The Challenge: Free Agents - Who Are These Newbies?

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Well, the buzz for The Challenge: Free Agents is at full steam, and we are two episodes into what's been a very good season so far. In the premiere, we saw our group of 28 eager competitors arrive in Uruguay only to find that they are facing an individual Challenge, followed by a grueling opening mission that saw them confront the country's tallest building. There, two relative newcomers would steal the show: Portlander Jessica conquering her fear of heights to become the star of the opening challenge, and Latoya returning battled & bruised, only to take out one of the contenders, Jemmye, in very impressive fashion in the very first elimination. And this week, Jessica would not only continue her impressive showing, she also became interested in Dustin as was Emilee, while Cohutta would have a very good week in celebrating his birthday in many ways. Speaking of them, they and several others on this season are the subject of this post.

Now, for many of you, especially those who only watch Challenges & don't watch The Real World with the same level of interest as me, Free Agents is your first opportunity to see these newcomers or returnees in action. These are the same people who I became familiar with on the past two Challenges and on their original RW season (I didn't watch Challenges much until BOTS). Of course, these fans will be in the blue of what these rookies have in store, and while it'll be easy for them to go for the vets - and also prefer the old schoolers over the new generation, as we saw in the very first elimination, there are some rookies who are eager to hang with the vets in Uruguay, enough for them to win over these fans too. Take for example what we saw with Jordan when he & Marlon went all the way to the final on Rivals II and earned the respect of one Mr. Beautiful, Kenny, after beating Leroy & Ty, among other things in his great rookie campaign last year.

   Just as we did last summer, this post is our way to help avid Challenge fans, who know more about the vets than these rookies, get some insight into these new people: background from their original bios, what happened with them on their Real World, and save for those four making their Challenge debut in Uruguay, a recap of how they did on previous Challenges. This will help you understand these people the same way you know the vets and the same way that I do having followed them first in that other show that I love more. This way, we will make sure you'll never know who these newcomers are when you see them being introduced or when they compete in that first mission in the premiere. And most importantly this will help ensure that they are all given the kind of proper respect they deserve.

In that first "Who Are These Newbies?" post last summer, DCBLOG profiled 13 1st- or 2nd-time Challengers who were on Rivals II, and seven of them have been called up to do Free Agents: Jessica, Jordan, Jemmye, Frank, Nany, Zach and Preston. Just in case this is your first time watching them this season or need a refresher, check out that post where we covered them and fellow competitors Trey, Robb, Cooke, Marlon, Knight & Anastasia. And of course, five of these people eventually joined the big name vets in the final. That's at http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/07/rivals-ii-who-are-these-newbies.html.

   For our 2nd installment of "Who Are These Newbies?", we will introduce you to nine more people who have done either one or two Challenges or are making their debut in Uruguay. This includes two who were part of RW's most famous fight, two of those who were paired up on Hassel Island, and two finalists on BOTS who finished behind San Diego in Namibia. Plus as an aid to those who might be watching a Challenge for the first time, we've also included a 10th person who is neither of those options but is a power player making a return this season after a 3-year layoff.

   But we begin with a trio of Real World alums who, while they are technically classified as rookies on this season, are making their Challenge return after a few years watching these shows from the comfort of their own couch.

- Cohutta: Before we even heard of the Buckwild bunch or the Party Down South crew, there was Cohutta on Real World Sydney seven years ago. Today, he's perhaps the epitome of a country fella who somehow made his way onto a channel historically known for playing music videos outside of his genre. In his RW bio which describes him as a "true blue American," this Blue Ridge, GA native with that Southern accent & cowboy hat is someone who, as that bio states, "believes in love, God & Country," and is eager to settle down, raise a family and look for the right woman. When he's not doing house work as a building contractor, he's just enjoying his time on the mountain range, riding horses and playing the banjo. While my memories of the season in Australia are a bit dated, I did remember him being involved in an heated but rather weird fight involving, of all things, a grilled cheese sandwich when he & Shauvon got into it. But on the brighter side, he would became very romantic with roommate Kelly-Anne, which continued throughout the season and survived a late-season pregnancy scare over a broken condom when they had unprotected sex. That relationship, albeit a friendship after we found that weren't together shortly after they left Darling Harbour, would then carry over into two Challenges: The Island in 2008 followed by The Ruins a year later (and they actually liked my TBT pic of the cast on the '07 VMA red carpet). This may be Cohutta's 3rd Challenge, but it's his first in five years and first without Kelly-Anne in the cast. And after seeing him do very well in being the only guy to go across the rolling log in the opening mission last week, he definitely showed no signs of rust, and as one of handful of the old schoolers (pre-FM2) in this field, could possibly make a deep run this year.

