The Real World
San Francisco
TV-14
The Real World: San Francisco is the third season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It was the second season of The Real World to be filmed in California after The Real World: Los Angeles in 1993. The Real World: San Francisco is noteworthy for the depiction of Pedro Zamora's struggle with AIDS, and his and other cast members' confrontations with David "Puck" Rainey, which led to Rainey's eviction. This conflict provided considered what Entertainment Weekly calls emotional high points for the season, and are credited with making The Real World a hit, for which it was ranked #7 on Time magazine's list of 32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History. The season is also notable for featuring the first-ever same-sex commitment ceremony on TV, between Zamora and his partner, Sean Sasser.
Where to Watch San Francisco
21 Episodes
- From a Six to a Nine and Back Again
E4From a Six to a Nine and Back AgainPuck invites roomies to a screening of his soapbox derby video and is hurt when no one attends except Rachel.Puck skips Pedro's birthday breakfast in retaliation for the soapbox snub; then he confronts Cory about the same thing. - You Gotta Have Art
E5You Gotta Have ArtJudd tries to find work cartooning but is frustrated at every turn, until he gets invited to pitch his idea in Hollywood. Mo works with his band and he and Puck get into an argument about rap music. As soon as Judd starts to get closer to his confidante, Pam, her boyfriend, Chris, arrives in town. At the Bammie Awards--the ""Grammys"" for the Bay Area--the roommates ogle rockers while Mo mingles to promote his band. All go to see Mo's band perform at the Gavin Convention. Judd makes a second trip to the San Francisco Examiner and comes away with the job of weekly cartoonist. - Together and Apart
E8Together and ApartPedro's health is beginning to deteriorate, as his T-cell count gets lower. The cast is beginning to realize the extent of his illness and is worried about the possible consequences. This creates tension between Pedro and Puck, because Puck does not respect the way Pedro chooses to live his life. Pedro continues to give educational seminars on living with HIV and Pam and Judd go to support him when he speaks at Stanford University. Rachel and Cory go with Puck to the house he grew up in and meet his mother, who, to their surprise, is completely normal. The next day, Pedro, Judd and Pam go to the park and take it easy by playing soccer and enjoying each other's company. - Kiss and Tell
E10Kiss and TellThe roomies are growing irritated with Puck. They are annoyed with his disrespect for the rest of the cast and his complete selfishness in any given situation. Puck meets a woman named Toni at the park and goes on a few dates with her. She even accompanies him to the hair salon when he decides to dye his hair blue. Everyone but Puck goes out to dinner for Mohammed's birthday and they all come to the conclusion that something needs to be done about Puck. They begin to confront him and he immediately gets defensive, which forces them to decide whether or not having him stay in the house is really worth all this trouble. - Rebel, Rebel
E12Rebel, RebelEveryone seems to be enjoying Puck's absence and the chemistry among the cast has drastically improved. Pedro goes home with Rachel to Phoenix and visits her very religious family. While there, Pedro gives another educational seminar on having HIV at the junior high where Rachel's father works. After looking at the pictures Rachel brings home, her mother is not happy with her actions in San Francisco, namely the piercing of her belly button. It is also Pam's birthday and her boyfriend Christopher flies in to surprise her. Christopher stays hidden until the rest of the cast performs a ""This is your life Pam"" skit and Christopher shows up at the very end. They all celebrate her birthday by skiing in Tahoe. - Old Fish, New Fish
E14Old Fish, New FishPuck reappears in this episode as he calls the group to invite them to a party. None of the cast members show up but a few days later, while at a bar with Judd, a drunken Rachel calls Puck to invite him down there for some drinks. After fighting as usual, Rachel storms off and vows never talk to Puck again. This vow is then broken soon after as he calls to try and repair the damage. The two meet in a park only to fight, yet again, about the cast's reasoning for kicking him out of the house. This dispute initiates the search for a new roommate and after interviewing three individuals, the group decides on Jo, a young woman from London. Jo's friend Steve takes Cory and Rachel rock climbing soon after she moves in, which helps break the ice between the cast members and Jo. - Why is Love Like an Elevator
