a successful acting career. She's appeared in movies like The Hangover Part III, Eden, Sorority Row, and Grown Ups. She's been married to One Tree Hill actor Bryan Greenberg since 2015.

Then: Cameran Eubanks
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Then: Cameran Eubanks

In 2004, Cameran Eubanks arrived by boat to her beachfront pad in The Real World: San Diego. She made an impression with audiences and quickly became a fan-favorite cast member who had a massive crush on her roommate, Brad.

Now: Cameran Eubanks
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Now: Cameran Eubanks

After her time in California, Eubanks moved back to her native South Carolina, but managed to continue her work in reality TV on Bravo's Southern Charm. The Charlestonian works as a real estate broker and has been married to her husband, Jason Wimberly, since 2014. They welcomed a daughter, Palmer, in 2018.

Then: Irulan Wilson
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Then: Irulan Wilson

Who could forget Irulan Wilson, one of the cast members of the iconic season of The Real World: Las Vegas in 2002? The popular cast member returned to MTV the year after she left The Real World house to appear on The Challenge.

Now: Irulan Wilson
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Now: Irulan Wilson

Besides a few appearances in the early 2000s and a role in the film Young Cesar, Wilson keeps a low profile these days. In 2007, she returned to the screen for MTV's Reunited: The Real World Las Vegas with her former co-stars.

Then: Jacinda Barrett
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Then: Jacinda Barrett

When MTV decided to go international in 1995 with The Real World: London, the Australian native was one of the lucky people cast in the show. Unfortunately, the season wasn't super memorable, besides the fact that it was shot across the pond.

Now: Jacinda Barrett
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Now: Jacinda Barrett

After she made her TV debut, Barrett got her big break in the 1997 film, Campfire Tales. The actress has since appeared in Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason and Ladder 49, and earned guest spots on TV series like Suits and Bloodline. In 2018, she attended the royal wedding with her husband, Gabriel Macht, who co-starred on Suits with Meghan Markle.

Then: Robin Hibbard
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Then: Robin Hibbard

Robin Hibbard left behind her job at Coyote Ugly in Tampa, Florida, for her spot on the 2004 season of The Real World: San Diego. The outgoing and bubbly 24-year-old was known as the house's resident party girl. 

Now: Robin Hibbard
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Now: Robin Hibbard

Afterward, Hibbard joined MTV's The Challenge and was a regular on the show until 2012. She is now a mom of two children, including a son, Ethan, and daughter, Raina Monroe.

Then: Trishelle Cannatella
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Then: Trishelle Cannatella

The Southern belle and conservative Christian made a splash on the 2002 season of The Real World: Las Vegas—mostly in the hot tub. Her relationship with Steven was one of the most drama-filled storylines of the season.

Now: Trishelle Cannatella
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Now: Trishelle Cannatella

Like many of her co-stars, Cannatella appeared on The Challenge after her season before branching out to other reality shows, like Fear Factor and The Surreal Life. She also had a modeling career, during which she appeared on the cover of Playboy and was in a Super Bowl commercial for GoDaddy.com. According to her Instagram, she's married and lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Then: Paula Meronek
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Then: Paula Meronek

You may know her as Paula Walnuts, the nickname she was given while living in The Real World: Key West house in 2006. The 25-year-old waitress became one of the season's most complex roommates due to her honesty and openness regarding her body issues, abusive boyfriend, and relationship with alcohol.

Then: Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio
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Then: Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio

When he entered the Key West house in 2006, he was simply John Devenanzio from the University of Pennsylvania. By the time he left, he was known as Johnny Bananas due to all of the pranks he and Tyler Duckworth pulled in the house. For obvious reasons, he became a fan favorite.

Now: Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio
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Now: Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio

Devenanzio turned his newfound fame into a lasting career on MTV and has appeared on 20 seasons of The Challenge. In 2015, he branched out into acting and was most recently in Reboot Camp. He also served as a host for NBC's travel show, 1st Look.

Then: Wes Bergmann
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Then: Wes Bergmann

The Real World: Austin star entered the house in 2005 as a 20-year-old jock who was prone to getting into conflicts with his roommates...and had an ego to match.

Now: Wes Bergmann
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Now: Wes Bergmann

Bergmann followed the lead of his Real World predecessors and moved on to The Challenge. He's appeared on 14 seasons and reportedly has made more than $298,000 in winnings. In 2018, he married Amanda Hornick in the presence of many of his Real World co-stars. 

Then: Beth Stolarczyk
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Then: Beth Stolarczyk

An OG Real World star, Beth Stolarczyk appeared on season two in 1993, which took place in Los Angeles. She was known as the drama queen of the roommates—especially to Glen Naessens. 

Now: Beth Stolarczyk
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Now: Beth Stolarczyk

After appearing on numerous seasons of The Challenge, Stolarczyk started her own production company in 2004 and worked as a producer for networks like Pay-Per-View and DirecTV. She is married and has two children, Julia and Nicholas.

Then: Coral Smith
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Then: Coral Smith

Coral Smith first appeared on television in 2001 as one of the castmates on The Real World: Back to New York. Throughout the season, which included a trip to Morocco, Smith stirred up plenty of drama, but was still a fan favorite.

