'The Real World: Austin' is now available on Netflix for all of your nostalgia needs

Matthew Odam, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

Do you remember when the 'Dillo trollies roamed free up and down Congress Avenue and Fifth and Sixth Streets? A time before the existence of the iPhone and Vince Young Steakhouse?

Such was the epoch captured in the (pretty damn boring, at least from a quick rewatch of the first two episodes) 16th season of MTV’s “The Real World.”

The season was one of two added to Netflix this week for all your nostalgia needs. It’s pretty shocking to see Austin of 2005, even for those of us who were here. Dirty Sixth looks dead at night (a rarity today, though the scene in the first episode may have well been a February weekday).

Real World Austin cast (l to r) Nehemiah, Lacey (yellow), Wes, Rachel (pink), Johanna, Danny and Melinda photographed in their house in Austin in 2005.
Real World Austin cast (l to r) Nehemiah, Lacey (yellow), Wes, Rachel (pink), Johanna, Danny and Melinda photographed in their house in Austin in 2005.

Related: That time Florence Welch splashed in a fountain at the former 'Real World' house during SXSW

The skyline is quaint, looking more like Winston-Salem, N.C. than one of the 10 biggest cities in America. Then again, Austin was only the 16th biggest city in America (with about 700,000 people in 2005).

The whole city looks more like the Austin of Richard Linklater’s 1990 “Slacker” than it does today, which I guess makes sense given the fact that the film was shot closer to “Slacker’s” release than current day. Feel old yet?

The first episode alone is a graveyard of Austin buildings, brands, technologies and businesses, from a decrepit looking Parmer Auditorium (in a shot that looks like it’s from 1987) to the Ritz and landlines to Hot 93.3.

Some things persist (fortunately). Continental Club, Guero’s and Antone’s (a former location, anyhow) all make appearances in the opening credits. And the Chuggin’ Monkey and Blind Pig Pub continue to booze up the young'uns.

As for the Vince Young Steakhouse, that's where the rascally roommates lived, back when that section of downtown was much sleepier.

Check out the episodes from the MySpace era on Netflix if you want to see some predictable storylines and a city that feels like it exists in another lifetime.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jump in the time machine with 'The Real World: Austin' on Netflix