Tonight I watched MTV's 'The Real World' for the first time in at least half a decade. This season they're in Hollywood and instead of having a job, they all have to take improv classes at iO West with Charna. Charna's been talking this up for some time ("This is the first year the show is going from a half hour to a full hour because there was so much great material") and I'm curious to see more improv-via-reality-television.

The young reality cast seem very different from most of the improvisers I know. Different from most of the people I know, period. They look like they stepped out of a bad science fiction porno. And their first reaction when they find out about their new assignment is, "I need to get a haircut." Still, they seem generally enthusiastic (for now, anyway).

Not surprisingly, very little of the episode was dedicated to improv. Like 'Top Chef' the cast watch an improv show that is edited down to about three of four lightening quick wordless shots of wacky stage physicality (including, yes, someone being lifted into the air by the rest of their team).

The actual class with Charna gets a little more time. She rattles off a list of famous people she's taught, and subtly slips the title of her book into conversation. Next, a quick montage of the reality cast doing scenes. We get to see about four snippets, each including one line from a scene. The first is, "So, you're finally coming out of the closet." So, maybe these L.A. club kids aren't so different from other begginning improvisers after all, because every entry level improv class that ever was has probably had at least one student utter that line.

The class segment ends with some quick soundbites of good advice from Charna. "The reason you should see a lot of shows is you learn faster that way." And, "You got your laughs by being honest." And with that, MTV's first improv lesson comes to an end.