This was posted on Saturday, September 23, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
MTV debuted the seminal reality show "Real World" in 1992 a quarter century ago "when people stop being polite... and start getting real."
It became the template for every future reality show featuring a cast of people living their lives before cameras, from "The Surreal Life" and "The Osbornes" to every "Real Housewives" and "Love and Hip Hop" franchise.
Oh snap! MTV has decided to retrieve the decade of the 1990s, create a house around those 10 years and make it a reality competition show called "90s House." The show debuts Tuesday, September 26 at 11 p.m.
A dozen Millennials who were born in the 1990s will find themselves dealing with dial-up Internet, fax machines, M.C. Hammer songs and very, very bright clothing. They are also competing in 90s-era challenges and will be eliminated one by one while two 90s-era hosts 38-year-old Lance Bass ('N Sync) and 35-year-old Christina Milian preside.
Last Millennial standing wins $90,000, a Mazda Miata and tickets for two on board the Ship-Hop I Love the 90's Cruise featuring Salt-n-Pepa, Naughty By Nature, Vanilla Ice, Tone Loc, Young M.C. and many others.
The first episode, for instance, features three teams creating '90s-era opening credits a la "Full House," "Friends" or "Saved by the Bell." (Mario Lopez of "Saved by the Bell" fame stops by to provide some advice.)
The show also includes one Atlanta representative: 26-year-old Prince Carter, a Clark-Atlanta graduate with a flair for fashion and frivolity.
"When I signed up for the show, I assumed it was something else," said Carter in an interview. "I thought I was going to be on 'The Real World' It was totally different from what I thought."
Not totally different in a sense since he's still trapped in a house full of strong personalities, but it definitely a time warp. All the contestants had to give up their modern electronics, including their beloved smartphones.
Carter said he never got used to not having access to his Instagram or Snapchat feeds.
"I had to dig down deep into myself," he said. "Without my phone, I had to create my own entertainment."
His uber confidence in himself and his talents will be on full display. "I love 90s music. I love 90s fashion," he said. "I'm a fashion icon. I'm never tardy for the party. I'm always there on time."
And when he found out he was competing for money, he didn't just get jiggy with it. He did whatever it took to win.
"A whole another me came out. I'm a big voice," he said. "I love to compete. I have to compete."
And based on trailers, don't worry about him being a wallflower. Prince - named by his mom to be future royalty - will be in the middle of the drama.
"When it comes down to confrontation," Carter said, "I was always taught, if you stay ready, you won't have to get ready. I was prepared for the different personalities."
Carter has done some acting and wants to get into producing. "I'm a mogul," he said. "I love to see myself on TV. I've been bigger than life since I was born."
TV PREVIEW
"90s House," 11 p.m. Tuesdays, starting September 26 on MTV
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