'The Real World' Was Pure Magic, Before It Became Totally Toxic

The year was 1992. Two visionary television producers, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, embarked on an experiment to bring together seven young people of varying backgrounds, races, and places, put them in a Manhattan loft for three months, and let the cameras roll. They called it The Real World, and as the show's tagline said, it was about finding out what happens "when people stop being polite and start getting real." It was a brave sociological experiment, and it ushered in a new era of reality TV.