The Real World: Key West
The Real World: Key West is the seventeenth season of MTV’s reality show The Real World. Seven strangers—Svetlana Shusterman, Paula Meronek, Tyler Duckworth, Zach Mann, Jose Tapia, Janelle Casanave, and John Devenanzio—live together in Key West, Florida, for several months while cameras document their daily lives and relationships. The season was filmed in the Key Haven area from August to December 2005 and aired on MTV from February 28 to August 15, 2006, with 25 episodes. The premiere drew about 3.3 million viewers.
Key West was the second Real World season filmed in the South Atlantic region, after Miami. The house was a large 6,000-square-foot Spanish Mediterranean-style home at 32 Driftwood Drive in Key Haven, on a 32,000-square-foot waterfront lot. It featured a tennis court, indoor racquetball court, gym, dock, and an indoor pool that was turned into a sunken lounge for filming. The house sustained some damage from Hurricane Wilma.
During the season, the cast worked on a season-long group task: helping start a Mystic Tan franchise at the Pineapple Gallery. The business closed briefly after Wilma hit, but later reopened.
The production faced a lawsuit from Ed Swift, a neighbor who claimed the filming was a nuisance and that local zoning laws limited commercial use of their property. A judge allowed filming to continue with some restrictions.
Hurricane Rita forced the cast to evacuate to West Palm Beach, and Hurricane Wilma caused further evacuations to Fort Lauderdale and then Orlando.
A reunion special, Fun, Sun, and Now Totally Done: The Real World Key West, aired August 22, 2006, hosted by Susie Castillo. At The Real World Awards Bash in 2008, Svetlana won “Hottest Female” and John Devenanzio (Johnny Bananas) won “Hottest Male.”
After the show, the cast members continued to appear in the media and on other programs. Highlights include Paula Meronek’s 2006 assault arrest and later marriage and children; Svetlana Shusterman’s acting/modeling work; Janelle Casanave’s 2015 marriage; and John Devenanzio’s ongoing TV work and reality appearances. In 2019, the season was added to Facebook Watch for streaming.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:33 (CET).