For the most part, they are not that way in real life. A lot of things were exaggerated on the show for the sake of "reality TV". They had to film several scenes over and over because the way it came across wasn't sensational enough.
MOST DEFINITELY!! They were messy, but not THAT messy. The TV crew came in and almost doubled the mess in the rooms so that it would look worse than it actually is. Like I said, not saying they are the neastest people, because they definitely are not, but it wasn't as bad as it looks!