The Real World

It all begins with small-town country girl Julie and her family in Birmingham. Her family is nervous about the whole thing, but Julie is stoked about spending three months in the big city. The seven strangers arrive at the luxurious loft that they'll call home for the next three months. After introducing themselves, they explore the house and find a Love and Sex book. The sex discussion begins, focusing on innocent Julie and her virginity. At dinner, Kevin, Julie and Heather discuss prejudice and racism. Kevin is impressed with Julie's open attitude, considering where she grew up. In fact, Julie and her innocence and enthusiasm have already charmed everyone in the house.

Hmm...what's going on with Julie and Eric? There is some obvious flirting between the two, but they don't seem to be doing anything about it. After Eric appears in a Jovan Musk commercial that gets him highlighted on television, the whole loft discusses nudity, pornography and whether or not Eric is just selling himself and his good looks to the highest bidder. Heather invites Julie and Eric to visit the studio where she is recording a song for her upcoming album, The System Sucks. It's clear from Heather's hard work and her producer's aggressiveness that the recording business is rough. The sexual tension between Julie and Eric continues as Julie makes her interest more obvious: harassing Eric on the phone, being overtly jealous when Eric talks about his girlfriend Missy, and, as Eric says, showing up in his bed one morning to talk about ""pancakes."" But Eric seems to be into her too--he even shows off for Julie at her hip-hop dance class. Julie is excited by Eric's efforts and his wil

Julie gets lost on her way to a new dance studio because she can't follow the directions that Eric gives her. While she is getting critiqued on her performance, Eric is getting naked with a female model at a fitness magazine shoot. When Eric and the model, Taryn, get a little hot and heavy during the shoot, the photographer encourages them. After the shoot, Taryn and Eric begin dating. But Eric is confused by the relationship, as their dates only consist of strange things like trying on ""rocker clothes"" (think leather chaps and sequins). Eric doesn't really understand what she sees in him. Andre's band, Reigndance, is practicing for an upcoming show when the cops show up and shut the rehearsal down. The band plans to perform anyway, and at Julie's urging, several of the roommates watch the show. Grateful for their support, Andre dedicates the song ""Redspot"" to his roommies.