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"The Real World" has been one of the worst-kept secrets in Austin. Now that the production is packing up to leave town this week, the door to the mysterious warehouse at Third Street and San Jacinto Boulevard has been opened and the seven young cast members revealed.

"Do you want to take the tour?" asks Danny, a cheerful 21-year-old from Boston whose 3 1/2-month stay here is destined to be one of the focal points of the 16th season of the popular MTV reality show.

The house is a massive red brick structure with a huge neon sign on top that screams "Austin." A visitor is greeted at the door by a 20-foot Big Tex statue and drawn into a living area filled with bold colors and dramatic, made-for-TV lighting to accommodate the 44 discreetly placed cameras.

Austin designer Joel Mozersky, who also did the ultra-hip nightclub Oslo, transformed the empty warehouse into a spectacular living space. Neon, vinyl and plastic give the place a '70s Jetsons feel, with a bit of a cowboy flair.

Beyond the living room, the space is dominated by a bright red and pink kitchen, an indoor pool with water streamers and colored lights, and a game area with a mini-basketball court. Three large bedrooms, a gold-tiled communal bathroom, a "pod" room with a big round bed (dubbed the Orgy Room by the male housemates) and a hot tub with a bar also are on the ground floor.

Upstairs is a game room with a pool table and a room where the cast can call or e-mail family and friends. And there's a "confessional" room, where cast members can go to record their thoughts and feelings in private — for telecast later, of course.

Danny, who expected to see cowboys in Austin, is the only housemate who likes to cook. The New Englander's new specialty is chicken fajitas.

His fellow housemates, who go by first names only, are a female Iraq veteran, a hairdresser from Ohio, a Peruvian American heading to Columbia University, a future music video director, an aspiring dentist and a fraternity guy who just wants to have fun.

Sixth Street held particular allure, and the housemates hit the bars on a nightly basis. Their consensus favorite was the Dizzy Rooster.

"The bartenders there make you feel so at home," Lacey, 23, the hairdresser, says Sunday.

As has happened in other cities where "Real World" filmed, the cast encountered hecklers and had a few run-ins with locals, mostly on Sixth Street. There was at least one that ended in injury.

"The only difficulty we had was when an Austinite or a cast member had too much to drink," executive producer Jon Murray says. "When young people drink too much, those few people who tend to be disagreeable are amplified."

For the uninitiated, "The Real World" is the granddaddy of reality shows. It debuted in 1992 with the simple but dramatic concept of putting seven people (ages 18 to 24) in a swanky house, giving them all jobs and filming them 24/7. It is the highest-rated cable series among 12- to 34-year-olds, generally attracting about 4 million viewers an episode.

Filming began in Austin on Jan. 28, and the cast and 40-person crew has been here since, except for a "vacation" to Costa Rica after the South by Southwest Music Festival.

Five crews working 10-hour shifts follow the cast, shooting about 2,500 hours of film that will be whittled to 24 half-hour programs. The series is scheduled to debut June 21.

The Austin cast's job was to film a short documentary about SXSW, working with Emmy-winning filmmaker and University of Texas professor Paul Stekler ("Stand by Me," "George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire"). The film will air on MTV in the fall.

Among the other locations where "The Real World" has filmed are New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Boston, Paris and, most recently, Philadelphia. Austin is one of the smallest cities, along with New Orleans, where the show has been set.

"What we loved about Austin was, it really does have a sense of place," Murray says. "It's definitely cool. But in Austin, you do sacrifice a little of the anonymity that you have in a big city. It's a little harder for the production to get lost here."

Having "The Real World" here will be good for tourism and the film industry, said Gary Bond, director of the Austin Film Office.

"Our folks here have a formula for media value, and in this case, the estimated media value, in terms of publicity for Austin, is about $20 million," Bond says.

Unlike feature films, "The Real World" was a stealth operation that was only minimally disruptive. There were no street closings, no traffic snarls and no public grumblings — except among the tipsy downtown.

"I do hear complaints when things are disruptive or untoward, but I didn't get a complaint from anybody while they were here," Bond says.

Booze and sex play a big part in "The Real World," but the cast doesn't seem worried about repercussions from family or friends.

Rachel, the Iraq veteran, thinks it'll be "really weird to see myself drunk," and Wes, the frat guy who parties hearty, admits that his temper and penchant for flirting could come off as a bit over the top.

Among their non-Sixth Street haunts: the Drag, Congress Avenue, Town Lake, Zilker Park, Barton Creek Square mall and Whole Foods Market.

"It's a food mecca," Wes says. "We love that place."

A sneak peek at the seven strangers who've lived here since January. The season is scheduled to begin June 21 on MTV:

RACHEL, 22, California

An Iraq veteran who joined the Army as a combat nurse and served four years. She has a boyfriend she met in Iraq, but will she stray?

JOHANNA, 21, California

Gorgeous Peruvian American who wants to be a clinical therapist. She's spunky and sweet but a mean-tempered drunk. Deferred acceptance to Columbia University for grad school.

WES, 20, Kansas

A junior at Arizona State University, he's a frat-house guy who parties hearty and likes to flirt. He had a reputation on Sixth Street early on.

DANNY, 21, Massachusetts

Outgoing Bostonian who left home to 'stretch his wings.' He's working for his father's construction company but wants to be a lawyer. Loves Austin and hates to leave.

LACEY, 23, Florida

Unique, and not just for her short hair and virgin status. Born to ex-hippie parents who turned religious, the hairdresser was sheltered from pop culture but adapted to life with her much wilder housemates.

NEHEMIAH, 19, Arizona

Born to a drug-addicted mom and forced to grow up quickly. Quiet but determined. Studied film production in college and wants to direct music videos. The least in love with Austin.

MELINDA, 21, Wisconsin

Waitress and aspiring dentist. A model-gorgeous flirt who is willing to try anything once. Also smart and funny, she could be a star.