A Definitive Ranking Of Every Real World House
For 32 seasons we watched seven strangers live in a house and let the drama unfold. Regardless of what antics ensued, the houses the cast lived in were always amazing. Here’s our definitive ranking of all the enviable digs you wished you could live in when you grew up.
In one of the all-time great seasons of Real World (Pedro, Puck...so good), the house featured the requisite fish tank, pool table, bright blue walls and enviable location, near the winding Lombard Street. While it lacks some of the grandiose touches of later houses, I remember being obsessed with the idea of a TV existing in a fireplace.
The SoHo loft at the center of the first season of Real World can probably claim responsibility for a whole generation of New Yorkers making the move. The spiral staircase, velvet sofas, and epic fish tank all scream '90s, but also established the style of a whole bunch of "extreme" living spaces to come.
This picturesque house was only a block from the beach, and was the site of plenty of drama- remember when they kicked out David for pulling the blankets off Tami while she was in her underwear? The interior employed the show's signature colorful design aesthetic, including an orange room. The best news? You can stay in the master suite by booking it on Airbnb.
The Portland loft from season 28 was what your hipster dreams were made of. We're talking exposed brick, wood-paneling, worn leather couches, and industrial accents. But the most memorable features have to be the quirky wall art-remember the birdhouse bedroom and suitcase living room?
For the show's most recent season, the cast returned to Seattle, but that was the only thing that was familiar. This cast started with seven original roommates, and then brought in seven additional roommates, all of which had "bad blood" with the originals. Fortunately, there was nothing bad about the cast's digs-located in Seattle's Ballou Wright Building. The open floor plan featured a sweet plant wall, huge windows, and the requisite velvet furniture and pool table. I'd definitely live there, but it's not the most creative space on this list.
This was a waterfront property right on Biscayne Bay. Need we say more? The interior itself wasn't super memorable, but the insane oceanside swimming pool definitely deserves a shoutout.
This brownstone was impressive from the outside, and the interiors didn't disappoint, either. Rooms were named after American presidents (because, D.C.), like Lincoln, Reagan, and my personal favorite-Kennedy. Also, can we talk about the LoveSac lounge?!
For the show's trip down under, the house was located in a 20,000-square-foot former OneSport World Building, which was a sports-themed venue that has since been demolished. For filming, however, the space was full of bright colors, surfboards, a music room and just a general Australian-inspired decor. Nothing truly special, but still pretty cool.
Color, color, color-this Key West house was as bright and sunny as the filming locale, and if there's one thing we remember from it, it's definitely the tiki hut. Fun fact: You can rent it on Airbnb!
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Prior to the filming of the series, this house was listed for $50,000/a month, so you know it's insanely OTT. The La Jolla beach house's most notable feature was obvi the cliffside views and oceanside swimming pool, but the contemporary, cool, colorful decor was definite eye candy. It won't rank as high as the first season set in San Diego, but there's definitely some house porn in this one.
Filmed on Pier 41 with views of the Statue of Liberty (casual), the Brooklyn house was bigger than anything we could ever expect to rent in NYC, but it was total goals. Bedrooms were themed after iconic New York locales, like Coney Island and Grand Army.
Of the three stints in Vegas, this one ranks lowest on our list, but it's still pretty kick*ss. The Palms suite was decked out in Southwestern decor (cacti all up in here), but the real standout was the Siegfried & Roy bedroom, complete with stuffed tigers on each beach. Tacky? Yes. Glorious? Abso-freaking-lutely.
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As much mad love and nostalgia as we have for season 1, the West Village loft is definitely what our inner New Yorkers aspire to be. The roof top complete with gazebo is basically NY real estate gold, but one of our favorite parts was the atrium, with that epic industrial chandelier.
When MTV headed back to Vegas this last time, they set up camp at Gold Spike. The top floor of the boutique hotel was renovated into a penthouse for the filming, and featured colorful bedrooms, swanky, retro-style decor, and some pretty epic patios.
Housed in the former manufacturing and warehouse section of the city, it's no surprise these interiors featured exposed pipes and brick for days. And we loved every minute of it.
If you've never been to San Diego, this is probably still what you imagine the Southern California city to be like. This season was one of the more iconic ones, and the house definitely lives up to the reputation. The interiors were coastal-inspired-albeit a bit kitschy (hello, taxidermy fish)-but overall, exactly what we wanted from San Diego. And that sand deck, though.
