The cast of MTV's "The Real World: Seattle" in 1998: From top, Nathan Blackburn; middle row, from left: Rebecca Lord, Irene McGee, Janet Choi and Lindsay Brien; bottom row: Stephen Willams, left, and David Burns. They lived in a house on Pier 70 that's no longer there.
JIMMY MALECKI/P-I file
Janet Choi came from Chicago and was a journalism and international studies student. Did she become the investigative journalist she wanted to be?
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Janet Choi became a reporter for KTLA in Los Angeles and CBS News, and a producer for Channel One News. In 2013, she worked as a correspondent for SoulPancake, a multi-media company that tackles "life's big questions" in videos and stories. It was founded by actor Rainn Wilson. (Photo: SoulPancake, YouTube).
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Irene McGee was the quirky, curly-haired girl who left the show early. She was assaulted in one of the most infamous moments in "Real World" history, when fellow cast member Stephen Williams slapped her (see video, next slide). McGee now does a podcast called "No One's Listening." (Photo: Irene McGee, YouTube).
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Lindsay Brien was cute, petite and spunky on "The Real World." After the show, she changed her name to Lindsay Macdonald and hosted a morning talk show called "Daytime" in Tampa, Florida for 10 years. (Photo: "Daytime," YouTube).YouTube
Lindsay Macdonald, left, hosted WFLA's "Daytime" show for 10 years, until she left in 2013 to work with her family's construction business in 2013. (Photo: "Daytime," YouTube).
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Rebecca Lord and Nathan Blackburn rest on a bed in their "Real World" Seattle home on Pier 70, after a May 28, 1998 taping of the show. The show debuted in June of 1998.
BARRY SWEET/AP
Rebecca Lord, the quiet one on "The Real World," went on to become a singer in the garage-rock band becky, which used to feature Keanu Reeves on bass. Lord, right, is pictured in 2000 with actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler ("Sopranos").
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Hunky David Burns was a cadet form the Virginia Military Institute who grew up in a Boston housing project, pictured. Did he overcome his tough childhood?
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David Burns is pictured during a "Sexiest Men and Women of Reality TV Calendar" shoot in 2006. He did go on to have a (more) productive career.Michael Bezjian/Getty Images
In 2011, former "Real World" star David Burns was the managing director of advertising for the Los Angeles Times Media Group. He is now a VP of sales at The Onion.
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Whatever happened to Nathan Blackburn, who was also a cadet at Virginia Military Institute? (He's pictured in 2008, the most recent photo in available archives).
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Nathan Blackburn appeared in MTV's "Real World" / "Road Rules" challenge show in 2006 and hasn't done much else on TV since. He's pictured with fellow "Real World: Seattle" castmate Janet Choi in 2001.
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And finally, whatever happened to Stephen Williams (bottom right), the most notorious cast member of "Real World: Seattle"? He's the one who slapped Irene McGee, after she said he was gay. No current photo of Williams was found in available archives, and no current credible information was found in a quick online search. (Photo: MTV's cast of "The Real World: Seattle" in 1998).
JIMMY MALECKI/P-I file
Long before the Kardashians and Real Housewives, there was MTV's "The Real World," a reality show set in different cities about melodramatic young people sharing a house. It's now about to air its 30th season, which means one thing: If you remember the show in the '90s like we do, we're both ancient!
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So why not take a trip back with us to when "The Real World" was set in Seattle – when the cast lived at Pier 70, when Stephen slapped Irene, and when they had "jobs" as DJs at KNDD and fish tossers at the Pike Place Market.
It's been 16 years since the show aired in 1998 – where are the actors now? Take a look at the slideshow above.
