Three decades ago, MTV put five strangers in a Winnebago and made reality television history with “Road Rules.” The groundbreaking reality show took the cultural experiment of “The Real World” and literally gave it wheels. To mark the 30th anniversary, fan-favorite cast members Mark Long, Rachel Robinson, Shane Landrum, and Susie Meister reflected on how “Road Rules” changed their lives — and the landscape of reality TV.
Mark Long Never Auditioned for ‘Road Rules’
When “Road Rules” debuted on July 19, 1995, cast members traveled across the country in an RV, while completing daring missions for a “handsome reward” and bonding under pressure.
Long had a unique experience because he never applied to be in the original cast of “Road Rules.” Instead, he was almost cast on “The Real World: Los Angeles” and came close to replacing Puck on “The Real World: San Francisco.”
“A few months later they reached out to me asking if I’d like to participate in a new spinoff show pilot. I don’t even think they knew the show title at that point,” Long told Parade. “I ended up flying out to Los Angeles and shooting the pilot for ‘Road Rules’ with four other people. We shot it on Catalina Island, and it was pretty awesome.”
When the show was picked up, they kept Long from the pilot and put him with four other strangers for season 1.
“Kit, Carlos, Allison, Shelley and myself. Pretty wild story,” Long said.
Looking back, Long admits that being on the first season was “awesome” because it was new and there was nothing to compare it to.
“It was in the mid-90s. There were no cell phones, there was no GPS, we actually had to use maps, and we actually had to communicate with each other, no social media at all. It ended up being a huge influential part of my life,” Long said.
The MTV Hit Was the ‘Biggest Thing You Could Land’
Robinson, who joined during the Campus Crawl season, saw the show as an adventure and a chance to see the world. It was a “perfect fit” for her, and she noted that the OG MTV reality shows were “the biggest thing you could land.” She says that when she auditioned, both “Road Rules” and “Real World” were “defining generations.”
Landrum, who was also part of the Campus Crawl season, made it clear in his application that he was only interested in “Road Rules.” He says that he found the storyline to be more engaging than “Real World.”
“I desperately wanted a chosen family like that, one that drew inspiration from each other as they overcame their personal adversity, in addition to the physical adversity faced as a team,” Landrum said.
Meister was the show’s “biggest fan” when she was in high school. She literally mailed in a VHS tape that she made in her childhood bedroom when she turned 18, which led to her casting in season 6 “Down Under.”
The Legacy of ‘Road Rules’
“Road Rules” ran on MTV from 1995 to 2007. Some of the most famous alums include comedian and podcaster Theo Von, comedian and podcaster Christina Pazsitzky, TV host Kit Hoover, and “Million Little Things” star David Giuntoli.
What started as a spin-off soon carved out its own legacy, eventually spawning one of the longest-running reality franchises in TV history — “The Challenge.” That show began as “Road Rules: All Stars,” and allowed a number of former “Road Rulers” to continue their reality career by appearing in multiple seasons. There have been 40 seasons (season 41 premieres July 30) to date, plus a number of spinoffs.
“’The Challenge’ itself was a direct derivative of the original ‘Road Rules.’ So I’m proud of that. And people still come up to me today telling me how much it influenced them and how myself and the other castmates and the show became part of their lives,” Long shared.
To celebrate the lifelong friendships that were made — and to show fans some appreciation — Long teased in 2024 that something big was coming for the 30th anniversary. Could it possibly be a reboot?
“Next year is #RoadRules 30th year anniversary🥳 … and I’m planning something EPIC for the fans 🚌💨💨 …” Long wrote on Instagram. “Who’s ready for us to hit the road again????”
“Road Rules” is currently not available on any streaming service. However, fans can find episodes and clips on YouTube.
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‘Road Rules’ Turns 30: MTV Trailblazers Reflect on the Show That Started It All