BY DC CUEVA
With a slightly new look in a brand spanking new logo, welcome back once again to DCBLOG's ride through the always fascinating and entertaining world of the MTV Trifecta, now into our 4th year covering the three shows that galvanizes this MTV fan and so many others everywhere. We are about halfway thru what's so far been a controversial & eventful 31st season of Real World: Go Big or Go Home in Las Vegas, and very soon, we'll be covering season 4 of Are You The One?, taking place once again in the Hawaiian islands, for which the buzz for it begins today as its new cast is revealed.
But after taking an unplanned week off to pay homage of one of music's legends in Prince, we are about to enter the most-packed time of covering the Trifecta in quite some time, as in addition to those two shows above, we're into the final countdown to Season 28 of The Challenge, which debuts on Wednesday, May 4 - six days from now. It seems almost as if it was just yesterday that Cara Maria overcame her arch nemesis Johnny Bananas, her ex-boyfriend Abram and just about everything else to garner her first Challenge title inside the venerable Berlin Olympic Stadium. But time has flown by very fast, and now the slate has been wiped clean for a new book to be written.
This time, this season being held a bit closer to home as it will take place in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico in the country's south coast. It's the first time The Challenge has ventured south of the border since Gauntlet III in 2008, best remembered for Big Easy quitting on the Veterans in the final and costing them a certain win. That moment provides the context for this season, which unlike Bloodlines last season promises to be something else when it comes to the drama, competition and all else we know & love. That's what you get when you have a format as intense as Rivals.
Five years ago, we were witness to perhaps the greatest season ever of The Challenge when this format caught all of the castmates off guard the moment host TJ Lavin revealed that twist, and that set the table for everything that took place in Costa Rica --- and we'll look back on that epic season next week as we inch closer to the first week of May. In summer 2013, we saw the big name vets compete with the new generation for the first time, and saw the great CT and athletic Emily win their first Challenge, just as Paula did on the first one.
This time, the format is not only being brought back for a third time, but also retooled in a big way, and the stakes are even greater than before. Instead of same-gender pairs as in the first two editions of Rivals, it's the usual shocking twist that we've come to expect from this show that will rear its head on everyone when it's the rival of the opposite sex that will be paired up with. And if you thought that the Exes format of guys and girls being paired off was something, then wait until you see what this season has in store for us.
This Rivals III Challenge is the 12th MTV Trifecta season that we have chronicled here on DCBLOG, and we will be surrounding this season like no other site can in the blogosphere. We're excited again to both watch this season and the bringing you it in our unique way here, taking you from the preseason buzz through the crowning of a champion later on in the dog days of the summer.
Coming up, we'll have a full preview of this Challenge and a look at all of the 13 pairs competing in Mexico, and their prior history of personal hatred that got them paired up in Mexico. Plus, we'll have Who Are These Newbies?, our tradition of introducing you to this season's six first-time rookie competitors, our service to fans so you'll get to know them before you see them on May 4.
So, Join In after the jump as DCBLOG's coverage of Season 28 of The Challenge kicks off with our preview of Rivals III from south of the border.
WHAT TO EXPECT...
Rivals III is the sixth straight Challenge season I've watched live since returning to it full-time in 2012, and this is the 7th modern-day season I've watched wire-to-wire. That seventh season is, ironically enough, the first Rivals season which I binge-watched just before Rivals II three years ago, and is the subject of our ExtraTime Longform which will supplement this season preview.
Over the years, we have had fifteen different formats for The Challenge since the show began in 1998 as a special miniseries spinoff of Real World and the erstwhile Road Rules. We won't mention every single format in this paragraph, but the one that has the most juice and the most intrigue in recent Challenge memory is Rivals. We'll tell you the origins of the format and the memorable season that followed in our Rivals I look back next week, but the premise is simple: make it all the way to the end, get through every single hurdle that lies along the way, and you'll walk off champions.
Just as it was the past two seasons, Rivals III will bring together twenty-six fan favorites from the three shows that form the MTV Trifecta - established big names of The Challenge, those from the original MTV reality show Real World, and starting last year - newcomers from Are You The One?. Plus, joining them are a number of the newbies who debuted last season on Battle of the Bloodlines as the relatives of these veterans and rookies.
Just like every challenge, this season will require strength, stamina and perseverance. As it was in Costa Rica in 2011 and Thailand two years later, Rivals will pair these people up with their biggest enemy, and it will take the kind of mental toughness to succeed, and both players will have to rely on one another in order to win the ultimate prize at the end. But unlike the first two incarnations of the format that featured partners of the same gender, the game will have the totally new and shocking twist: the players will be paired up with their rival of the opposite sex!
