The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 - Who Are These Newbies?

By DC Cueva
@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Tonight, Tuesday January 6th, is the first of Double Shot Tuesdays that we have this winter as we will see the first person from a roommate's past arrive on Real World Skeletons in Chicago, to be followed by the season premiere of The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2, season 26 of the so-called "5th major pro sport." Of course, fans of this show, including this one, are anticipating what this season has in store as the show returns to one of its most popular formats.
   Along with everything we can expect this winter with drama, competition and more of what we love of this show, there will obviously be a sense of poignancy when the season begins in Panama as Diem Brown and Ryan Knight will be part of the cast and whose lives were taken from us too soon in the months since the taping of the season last summer, and for which this season will be dedicated in their memories. There is, however, people to look forward to this season as the Challenges' big names and new vets will again be present. And in addition, we will again have a bunch of newcomers to this world including several from two shows that I got to enjoy at this time last year, along with a member of Team Portland. That's the subject of this post I like call, Who Are These Newbies?.

Now, for many of you, specifically those who only watch Challenges & don't watch other MTV programming with the same level of huge interest as me, Battle of the Exes 2 will be your first chance to see these newbies on your screen. These are the same people who I've become familiar with on recent Challenges and on their original season of their first MTV show, and for which I've also developed a great rapport with on social media. 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, there are some rookies who are eager and capable of hanging with the vets in Panama. If they happen to do well this season, then it'll be enough to win over these fans too. Those that we've profiled in these posts like Jordan, Zach, Jessica, Nany and Jemmye immediately became fan favorites during the last three seasons and they will all be present again this season in Panama.

   Just as we did towards the beginning of Rivals II and then during Free Agents, "Who Are These Newbies?" 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 and what happened with them on their season. 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 when they first came onto our sets. 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 our first WATN post during Rivals II, we profiled 13 1st or 2nd time Challengers who were on Rivals II, and for Free Agents last spring, we took a look at ten more. Just in case this is your first time watching the newbies, or need a refresher on them, check out those post where we covered them and others at these links: RIVALS II and Free Agents.

   For this 3rd installment of "Who Are These Newbies?", we will introduce you to nine more people who, because they have not done a previous one yet, are all making their Challenge debut in Panama. Most notable in this class is the inclusion of, for the first time in series history, cast members from outside of the Real World, Road Rules and Fresh Meat community. Also rookies in this season are members from the most recent Real World season, and likely the inspiration for this very Challenge season, whose first go at this was only a couple years back.

   But after the jump, we'll start off with a girl who was part of one of the most memorable moments in Real World history and part of what one fan calls one of the best RW/Challenge draft classes ever.

REAL WORLD PORTLAND

Since bursting onto the scene a year ago, The Real World Portland cast has already made a huge impact on The Challenge. And for me who started following the group just after they wrapped filming that Real World season back in November 2012, I've watched them go from the bottom to the top. First on Rivals II, there was Jordan & Marlon's stellar rookie campaign and Anastasia getting into it with CT; then on Free Agents, Jessica's great sophomore showing, Johnny riding a wave of luck to last season's final and Nia making her debut.

   Now, it's Averey's turn to join this world, making her the 7th Portland'er to do a Challenge; it may be only a matter of time before Joi makes this cast the latest Real World group to complete the cycle (which would equal Vegas XXV in doing it in 4 seasons). And for a fan and webcast host who was at their reunion (for which both he & this site covered too), Brian Cohen (@BusDriversRoute) can lay claim to his words that Portland may be "the best (Challenge) draft class ever."

