In 2002, the house at 949 Lombard Street was still a shell, gutted by a June 8, 2000 fire. In 1994 this was the setting for MTV's Real World 3 and the stage for seven twenty-somethings who left an indelible impression on popular culture. Viewers the world over watched as Cory Murphy, Judd Winick, Mohammed Bilal, Pam Ling, Pedro Zamora, David Rainey aka Puck, and Rachel Campos lived together at 949 Lombard for several weeks. Puck, a bike messenger, was filthy, an irritant to the others, and a precursor to MTV's Tom Green and Jackass shows. Pam, a doctor, and cartoonist Judd married in 2001, as did Rachel and Sean Duffy in 1999. Duffy appeared in Real World 6, set in Boston. The couple met while taping an MTV Real World special. But it was Pedro, 22 years old and living with AIDS, who captured the heart of the nation. Zamora died of the disease the day after the series' final episode aired in November, 1994. During his short celebrity he elevated compassion and understanding by young people for young people with AIDS and HIV in the U.S. Judd later wrote a book about his friend titled, "Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned." The house at 949 Lombard Street was rented to MTV by local stockbroker/entrepreneur Martin Eng, who owned the house since 1985. It became a tourist stop, receiving more than 10,000 visitors in the months during and following the series. Eng maintains a web site that includes floor plans and photos of the house. No one was injured in the 2000 fire at Eng's house which was caused by a tipped candle. Real World producers board a new group of young people from differing socioeconomic backgrounds together each year in a major city. Their interactions, from fights over the dishes to romantic affairs, are the basis for this documentary soap opera sometimes called a "reality show."

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