Surreal Life

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

The Surreal Life is a reality TV show that takes celebrities who have fallen out of the limelight and challenges them to live together in the same house. The stars must participate in group outings, challenges, and other activities while enduring the ego trips and eccentricities of those around them.

Surreal Life cameras are always rolling.

Surreal Life Format

Taping of the show lasts for two weeks. The cameras record not only the scheduled events and meetings, but also the time spent inside the house even throughout the night. Like Big Brother or The Real World, The Surreal Life crew runs their cameras 24/7.

During the course of each season, the celebs get out and about in the real world to meet with fans, observe the other cast members as they engage in publicity outings and take trips to experience a wide variety of adventures. The stars were also shown making meals, holding pool parties, and telling stories from their sometimes checkered pasts.

The series began on the CW network, and after two seasons moved to VH1.

Celebrities on Surreal Life

The celebrity groups from each season of The Surreal Life are:

Season One

Actress Gabrielle Carteris (from Beverly Hills, 90210)
Rapper MC Hammer
Film actor Corey Feldman
Actor Emmanuel Lewis (from Webster)
Survivor castaway Jerri Manthey
Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil
Model and actress Brande Roderick (from Baywatch)

Season Two

Actress Traci Bingham (from Baywatch)
Real World: Las Vegas cast member Trishelle Cannatella
Actor Erik Estrada (from CHiPs)
Evangelist Tammy Faye Baker-Messner
Porn star Ron Jeremy
Rapper Vanilla Ice

Season Three

Singer Charo
Actor Dave Coulier (from Full House)
Rapper Flavor Flav
Singer Jordan Knight (from New Kids on the Block)
Actress Brigitte Neilsen
American Idol alum Ryan Starr

Season Four

Rapper Da Brat
America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry
Actor Christopher Knight (from The Brady Bunch)
Pro wrestler Chyna
Model Marcus Schenkenberg
Actor Verne Troyer (from the Austin Powers movies)
Singer and musician Jane Wiedlin (from The Go-Go's)

Season Five

Lingerie model Caprice Bourret
Former pro baseball player Jose Canseco
Singer Sandy Denton (from Salt & Pepa)
Former supermodel Janice Dickinson
Motocross racer Carey Hart
Apprentice villain Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth
Actor Bronson Pinchot (from Perfect Strangers)

Season Six

Transgendered actress Alexis Arquette
Poison lead guitarist C.C. DeVille
Smash Mouth vocalist Steve Harwell
Actor Sherman Helmsley (from The Jeffersons)
WWE wrestler Maven Huffman
Actress and 80's video vixen Tawny Kitaen
Playboy model Andrea Lowell

Notable Moments

The Surreal Life spawned many memorable moments, a few romances and several battles. Here are some of the most notable:

Corey Feldman Gets Married – In the first season finale, Corey Feldman married his sweetheart, Susie Sprague.

Vanilla Ice Freaks Out – During season two, Vanilla Ice - who asked that he be called by his proper name, Rob van Winkle - became increasingly upset by the his image on the wall of the house. The picture in question was from the height of his popularity, an image he was actively trying to distance himself from. He ended up destroying the picture and causing quite a scene.

Flavor Flav Hooks Up – Season three saw the first real Surreal Life romance, consisting of Flavor Flav and Brigitte Neilsen. This unlikely duo went on to have their own VH1 reality show, Strange Love.

Christopher Knight's Controversial Relationship – In season four, Adrianne Curry became enamored with Christopher Knight, who was 25 years older than her. The romance spawned another spin off show on VH1, My Fair Brady, during which the pair eventually married.

Omarosa versus Janice – Season five gave us the battle of the egos, with the strong and aggressive personalities of Omarosa and Janice Dickinson clashing. The battles elevated to the point where Janice got fed up and walked out during the season finale.

Tawny Kitaen Breaks Down – The finale of season six left us all wondering what exactly was wrong with Tawny Kitaen. Her erratic behavior throughout the season culminated in watching her collapse on the floor after suffering through what seemed like a mental breakdown.

Surreal Life Fame Games

Another spin off from The Surreal Life was the reunion show, Fame Games. Ten former housemates were invited to compete for a $100,000 prize. The show was recorded in Las Vegas and hosted by Robin Leach. Participants included: