These People Turned Their Real World Gig Into Fame

When I was a freshman in college, auditions for The Real World were being held at an amusement park nearly three hours south of my school. My then-roommate and I decided to drive down for the open auditions. Even if nothing came of it, which it didn’t, we would still get to spend a day riding rides. There are no losers in this equation. Due to my rapidly fading memory of my often misspent youth, I recall very little of that adventure.

What I do remember is my outfit: an ankle length skirt paired with a tank top. If that sounds a little too Sister Wives adjacent it’s because in the late 90s, dressing like a half hippie was all the rage. Had I gotten on the show, who knows where I would have ended up. Perhaps I would have parlayed my time on The Real World into something more interesting, like these former cast members did. Let’s take a look at celebrities who started on The Real World.

Since 2018, Karamo Brown has been the beating heart of Netflix’s Queer Eye. This reboot of a far less emotional yet still culturally significant reality show has allowed viewers to see a different side of the former Real World cast member. We originally met him on The Real World: Philadelphia in 2004. Nowadays he’s using his background in social work and psychotherapy to change the world one conversation at a time.

It’s hard to believe Jamie Chung has been in the public eye since her turn on The Real World: San Diego in 2004. Since then, she has snagged a ton of roles on the large and small screen. Many will probably point to her time on Dexter: New Blood, but we couldn’t get enough of her version of live-action Mulan in ABC’s Once Upon a Time.

The Miz is a bit of a legend in the Real World Cinematic Universe. We first met him on 2001’s The Real: Back to New York. From there he branched out to Real World/Road Rules Challenge, Battle of the Seasons, and Inferno II. Perhaps those experiences helped prep him for his current gig as a professional wrestler in the WWE. He has also dabbled in some non-wrestling television but we will always love to see him in the ring.

It doesn’t surprise us to learn that Mike Manning burst onto the reality television scene via The Real World: DC, and is now a soap opera actor. If there’s one skill you hone on an almost daily basis in Washington, DC it’s acting. His time as Caleb McKinnon on The Bay earned Mike a Daytime Emmy Award. He is also a successful producer and activist, which also makes sense for DC.

When The Real World went international in 1995, they landed across the pond in merry ol’ England where Jacinda Barrett joined the cast of The Real World: London. The Australian-born model quickly landed film and television roles once the show ended. She has certainly done a lot since then but for our money, her most forgettable role is as Bridget Jones’s made-up rival in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.