The Surreal Life

The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of out-of-the-spotlight celebrities and films them as they live together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills for ten days. The format of the show resembles that of The Real World and Road Rules, in that the cameras not only record the castmates participation in group activities assigned to them, but also their interperonsal relationships and conflicts. The cast members are not informed who their housemates would be until they arrived on the set. The first two seasons aired on the The WB, and subsequent seasons have been shown on VH1.

Season 1

The first season (2003) starred Gabrielle Carteris, MC Hammer, Corey Feldman, Emmanuel Lewis, Jerri Manthey, Vince Neil, and Brande Roderick. Throughout the two-week production, the cast participated in a Survivor-inspired camping trip, a trip to Las Vegas, and a drama-creating Corey Feldman, who got married to his girlfriend in the season finale.

Former Facts of Life star Mindy Cohn was scheduled to be a cast member but dropped out before filming began.

Season 2

The second season (2004) starred Traci Bingham, Trishelle Cannatella, Erik Estrada, Tammy Faye Messner, Ron Jeremy, and Vanilla Ice. Some memorable moments involved Ron Jeremy's topless porn-star pool party, Tammy Faye's book signing with members of the gay and transgendered community, and a cameo with Gary Coleman which involved the cast working at a diner under his management, and Vanilla Ice hoisting Coleman above the deep-fryer, leading the sitcom star to quit. The season also introduced "Dirty Laundry", the Surreal Life talk show hosted by Sally Jesse Raphael. Cannatella was focused on by Raphael, who made several unflattering remarks about her drinking problem, and in turn, called her a slut. Among other memorable moments included a surprise stop to a nudist colony, and the production of a children's play.

Former Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce was scheduled to be a cast member but dropped out before filming began.

Season 3

The show's third season (2004) starred Charo, Dave Coulier, Flavor Flav, Jordan Knight, Brigitte Nielsen, and Ryan Starr. Throughout the two weeks, Brigitte and Flav began a relationship (which was continued in Strange Love). Other memorable moments included Date Night, an agonizing recording session for the group to produce an original song, and Flavor's insistence that he drive the group's RV despite not having a license. Once moving to VH1, each season included opening credits, in which each cast member briefly introduced themselves:

Flavor Flav: "I am the greatest hypeman in the business."
Brigitte Nielsen: "I became famous when I married Sylvester Stallone, and I became even more famous when I got divorced."
Jordan Knight: "I was fourteen when I joined New Kids on the Block. I don't like doing stuff like this; I feel like a prostitute."
Charo: "Cuchi-Cuchi!"
Dave Coulier:
Ryan Starr:

Season 4

The fourth season (2005) starred Da Brat, Adrianne Curry, Christopher Knight, Joanie Laurer, Marcus Schenkenberg, Verne Troyer, and Jane Wiedlin. Like the season prior, another romance-themed spin-off, My Fair Brady was developed around the romantic escapades of Curry and Knight. Among notable moments included a feud between Da Brat and Wiedlin (which was intensified during Dirty Laundry), a tantalizing relationship between Laurer and her now-ex-boyfriend Sean Waltman, and Troyer getting drunk on the first day and urinating in a spare room.

Verne Troyer: "Most people know me from Austin Powers playing Mini-Me, but if I get irritated, I'll be an angry dwarf."
Joanie "Chyna Doll" Laurer: "I was a professional wrestler, and then it was gone, overnight."
Adrianne Curry: "I am a reality TV whore. I won America's Next Top Model; I have no shame."
Marcus Schenkenberg: "I was considered the first male supermodel. Calvin Klein was my big break."
Jane Wiedlin: "I was in The Go-Gos. We were just punk-rock chicks, and then all of a sudden, we were ground-breakers and pioneers."
Christopher Knight: "I'm probably only known as Peter Brady. The biggest misconception is that I'm not fourteen years old."
Da Brat: "I was the first female rap artist to go platinum."

Season 5

Season five (2005) starred Caprice Bourret ("See Britain's Most Beautiful Woman"), José Canseco ("Face the Fantastic Strongman"), Sandy "Pepa" Denton ("Meet the Mystical Musician"), Janice Dickinson ("Behold the World's First Supermodel"), Carey Hart ("Witness the Death-Defying Daredevil"), Omarosa Manigault ("Fear the Ultimate Reality Villain") and Bronson Pinchot ("Marvel at the Man from Mypos"). The season played up on the show's namesake surreality by having the house decorated with a circus/carnival theme. This was enhanced with the introduction of a three-legged dog named Lucky. An ongoing feud between Manigault and Dickinson was a key focus point in the season, which ended with Dickinson leaving the house during the final dinner.

