Sorry, I can't remember where I read this.  But, apparently the participants
of THE REAL WORLD (at least the NYC version) were not only selected, or
"cast" to participate, they were also persuaded to do certain things.  For
example, the group is told to go to a certain location together - to see
what happens while there.  Also, the producers wanted some type of romance
to evolve from the participants.  However, a woman participant became
involved with one of the shows producers (I think) and he was fired because
of it.
 
I think this information moves THE REAL WORLD even further away from verite
and much closer to THE MONKEES.
 
Also, for a hilarious spoof of verite (The Loud family documentary, in
particular), check out a film by Albert Brooks called REAL LIFE.  It is
available on video, but I'm not sure from what distributor.
 
Cam Williams