> AVEREY: A Michigan native, Averey is a mix of Mexican, Native American and European heritage, and when we first met her, she was a Hooters girl in Tempe, AZ. She's not fond of people who make a fuss of how she looks, and prefers to be appreciated in qualities other than that. But that only tells you part of the story of her behind that sunny, easygoing personality of hers. You can best describe Averey as "Miss Independent" in how she's been able to handle things by herself and working for her own money because of her not having much of a family presence: a strained relationship with her mom and her dad not being around too. Tired of her mentally unstable mom going through many an abusive relationship, Averey moved out, lived with her friend's family, and eventually left the Mitten & her college for the sunnier Arizonan climate. She encountered her own intense relationship that went sour, and had the strength to bail out of it, but also left her reluctant to trust men. And of course, no mention of her would be complete without talking about her dog Daisy, a chihuahua-Jack Russell mix who she adopted from an animal shelter and for which she brought that only piece of home with her to Oregon. There, she was the first to enter the house, became close to Anastasia and the guys. And she was also part of the famous, or infamous, fight that she had with Nia which started over Daisy's business in the confessional and escalated into fisticuffs.

- What Got Her Here: In Portland, Averey developed a relationship with Johnny that saw them make a connection almost immediately. When they arrived at their first day of work at a pizza place, they immediately went into the bathroom and hooked up. They stayed together during the season, and after it ended she & Daisy moved cross-country from Tempe to join up with him in Boston. But when rumors emerged that Averey was cheating on him, that romance went from red-hot to ice-cold, and though she denied anything happened, Johnny called time on their relationship just before he left for Uruguay. When we got to see Free Agents, the tables turned when she got to see him kiss Nany, and Ave feels disrespected about that hookup. Now, as she enters her first Challenge, two key storylines to watch will be whether or not Javerey can reconcile to make a deep run, and also how she has to co-exist living in the same house with not just him, but also Nia and Jessica as well. Five of her cast are represented...Portland has taken over Panama.

REAL WORLD EXPLOSION

The most-recent Real World season, Real World Ex-Plosion, which premiered one year ago this Thursday - 363 days ago tonight, definitely helped to revive and rejuvenate the show last winter by introducing a new format and twist for the show to the traditional seven strangers format. This season not only had everything we wanted in a non-competition reality show, but also plenty of broken hearts and renewed romances when the exes came a'calling in San Francisco for Ex-Plosion. And as I mentioned in my season preview, many of us fans had thoughts in the back of our minds that the first Challenge that castmates from this season would be eligible for (Free Agents began taping at the same time that filming of RW29 was ending last year) would be Exes 2. That will be the case, and from the cast we saw there in the City, there's some good Challenge candidates among the group, for which four of them are making their debuts this season starting tonight.

> JAY: The RW Ex-Plosion bio describes Jay as "the classic womanizing heartthrob who doesn't shy away from conflict." A Bronx native with a strong social media presence, he's an emcee, a club promoter and EDM enthusiast who spends his time omitting that truth to pick up girls and getting them to whatever he likes. However, he's not in a hurry to settle down and continue his player ways, and always flirts with all the ladies so much that he always finds himself in the doghouse but knows how to get away with it. In San Francisco, Jay brought that New York swag with him to the Bay and forged a bond with the other two guys, Thomas and Cory (under their nickname 3M), as well as, drama aside, having that likable, down-to-earth personality. But echoing the emotions his MTV family that would ultimately go through later in the year, Jay was also at the heart of the season's most poignant moment when he found out from his dad back home that his cancer-ridden mom had died after being rushed to the hospital. He flew back to New York to attend her funeral, but eventually returned to California knowing she had wanted him to be on RW the whole way. In her memory, Jay established Craze Watches, a customizable watch line that donates a cut of all watch sales to cancer research. And two of my fellow NY fans & followers have met Jay: first, buddy David (@BigTymers228) has hung out with him five times during the course of the past year; and at an EDM festival at MetLife Stadium, he met my RWPDX Fan's View subject, Kevin (@RealKevin_G).