This unparalleled shake-up to this successful game will force the guys and the girls to figure out a way to put their bad blood and tension aside for the sake of working together in this game, and they'll be competing in a series of heart-pounding challenges cutthroat style, until it gets down to the final few teams, and those who make it all the way to the end will battle it out for a share of the $350,000 of prize money that awaits them at the summit of the final challenge.
All the teams must learn to work together in spite of their ugly pasts in order to win missions, and after each regular challenge the team that comes out on top wins safety and are immune from elimination. But for those who don't work together well, a trip to the elimination chamber called The Jungle, and a mentally and physically exhausting battle for survival, awaits them. The pair who finishes in last place is automatically sent into The Jungle, while the winners and everyone else will gather up in a forum to choose their opponents. The winning team who survives that ordeal will stay in Mexico in the quest for glory, while the losers will be sent home broke as a joke.
Of course, we can expect all the big time drama and high-energy competition we expect from this show. Tempers are sure to rise as hot as the Mexican heat, passions will flare up, partnerships will be tested, romances will blossom in crazy hook-ups, hearts will get broken, punches will be thrown, and battles will rage everywhere you go. And pride will be on the line as what promises to be, as the MTV.com synopsis of this season describes, "the most shocking season of The Challenge yet!"
Over the years, we have had fifteen different formats for The Challenge since the show began in 1998 as a special miniseries spinoff of Real World and the erstwhile Road Rules. We won't mention every single format in this paragraph, but the one that has the most juice and the most intrigue in recent Challenge memory is Rivals. We'll tell you the origins of the format and the memorable season that followed in our Rivals I look back next week, but the premise is simple: make it all the way to the end, get through every single hurdle that lies along the way, and you'll walk off champions.
Just as it was the past two seasons, Rivals III will bring together twenty-six fan favorites from the three shows that form the MTV Trifecta - established big names of The Challenge, those from the original MTV reality show Real World, and starting last year - newcomers from Are You The One?. Plus, joining them are a number of the newbies who debuted last season on Battle of the Bloodlines as the relatives of these veterans and rookies.Just like every challenge, this season will require strength, stamina and perseverance. As it was in Costa Rica in 2011 and Thailand two years later, Rivals will pair these people up with their biggest enemy, and it will take the kind of mental toughness to succeed, and both players will have to rely on one another in order to win the ultimate prize at the end. But unlike the first two incarnations of the format that featured partners of the same gender, the game will have the totally new and shocking twist: the players will be paired up with their rival of the opposite sex!
This unparalleled shake-up to this successful game will force the guys and the girls to figure out a way to put their bad blood and tension aside for the sake of working together in this game, and they'll be competing in a series of heart-pounding challenges cutthroat style, until it gets down to the final few teams, and those who make it all the way to the end will battle it out for a share of the $350,000 of prize money that awaits them at the summit of the final challenge.
All the teams must learn to work together in spite of their ugly pasts in order to win missions, and after each regular challenge the team that comes out on top wins safety and are immune from elimination. But for those who don't work together well, a trip to the elimination chamber called The Jungle, and a mentally and physically exhausting battle for survival, awaits them. The pair who finishes in last place is automatically sent into The Jungle, while the winners and everyone else will gather up in a forum to choose their opponents. The winning team who survives that ordeal will stay in Mexico in the quest for glory, while the losers will be sent home broke as a joke.
Of course, we can expect all the big time drama and high-energy competition we expect from this show. Tempers are sure to rise as hot as the Mexican heat, passions will flare up, partnerships will be tested, romances will blossom in crazy hook-ups, hearts will get broken, punches will be thrown, and battles will rage everywhere you go. And pride will be on the line as what promises to be, as the MTV.com synopsis of this season describes, "the most shocking season of The Challenge yet!"
THE CAST AND THEIR HISTORIES
This Rivals III cast is in many ways different from the first two that preceded them. The first one was chock full of the show's biggest names and with only four first-time rookies, while the second was a mixture of old & new when most thought it would be a Veterans-Rookies Gauntlet. This third one is relatively young: 19 of the 26 competitors coming to Mexico have anywhere from 0 to 3 previous starts under their belts, and five of those seven veterans have competed in all three Rivals challenges.
The running order of our Challenge preview will see us begin with those who have had the most experience under their belts, going all the way down to those who are making their debuts, and in that case, those who are trying to get to know this system. And considering what happened the last time they were in the same place at the same time, there's no better pair to begin this cast preview than the ones that had a hand in the outcome of Season 26 last year.
● SARAH & BANANAS: The biggest moment of Exes 2 came at the last regular, pre-final challenge, where an on-the-spot vote saw that mission's winner, Sarah, pull off a gutsy move that became the season's turning point. She decided to vote Bananas instead of the rookies into the last Dome to have an easy path to the cash, which she ultimately won. Sarah returns with the usual enthusiasm and optimism she has on these shows, though now the pressure turns from going for a win to having to work with the one she put into a downward spiral of all things. The backstab Sarah did to him is the same thing that Johnny Bananas has done many a time to so many in his twelve seasons, and that still remains fresh in his mind. But for the first time, the five-time champ comes off of two straight early exits before the final and is more than eager to regain his crown. Sarah knows it won't be easy working with the champ, especially with the ego and "little boy" attitude he has, while Bananas knows he won't forgive her for what happened a year ago. Something has to give.
