In March 2012, the MTV's reality TV series The Real World was filmed for its twenty-seventh season on Hassel Island.It does not seem to be a fast growing populous place, but rather is a more secluded National Park and limited number of private homes.[2] The Danish used Hassel Island's strategic location to defend the busy Charlotte Amalie harbor in the 18th and 19th centuries.[2] In the 1860s, the Danish government dug a channel that separated Hassel Island from Saint Thomas and improved the circulation of the Charlotte Amalie harbor.The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company operated its West Indies hub on Hassel Island from about 1850 until the 1870s.