Twelve strangers on a yacht

The Real World was an American reality television series that aired on MTV from 1992 to 2019 with the iconic slogan: “This is the true story… of seven strangers… picked to live in a house… work together… and have their lives taped… to find out what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real”.

But what about doing it on a boat? Should you be invited to be one of a group of 12 strangers sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on a small yacht – and you’d all be filmed during the entire month-long voyage – would you say yes?

For Juanjo Zarate, it was an easy decision. “El mar, el mar… it was tremendously tempting,” says the 82-year-old. “Being brave and taking risks in life is essential. That’s what I tell my children and my grandchildren.”

But neither he, nor the rest of the group, had much idea of what to expect. Aside from the professional captain and first mate, the rest of the crew’s sailing experience was almost nonexistent; they were simply there because in the weeks beforehand each person had happened to meet Spanish director Miguel Ángel Tobias in the moment he was looking for people to take part in a new film. – Full report