- Isaac: Like Cohutta, it's also been awhile since we've seen fellow Sydneysider Isaac, having last saw him make his Challenge debut five years ago. But had it not been for a reason we'll never know, this would've been his 3rd Challenge instead of his 2nd had we seen him, Kelly-Anne, Dunbar & Ashli and not Fresh Meat on BOTS. Per his bio, at first glance you would think he's a bad boy, and he pretty much would fit that persona: he rebelled as a teen w/ drugs & alcohol and spent time in a Cleveland treatment center, which became a much-needed reality check. But behind all that, he's just a good old party boy who likes having fun, meet new people and also being intelligent too (having achieved a 4.0 GPA at Univ. of Arizona). In the Harbour City, he was a bit of a wild card - including famously skinny-dipping in the fish tank, but he also met an Australian local named Noirne, and after the season wrapped up he stayed down under going backpacking and hanging out with her. And on Duel II, he had a better showing than most other first-time rookies would usually have, hanging tough with the big names before falling to Landon in an elimination midway through the season. During this time away, he's become RW's own Mr. Worldwide thanks to becoming a well-rounded traveler inspired by his post-RW treks across Australia, and has launched a website for backpackers, Backpacker X. Plus, he even eavesdropped on a season of Big Brother UK when Noirne was one of the house guests, similar to the Exes twist we saw on Real World Ex-Plosion. With the experience of having done an individual Challenge before, plus his carefree attitude, don't be surprised if Isaac makes a deep run once again.

- Emilee: Four years have past since we've last seen Emilee on here when she appeared on Cutthroat (and if you listen to Derrick Kosinski's podcast w/ fellow Cancun ladies Jasmine & Jonna during Rivals, you'll know why). Per her Cancun bio, the Bostonian from the North Shore is a sensitive lady who can be emotional at times, but as a therapist's daughter is also able to learn, grow and change whenever a new situation arises...and she also likes to have a laugh, too. Outgoing, friendly and eager for new challenges, Emilee's also a former ballerina & dancer who, like Averey in Portland, eventually became a Hooters girl. In Cancun when the group met up for the first time, she found she & CJ had common Facebook friends (as he went to UMASS), and then flirted with & ended up in bed with him which led to the heartthrob breaking up with his girl back home. And she also had words with Ayiiia (after they hooked up) & Bronne (after she tap-danced on his zombie magazines), and was the only girl who didn't hook up with the Canadian DJ Pat. On Cutthroat, she & fellow Cancun castmate Derek had the usual rookie shortcomings of being cut early when they lost to Camila & Brandon in the season's very first elimination, even though she did have a hand in helping choose members of Team Blue, and also had a classic line when she left the Gulug. Most recently during this time away from the MTV cameras, and echoing what we saw with Nany in Vegas and STT's Laura, last year Emilee went on a search for her birth family and finally reunited with her fellow Fitzpatrick siblings. She's waited four years for a second chance on a Challenge, and after week 1 it's now a matter of how long she sticks around.

Next up: members of the two teams who placed 2nd & 3rd behind Team San Diego in the Battle of the Seasons final...

- Devyn: Those, including me, who watched BOTSeasons two years ago found a breakout star in Devyn. Before all this, this KC native was a prom queen who earned Miss Missouri Teen & then Miss America Teen eight years ago. With her famous line "It's easier to get into Heaven than into Devyn," the diva lives for the limelight and loves being the center of attention, all as a singer, actress, dancer & writer w/ a UCF theatre & music studies major degree. In Brooklyn, she got the chance to pursue her showbiz aspirations and earned a PR internship on th side, and became flirtatious with Captain America, aka Scott. And she was also at odds with the guys during the guys vs. girls house war, as well as falling victim to one of the many pranks in the house when a rat came into her room. But happily she found a puppy while she was at the Red Hook house, which she fittingly named Brooklyn. Then on BOTS as the only first-time competitor on Team Brooklyn, she became romantic with Big Easy and that relationship continued for a few months after he quit the very same arena that she competed in. But she also proved to be her team's weak link when they all went to the final, as her slowing down in a couple of the checkpoints on day 2 in Namibia eventually cost the underdogs a chance to crash the party and finished in 3rd. But the thing that stood out was Dev entertaining viewers with her hilarious commentary and one-liners in her interviews. Now that she is on her 2nd go at this, she should once again kill it in the quote department, will look to improve her performance on the field, and finally silence her critics who think of her as more of a diva than a Challenger.

