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On June 27, MTV will bring you the 27th (!!!!) installment of The Real World, which sends the roommates to St. Thomas. What's next: The Maldives? I mean, on the serious, how is anyone supposed to "get real" while basking in the lap of luxury that only the 1% is accustomed to?

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The answer is, they're not.

What began as a fascinating social experiment in 1992 has simply become another conduit for fame-hungry twenty-somethings to flaunt their abs, implants, sexual inhibitions and stomach contents on a national stage. And while I can't fault this new crop of "strangers" for seeing this as their springboard to red carpets since that's a legitimate career path in our current culture, it doesn't always make for good television.

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Hell, it doesn't even make for memorable television.

I've watched every season of The Real World, and despite not being able to tell you a single name of anyone on the recently-wrapped San Diego season, I can still list -- almost in order -- the people who stopped being polite and started getting real in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Miami, Boston, Seattle, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York (again), Chicago, Las Vegas, Paris, San Diego and ... then it gets fuzzy.

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I highly doubt people who watched Ty push Andrew off their D.C. balcony will hold that moment with as much reality TV reverence as I do the expression, "It! Wasn't! Not! Funny!"

Obviously my generation's collective affection for earlier seasons directly stems from reality TV being more of a niche medium in the late 90s/early 00's -- the idea of being a "fly on the wall" was still new, and therefore forced excitement wasn't necessary since the inherent idea was, in itself, the draw.

Thankfully I haven't reached the age where memories begin slipping through the cracks and am still able to look back on the previous 26 houses to declare these the Five Best Real World Seasons Ever!

1994 - The Real World: San Francisco
Best Roommate: Pedro
Worst Roommate: Cory (and that's saying something when Puck is around)
Defining Moment: The Peanut Butter Incident
Personal Favorite Moment: Watching Rachel have to choose between the house and her heart in deciding to kick Puck out.

1996 - The Real World: Miami
Best Roommate: Cynthia
Worst Roommate: Sarah (who? exactly.)
Defining Moment: Dan and Melissa's epic (EPIC!) fight
Personal Favorite Moment: Flora getting stuck in the window trying to peep Melissa's three-way.

1998 - The Real World: Seattle
Best Roommate: David (with Janet & Lindsay a close second)
Worst Roommate: Stephen
Defining Moment: Irene getting slapped by Stephen.
Personal Favorite Moment: David breaking up with Kira, a RW casting director.

1999 - The Real World: Hawaii
Best Roommate: Ruthie
Worst Roommate: Justin
Defining Moment: Ruthie being sent to rehab.
Personal Favorite Moment: Amaya and Colin's rocky relationship (a precursor to Kristin & Steven, perhaps?)

2000 - The Real World: New Orleans
Best Roommate: Melissa
Worst Roommate: Matt
Defining Moment: Danny's boyfriend and his blurred face coming to the house, despite DADT.
Personal Favorite Moment: Technically a cheat, but Melissa's On Star call from The Real World: Sh*t You Didn't See DVD.

What is your favorite season/moment?