MTV's The 70s House is an American reality television show created by Aaron Matthew Lee. The show premiered on MTV on July 5 and ended September 6, 2005. The show featured twelve contestants who thought they were participating in a The Real World-type reality show, but instead were thrust into a 24/7 simulation of the 1970s. They were required to part with all modern technology including cell phones, laptops, and MP3 players, as well as all modern clothing and lingo, only to adopt their cultural equivalents of the 1970s. It was billed as a competition to see who can "be the most 70s." The twelve contestants were: Andrew Severyn, Ashley McCarthy, Corey Hartwyk, Geo Herrera, Hailley Howard, Jami Stallings, Joey Mendicino, Lynda Khristine, Lee Wireman, Peter Asencio, Ruben Gonzalez, and Sarah Bray.
Overview
On each episode contestants were assigned tasks by Oscar, the house's unseen owner who communicated over speakerphone in an obvious parody of Charlie from Charlie's Angels. Dawn, the show's host, acted as a liaison between the contestants and Oscar and instructed them on how to complete the tasks. After finishing the task Oscar awarded a prize to the contestant which best completed the task. Two contestants were then chosen, based on that day's performance and how well they otherwise kept their 70s facade. These contestants competed in an elimination challenge at the end of the show and the loser would be eliminated from the show. In the ninth episode, however, three contestants competed in the elimination round and two were eliminated. The show had various gimmicks meant to test the contestants' willingness to adhere to their 70s lifestyle. The most prominent gimmick was the "Hustle Alarm." Whenever a buzzer sounded and "The Hustle" was played, contestants were required to do the Hustle regardless of what they were doing. They were shown throughout the season doing the Hustle at various times including the middle of the night and early in morning. Stand-up comedianNatasha Leggero played Dawn, while Bil Dwyer played the elimination challenge host, Bert Van Styles. Aaron Matthew Lee, the creator of the show, provided the voice of Oscar. The winner received a prize package from Hewlett-Packard, a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle and a trip to Europe. A similar show centered around 1990s culture called 90's House premiered on MTV in 2017.
