The Look: Virgin Territory

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr

Nothing like summer television, isn't it? This has traditionally been the spot for broadcast networks to present reruns of popular series. But as of late, summer has provided the opportunity for cable networks to lure viewers to new, fresh original series, and the terrestrial's to air reality shows. Thus, we have Big Brother, America's Got Talent and dozens of other shows too many of which to mention here. And of course, we had the World Cup, which brought record numbers of viewers & NFL-like numbers to this year's tournament, taking place at the halfway point in between Olympics.

   It's with this background that I launch a new feature called, "The Look." And on occasion in between my regular coverage of entertainment & sports and other things that might be of interest to write about here, I'll have the chance to review shows, movies, albums or other things that might pop up along the way. And especially during these dog days of summer, this has afforded me the time to do just that. And we'll start off with something from the MTV world.

Now, although you know me as an avid fanatic of The Real World and The Challenge, I'm also an overall MTV fan too. You would think it might be a drag for someone who's into these shows a lot to not have something to look forward to during this summer, but that's not the case for me. Having grown a great rapport with people from other MTV shows outside the RWC bubble, it has proven my appreciation for being open to the MTV world around me. Plus, the fact that I have social media and that cast members have been very fan-friendly with their followers has also made it much easier for me to sample and eventually become an avid viewer of other MTV programming.

   And while I've become friendly in the social world with people as diverse as crazy kids in West Virginia, Texas bartenders, passionate people in NYC, a young lady & her cross-country friends, and aspiring chefs & nurses; the best example of my strong MTV relationship being expanded beyond the RWC world is Are You The One?. The huge success of that first season, starring its eclectic cast and their improbable run to the $1 million jackpot, is one of the highlights of 2014 for me, and season 2 will air an hour earlier than season 1 on Mondays this fall.

   During what will be a busy period of hot stove talk surrounding Real World 30 in Chicago and Challenge 26, plus the countdown to AYTO Season 2 and doing my best to nurture this blog during the downtime, I have become very much interested in a show that will more than help to keep me company during this offseason before mid-September. And with all due respect to those who follow it and flood my twitter timelines with their & others' commentary on it - no, it's not Big Brother - though this one is giving me a good warmup for when all of those shows return.

Back in the penultimate DC SocialPulse diary for The Challenge: Free Agents in June, we showcased a twitter dialogue I had with Kyle, Lisa, David and Emily from the cast of Virgin Territory. Debuting last month in that same prized post-Teen Mom slot that was occupied by AYTO earlier this year, Virgin Territory has been exploring the real-life stories of young adults across America as they go through the complex situations of being in a relationship. But most importantly, this docu-series has brought up one of those coming-of-age moments which also happens to be, as the MTV presser states, "one of the most complicated and emotional decisions of their young adult lives: whether to have sex or remain a virgin." So far, we have delved into the mindset for four young adults in each episode, and so far we've seen some hang on to their vCard as long as they can by abstaining, while others are doing whatever they can to lose it and have some.

   Through the first month's worth of episodes, I'm really been enjoying Virgin Territory in seeing the stories of these great people play out, having my jaw drop at every kiss we've seen, and even the great camera work in the slo-mo techniques too. Sure, it might not have the kind of big-time impact that the RW/Challenge franchise or AYTO has to me, but nonetheless I'm engaged in this show to the point where I'm comfortable watching it, just like other MTV shows (and I tend to be non-judgmental unlike most other fans). And as has been the case before, I've become good social friends with much of the cast, including that good handful who follow me socially, which makes the viewing experience easier.

Because I am someone who maintains high & strict standards for myself including keeping clear of engaging in behavior that might be detrimental to myself (like not drinking alcohol or smoking), I can relate in a way to the cast members in that everyone does their best to try & stay away from having sex until they get married. Though because of my busy schedule devoting my energies to work & hobbies and doesn't have the time to see anyone romantically right now, I do consider myself a virgin and would always want to save that vCard for after tying the knot. Yes, I will admit that twice I've gone to a strip club with some of my cousins on guys' nights out a few years back - just as we saw with Kyle in the premiere, but I was just an observer to all that and didn't take part in all that fun, shall we say.

