Our Predictions For 'Real World' Season 30

With the popularity of Ex-Plosion, the most recent incarnation of MTV's reality series The Real World, the formerly doomed franchise has been renewed for its 30th season. In fact, Ex-Plosion has experienced the highest ratings for The Real World since 2011 and saw a 44 percent increase since last season. What separated Season 29 from its predecessors was that the "seven strangers picked to live in a house," weren't strangers at all, they were exes. Needless to say, things went from zero to the house is on fire in less than a couple episodes, once said exes showed up.

So it appears MTV has found a formula that works for its audience: Lots of fighting, hook-ups, booze, and drama. It's not a new approach by any means — the network's other popular reality shows like 16 and Pregnant and The Jersey Shore had all of the above and then some.

Ex-plosion isn't the first season of The Real World to stray from the once-original premise. What started as a social experiment has devolved into decadent chaos. When The Real World was in its first 10-12 seasons, series executives threw people into a house with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. There would typically be a southern white man who had never lived with an African American or an out gay person living with a homophobe — and the drama was usually sparked from a political or socilogical viewpoint rather than an alcohol-soaked orgy.

Not that the earlier seasons didn't have their share of hook-ups and fights, they had them in spades. We all remember the Steven and Irene slap heard 'round the world. However, The Real World also used to demand that the cast members worked together, typically for organizations that bettered the communities in which they were living. It's safe to say those days, the days of The Miz and Coral, of cast members running away with producers (looking at you, David from Seattle), are long, long gone.

So, all we have left to do is look to the future. Now that Ex-Plosion has proven so popular, here are a few predictions for what Season 30 might bring us.

The Real World: CHAPERONES

Older Real World cast members from classic seasons move into the house with all of these young whipper-snappers. Just think about Mark Long's dismay when the kids roll in after a night out clubbing just as he's waking up for his morning ab session. I smell a hit!

The Real World: CAMPING

Seven strangers picked to live in a tent, pick ticks off each other, having their lives taped. This is what happens when people stop being polite and start getting smelly.

The Real World: DRY HOUSE

For an entire season, no one in the house can consume alcohol. Call me crazy, but it might actually make things even juicier. Because people will only have their terrible selves to create drama.

The Real World: Fiancés

Oh, you think you're ready to get married, eehhhhh? Let's see what happens when you and your spouse-to-be are placed in a house of mayhem with four other couples.

The Real World: International

Seven strangers from seven countries who speak seven different languages. Let's make beautiful harmony, y'all.

Images: MTV; TheMarkLong/UltimateBraii/BunimMurray/Twitter