Let's face it. MTV's The Real World has never really been completely "real."

The half-hour dose of life set to a buzz-worthy soundtrack always had cast members who played to the camera. And then there's the inevitable truth that the show is, in fact, edited.

But now, after almost 10 years of pumping up the level of spectacle (yes, believe it or not, the original New York cast debuted all the way back in May of 1992), it may be time for a little less interference from the production staff. So far, The Real World Chicago, Season 11 (MTV, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.) seems a little too tailored to one specific theme.

MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions, the masterminds behind what has become a pop culture phenomenon, wasted no time in bombarding us with an all-new season of carefully patched together drama. Barely six weeks had passed since the Season 10 finale, and here they were: seven new strangers, picked to live in a house and have their lives taped . . . well, you all know how it goes by now.

Viewers were able to get acquainted with this season's victims during a painfully uneventful hour-long introduction on Jan. 15. On the male side, there's Theo, the player, Kyle, your All-American Ivy League hunk, and Chris, a gentle-mannered gay recovering alcoholic who struggles with how and when to come out of the closet to his housemates.

On the other hand is Aneesa, an outspoken, open lesbian who doesn't mind roaming the new house minus her clothing (sorry Aneesa, but Ruthie from Hawaii has already blazed those trails).

And then there's Cara, who just might hook up with half of Chicago before the group's six-month stay is over (more on this later).

There's also Tonya, a conservative foster child who, from the looks of it, will spend much of her time in Chicago on the phone with her boyfriend, and Keri, a New Orleans native already showing signs of a potential romance with Kyle.

And if there's any question on how love (or lust) could blossom so quickly, a look around the trendy, three-story abode will provide an answer. From the hot tub, to the shower built for two, to the various sex books littered throughout -- the powers that be made sure the house was stocked with quite a few quasi-aphrodisiacs.

And this, of course, just highlights what has become a pattern throughout the past several seasons. The producers have been attempting to play up certain themes with each cast, which is fine if they aren't magnified and exaggerated to the point of sickness.

But last season in New York, racial issues took over the plot (if The Real World can be said to have one), and it seems that this season promiscuity and sexual preference will be at the forefront.

The first two episodes, and the house itself, indicate that the execs behind the show were hoping their "seven strangers" would partake in one giant, Chicago-style romp with an occasional taste of controversy over some cast mates' alternative lifestyles.

Take, for example, episode one. Aneesa can't seem to understand why Theo, who she knows is attracted to her, gets the wrong idea when she hops in the shower with him. And Kyle? Well, he admittedly can't stop looking at Keri's chest.

Episode two, cut down to the series' usual time slot, just packs twice as much sexual punch in its half-hour. Cara hooks up with three -- that's right, three -- different guys, one of which is the singer in a band (which would have been cool if the unidentified rocker didn't have a big blotch covering his head throughout the post-concert rendezvous).

Now, all this doesn't mean the new season can't be entertaining. The cast has gotten more messed up, and, therefore, more interesting.

And part of The Real World has always been about attractive people, romance and sex appeal.

But, at least in the past, there was some suspense and a little room for anticipation. Now the show just travels down a predetermined, production-driven, predictable path.