- Dustin: It seems we've known Dustin for a long time now since this Louisiana gentleman first graced our screens three years ago on Real World: Back to Las Vegas. And he also happens to be one of a good handful of RW alumni to actually follow me in social media, which came as a huge surprise to me during my first Challenge two years ago. Per his RW bio, he had a rough family life living with two tough parents (Bi-polar mom & abusive step-dad), but he made up for it with having a boyish charm and demeanor of a southern gentleman, and a competitive fire too. In Sin City, he found himself at odds all season with roommate Mike, went go-kart & dirt bike racing and designed a guitar. But of course, those paled in comparison to when one of the biggest storylines in Real World history broke when his roommates found out that had participated in an adult web series in LA with other attractive guys, which Dustin took up after graduating high school. That bombshell, which was the highest-rated RW episode of recent times until Ex-Plosion, was so big of a deal, even before we saw it on TV, it even put him on the cover of US Weekly. This also hampered a great relationship he developed with Heather that we saw during the season, starting with them hooking up in the premiere and staying close until that secret was revealed. This led them to being on Battle of the Exes, where a couple weeks in, he injured his knee in a non-competition accident which led to them going home. That unfortunate break motivated him on BOTSeasons, where, even with tension he encountered with fellow Louisianan Trishelle, he still managed to tough it out and earned 2nd. Since then, Dustin endured another breakup with Heather after they did Couples Therapy, and also made internet headlines again when he got sent to the slammer for bad behavior. He comes for the first time in a Challenge a single man and as one of the top contenders, looking to finally notch a finals win, at least until this past episode.

And then, here's the four challengers making their maiden voyage in Uruguay:

- Latoya: She bears a famous name in LaToya Jackson, but she's no member of the Jackson family. Described as "bubbly, fiesty & energetic," as well as being the so-called "Head B in Charge," Latoya has spent her entire life - school & all - in Petersburg, VA. So admired among her friends at Virginia State University, she even thought of herself & her ex-boyfriend as the "Michelle and Barack Obama of VSU." In the Virgin Islands, she became very close with roommate Marie, where from teaming up to do a prank to spending a day hiking on a nearby island, they quite literally became BFF's. And in a house where all but one roommate were romantically paired up on Hassel Island, a storyline was her & Swift. There was the question of whether or not they hooked up while they were at a party, and with that in the air, and at the reunion, she went off on Swift. Even before she appeared on our screens in the summer of '12, 'Toya had become relatively famous: when she interned at Richmond TV station WTVR, she got to meet MTV alum Bill Bellamy. And just after she got home from the Islands, one of the town's most well-known residents, Trey Songz, met up with 'Toya and hung out for a short time in her very own house. And she's also joined fellow alumni in hosting her own podcast, Toibox Radio, and last summer talked to a number of RW cast members on the show. And after seeing what happened to her in the premiere when she went to the hospital, only to return and take out one of the key contenders, Jemmye, in her very first elimination in stunning fashion, she really is backing her word that the rookies can possibly win this season thanks to that great rookie performance.

- Swift: The third St. Thomas guy to do a Challenge, Swift is eager to follow in Trey & Robb's footsteps in Challenge world. Swift, or Brandon Swift for short, graduated from Temple University with a Business Administration degree in legal studies, today being a real estate guy by day and VIP host at night. He's also someone who's very loyal to his friends & family, and has a charm & charisma that also makes him a ladies man, something we might as well see in Uruguay. On the islands, of course there was him & Latoya, but Swift also found himself at odds with Marie and while not on camera also did a lot of work helping out in the community. Plus, one day he was the victim of a prank in his bathroom, then stepped on a sea urchin which caused him to take a hospital visit. And in the finale, as revenge for that prank T & 'Ri pulled on him, Swift went all over the island looking for live chickens, and he nailed it! He also made some more buzz off camera: just days after he was the subject of the aforementioned episode of whether he hooked up with Latoya, he hosted Wiz Khalifa at an opening event at Temple. And then on Halloween, after he & Robb went to a 76ers game, Swift was arrested by Temple Police for bad behavior, and a cell phone video of it eventually made its way to TMZ, following in the footsteps of other RW/Challenge alumni making it to the infamous gossip site. Needless to say, 2012 was Swift's greatest year; and he's looking forward to making his mark in his first Challenge. And he made that mark being the one who blocked Team Red from making their way onto the roof in the 1st mission and inadvertently sending Latoya to the hospital, but eventually making up with her after all that took place.