But let's be real, if we're ranking Chicago houses, the OG is going to get our vote. The Wicker Park loft was a total hipster hangout, with exposed brick, an elevator, and a living room inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The best part was the "bird's nest," a window-side seating area with blue pillows and cushions and chinoiserie-esque wallpaper.
This season was housed inside an old bank, which is cool enough on its own, but the interiors were also seriously notable. From the red living room, to the smoking lounge, to the pillow alcove, the decor alone was reason enough to tune in.
For the second visit to New Orleans, MTV set up camp in the Uptown District, and though it doesn't rank as high as the first season did for us, it's still so great. The Mardi Gras bedroom was literal gold.
Second time was the charm for San Francisco-the Nob Hill loft was frequented by music legends in the late sixties, such as Janis Joplin and the Doors, so it's legacy alone is enough to earn it a top spot on our list, but the inside was memorable, too. Think bean bag chairs, colorful, eclectic door, and plenty of cool, industrial accents like exposed pipes.
The cast on this season of the show got to live on their own private island. Hassel Island was the locale for this stunning house, which featured an awesome pool, aquarium in the kitchen, outdoor seating made of an old boat and nautical-themed bedrooms.
The Beacon Hill firehouse may be one of the coolest buildings the show has given us. Inside, it felt quintessentially colonial with exposed brick and iron detailing, and the patterned rugs and pillows helped cozy up the space.
This one seemed très fancy for the Real World, but we weren't mad about it. The show was housed in a villa built in 1869, and featured (surprisingly) tasteful, elegant, traditional decor. It's maybe a little bourgeois for our tastes, but when in Rome, right?
This one was just as good as you'd expect from one of the coolest cities on the map right now. If we had to pick a favorite feature, it would definitely be the Southwestern-themed bedrooms, like Tumbleweed and Guava cactus.
Yeah, there is an actual ski lift in here, and it is everything. If we stopped right here, it'd still land a top spot on our list, but then there's the recliner lounge, bean bag lounge, ski lift chair lounge, and exposed brick, rustic decor for days.
Living in a hotel doesn't scream "real world" to us, but it definitely had its perks. The cast lived in a suite made up of 15 rooms at the ME Cancun resort (now the Melody Maker Cancún). Not only did they have a sick view of the crystal clear ocean, but they could enjoy it from a pool in the bathroom. This is one of the few Real World residences you can actually stay in.
As a movie/TV-obsessed person I couldn't resist putting this house toward to the top of the list-it was housed in an old TV studio where I Love Lucy was once filmed! The decor went hard on Hollywood icons, with popcorn bags lining the kitchen cabinets and mug shots of famous actors hanging on the walls. And I'd definitely spend all my time in the pool, complete with Hollywood sign backdrop.
The Hard Rock penthouse suite included a bowling alley, for crying out loud. Living seriously large. The decor this season was all kinds of flashy, and in literally the best way possible. If you want to have your own mini Real World experience, call up your friends and book the suite for your next Vegas vacay.
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For the show's trip to Hawaii, the house went full-out kitsch with a volcano in the pool, cave and beach-themed bedrooms (complete with grass skirts on the bunk beds). Known as Diamond Head House, this location was the site of the infamous Ruthie’s departure for alcoholism.
Probably the first time Americans fell in love with the idyllic neighborhood of Notting Hill, this townhouse was possibly most memorable for its stone archways, brick walls, a castle-like wooden door. There were just so many British touches that made it one of my favorites.
Who wouldn’t want to live in Southern-style mansion in the Big Easy? This house leaned HARD to NOLA iconography like Mardi Gras beads, a jazz-themed bedroom and a voodoo room. My favorite forgotten for feature? The altar-like dining/bar area that made me feel like the cast was dining in the coolest church ever.
The space in this converted warehouse was INSANE. The perfect place for what was pretty much a perfect season of the show-remember when David fell in love with a Real World producer and when Irene got slapped?! With all that space, the cast got sweet perks like a rock climbing wall, so many windows, a giant patio, hot tub, and a sunken living room.
For 32 seasons we watched seven strangers live in a house and let the drama unfold. Regardless of what antics ensued, the houses the cast lived in were always amazing. Here’s our definitive ranking of all the enviable digs you wished you could live in when you grew up.
The perfect places to stop being polite...and start getting real.
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