E15Why is Love Like an ElevatorThe roommates are growing close to Jo. They feel that Jo is a positive influence in the house. She has great new ideas and an adventurous personality. Jo takes the roommates rock climbing. Rachel achieves a great feat and climbs to the top of the rocks. Judd has been spending time with a good friend from college named Jessica. He wants the relationship to move to a romantic level. Meanwhile, Jo receives bad news from Steve. He notifies her that she must appear in court because her ex-husband is appealing her restraining order. Jo is emotionally stressed and frustrated, but Cory is right there to support her through it all. Judd and Rachel decide to go out for a night on the town. They pretend to be a couple so they will seem more attractive. Jo begins to bond very closely with Cory. A non-confrontational person, Jo loves the house because everyone has so much respect for each other and is so supportive of her. - Hawaii
E17HawaiiAloha! The cast leaves for an adventure in Hawaii, where they hope that they'll have a chance to bond. Once they arrive there is trouble in paradise as the group fights over the suite. Once they are all settled in, they head off to a luau. A vegan, Jo gets very disturbed when the roasted pig is pulled out of the ground. She feels that the stuffed pig looks like a rotten corpse. Jo accidentally eats some of the pork and runs to the bathroom. The cast tries surfing and the girls rock, while the guys have trouble. Pedro has plenty of time to relax and enjoys parasailing. Jo and Rachel bond by partying and meeting guys. While the cast is cliff diving, Rachel slips off the cliff. Luckily, she makes it down in one piece. By the end of the trip the group is closer and the friendships grow stronger. - Just Friends
E18Just FriendsThe cast is back from their island adventure and Rachel has decided to join ""Empower America,"" a conservative Republican group. The cast accompanies her to the seminar and Judd and Rachel get into an argument later about the supposed ""racism"" that goes on in the group. Rachel decides to get a tattoo on her lower back, which conflicts with her ""conservative beliefs,"" making the cast question her behavior. Tensions rise between Cory and Rachel because Cory begins to get jealous of the friendship developing between Rachel and Jo. Cory pouts around the house when Rachel and Jo bring home some skater friends and she later confronts Rachel with her issues. Steve starts to make Jo feel trapped as he calls her every day and tells her he is expecting that they will eventually date. She completely moves out of his house in Tahoe to ease the tension. - Love Rules
E19Love RulesPedro and Sean want to take their relationship to the next level and decide to exchange vows. Pedro's friend Alex flies in from Miami for the party and tries to convince the two to move to Miami. The three bond and later Alex realizes that Pedro and Sean are happy together where they are. While Sean and Pedro prepare for their new life, the exiled Puck talks about his relationship with Toni, and how he can see them together for the rest of their lives. Back at the house the group fixes up the pad for the big day as Puck continues to bug them with phone calls. With congratulatory speeches from Pam, Judd, and Alex, Pedro and Sean exchange rings and seal their love with a kiss. - Last Call
E20Last CallAs the group enjoys their last few days together, Cory, Judd, Pam and Pedro spend a day in Monterey while Rachel and Jo bond in San Francisco. Mo continues to work hard on his band's single and music video, isolating himself from his roommates. Pedro and Rachel have lunch and discuss their different views in life. Despite their differences they seem to understand each other's viewpoints and remain friends. Puck gets his driver's license back, picks up his car, and heads to the Lombard loft to pick up some of his things he left behind when he was kicked out. The entire casts, minus Puck, sit around and play a question and answer game. As move-out day arrives, they all reflect on how this experience has changed them and eventually hugs and tears follow. Jo and Rachel are the last to leave, but not before one more phone call from…you guessed it, Puck. Puck talks to Rachel about their relationship when they first moved in. When the group finally leaves, the house that eight strangers calle