> JENNA: We got our first glimpse of Jenna when we saw her and Jay at a friends party in the Ex-Plosion premiere. There, she was trusting her man and after two years of being on and off, she wants Jay to settle down and make her his girlfriend. Love life aside, Jenna is an aspiring model who's applied for a spot in Playboy Plus, and in spite of her very nice body, has an odd fascination with chicken nuggets, if you can believe it.
- What Got Them Here: For Jay & Jenna, they had been in an on-again, off-again relationship by the time she made her way to the City. They attempted to rekindle that relationship, and it appeared they had finally become official. But ultimately, he was exposed as a cheater when Jamie showed her, on the house desktop, visual evidence of him getting numbers of girls, dancing and mingling with them. Their love affair suddenly turned into a rocky affair and big-time trust issues on both sides of the ball ultimately led to that relationship falling through, both at the reunion and in a chat my colleague Andrew Kirk with her after the season. Jay has spent months pining over the hot model he once had, and now that they're in Panama, Jenna might flip the table and school him. But then again, Jay, as that player we know, won't stand by and watch her have all the fun. And don't be surprised if both of them cause hookups and drama in the house.

> THOMAS: From Fort Worth, TX, Thomas is, as his RW bio states, "a troublemaker by nature" who loves creating drama with his friends by forcing them to do obscene things. He's an honest as anyone he knows and doesn't care if he speaks his mind even if others are hurt by his words. Thomas also happens to be a twin brother; Stephen is the other one. In the City, he forged a strong relationship with Jamie almost from the beginning where they hooked up in the 2nd episode and never looked back. That relationship would become very rocky as both try to one-up each other, but they emerged out of the house as boyfriend & girlfriend. But just before he flew down to Panama, that relationship suddenly ended...we'll find out a bit more about that later tonight. And as a tennis enthusiast and who teaches that sport to youngsters in the DFW Metroplex, it's no surprise that he has an extreme competitiveness that can sometimes make others look at him as a self-absorbed jock...we'll see what he's made of in his Challenge debut.

> HAILEY: Although he doesn't want to be associated with the obnoxious tendencies of him, Hailey does have a place in her heart for him and has hopes of rekindling that love affair. Although they've not been officially dating for nearly two years, she nonetheless remains extremely close with the Buell family; proof being her sitting on the couch in his audition tape.
- What Got Them Here: The Thomas & Hailey saga began all the way back in high school when he lost his virginity to her. They were first-time lovers although there's some doubt that it was her first time, which was a big issue for him because he didn't want to lose his V-Card to a fellow virgin. Stephen blew the lid off of her little secret of her not losing her virginity. Hailey flew into the City at just about the right time when Tom had become official with Jamie, and what we saw with them and in that love triangle was something to say the least. Her arrival derailed his romantic ambitions and left him fuming and leading to several attempts by him to send her back to Texas. The breaking point was when in episode 9 when, just a week after something similar happened with Jenny and Brian, Hailey went after Tom and got into it, leading to both their volatile emotions erupting and him eventually getting his wish the next week.

ARE YOU THE ONE? SEASON 1

When word first hit of the twist that turned aside years of tradition of the so-called "5th major sport," the reaction was widespread and mixed among both traditionalists and fans over the inclusion of cast members from a show outside of the MTV/BMP bubble on The Challenge. But for me who's been an overall MTV fan since high school, this has to be one of the best moves that any MTV show has ever had, and it's not a much-needed dose of fresh energy, it's a really good one.

    From the moment it premiered at the same exact time of 11PM on Tuesday night exactly 50 weeks (or 350 days) ago tonight, I was hooked on Are You The One? from the beginning, and saw a show that mixed elements of The Challenge and Real World with a dating game atmosphere. Its first season saw the Originals - its first cast of 20 single girls & guys - claim the largest prize in MTV history when they won $1 million, for which it's one of my all-time favorite MTV moments. With their Season 2 predecessors also winning the top prize last month, AYTO has now joined both shows as ones I gravitate much of my attention to in the MTV world.
   Me and fellow fans have thought to ourselves that the AYTO kids can become a big force on The Challenge thanks to them having great physique in the Getaway Challenges (with some very similar to what we see on The Challenge) and bringing on the drama in the house. That wish and fantasy will come true much earlier than we all expected as four members of the dream team will head to Panama not only having pocketed $50,000 each in Hawaii, but also with histories behind them as well. It will sure bring a new and younger audience to this franchise and inject a generation of new faces to go up against the establishment, perhaps adding new shelf life to the show.

