The (first) seven cast members of "Real World: Ex-Plosion."

On multiple occasions over 28 seasons, "Real World" casts have been shuffled around with sudden departures and replacements, but on the show's upcoming return to San Francisco, the house will be completely turned on its head when its occupancy nearly DOUBLES. On "Real World: Ex-Plosion," seven strangers will get the surprise of their lives when, for the very first time, their exes (yes, we're going there!) move into the abode partway through the season. And suddenly, Hurricane Nia's warpath seems like child's play...

So, how did we manage to keep the originally chosen cast mates in the dark until the big surprise was launched? Well, a month into Season 29, the whole group took a day trip together, and by the time they returned home, five of them found -- for better or worse -- that their former flames had moved in. Just. Like. That. As if blowups over dog s**t weren't bad enough, imagine being forced to share breakfast counter space beside the person you'd completely sworn off forever?! Hopefully the house has a panic room...

+ What do you think of the new "Real World: Ex-Plosion" format? Let us know, hang tight for the 2014 premiere and stay glued to the blog, as content from the cast members' smartphones might start trickling in...

Dig Remote Control? Follow us on Twitter, like, now.

Photo: Peter Yang