The series was hailed in its early years for depicting issues of contemporary young-adulthood relevant to its core audience, such as sex, prejudice, religion, abortion, illness, sexuality, AIDS, death, politics, and substance abuse, but later garnered a reputation as a showcase for immaturity and irresponsible behavior.

Bunim and Murray initially considered developing a scripted series in a similar vein, but quickly decided that the cost of paying writers, actors, costume designers, and make-up artists was too high.

Matt Roush, writing in USA Today, characterized the show as "painfully bogus", and a cynical and exploitative new low in television, commenting, "Watching The Real World, which fails as documentary (too phony) and as entertainment (too dull), it's hard to tell who's using who more."

The Washington Post's Tom Shales commented, "Ah to be young, cute, and stupid, and to have too much free time...Such is the lot facing the wayward wastrels of The Real World, something new in excruciating torture from the busy minds at MTV."

[19][20] The show also gained widespread attention with its third season, The Real World: San Francisco, which aired in 1994, and depicted the conflict between David "Puck" Rainey, a bicycle messenger criticized for his poor personal hygiene,[21][22][23] and his roommates, most notably AIDS activist Pedro Zamora.

Zamora was one of the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media,[25] and after his death on November 11, 1994 (mere hours after the final episode of his season aired), he was lauded by then-President Bill Clinton.

Zamora's conflicts with Rainey were not only considered emotional high points for that season,[23] but are credited with making The Real World a hit show, and with proving that the infant "reality" television format was one that could bring considerable ratings to a network.

[33][34] Los Angeles cast member Beth Stolarczyk has produced men's and women's calendars and television programs featuring reality TV personalities, including herself and other Real World alumni, including Tami Roman (who became a cast member on Basketball Wives and spinoff Basketball Wives LA), 2002–2003 Las Vegas' Trishelle Cannatella, 2002 Chicago's Tonya Cooley and Back to New York's Coral Smith.

London cast member Jacinda Barrett's acting career includes films such as Ladder 49, The Namesake, The Human Stain, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

[40] Hawaii cast member Tecumseh "Teck" Holmes III appeared in films such as National Lampoon's Van Wilder and in TV series such as Friends.

2004 San Diego castmate Jamie Chung has appeared in various television and film roles, including Dragonball Evolution, Sorority Row, The Hangover Part II, Once Upon a Time, and Lovecraft Country.

[53] This point is punctuated not only by the fact that the MTV logo title card seen after the closing credits of each episode is designed as an aquarium, but also by a poem that Judd Winick wrote during his stay in the 1994 San Francisco house called "Fishbowl".

[59] Each member of the cast is instructed to ignore the cameras and the crew,[58] but are required to wear a battery pack and microphone in order to record their dialogue, though some castmembers have been known to turn off or hide them at times.

[60] Winick, an alumnus of the show's third season (San Francisco), adds that castmembers eventually stop thinking about the cameras because it is too exhausting not to, and that the fact that their lives were being documented made it seem "more real".

Members of the London cast found the cameras burdensome at times, such as Jay Frank and Jacinda Barrett, who felt they intruded on the intimacy of their romantic relationships.

Unlike the normal day-to-day taping, these interviews, which are referred to as "confessionals", involve the subject looking directly into the camera while providing opinions and reflective accounts of the week's activities, which are used in the final, edited episodes.

[69] Initially, the show documented the housemates as they struggled to find and maintain jobs and careers in their new locales, with minimal group activities aside from their day-to-day lives in the house and their socializing in the city.

[88][89] 2011 Las Vegas' Adam Royer was held responsible for the $3,105 worth of damage that his drunken and disorderly behavior caused to the suite that housed that season's cast.

[90] As their experiences on The Real World were often the first time that cast members encountered people of different races or sexual orientations,[91][92] many episodes documented conflict over these issues.

[95][96] The stereotypical views about black people imparted to Back to New York's Mike Mizanin by his uncle offended Coral Smith and Nicole Mitsch when he related them, and they tried to educate him on African American culture.

[142] The Austin cast spawned two relationships, between Wes Bergmann and Johanna Botta, as well as Danny Jamieson and Melinda Stolp; the latter couple married in August 2008 but divorced in spring 2010.

[143][144] Hollywood's William Gilbert became involved in a relationship with The Real World: Key West alumna Janelle Casanave, who made guest appearances in several episodes during that season.

On the other end of the spectrum was 2000 New Orleans' David Broom,[161] Cancun's Joey Rozmus,[162] and 2011 Las Vegas's Heather Cooke,[163] who took pride in their promiscuity with various sexual partners during their respective seasons.

[164] Denver's Jenn Grijalva[165] and Alex Smith,[166] Sydney's KellyAnne Judd[167] and Dunbar Flinn,[168] Cancun's Ayiiia Elizarraras,[169][170] and 2011 Las Vegas' Nany González[171] and Heather Marter[172] were sexually intimate with multiple castmates during their respective seasons.

[182] Many times, housemates have left the Real World house (and the cast) before production was completed, due to conflicts with other roommates, personal issues, homesickness or violations of work assignment policies.

Housemates who moved out due to personal issues back home include Hawaii's Justin Deabler,[183] Sydney's Shauvon Torres[127] and Portland's Joi Niemeyer.

Other cast members have recounted past troubles with addiction that they had endured prior to filming, including 2002 Chicago's Chris Beckman,[217][218] Hollywood's Brianna Taylor,[219] 2010 New Orleans' Ryan Knight,[220][221] St. Thomas' Brandon Kane,[222] and Skeletons' Madison Walls.

And Entertainment Weekly rated Irene getting smash mouthed the 47th most interesting event on TV that whole year ... Can't you MTV think of a better way to raise audience awareness of domestic violence than to make it look cool?

As critic Benjamin Wallace-Wells put it:No longer an outlet for twentysomethings to brood about their future careers, the show has become a cyclic three-month on-air party for young adults to mingle in hot tubs and obsess about the present.

[276] A 2006 comment from LA Weekly's Nikki Finke reflects the same sentiments:The show that once seriously delved into hot-button issues like homosexuality, AIDS, racism, religion and abortion was now purposely pushing someone's buttons to have that person implode on air.