> ADAM: Coming to us from the Washington, DC suburb of Sterling, VA, Adam has, as he admits, a deserved reputation as a man-whore, though he doesn't think he's a bad guy. Adam realizes that his ideal girl is some who's independent and as athletic as he is, but not as much of a party animal as he is. And he wants that one to put him in his place rather than be his plaything. In Hawaii, we saw him get into that infamous relationship listed below, plus we also saw him dominate those GC's as well. And as you saw in one of my posts during my AYTO season 2 coverage, he also got to meet up with Mr. Jeah, swimmer Ryan Lochte. He was also the first AYTO castmate to reply back to me on TW on premiere night when he tweeted, "Get ready mate! It's gonna be a great show." Obviously, season 1 was fantastic, and now he heads to his first Challenge with more to add to his resume.

> BRITTANY: A Boston native and die-hard Bruins fan, Brittany is a jack of all trades, who's been staying busy with local hosting jobs, getting her spin teacher certification, modeling, and emceeing. When we first met her, she had wasted years dating a d'bag, she has no intention of settling for someone who's less than perfect. But that has meant that she has no patience for anyone who doesn't measure up to her standards and her must-have list. And she wants a man who meets that criteria and can keep up with her play hard/work hard mentality. In the islands, there was that relationship, but when the dust finally settled on the season at the baby shower, eventually Britt got to not only become friends with, but shack up with, what used to be Adam's roommate, Ryan. And did we mention she, like Nia, was on that 2012 FOX summer dating show, The Choice? She was on the same episode as Rob Gronkowski.
- What Got Them Here: For Brittany & Adam -- or "Bradam," they had a roller coaster relationship. We've seen a number of love/hate relationships but the one we saw Adam & Brittany go through on AYTO Season 1 might be the ultimate. In Hawaii, she couldn't seem to get her eyes off of her abs, but it was the bulging biceps of his that pushed her away. After a few steamy romps in the Boom-Boom Room, Britt was convinced that Adam was her match. But after fights both on the getaway dates and in the house, the so-called "lion that can't be tamed" fought vigorously to sidestep her aggressive advances. And when confronted with commitment, he's quick to lash out at her in labeling her as "obsessively clingy," which she denies and proclaims her loyalty to him. Between it all, Adam decided he had enough when he became fed up with her obsessive behavior. A key storyline to watch will be of not only how he has the muscles to perform and how fellow Bostonians CT, Johnny, Zach and Averey can help her fit in, but also of whether Brittany can keep her hands off of Adam long enough to compete. They could possibly do well enough to add to their money totals.

> JOHN/"JJ": One would probably think that how John make his way onto Are You The One? and The Challenge, but he's sure to bring his brand of comic relief to Panama. A Washington, DC native who now calls Tampa, FL home, he spent his childhood battling Tourettes Syndrome and enduring a series of family tragedies in the Jacobs family. But comedy has always been both his passion and primary means of defense, and his stand-ups down in Cigar City have become the stuff of legend (check out his YT page for proof). JJ's smooth talking is what gets all of his lady friends in bed with him, but that's also the cause for the breakup of his most serious relationships too. John has to learn to toughen up that comedian lifestyle of his if he wants to get a quality lady. In Kauai, JJ impressed us with his great sense of style - from his signature ninja outfit, to cross-dressing as a girl to "looking like a million dollars" in their last matchup ceremony. And he was also in a love triangle as well when he became romantic with Jacy when she had feelings for Brooklynite Scali.

> SIMONE: From a tough part of Chicago, Simone was working for local radio in Atlanta when we met her 12 months ago. But her income doesn't support her expensive lifestyle, which has led her to make up for it by dating those who give her what she wants. Simone is beautiful, self-made and educated, and expects the same of her men with high taste and expectations. Right there in Hawaii, Monie (her nickname) showed something we didn't see in her original bio: a sense of fiestiness, which we saw a lot of in the islands. She was also part of the game-changing moment of the season when she led the charge for the house to break up Shanley & Chris T.'s house bond by voting him & Paige in, and when they were confirmed as a match, she and Shanley got into a huge house fight for something that was heated at the time but ultimately was the right call. Imagine what the vibe will be like in the house when Simone brings to The Challenge the style of being very fiery and can spark a fight in a snap of a finger. And in preparation for her MTV return, she served as an MTV News expert analyst for season 2 of Are You The One? with her Simone Says recaps.

