The Real World: Miami

The Real World: Miami was the 5th season of MTV's popular reality television series The Real World, which follows the lives of seven diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships.

Season Changes

• This was the first season in which the housemmates were given a season-long assignment or task, an aspect of the series that would continue in all subsequent seasons. The cast's efforts were marked by much disorganization and conflict, and while ideas such as a dessert delivery service, a fashion line were floated about, they were ultimately not able to start the business.

Assignment

The cast was assigned the taks of starting a business, and would be given $50,000 startup money.

Cast

• Cynthia Roberts
• Dan Renzi
• Flora Alekseyeun
• Joe Patane
• Melissa Padrón
• Mike Lambert
• Sarah Becker

Cynthia Roberts Cynthia is an African-American waitress from California with long, manicured fingernails who attends San Jose State University. She comes from a single parent home and is overall conservative.

Dan Renzi an is openly gay and starts a modeling career while in Miami. He dates several men and his parents come to visit. His mother is accepting of his homosexuality but his dad and brothers choose to ignore it. When the show ends, Dan is offered a modeling job in Italy and has to say goodbye to his new boyfriend.

Flora Alekseyeun Flora is originally from Russia but was living in Boston before moving into the Miami house. She dates two men simultaneously and teeters on the brink of being caught. She bills herself as the "bitch of all bitches" and is given to vindictiveness towards those from whom she perceives slights. She takes a job as a bartender in Miami, though Cynthia openly criticizes her for dressing provacatively in her job interview. When Mitchell, one of the guys she is dating, says he is coming to visit her, she tells him she hopes the plane crashes and he's the only one who dies. Cynthia calls both of the relationships "jokes". At one point Dan expresses worry that Mitchell has been beating Flora, attributing the accusation to Dan. Flora denies this, accused Dan of lying, and says that Mitchell is very good to her when they're alone. Years after the show ended, Flora and Mitchell got married.

Joe Patane Joe is an Italian-American building manager from New York, and is dating a Nicole, a model who is several inches taller than he. When Nicole visits the house, the cast is appalled at her ditzy behavior and how she is too affectionate with Joe at a restaurant. Nicole dislikes the cast, saying they're lazy and just sit around the house. He tries to stay faithful to her but is tempted by all the women in Miami. He is obtaining his MBA and is eager to start the business. He gets annoyed with his housemates when they don't have the motivation he does, even quitting the project entirely. His relationship with Nicole is rocky, but in the end he proposes to her. At a subsequent reunion show Joe reveals that they have broken up, to which Mike expresses relief, because, as he tells Joe, Nicole was a "bitch".

Melissa Padrón Melissa is a Cuban-American native of Miami. She enjoys writing dirty emails to some of Sarah's friends and has previously worked as a phone sex operator. Dan excoriates her for her nosiness after she opens an envelope of his to see what is inside, which according to him, could've cost him his job. She becomes friends with Flora. Eventually Sarah and Melissa have an argument, and Melissa moves out of the house.

Mike Lambert Mike wants to be a private investigator. In an infamous scene, he is heard having sex in the shower with a woman he brought home, with his housemates listening in outside the bathroom window. In another episode, he makes out with a woman in the hot tub while Melissa watches.

Sarah Becker Sarah is an editor at Wildstorm Comics, who decorates her personal areas with Wildstorm posters and action figures. She is fond of skateboarding and candy. She has a boyfriend but this was kept hidden during the show. She jokes that she is "asexual". She is outspoken and the housemates get mad when she brings home some kids she met on the street, who run around the house playing. Mike and Flora feel Sarah doesn't need to be telling people where they live and shouldn't bring people in off the street, and that the kids need to leave. Sarah defends her choice, saying she was just giving the kids some fun and food. Sarah accuses her housemates of being selfish and lazy. As the show progresses she spends less time in the house, doing outside jobs. She also brings in a dog that she found.

Season Highlights

• One heated moment in the show was a fight between Dan and Melissa. Melissa opens an envelope that had two slides from the movie The Birdcage that Dan needed for work. Dan is angry that Melissa opened an envelope that obviously wasn't hers. (It was later revealed that Dan's mother learned he was gay by reading a letter sent to him). Dan yells at Melissa and calls her a "stupid bitch". Melissa explodes at him and screams to not ever call her that, referring to him as a "flamer." The next day they talk, and Melissa tearfully admits that her anger comes from a verbally abusive father, and she hated seeing her father in herself. They both apologize for their actions and agree to talk to each other if they need help.

• Another tense moment occurs with Sarah is visited at the house by her friends, who make a home movie about life in the house. While filming, Flora repeatedly flashes the camera. When the movie is produced, Flora says she does not want the movie distributed to anyone. She claims she was on heavy medication and tries to convince Sarah's friend to sign a contract that the movie won't be shown, which angers Sarah. Sarah is also mad at Melissa when Melissa makes a comment about Sarah's friends being unable to afford dinner at a nice restaurant, given that they all have jobs, and Melissa does not. Sarah's friends pay for the entire dinner and Melissa tells them that was a nice thing for them to do.