- Johnny: The latest in a long line of New Englanders to grace the Real World cameras, and one of seven on this Free Agents cast with ties to the area, Johnny is entering his first Challenge, following in the lead of fellow Team Portlanders Jordan & Marlon. As a middle child of a blue-collar, boisterous Irish family residing on the outskirts of Boston, and with that accent, Johnny has always found himself at the heart of attention and his group of friends. He was a star hockey player in high school & college but decided afterwards to study being a trainer until financial troubles led him to temporarily drop out and pay the bills working at a bar. He's very likable with that charming boy next door feel, outgoing party personality and a sense of humor (he went around naked one night in PDX), but sometimes he can get in some trouble when he gets drunk. And sometimes he can fall hard for a girl, though he's had some one-night stands; and often holds in his emotions until jealousy comes in. There in Portland, he found himself at odds with Jessica (which inadvertently inspired the fit life of Princess Hulk), Jordan (temporarily when Jordan got drunk one night) and, of course, Nia. And Johnny became romantic with Hooters girl Averey and her dog Daisy, starting early, continuing w/ having sex in the bathroom at work, and after some difficulties w/ his behavior midway, they became official. Just after the season wrapped, Averey drove all the way cross-country from Arizona to Boston to move in with him, but just before he left to do Free Agents, he and Averey broke up. So, Johnny comes in not only ready to make a big impression in his first Challenge, but also single and driven by this heartbreak to perhaps go deep.

- Nia: Finally among the rookies, there's the most notable of the first-timers, and after all that we saw from her in Portland, what does Hurricane Nia have in store for us in her first Challenge? Nia's RW bio states that has had a number of career goals including being a writer, philanthropist and model (and writing a book on how to get romantic with athletes), but has failed at all but one job she's had; which is something her parents might have an issue with her. Nia also had to deal with a serious life situation when, while she was 18, she was the victim of a date rape while attending Howard University in DC, but after being engaged in a long legal battle, the man she accused of committing that unlawful act got away with a not guilty charge. In Oregon, Nia came in as a replacement roommate when Joi left to return to Seattle, and after teasing her roommates w/ a fake southern accent by phone, she made her mark early. There, and inspired by those bad events, she spotted Jordan almost when she moved in and embarked on a full-on mission to manipulate, destroy & embarrass him, which led to a unusual act early, then a huge lamp & Cheetos fight with him and led to her hiring a friend she met there which some assumed would be a hitman on Jordan. She also became flirty with Marlon, got fired from the group job, and became friends with Jessica. And of course, there's the famous/infamous fight that she had with Johnny and, of course, Averey. Obviously, Hurricane Nia was the biggest story in Portland. And as much as she was undoubtedly its most-talked about roommate, it wasn't her first time on national TV. Just before she moved in, Nia appeared in the pilot of the 2012 summer dating show The Choice, which included among the celebrity bachelors, oddly enough, another member of Team MTV, DJ Pauly D; Chris Scali from Are You The One? also appeared on there. A former college volleyball player and fast food junkie, Nia has also become a newfound fitness lady having invented a new fitness invention called the "Booty Belt," and is eager to make a big impression in her first Challenge.

Last but not least, though not considered a rookie - she's done three previous Challenges - and making her first appearance on this show in three years, we've decided to add a 10th person to this post - a veteran - for those who are seeing her for the first time, and her name is Laurel. She, like Brandon, Cara Maria and Theresa, are part of the Fresh Meat II class who made their MTV debuts in 2010. Per her FM2 bio, this Detroit native is a tall & strong Division I athlete who played volleyball at the University of Michigan, who also has a fiery attitude and competitive fire. In that debut in Vancouver, she & partner Kenny finished second to Landon & Carley in the final. Then on Cutthroat, she also did very well as part of Team Gray, but fell short again and received another silver medal. Prague was also the site of her & Big Easy getting into a heated argument one night, and also becoming rivals with Cara Maria. And most recently on Rivals in 2011 in Costa Rica, she & Cara Maria quite literally turned from rivals to BFF's as they performed exceptionally well throughout the season. And though they finished 2nd to Paula & Evelyn, Team Black captured everyone's hearts as the group who those in the house might not have liked, but became the ones the fans loved. Since then, she's moved to New York and has followed in the footsteps of some other alumni in doing YouTube covers. Given a slightly weaker female field compared to last season in Thailand, Laurel undoubtedly enters Uruguay as the odds-on favorite to win for the girls and finally break through for her first Challenge win. And after winning the 2nd mission and also becoming romantic with a rookie in Jordan, she's on her way to accomplishing it.

