THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, June 28, 1995 TAG: 9506270059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
I HAVE SEEN an hour or two of MTV's ``Real World IV,'' and I am happy to report that none of the seven young people who come bouncing into your living rooms tonight at 10 is another Puck.
You remember the Puckster from ``Real World III,'' I'm sure.
Who could forget a dude who never bathes, picks at his scabs, hogs the camera and blows snot at people who annoy him, which is just about everyone?
As ``Real World IV'' began unfolding in London's Notting Hill district, a Brit named Neil showed up to share the chic digs with his six mates, and for a scary moment or two, I thought we had another Puck here. Same spiky hair. Also, an attitude.
It doesn't take long to see that Neil is no Puck. He's a graduate of Oxford University's Wadham College who interrupts his Ph.D. studies in experimental psychology to live out the next five months before the MTV cameras.
Now don't get me wrong. Neil, 24, isn't Mr. Perfect. He doesn't like Americans and says so. He claims it's difficult to relate to us because of what he calls our ``phony up-front friendliness.''
But that doesn't stop him from getting cozy with a Yank from Tacoma named Kat, who is also in the group of seven taking part in ``Real World IV.'' And he cheats on his girlfriend, Chrys, to do it.
Maybe you won't like Neil. But you won't flat out loathe him as you loathed Puck, who was eventually run out of the San Francisco apartment by Pam, Rachel, Cory and the unforgettable Pedro, who died of AIDS complications in November.
Neil entered this ``Real World'' thing expecting the worst.
``They all might be complete bastards,'' he said of the new generation of young people who agreed to share just about everything in their personal lives with a TV audience of millions.
And here they are:
Jay, 19, is a playwright from Portland, Ore., who leaves behind his 16-year-old girlfriend to share the London townhouse with total strangers.
Kat, who is from Tacoma, Wash., and studies at New York University, is a jock who plans to take part in the Junior Olympics in London. Her sport is fencing.
Michael, 21, is All-America wholesome, a child of wealthy parents in St. Louis. He wants to race cars for a living and has been participating in Formula 2000 cars in the Midwest. MTV will get him involved in the British Touring Car Championships.
Neil, you already know about. He's into body piercing. When he's not studying, Neil plays with a London club band. He calls his music noise. In one scary scene, you'll see Neil attacked and bitten on the tongue in a music pub - a kiss gone mad.
Sharon is the other Brit in the bunch. She's a singer-songwriter who evolves as the unofficial London guide for the others.
Lars, 24, is a German who quickly upsets the others in the townhouse because he smokes so much. He is studying communications in Berlin.
Jacinda, 22, is a model from Australia who has been working in Paris since she was in her teens. She's a cover girl who is into flying and parachuting for sport.
This bunch is older, more mature and more attractive than the other groups of young people recruited by producers Mary-Ellis Burnim and Jonathan Murray for this MTV series, which began in June 1992.
``Real World's'' ratings have increased with each new season.
Come July, the producers will unveil a series called ``Road Rules,'' which is ``Real World'' on the move with two fewer people in the cast.
``We strive to show not only what is happening to the people on `Real World' but also why it is happening,'' said Burnim, who pays the people only $100 a week expense money. They do live rent-free.
And they live well in London. ``Look at this place,'' said Jay when he saw the London digs for the first time. ``I feel like Alice in Wonderland.''
Alice never had a crew of 30 following her around for five months. by CNB