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The Surreal Life

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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 first two seasons aired on the The WB, and subsequent seasons have been shown on VH1.

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[edit] 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. [citation needed]

[edit] Season 2

Image:SurrealLife 2.jpg

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 Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman. This involved the cast working at a local diner under his management, and Vanilla Ice doing comedic antics. This included hoisting Coleman above the deep-fryer, sticking a banana in his work pants and insisting on having Coleman say his catch phrase, "What'chu talkin' about, Willis?" in public when Coleman's Strokes co-star Todd Bridges showed up. These immature acts lead the pint-sized sitcom star to "fire" Ice and 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.

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

[edit] Season 3

Image:SurrealLife 3.jpg 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. Flavor also caused a brief disconnection with the cast, when it was revealed during Dirty Laundry that he had hit the Surreal Life puppy. Once moving to VH1, each season included opening credits, in which each cast member briefly introduced themselves.

[edit] 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), an unhealthy relationship between Laurer and her now-ex-boyfriend Sean Waltman, and Troyer getting drunk on the first day and urinating in the weight room.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 cameo appearance 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, Kitaen is inexplicably left crawling on the floor of a closet by the final episode.

[edit] 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 Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight. It ran its first season in 2005, concluding with an engagement. The second season 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 a guest appearance by Brigitte Nielsen, ran in early 2006. The second season premiered in August 2006. The fourth spin-off is The Surreal Life: Fame Games (see below for info/cast).

[edit] 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. Former "New Kids on the Block" singer Jordan Knight leaves part-way through the competition for unknown reasons (it is rumored that there is a death or sickness in his family) and he is replaced by actor Verne Troyer. [citation needed] The ten former housemates set to appear are:

[edit] External links

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