Now a familiar face to millions of Americans who had seen him laugh, cry, play and fight in the luxurious Hawaiian home, Mortensen seemed much closer to reaching his broadcasting dreams. Upon returning to California, he realized how hot a property he had become and wisely hooked up with an agent and an acting coach. Before long he'd been cast with a regular role as a dim high school office assistant in Don Roos' acerbic comedy series "M.Y.O.B.", a 2000 NBC midseason offering. Pushed back several times and given a fanfare-free berth, "M.Y.O.B." was unlikely to take off in any significant way, and whether Mortensen would make a solid entry into the business or if he would become a distant memory as new seasons of "The Real World" were introduced would remain to be seen.