Janice Dickinson: "I am the world's first supermodel, and I'm one angry bitch sometimes."
Jose Canseco: "I brought steroids into baseball, and you either love me or hate me; there's no in between with me."
Sandy "Pepa" Denton: "You know me as Pepa from Salt-n-Pepa. You can push it, but you betta not push me."
Carey Hart: "I ride bikes and break bones for a living. People expect me to be this wild, crazy Evel Kneivel, but I'm a really mellow person."
Caprice: "I am an international model. The fact that people stereotype me, used to bother me, but now I try to use it to my advantage."
Bronson Pinchot: "You know me as Balki from Perfect Strangers. I like to do whatever I've been told not to do."
Omarosa: "Most people see me as a villain from The Apprentice. No bitches here; just pure diva."

Season 6

Season six (2006) starred Alexis Arquette, C.C. DeVille, Steve Harwell, Sherman Hemsley, Maven Huffman, Tawny Kitaen and Andrea Lowell. Florence Henderson (Dr. Flo) assisted the cast as the house therapist. Throughout the two weeks, the cast shot a music video, produced and broadcast a live news program, booked and hosted their own talk show pilots, and participated in a "battle of the bands" competition. During the talk show episode, Marla Gibbs makes a special cameo with Hemsley, and the two recreate their retorts and putdowns as Florence and George from The Jeffersons. Arquette brings the transgendered community increased visibility and awareness with her appearance in the series. And, struggling with memory and enunciation problems that grow worse, Tawny Kitaen is inexplicably left crawling on the floor of a closet by the final episode. This is the only season of the show that does not feature a female cast member from a reality show.

Sherman: "I'm known as George Jefferson from The Jeffersons. But that's not the way I am. In real life, I'm sensitive and caring."
C.C: "You may know me as the guitarist from Poison. I lived the rock and roll lifestyle. When I drink, I get out of control."
Tawny: "The Whitesnake video really jumpstarted my career. I'm a prude, I'm not one of those people who like to go out and party."
Steve: "I'm the lead singer for Smash Mouth. I like to take control of things. I don't like answering people, I never did, and I never will."
Andrea: "I am a Playboy TV superstar. I think clothing should be optional. I would definitely be a party starter."
Maven: "I wrestled for the WWE's World Wrestling Entertainment. I thrive on being on the camera."
Alexis: "You may know me from my family, the Hollywood Arquettes. I'm not trying to be a woman, I am a transgendered female."
Florence: "A lot of you know me as Carol Brady. Basically, I'm a caregiver and a nurturer. I enjoy that role."

Season 7

On a wrestling news website there is a report that professional poker player Phil Hellmuth did an interview on Sirius Satelite Radio in which he stated that he will be among the season 7 cast of The Surreal Life, along with Playboy playmate Tina Marie Jordan, rock musician Peter Steele (of Type O Negative), actor Dabney Coleman, actress Tanya Roberts, American Idol contestant Nikki McKibbin, Blue Man Group member/co-founder Chris Wink, comedian Carrot Top, wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and a non-celebrity houseguest. At this moment there is no word on when season 7 will kick off.

However, a June 8, 2006 report by the Post Chronicle ^* reported that the Season 7 cast will consist of, in addition to Savage, Steele, and Hellmuth, Page 3 model Jordan, porn star Mary Carey, 80's rock diva Lita Ford, John Travolta's nephew Rikki Lee Travolta, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Spin-offs

The first spin-off from The Surreal Life was Strange Love, starring Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen, both of Season 3. It premiered in January, 2005 and ran for 11 episodes. The second spin-off, My Fair Brady, starred America's Next Top Model Winner Adrianne Curry and former Brady Christopher Knight. It ran its first season in 2005, concluding with an engagement. The second season (a first for a Surreal Life spin-off) debuted in spring, 2006, concluding with a wedding. Strange Love itself has a continuation in the third spin-off, Flavor of Love. Flavor of Love, once again starring Flavor Flav with cameos by Brigitte Nielsen, ran in early 2006. The fourth spin-off is Fame Games (see below for info/cast).

The Surreal Life: Fame Games

In February 2006, VH1 announced the fourth spin-off of The Surreal Life. The upcoming Surreal Life: Fame Games will bring back ten former housemates to compete in a ten-week elimination competition that will take place in Las Vegas. The winner of the series will leave with $100,000. Robin Leach is set to host. The ten former housemates set to appear are:

External links

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