Over the winter, MTV's Real World: Brooklyn introduced Katelynn, a transgender woman, to its welcoming viewers. And now, ABDC would like you to meet Leiomy.
Leiomy is part of Vogue Evolution, a crew that prides itself on its four openly gay members and one transgender woman. While every transgender person's story is different, Leiomy explained to us that she was born a male but always identified as a female.
"At the age of seven, I knew something was different. I wasn't happy when I looked in the mirror," she said. "I started wearing dresses at 15 ... and by 18 I was taking hormone pills." Leiomy's family, including her four brothers, are fully accepting ... but it wasn't always that way. "My older brothers had issues with me at first and thought it was a phase," she told us. "But after some time, they came to accept who I was."
Now 22, Leiomy dates straight men who are interested in woman, not gay men like many people assume. She's been in a serious relationship with her boyfriend for the past seven months and is in the process of saving up the money to complete her transition.
If you recall, MTV's last season of Real World was chock full of lotsa heavy plotlines: Ryan got called back to war, Sarah got phone-stalked by her estranged father, Katelynn revealed that she was born with boy parts... The show definitely didn't follow its usual booze/threesomes/blackouts formula, and many of you were totally down with the change. "Refreshing" was one of the words used to describe the Brooklyn season.
Still, some of you really longed for times past (e.g. Hollywood and Denver), with all the hootin, hollerin' and meaningless hookups -- and for those of you who fall into this category, rest assured that Real World: Cancun (premieres June 24 at 10pm) promises a return to the good ole days of STD scares and peeing in public. Yay for you!
So. We wanna know just how many of you are psyched to see the Real Worlders back in their thong bikinis/birthday suits, and how many will miss the more subdued vibes of the Brooklyn house? Take the poll and tell us whether you prefer your weekly dose of the Real World served with or without the nekkid keg stands.
They arrived all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take on the Big City (via littler borough of Brooklyn). And they left even more confident, more hopeful. This wasn't the most dramatic season of the Real World, but it was definitely one of the most honest. So in keeping with that theme, we asked the roommates before they took the stage at the Real World: Brooklyn Reunion taping to share their favorite moments from living in the house, as well as how they think they've changed because of this experience. Check it:
Not quite ready to say farewell to the Real World: Brooklyn roomies? Well, they're gonna miss you, too. Luckily, there's this cool new thing called The Internet where you can keep in touch with people all around the world .. without having to buy stamps! Neat, right?
Watch the video below to hear the cast members share their gratitude, then find out how you can become virtual friends with each of them!
Hey, 'member during Episode 10 when Scott selflessly loaned Katelynn $1500 bucks so she could pay her bills and stay in Brooklyn? And remember tonight when she used it to play blackjack in Atlantic City? Doh!
While Scott took the high road and didn't hold a grudge, some of the other Real Worldroommates thought Katelynn was way outta line for being careless with the cash.
What do you think? Did Katelynn take advantage of Scott's generosity or was it well within her right to spend the money however she wanted? Take the poll!
Baya's been quiet as a mouse on this season of Real World. In fact, that giant white ratJD bought/returned from the pet store TOTALLY got more face time than our tiny little dancer friend. Fortch, that all changed this week, when the lovely, thoughtful and surprisingly funny Miss B got a chance to show us what she's really made of.
You know that little trip the guys took to Atlantic City? Not only was it all Baya's idea, but girl even called in a few favors to make sure the gang got the royal treatment. Uh, party bus? Spa treatments? Amazing super-suite? Hellz frickin' yeah! (Related side note: Sorry that boring-but-romantic trip to Niagara Falls didn't work out, JD! It sounded super-duper neat!)
Oh, and when she wasn't busy saving the Real World-ers from a snooze-cruise to Canada, Baya was breaking out the awesome one-liners (i.e. "I'm broke. I lost everything -- my kidney, my first-born child...") But here's our vote for the best interaction of the night:
Katelynn: First off, the dog is a boy, so the fact that he has like, this tiara necklace thing [trails off] ...
Baya: What about gender identity? Why does he have to conform, Katelynn? (ZING!)
Baya? Let us be the first to (finally) welcome you to the show! (Hey, better late than never, right?)
Ryan's still reeling from the news that he'll be going back to Iraq, and next week, he'll have to face his fears, face his parents AND let the rest of his roomies know what's going down. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately), bad news travels fast. Check out these scenes from next Wednesday's episode and watch as Ryan's housemates absorb the shock of his impending deployment.
This here video player holds the secrets of the universe Real World! VideoClix is a virtual encyclopedia of all things RW: Brooklyn, delivered straight from the cast members themselves!
Just roll over the screen and click on the faces/bodies of your favorite Real Worlders to get all sorts of insider tidbits, plus exclusive pics and video. Tip: Click on the film clapper icon for a full list of fun content that can be found within the feature!
Why was Katelynn so poor if she was living rent free in the Real World: Brooklyn house? Did she ever pay back the $1500? What inanimate object had more air time on the show than Baya? How badly do you want to have Scott's babies right now? Get the answers to these burning questions and many more in this week's installment of After World!
Things on Real World: Brooklyn just got so real, they got meta-real! Let me esplain: Here at MTV Detox, we talked about MTV's Real World, which in turn talked about MTV's new movie about former MTV Real World cast member, PedroZamora. Got it?
This week, Boston's Ivan Drago, a.k.a. Scott, the half-human/half-machine muscle man of Real World: Brooklyn had major issues with Katelynn when she ditched his birthday for go-go dancing and then had the nerve to leave her dirty dishes in the sink! Luckily, in the end, man-pretty Scott and former-male-now-a-lady Katelynn rekindled their friendship.
Best of all, my old friend Scott stopped by the Detox set to help me out with the recap and teach me how to get fab abs in under three minutes! Yay!!! Check it out and remember to come back tomorrow when we recap Making The Band!
