“Homeless Real World”

“Homeless Real World” is searching for a home on a television network.  The documentary series follows six homeless people and documents their daily lives: how they got into their current situation, their issues with alcoholism, even their love lives.  As of now, the series hasn’t been picked up by any network.  Some have been afraid that it would be too hard to watch or that viewers wouldn’t approve of it.

At first I thought that the show did sound like a little too much.  Many shows try to get viewers based on shock value and pushing the limits of what is acceptable.  I was afraid they were basically trying to extort these homeless people, taking advantage of their situation for good TV.  After watching the trailer and reading more about the show, however, I changed my mind.

The idea for the show came about when MTV’s “Real World” was being filmed in Denver.  Hoping to use the popularity of MTV’s show to promote their own, Richard Ayoub, Del Bigtree, Darwyn Metzger and Randal Kirk began shooting their “Homeless Real World” in the streets of Denver at the same time.

The four men created and produced the entire project, and it was a true passion for them from the beginning.  They shared laughs, tears, and tense moments with the homeless throughout the shooting of the series.  Unlike most reality shows where the producers stay as uninvolved as possible, these men got to know the cast very well.  During the show, they sit down and have conversations with the cast instead of just having them talk directly to the camera.  “The cast and crew became so close that they’re still very much in touch with each other.  So we can tell you what everyone is doing today,” Ayoub says.

Filming the show touched the lives of the crew more than they ever expected.  Bigtree says he didn’t plan “to do a show that says ’save the homeless,’ but you realize that there is real humanity here.  This is probably one of the most profound experiences of my life.”  After shooting wrapped, the producers realized that the humanity they experienced was what should be the central focus of the show.  Although they started out just making a sort of “Real World” mockery, it turned into something much more.

We overlook homeless people every day.  We never know what their stories are, what they do for fun, or how they ended up on the street.  They are just clones to us, copies of failed individuals with no hope.  But there is hope there.  Hope and love and a need for connections just like everyone else has.  They have hope of finding a better life, of becoming something more.  “You probably never think of homeless people kissing, making love, falling in love,” Ayoub says.  But this series captures those moments too.

They also have their share of problems just like we do, and their problems just happened to land them on the street.  If I lose a job, I have a family and friends who make sure that I’m taken care of.  I will always have a place to live and people to count on.  Not everyone is that lucky.  As Dawn says in the trailer, “you’ve got people out here, I don’t.”

The crew weren’t the only ones who were touched by the filming of the series.  The cast also changed through the production.  After filming wrapped, three of the cast members entered rehab and one has gotten themselves entirely off the streets.  Being on film helped them to see the reality of their own situation, and they knew that they wanted to be better, that they were worth something.  Unfortunately, one of the cast members has also passed away, but that is the reality of what these situations sometimes come to.  It will continue to be a struggle for all of these people, and the combination of poverty and alcoholism can be a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to escape.  But sometimes just being reminded that they are better than that can be the motivation they need to begin to find hope.

Some people still may feel that “Homeless Real World” exploits the lives of these people, and Ayoub says that is something they will have to deal with.  But he also says that he hopes it will serve its purpose: “The redeeming value of this show is these people are actually likable and in many cases lovable. They will make audiences look at homeless people differently.”