'Real World' heads south of the border

And the location for the next season of "The Real World" is … Cancun.

The Mexico vacation destination will serve as the setting for the MTV show's 22nd cycle. There, the housemates will work with spring break resource site StudentCity.com to serve as guides for visiting college students.

"They're going to help give people a safe and fun vacation," co-creator Jonathan Murray said. "They also might have to bail somebody out of a Mexican jail, stuff like that."

Production has started on the season, which will debut this year.

The current season is set in Brooklyn. The recent season premiere was up 18% in the total viewers from last year and continues to rank as one of MTV's top-rated shows.

"Cancun is a good one to do after Brooklyn, which was a more gritty environment," Murray said.

If the location sounds like it's from a previous installment of the groundbreaking reality series, there's some cause for that. The party spot seems an ideal choice for the show, and after 21 cycles it's surprising Cancun wasn't picked earlier.

Also, "Real World" producers in 2003 shot an R-rated unscripted movie called "The Real Cancun" that's unrelated to the series. (partialdiff)