Episode Report Card Kim: D | 3 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Real World Reunion 2000
By Kim | Season 8 | Episode 23 | Aired on 05.23.2000
Dave Holmes says, "Speaking of the end," and Nathan gets all happy that someone is going to remind everyone exactly how Stephen treated Irene at the end. In case you somehow missed the story of what Dave Holmes calls "the slap heard 'round the world," it went a little something like this. Irene had either symptoms of Lyme Disease, or she went crazy, depending on who's telling the story. She went to a counselor and decided to leave the house. On her departure day, she was looking for the stuffed animal she slept with, and asked everyone, including Stephen, if they had seen it. No one had. As she walked out for the last time, she called Stephen out, saying that she had a gift for him. She told him that they could never be married because Stephen's a homosexual. Stephen responded by miming masturbation towards her, and Irene walked off. Before she could leave, Stephen ran inside and then ran out, got Irene's attention, and revealed that he had her stuffed animal, and threw it in the water. Irene got in the car to leave, and Stephen ran out, opened the car door, and slapped Irene in the face. Afterwards, the roommates watched the footage and decided that Stephen could only stay in the house if he got anger management counseling. There's a lot more to the story, but that's the gist. Anyway, they show all the footage and Stephen cringes during the slap. In an interview, Stephen says that he wants people who have been affected by "negativity in [his] life" to know that he didn't mean it, and that he was doing it for the wrong reasons. Dave Holmes asked what they have learned since then, and Stephen says he wishes Irene were there so they could handle it face to face. Dave asks the other roommates what they think, and everyone is really silent. Finally, David speaks up and says he doesn't condone it, but people lose their tempers and their self-control sometimes. Whatever, David. I don't know why they are all being such apologists for Stephen because he was clearly in the wrong here. But don't get me started. In an interview, David says that both Stephen and Irene are to blame, and it's too bad that the last image of Irene is of being slapped, but Stephen has the image of him slapping a woman to deal with. They're all just pissing me off right now. Rebecca says she's sad Irene isn't there, but that she's talked to Irene and it's hard for her to deal with this "lame, unfortunate incident." No, when someone falls off a bicycle, it's a lame, unfortunate incident. Why are they all acting like Stephen did it by accident? Ugh. In an interview, Rebecca says that Irene was her best friend on the show, and that it's difficult for Irene to see everyone because it's a part of her life about which she's upset. Rebecca thinks that if Irene had come, there wouldn't be any fighting, only relief. I could go on for pages and pages about this, but you know what? I'll be recapping the Seattle season soon and I'll save my comments for those recaps.
Dave takes questions from the audience. Someone asks if David regrets the "Kira situation"? For those who don't know, David got involved with a casting director named Kira, even though it was in her contract that she couldn't get involved with a cast member. Kira ended up getting fired over it, then came to stay with David in Seattle for a while. Eventually, she wanted him to leave the show, or come live with her once the show was over, and he didn't want to. This led to many dramatic scenes, including one that never fails to induce giggles, where David and Kira are in a truck and David yells, "You just don't know, Kira!" and punches the dashboard. This is all reviewed via clips. Afterwards, David says he doesn't regret getting involved with her, but he regrets the way it was portrayed and he regrets that she was affected, both personally and professionally. Dave Holmes asks the cast how they've grown since their season ended. Nate says being on the show is the first time you get to see yourself through someone else's eyes, and he saw his faults and what he needed to work on to be a better person. In an interview, Nathan tells us that he was drinking excessively when he was on the show, and he was "ugly and sloppy," so he's cut back on that "100%." I'm not quite sure how that works out mathematically, but I guess it's a good thing. Back on stage, Nathan says he got to see who he actually is. Janet says she has shared something with her roommates. Dave Holmes brings up that she got involved with another Real World-er, and they cut to Jason, like we didn't get it from the eight thousand other times they've already mentioned it. Janet says she doesn't know what Dave is talking about, so he introduces yet another clip package. We see lots of clips of Janet and Jason talking about how attracted they are to one another. Then, a producer is interviewing Jason and he is told that they caught him and Janet on the tennis courts, which causes Jason to run away from the camera and swear. Then they tell Janet the same thing, and she swears a blue streak, and then denies that it was her. Back on stage, Dave Holmes asks Janet about it, and she says it was "innocent." Dave asks Jason and he agrees. In an interview, Jason says that he "leapt on her like a beast, threw her up against the wall and started kissing her." What tennis court has walls? Dave Holmes asks what attracted them to each other, like that's a good question. Why do you think they were attracted to each other? Jason mumbles something about the close quarters and Janet being beautiful. Janet says Jason understood her, and he was sensitive, but ultimately it didn't work out because they value their friendship too much. In an interview, Janet says you can't change Jason. Dave Holmes asks if there is any chance of them getting back together. I can't believe they are giving this issue so much airtime, like anyone cares. Janet says they will be "friends for life" and Jason agrees. An audience member asks about their best memory from the experience. Nathan hogs the spotlight some more by saying it was during the casting special, when he saw his mother for the first time in seventeen years, and got to meet his half-brother for the first time.
Dave finally introduces the Hawaii cast. The clip package features Annoying falling down while surfing, Ruthie stripping and Teck and Ruthie jumping naked into the pool. Tet Girl says she really likes looking at herself. Wonder Bread says they are going to be running a "performance café." Teck is a womanizer. Annoying and Colin kiss. Justin is gay. Tet Girl says that Justin enjoys manipulating people. Justin leaves the house. Ruthie drinks. Ruthie drinks some more. Ruthie drinks a lot. Wonder Bread gets all up in her business, by saying that they are concerned about her. The roommates stage an intervention where they tell Ruthie she has to get help, or leave the house. The clips end and everyone walks out. They look pretty much the same. Colin and Matt are missing in action. Teck is live via satellite from Albany, where he's doing a speech at a college. Dave asks Teck what he's doing these days. Teck says he's finishing up his film, called "Life's Suite," and he works with MTV, and still talks to women. He claims he's "about to blow up." You know, he only has about six more months to say that, before it becomes sad. Next up is Ruthie, who says she didn't hear any love from Teck, so Dave gets the audience to cheer for her. In an interview, Annoying says she is proud of Ruthie because she's overcome a lot. Ruthie says she graduates from college in May. Some on-screen text informs us that Ruthie's friends call her "Dr. Ruthie" because she "coaches couples on better intimacy." Justin tells us he's back in school at Harvard Law. Dave asks if people look at him differently now. Justin says the show has changed the way he looks at himself. In an interview, Justin says he is "more relaxed, more laid back, and more mature." Justin says his closest friends understood both the good and bad parts of the show and helped him cope. Dave asks Tet Girl, "What are you doing now?" Tet Girl says, "Right now? Sitting here with these