by Gina Scarpa

Tonight, things take a very serious turn on The Real World: Cancun.  The show has always been one for raising issues from AIDS awareness to the life of a military vet.  This season, a roommate has reached her lowest point, her breaking point.  Feeling she has no other way to relieve the pain of not fitting in and being attacked by those around her, Ayiiia turns to cutting herself.  More on that in a minute…

Jasmine has been continuing her attempts to get closer to Pat, who works for Student City.  The two are often chatting and flirting at Student City events but tonight, they’re going on an actual date.  He heads over to the house for a home cooked meal and then a night at the bowling alley.  As he heads out for the night, he gets a text message from Amanda (another Student City employee).  Joey reveals to Jasmine that he heard the two hooked up, maybe even slept together.  Amanda was last seen naked in CJ’s bed on camera.  Classy.  If Jasmine has a brain in her head, she’ll drop Pat like a bad habit and move on.

Back to Ayiiia, which is 95% of this episode…

After finding out that she cuts herself, Joey uses that as the ammunition he needs to get her to leave the house.  He leaves notes around the house, telling her to leave.  He asks her if she has a knife.  He calls her names and continues to antagonize her.  When he goes too far, Ayiiia breaks a glass door in the house and cuts herself once again.  Jasmine and Bronne do their best to keep her calm and the episode becomes increasingly difficult to watch.

Covering Ruthie’s alcoholism in Hawaii was one thing.  Showing Joey’s in Hollywood was another.  His behavior was downright scary – not just to those in the house but those at home watching.  MTV has a history of casting mentally unstable people on the show for entertainment purposes and sometimes, it just goes too far.  In Joey’s case… and in Ayiiia’s case… it’s too much.

Emilee is upset by the fact that she revealed to Joey that Ayiiia cuts herself in order to get him to leave her alone and her plan backfired.  Instead, he uses it to deliver low blow after low blow and send her to her breaking point.  The girls side with Ayiiia, the boys with Joey, and Derek stays in the middle.  After thinking things over, Ayiiia decides to try to stick it out in the house and recognizes her unhealthy and dangerous behavior.  Let’s hope that things get better for this house because right now, it’s just one big mess.

The Real World: Cancun airs Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on MTV.

(Image courtesy of MTV)