The Real World: D.C.

The Real World: D.C., (occasionally known as The Real World: Washington, D.C.), is the twenty-third season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It is the fifth season of The Real World to be filmed in the Mid-Atlantic States region of the United States.

The season featured eight people who lived in a house in Dupont Circle. Washington, D.C. was officially announced as the location for the newest season on June 10, 2009. Filming began on July 2, 2009 and completed on October 12, 2009. The season's December 30, 2009 premiere was watched by 1.9 million viewers. The March 31, 2010 season finale was watched by 1.1 million viewers, the record low at the time for a season finale of The Real World. The finale was immediately followed with a reunion special, The Real World: Washington D.C. Reunion. Overall, the season averaged 1.5 million viewers a week and consisted of 14 episodes.

According to MTV's President of Programming, Tony DiSanto, "The charged atmosphere of Washington D.C., the center of our country's social and political change, will provide an electric setting for this next season of The Real World. We are thrilled to be filming our classic franchise in the heart of where history is being made ... it adds a whole new dimension to the great characters and drama our viewers expect and love from The Real World." Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty welcomed the production, pointing to the impact of young people on the national scene.

The Washington Capitals hockey team, singer Melissa Etheridge and Washington Post cartoonist Tom Toles make guest appearances this season, in which they interact with the cast. President Barack Obama also appears in two episodes in which cast member Andrew Woods, an aspiring cartoonist, attends a press conference with Washington Times senior correspondent Joe Curl as part of Woods' internship with the newspaper, and when cast member and LGBT rights activist Mike Manning attends the October 10, 2009 Human Rights Campaign dinner at which Obama spoke. Manning also meets with Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado and Congressman James P. Moran of Virginia during the course of his work for the HRC.

As with The Real World: Brooklyn, the Washington, D.C. cast was not given a group assignment, and was free to pursue their own interests. Various cast members are seen throughout the season pursuing career opportunities, bartending, and participating in internships and charity work with local businesses and organizations.

The cast members lived in a 10,800 ft² (1,003 m²) house located at 2000 S Street, NW in Dupont Circle, a neighborhood known for its historic buildings, embassies, dining establishments, and its gay community. The cast members' four-story brownstone mansion was originally constructed in 1891 for a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad executive, James Mosher, and his new wife, Minnie. The building is a contributing property to the Dupont Circle Historic District and its property value is $5,692,000. It is now the permanent home of the Laogai Museum.

Four building permits were issued in May 2009, including one for demolition of the interior walls. Building plans show the first floor includes bedrooms, a game room, the Confessional, and a control room for the show's producers. The second floor includes the common area, telephone room, kitchen, bathrooms, and five "love sacks". The main control room is located on the home's third floor, while a conference room and offices are located on the fourth floor.

As with the previous two seasons, the cast includes eight members. Local bars that were used as frequent hangouts for cast members included Halo, located in nearby Logan Circle; Town Danceboutique, located in Shaw; and The Russia House, located one block west of the cast's house. The cast also attended local sporting events, such as a D.C. United soccer games at RFK Stadium.