   Through four episodes, we've met seven people go through this experience of whether to abstain or to give away the card. In the premiere, we had Lisa, a Florida bride who played it smart by waiting for the night of her getting married to finally enjoy not being a virgin anymore. There's Kyle from Rhode Island who kept his virginity a secret to his friends and eventually gave in with ex-girlfriend Amanda. We saw Mikaela from Oregon, who after hosting an anything but clothes house party then went on a mission to LA to find her man and swipe the card, and Dominique from Maryland, who saw a guy two times on a date but kept true to her phrase, "No ringy, no dingy."

   Further on, we met Lisa's fellow Liberty University classmate Luke, a pastor's son who's called the "Kissing Bandit" but has still stayed being a virgin. We've had Anna, who moved down to Florida from Ohio for college and forged a relationship with a new guy. And last week, we welcomed Dallas sorority girl Shelby, who also leads a group of sisters who are all virgins & have a unicorn as their mascot. Tonight, we'll meet Florida girl Anike; and later on we'll get to know high schooler Abby, Arizona fella Alec, the aforementioned David & Emily, John, VA girl Keyaria, and Marjorie too.

I also like how, in addition to showcasing their love lives & trying to stay being a virgin, they're also making the effort to also include their life experiences. Lisa got married to her fiancé Nick and was fortunate enough to have her ailing war vet dad walking her down the aisle. Kyle was able to balance being the show's resident heartthrob with going to college far from his home in Rhode Island. Plus there was Dominique trying to improve a tough relationship with her mom, and Anna being a model. This is proof that MTV isn't just interested in doing any kind of reality TV, it's interested more in documenting the things & experiences that its viewers can relate to, similar to old-school Real World. And as a storytelling enthusiast, I feel very much at home in all that.

   Then, there's the facts, as pointed out in the MTV presser. As we head towards the beginning of the school year, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (or the CDC), teens are, on average, now waiting longer to have sex. A study from The Alan Guttmacher Institute have shown that less than half of U.S. high school students have had sex, which is 15% less than that of two decades ago. Another finding done jointly by MTV's It's (Your) Sex Life campaign and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy finds two additional facts: nearly 75% of young adults feel "movies and TV did a better job of exploring why people are virgins," and 86% of those polled believe "popular media like movies and TV shows portrayed virginity in a more realistic way." And for a channel that has a long tradition of getting young adults talking about sex on their shows, MTV is doing exactly that with this show.

In all, though this is for now the only TV series I'm live tweeting this summer, it feels like that by enjoying Virgin Territory, there is a show that I can directly relate to. As I tweeted at the end of the premiere on DCNOW, virginity is a very deep issue and something that I can relate to, with some great people and their stories that they have, or will have. We've seen who's been able to stay being a virgin, who decided to swipe their vCard and hear & learn about something that hasn't been talked about much until now. And after what we've seen with Lisa, Dominique, Luke, Mikaela, Kyle, Anna and Shelby, I'm looking forward to listening to the stories that Anike, David, Abby, Alec, Emily, John, Keyaira and Marjorie will have in store coming up. It's always good and refreshening to have a show on that can be relatable and thought-provoking but also entertaining as well.

Be sure to bookmark DCBLOG as we cover the entertainment and sports you love. With filming of both Real World 30 in Chicago and season 26 of The Challenge now underway, and Are You The One? Season 2 debuting on September 29, expect wall-to-wall coverage of all three shows right here. Our coverage will kick off as soon as the AYTO season 2 buzz kicks off sometime soon as the countdown to the fall sequel starts up. Of course, this includes our signature feature DC SocialPulse, which will again provide exclusive running diaries of the twitter reaction to the episodes from cast members and fans like me, plus episode wraps and more. After taking the summer off, weekly DCSP posts return on September 22 when the season 1 cast comes together one more time to celebrate the pending arrival of the new baby of their only remaining couple, Amber & Ethan.

   In addition to complete MTV coverage, I'll be aiming to offer extensive sports coverage here including the huge growth of soccer in America after the World Cup, plus posts on UFC, football, big events and more. And we'll have other posts outside of those worlds too. You can always find me on twitter & Instagram @DC408Dxtr, and my live tweet home, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow. Having done lots of live tweeting of sports, shows and events over the past several months on that hub, be sure to follow DCNOW for the big schedule that's forthcoming in the fall and winter along with Retro Nights.

   Until I talk to you on twitter & back here at the 'Blog, thanks for reading, stay cool and see you then. I AM DC.

- DC