● NANY & WES: The last time Rivals was contested, Wes returned to the winners circle in Asia, but the political mastermind stepped aside a bit to help CT win his first title. And of course, we all know what happened at the first Rivals too. Ginger returns for his ninth season but this time he has the explosive & emotional Nany as his partner. For Nany, she's been close so many times but just has never gotten over the last hurdle to victory and looks to change that in Mexico...and of course don't mess with her or you'll pay the price. The both have always been on the opposite side of the battlefield whenever they've been on the same Challenge thanks to alliances and old flames, and have never been that cordial. She has worries about Wes' control freak persona and thinks he needs to understand that she won't be one who will give in, as if "he's like the Godfather of the Challenge." Her last rival, Jonna, got to bury that hatchet and became friendly after Rivals II and later made up with Back to Vegas' Adam, but will this happen with Wes this season? Don't bet on it.
● CAMILA & TONY: When you put hot-tempered Brazilian Camila into a Challenge house, odds are she will bring the drama: just look at her past resume and her famous meltdown on Exes as a perfect example. No different last season on Bloodlines when she got into an intense shouting match with spark plug Tony last season in Turkey. For Tony, he comes in as a new dad (times two now as we post this a week after his big news), but of course we've all seen what happens when you put gorgeous women into any situation he's been in. As they're paired up, Camila knows she has her hands full in Tony's boyish naivety and arrogance, while he stresses her emotional instability and will do all he can to keep his calm. Obviously, putting gunpowder and dynamite will surely see the 4th of July arrive two months early, and there is sure to be fireworks both on the field and in the house...maybe even a hook-up or two. Will that translate into the competition or will it go up in the flames? Stay tuned.
● AVEREY & LEROY: For Leroy, we've seen him paired up the past five years with timebombs Adam, Ty and Nia, with loves Naomi and Theresa, and with close cousin Candice. It was with the ladder that saw an injury to cuz that derailed his chances. And last we saw Averey, she was in that awkward situation with her RW Portland ex Johnny on Exes 2, but comes to Mexico with much to prove. A night in Costa Rica got them paired up here, where Leroy's boy who also happened to be her ex, claimed that she cheated on him, and Lean Body was quick to defend him in spite of Averey denying such claims. Leroy still lays claim to his words, while Averey fumes over one of his friends being exes but feels he doesn't know her. It was his harshly twitter perception of her that have these natives of the Mitten paired up this season and now they're forced to work together. And will this partnership work?
● JESSICA & JOHNNY: The Real World Portland cast (the last pre-twist season, BTW) have had a stellar Challenge run with a finals appearance in each of their three starts, most recently Jordan winning with Sarah on Exes 2. This time, this rivalry - a true one, in fact - takes us all the way back to the Pearl District when name-calling and screaming was the story with Johnny and Jessica. The Southern belle is still emotionally scarred from him fat-shaming her many times in the RW house, which inspired her to become more fit and after three Challenges is eager to prove herself. For Johnny, he just can't seem to come up with good words for the Princess as she has aggravated him since PDX. He was in that aforementioned position with his ex the last time we saw him, but as a tough competitor he went to a Final in his first try and hung tough. Quite simply, Johnny doesn't want Jessica in his life, but she sees a chance to build bridges with cash in sight. Will things change this time?
● KELLYANNE & JAMIE: When we last saw him two months ago, Jamie had to play a supporting role to his cousin Cara Maria when they won Bloodlines in Germany. It also marked the return after many years' away for KellyAnne, where she had a much earlier exit than in past seasons. The two hotheads got themselves paired up this season by way of them infamously erupting at one another in Turkey as both uttered words that could never be taken back. The defending champ and corrections officer feels that after being big brother to his cousin, now he has to go for two with someone he feels she "belong in a mental hospital." But once you get riled up with KellyAnne, she'll stay heated, and as they don't see eye to eye, she calls him "disgusting...a pig." It may be of question of when these bombs will explode, but if they don't detonate will they focus on this game?
● JENNA & VINCE: The fact that Jenna has been able to go to a final in her first two Challenges and proving herself very well on the last one is probably the greatest underdog story since...well, what happened last fall in Hawaii. Now in her third start, she has to deal with Bananas' cousin Vince, who had an infamous rookie showing on Bloodlines, and for which his demeanor didn't stand well with her. It's so much so that Jenna can't even want to spend time in the room with him, and he was creeping on her when she was in that room. But Vince doesn't know why she doesn't like him, citing her looking "like a schoolgirl running around on a playground just not having a care in the world." She's been underestimated for her ditziness and he feels he has more to prove. Now the mission for these two: shutting down the doubters.
