A line of more than 800 people wrapped around the building for the White Star Lounge at 225 W. Ontario St. in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.

There were guys with foot-high afros, girls with tube tops smaller than wristbands and enough pretension for an entire city. In other words, it was the perfect crowd to audition for Season 14 of MTV’s “The Real World.”

Rob Ashmore, an MTV fan from Grand Rapids, Mich., was at the end of the line, more than a block from the club’ s entrance. He said he drove three hours for his chance to meet hot chicks and achieve quasi- stardom.

“I’ve always wanted to be on the show,” said Ashmore, whose blond highlights and blue collared shirt would peg him as the pretty frat boy of the cast. “I’m 22 so I have to do it now or I’ll be over the hill.”

As he and the rest of the crowd waited, MTV’s staff distributed surveys with questions like “What scares you?” and “Describe your relationship with your current boyfriend or girlfriend.” A cameraman for the behind-the-scenes video provided more opportunity for people to talk about themselves.

Evita McCall, 23, of Chicago, told the cameraman she wanted to be famous. “I wanna be a supastar,” she screamed. “I can sing; I can dance; I’ll shake my booty if they ask me to.”

McCall said her ultimate dream was to be on Fox’s “American Idol,” but she was so nervous when she auditioned that she couldn’t sing. And as the afternoon progressed, it seemed that McCall might not get her chance at “Real World” stardom either. It was almost 5 p.m., the time the casting call would close, and hundreds of people were still waiting.

A bouncer-like MTV employee with tattoos of naked women on his arms came outside with his walkie-talkie, hushed the line and announced they would not be auditioning anyone else today. A loud “boo” came up from the crowd.

“This is nothing like ‘American Idol’,” said McCall with a huff. “They saw everyone, and they didn’t have any nasty attitudes either.”

Christopher Nazzaro, 22, a senior from University of Chicago, was equally enraged.

“This is the borderline between whether I will ever watch MTV again or not,” he said. “It’s a critical point.”

After four hours of waiting, Ashmore shrugged his shoulders and got ready to jump in his car for the drive back to Michigan.

“It’s not cool because I drove and paid for parking,” he said. “But I should have just gotten up earlier.”

To placate the masses, MTV handed out slips that said “Sorry we couldn’t see you today but we still would like you to send us a tape.”

The deadline for audition tapes? Last Friday.