- What Got Them Here: For John & Simone, they were the unlikeliest of people we expected to see hook up in that first AYTO season. The spunky diva and the wisecracking comedian hooked up in the first episode in the room she likes to call "Poundtown," proving again that opposites do attract. But just after a trip into the truth booth saw them emerge out with a "no match" stamp on their heads, that quick romantic rendezvous would fizzle away, and JJ realized that Monie is someone who seeks attention and he's not into people like her. She wasn't happy as she continued to pursue him even after finding out they were not a match. But when he tried to break things off, drinks were thrown, windows were shattered, noise levels going up, and tears in her eyes. So what do they have in store next? Stay tuned.

And, there you have it, that's the Exes 2 rookie class. Just as we did for our two previous posts, we hope we did our best to help introduce these nine people to you, the avid fans of this show. When you tune in to tonight's premiere, we hope we've given you a better understanding of where Averey, Jay, Jenna, Thomas, Hailey, Adam, Brittany, John and Simone have come from, what they've been through, who they are, and what brought them to Panama. Hopefully you've given them a warm welcome to this show the same way you've given to the rest of the Exes 2 cast. And now that a few are stepping aside to bigger and better things off-camera, this new generation of Challengers, along with the deep well that is the Are You The One? casts, and what the Skeletons cast might have up their sleeve, will eventually take the torch and carry it into the future. This is the next generation of The Challenge...their run begins tonight.


And that is Who Are These Newbies?, Part Three. We hope you enjoyed our look at the new rookie class and are eagerly anticipating the premiere of this new season starting tonight. Now, DCBLOG realizes that those who are Are You The One? fans will be watching The Challenge for the very first time starting tonight to see how Adam, Brittany, John and Simone fit in with the establishment. Just before Free Agents last year, I put together a Challenge Primer so you can get to know more about the show, its history and aspects of the show. Check it out here, and you'll find that there is much more to The Challenge than Are You The One and how different both shows are in terms of its competitive nature and how everything functions. Also, check out my Season Preview as well.
   Keep it here on DCBLOG for wall-to-wall coverage of both The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 and Real World Skeletons, and other things too. Each week, we'll have our DC SocialPulse diaries of how the cast & fans see the episodes of both shows on twitter, whether you want to relive all the interaction again or if you're catching up on the tweets for the first time. My journals will be doubled in size starting this week, so bear with a possible delay in its posting, possibly near the weekend and also including links to webcasts & related articles. And there's other posts complementing the recaps, rankings and chats, offering a unique perspective on the show & the people.
   And for the live tweets of both tonight's Exes 2 premiere, along with the first skeleton entering the Real World Skeletons house in Chicago, be sure to follow my secondary twitter hub dedicated to live tweeting the moments as they happen, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow starting at 10PM PT. When I live tweet the episodes (Pacific time, with both my own live tweets & cast tweets presented in real-time), and then in my Extra Time session at just after midnight, join in the conversation with the hashtags #DCNOW, #DCRealWorld, #DCChallenge and #DCDoubleShot. I also plan on doing a DC SocialPulse special beforehand in remembering the life of ESPN's Stuart Scott. And of course, there's my Twitter and Instagram @DC408Dxtr for tweets, chats, alerts and pictures.

Once again, a welcome again to Averey, Jay, Jenna, Thomas, Hailey, Adam, Brittany, John and Simone to The Challenge, and we hope all of you fans are ready for tonight's premiere for what should be a great season of Battle of the Exes 2. And again, be sure to join me on DCNOW at 8 PM PT for the evening's festivities, should be a great & busy one ahead. For the time being, thanks for reading, stay warm, see you then and Happy New Year. And Happy Challenge.

- I AM DC