   And lastly, laurel's not only on paper the strongest girl on this cast, she also had a hand in helping a fellow rookie join the twitter world. As we told you in my post on how social media has impacted my relationship with The Real World before RW Ex-Plosion, it was her who helped fellow rookie Swift set up his twitter account, @BSwiftMTV, and helping him download the twitter app on his smartphone too. So, not only can she do some great covers and be a great competitor, she can also help social media novices with how to navigate their way through the twitter-sphere and interact with fans on this great platform that we have.

So, there you have it. Just as we did with last year's post, hope we did our best to help introduce (or re-introduce) these ten people to you, the avid Challenge fan. When you watch the rest of Free Agents, hope this has given you a better understanding of where Cohutta, Isaac, Emilee, Devyn, Dustin, Latoya, Swift, Johnny and Nia have come from, what they've been through, and who they are. Hopefully you've given them a warm welcome in the same manner you give Laurel and the big name veterans; after all, a few of them and those we profiled last year have already made their mark. And now that a few are now stepping aside from doing these shows owing to things bigger than the show (Paula recently getting married and Chet & a few others being engaged), this new generation will eventually take the torch and carry on this tradition, whether you like it or not. And eventually, these people and many others will represent the next generation of The Challenge.

Before we leave you, a few reminders of upcoming chats from Challenge world...

- Andrew Kirk (@CSUAKirk) will have his first two interviews of the Free Agents season coming up this week: technical problems on Saturday means that his first chat of the season, with Emilee, will now be taking place Tuesday at 3pm ET on SpreeCast: http://www.spreecast.com/events/challenge-free-agents-w-emilee--2. AK will talk to her about the elimination, her hookup with Dustin, the first two episodes, and maybe go back in time to relive Cancun and other things too. 

- Two days later on Thursday at 5pm ET before EP 3, Princess Hulk herself, Jessica, will recap her stellar performances in the first two Challenges, get her side of the story on the battle for Dustin's affection and more from the first two episodes with Andrew. That's at http://www.spreecast.com/events/challenge-free-agents-w-jessica-mccain.

- And if you're missing Jay from RW Ex-Plosion (@JayGMTV), need not worry; he's joining the interview hosting world with his own show, The Game Changers, taking place in the same Wednesday 10PM Real World timeslot, and for his first guest will be Jasmine. Should be a lot of fun.

- Plus, Brian Cohen (@BusDriversRoute) will also be talking to Emilee in the coming days at www.busdriversroute.com, while Reality Radio will be talking to Laurel also coming soon at talkinrealitytv.blogspot.com.

As for here, be sure to bookmark DCBLOG for all things Challenge, reality TV, pop culture, sports & beyond. A day or so after every episode, we'll have our exclusive DC SocialPulse diaries of how the cast & fans see the Free Agents episodes on twitter, whether you want to relive all the interaction again or if you're a West Coast fan catching up on the tweets for the first time. For Challenge fans, our site is a complement to the power rankings and cast interviews of other sites as we will be offering a more unique perspective on the season, the show & the people, such as the one we've presented here.

   And coming up in a little while here on this Easter Sunday, we'll have our latest edition of DC Fan's View as we present you an exclusive insiders look at the Are You The One? Reunion from two fans who watched more of the on-stage drama of one of MTV's most popular casts ever than what you saw on TV. Plus, we'll have a look at my family's obsession with the NBA as the Playoffs begin, and hopefully have our 2nd Fan's View post covering the Real World Ex-Plosion Reunion coming soon.

   Also, follow both my primary twitter handle @DC408dxtr and my DC NOW live twitter account @DC408dxnow. There at the former, you'll find alerts to all of my DCBLOG posts & MTV content in addition to conversations with fans, followers & Team MTV; while at the ladder my live tweeting of shows, sports & events is now located (RT's included, and be aware of TL's being flooded during EP's). And follow my Instagram @DC408dxtr as well, I've recently posted pics of the Free Agents cast w/ quotes from their bios, along other things.

   Once again as we post this on 4/20, the second DCBLOG post on this Easter Sunday, The Are You The One? Reunion Revealed, comes your way in just over an hour, in between tonight's NBA Playoff games at approximately 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT. For the time being, thanks for reading, have fun, and hope you're enjoying Free Agents and Easter weekend. See you later everyone.

- DC