MTV Trashes Island for Real World/Road Rules Challenge Episode
September 16, 2008 · Print This Article
Looks like MTV didn’t learn anything from their attempt to green up their reality show, The Real World. Earlier this year, the Real World cast enjoyed living in a green house, complete with sustainable furniture, solar panels, dual-flush toilets and a tour by Summer Rayne Oakes. But when the network traveled to Boca del Drago, Republic of Panama to shoot a Real World/Road Rules challenge this summer, they certainly weren’t keeping the environment in mind.
The Tree Climber Coalition documented the destruction left behind on the island after the MTV crew was done with it (and have accounts of finding scripts for the so-called reality show, among other things).
Finally, toward the end of July, we were told that the “show” was over and that the crew and the participants were gone. One of our students and I took a walk out toward the area to see what was to be seen. The security was gone, the gate on the road was closed, and life seemed back to normal. We found the “new” driveway that had been made to access the site and we took a cautious walk down toward the beach. All was quiet; nobody stopped us. Down the hill we went toward the beach and began to see just what a crew of TV people could do when they decided to make a production. The place looked like a trash dump and there was an area of devastation inconsistent with the surrounding forest. MTV had packed up and gone and there was nothing left behind that could be compared with what had been there before. Refer to the photos at the start of this article in order to get a visual idea of what I am talking about here. I have seen the aftermath of a tornado and this was almost as bad. The area had been deserted with little attempt at any sort of cleanup of the mess.
As Jmaher and Michael Drake of the Tree Climber Coalition point out, the show is supposedly set in a remote island location, but there are houses within yards of the set. MTV cut down a large area of rainforest to create the set, and left large amounts of trash behind. They also conducted activities on a protected island that has been declared off-limits to human visitation, and flew a helicopter very low over the forest, disturbing the formerly tranquil setting which is home to a wide variety of wildlife.
It’s definitely at odds with the so-called ‘MTV Green Crusade’. Real green, guys.
Link [Tree Climber Coalition]
Photo credit: Michael Drake
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i wonder if all reality shows that take place on a “remote island” leave it looking like this. how does CBS leaves their remote exotic locations for Survivor? any know if they have a policy about how they leave their locations and if they give back to the people living there that they displace while they film there?
This is really totally irresponsible from MTV. This is a second version I have read on this story and it certainly doesn’t show MTV in a good light. I wonder what their environmental person would have to say to this.
All the wood and props could have been donated for charity, or to people in need- and certainly MTV has the money to bring what was wasted and not useful to a local dump.
Seems frivolous non the less.
This is horrible. They deffinitly have the money for a clean-up crew if nothing else. There’s no good reason why they should have left such a mess.
Its a pathetic show now Honestly–way to much bitching for me to deal with…its obvious how pathetic it is…look at how many people have already left the island voluntarily! Or another way to look at it is….the cast is sooooooo used to the “lavish” life of luxury for the month or so that they are there that they are tooo much of “babies” to handle it….Oh no….no toilet paper, no sushi, steaks, or good champagne, no walls to block the beautiful view, no bars to get waisted and dance in, no plugs to listen to music, plug in curling irons and hairdryers, no cell phones, tvs or real showers….Poor them! I would have taken that oppertunity in a second and would not have complained once, how beautiful is that place, or was it shall I now say from the above pictures–it looks like a tranquile el-natur-el place!…man….the saying sticks true ” you dont know whatcha got till its gone” and people take things for granted! Thats an awesome experience that I bet most people in the world would have loved to endure!!! Get a grip guys!! Seriously!
As a professor of Anthropology, a conservationist and a self admitted reality tv show addict I was HORRIFIED at the MTV crew and cast this past summer (2008). Since 2001 I have been traveling to Boca del Drago for field research and have never experienced anything like we did this year. Not only is the reality thing total rubbish (they were driven to the “challenge” site in taxis), but we constantly had to deal with at least 10-20 vehicles in our front yard. One day two female cast members decided to drop their pants and urinate in our front yard with my three year old daughter and 3 other children watching – spread the word!
This looks far from being trashed. Come on you hippies. Look at the photos, it looks like they left behind some wood that can be burned in a bonfire. This was a huge production if you saw the show and I am surprised that it is this clean. Seriously. I don’t care for MTV but this is crap that you posted.
Brian, are you serious? The citizens of that area shouldn’t be responsible for cleaning up that mess! You’re right, that wood could be burned, it could be cleaned, but MTV should be the ones who do it!
I think it’s safe to say that no one fully believes in the “reality” of reality television shows, however, that doesn’t stop me from watching. There are some things that can’t be faked, and most of the drama is real.
As for survivor, I”m fairly certain that the cast members have to burn all of the things that can be burned, and clean up everything else. However, I don’t know this to be fact.
I am completely disgusted by the mess that MTV left behind, I really did think that they were making some environmental movements, they were educating people about it, they were trying to lead by example. I hope that more people see these pictures, and read more posts from the residents of Boca del Drago.
Maybe then MTV will be held accountable, maybe then they wil be forced to live the words they preach.
[...] Here is how it looks when MTV films a reality show and then leaves. [...]
I was a fan of the show for sure.. then i stumbled upon this site and i have to say this really pisses me off.. after all there green talk…and all the bullshit they feed you through there shows.. and then the truth comes out.. in reality they don’t care at all .. its all about the green alright! MONEY… if this pisses you off as much as it does me. then post this website on mtv the islands forum and tell them what you think! thanks
mtv are deleting my comments! ive left many.. join the fight and help me out!
What’s the URL for their forums Ryan?