Now: Coral Smith
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Now: Coral Smith

Smith, like so many others, appeared on The Challenge next. In 2002, she was named the champion of Battle of the Seasons. In 2019, Coral debuted a new profile picture on Twitter, but otherwise keeps a low profile. According to her website, she has a daughter and lives in San Francisco.

Then: Rachel Campos
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Then: Rachel Campos

Rachel Campos was on The Real World: San Francisco in 1994, the third season of the show, and later returned to reality TV for Road Rules: All Stars in 1999. It was there that she met her husband, former The Real World: Boston cast member Sean Duffy. 

Now: Rachel Campos
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Now: Rachel Campos

Throughout her MTV career, Campos spoke openly about her Republican affiliation, so it shouldn't be a surprise that she currently works for Fox News. She's still married to Sean—he's a former Republican congressman—and they welcomed their ninth child together in 2019.

Then: Mike Mizanin
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Then: Mike Mizanin

In 2001, Mike Mizanin was the loud mouth in the house on The Real World: Back to New York. The star constantly butted heads with roommate Coral Smith and earned his nickname "The Miz" during the season. 

Now: Mike Mizanin
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Now: Mike Mizanin

After gaining fame on The Real World, Mizanin took his new nickname and turned it into a professional wrestling career. He is currently signed to the WWE, where he performs for the SmackDown series. He's married to another professional wrestler, Maryse Ouellet, who has never seen his MTV episodes.

Then: David Burns
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Then: David Burns

The show broke the fourth wall in 1998 when The Real World: Seattle star, David Burns, started dating the show's casting director. Although she was fired from the show, no one will forget Burns's emotional call to his girlfriend, Kira, which was (of course) captured by MTV cameras.

Now: David Burns
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Now: David Burns

Burns appeared on The Challenge, but it wasn't long before he left the reality TV spotlight for good. "One of the producers from our show took me under his wing and taught me the activation game. I got into the event activation business and even selling sponsorship into MTV shows," Burns told MTV.com. After working in marketing and sales, he landed a job at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing advertising and business for entertainment and live events.

Then: Tonya Cooley
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Then: Tonya Cooley

Tonya Cooley entered the spotlight in 2002 on The Real World: Chicago. Throughout the season, her storyline centered around her long distance relationship with her boyfriend, Justin.

Now: Tonya Cooley
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Now: Tonya Cooley

After her time on The Real World, Cooley posed for Playboy and later joined the cast of several MTV spin-off series, including The Inferno II, Road Rules, and The Challenge. In 2011, she filed a lawsuit against MTV claiming she was sexual assaulted by two of her cast members. She settled with the production company and has kept a low profile ever since.

Then: Mallory Snyder
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Then: Mallory Snyder

Mallory Snyder earned the reputation as the house's good girl on The Real World: Paris in 2003, when she left behind a soccer career at the University of Iowa for the show. Her unfortunate storyline was about if she would lose her virginity in the City of Lights. Spoiler alert: she didn't.

Now: Mallory Snyder
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Now: Mallory Snyder

After appearing on The Real World, Snyder went on MTV's Inferno. She built a successful career as a Sports Illustrated model and married Greg Ochoa in 2018. From the looks of the former reality star's private Instagram account, she may be a mom.

Then: Eric Nies
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Then: Eric Nies

Eric Nies became one of the first Real World cast members when he moved into a Manhattan loft with seven strangers for the first season in 1992. At the time, Nies was working as a male model, but the show landed him on various other reality shows, like The Grind and Confessions of a Teen Idol.

Then: Ruthie Alcaide
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Then: Ruthie Alcaide

Ruthie Alcaide joined the MTV family on the eighth season of the show during The Real World: Hawaii. The show filmed in Honolulu, where Alcaide was born and raised. 

Now: Ruthie Alcaide
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Now: Ruthie Alcaide

After her inaugural season on The Real World, Alcaide appeared on various MTV shows, like The Gauntlet II, The Duel II, and Battle of the Sexes. Eventually, Alcaide's interest shifted behind the camera and she became a producer.

Then: Aneesa Ferreira
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Then: Aneesa Ferreira

The reality show reached a milestone when Aneesa Ferrerira joined the cast of The Real World: Chicago as the first openly gay Black woman to appear on the series. After living unapologetically in the loft, Ferreira was heralded by the LBGTQ community for her appearance on the show.

Now: Aneesa Ferreira
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Now: Aneesa Ferreira

After leaving the Chicago loft, Ferrerira stayed in the MTV family and has built a career around appearing on the network's spin-off, The Challenge. She's also the co-host of MTV's Official Challenge Podcast with Tori Deal. 

Then: KellyAnne Judd
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Then: KellyAnne Judd

MTV viewers met KellyAnne Judd on season 19 during The Real World: Sydney. The Texas native traveled across the world to live in the house and ended up making a career out of it—she's appeared on MTV's The Challenge multiple times since. 

Now: KellyAnne Judd
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Now: KellyAnne Judd

Judd competed in four seasons of The Challenge before leaving reality television for good. According to her LinkedIn account, she now lives in Denver, Colorado, and works in public relations.

Charlotte Chilton
Charlotte Chilton