● SIMONE & THOMAS: This is the one rivalry whose origins didn't even make an actual episode and whose footage that was seen only in promos will actually resurface for the first time in its full form before this season begins. For Thomas & Simone on Exes 2, he found out that she is not a diva to deal with when an argument they had saw her throw fourteen full drinks in his face when he told her to mind her own business. Monie says that she's been working on improving her attitude for some time but can't stand looking at him. Tom counters that she will be loud & obnoxious and will do everything she can for house attention. Well, he'll find out that she's more outrageous than he's seen before, and if you can take into account what happened at the AYTO 1 house after the 2nd TB Match, you know she'll bring on the drama. And Tom is fresh off of being under the crossfire in Turkey once Abram crashed the party, and is eager to improve this time.
● NICOLE & DARIO: The Bostonian AYTO castmate made quite a splash on Bloodlines, from being in a bad rookies alliance to getting into Bananas' face, to showboating in an elimination. Dario no doubt had some haters in the house, and the biggest one was Nany's equally fiery and precisely made-up cousin Nicole, who Dario was gunning for last season. Not surprisingly, that hatred is still fresh, and he will not be greeting her and cleaning up all that make-up, as well as putting up with her talking all the time. Equally, Nicole is trying to cut down his cockiness in citing, "He thinks that he's above everyone else. He thinks he's like the strongest person ever in life, and I'm not just going to be quiet." Dario promises to bring a different mentality to this game, but it may be tough for execute it with an outspoken girl, who perhaps could have an eye on a rookie, even a fellow original castmate.
● CHRISTINA & NATE: Now to the three AYTO pairs, starting with the girl who made quite a short, but sweetly strong splash on Bloodlines. Christina returns with much to prove, but this time Team 11 comes here with one of the guys she was put into the Truth Booth during Season 2. Nate has the look of a bad boy but is also sensitive too as he wore his heart on his sleeve in the PR, and when he found that Christina was dragging him along while she had the biggest attraction in the house, it left Nate in nothing but tears. Christina hopes he will keep that emotion together as long as he can in this game and not have to worry about that negativity. But Nate's feelings of being played by her haven't healed yet and adds, "How can you trust somebody who basically fakes something for a week with you? I have no trust in her?" With plenty of girls in the house, will temptation set in for Nate, and will she pick him up when his emotions return? Stay tuned.
● BRIANA & BRANDON: We've had perfect & not-so perfect matches of all sorts on AYTO, but one of the most awkward matches was Briana & Brandon. This blunt member of the Goon Squad hated him, his arrogance and cockiness from the start. In spite of a few dates, it was his condescending behavior which was such a turnoff to her that she doesn't know how the science got them paired up and adds, "I am appalled. Everything that he is, I hate. He's selfish, greedy and thinks he knows everything." For Tank Top Tindel, he hasn't changed much in being able to read people as easily as he is at the poker table, has watched Challenges in the past, and proudly boasts his competitiveness. Brandon feels his knowledge will help him, but will Briana be able to keep up with him when those emotional tendencies begin to go past his bravado? We'll see.
● DEVIN & CHEYENNE: Finally, last fall in Hawaii saw AYTO's most controversial cast member in Devin, who had quite an incredible season to say the least. A key talking point was him rubbing everyone the wrong way in being disrespectful towards women, and one of those who got on Big D the most was Cheyenne. Being polar opposites, she's hoping that he learned his lesson in knowing that they're newcomers to this world after what happened in Hawaii with all this attention. In alternative words, she just wants to stay under the radar while "Devin just wants to fly right about it!" Our expectations are that there will be temptation in the house and perhaps she might give in, while Devin's wit and strategy that singlehandedly pulled off the Miracle in the Islands five months ago may be just the perfect place to unleash his fury on the fifth major sport. They might as well make the biggest play for Team AYTO to be the next ones in Challenge world.
WHO ARE THESE NEWBIES?
● ASHLEY: A San Francisco resident with West Virginian roots, Ashley came to the Real World Ex-Plosion house across town as that pageant queen beauty with her stunning model looks and tough personality, which easily won over the attention of her guy friends. Her bubbly personality clicked with her roommates, and they relied on her for all the 411 on the late night hotspots the City by the Bay had to offer. But it took only some time before she clashed with them over who the real Ashley was, especially Jamie. One drunken late night, she tore up the contacts paper brought to the Bay by roommate Jay, who lost valuable time talking to his family back home, including his mom who passed away shortly after he arrived in the City. It was the last straw for them, as the roommates decided to kick out Ashley, all before the scare of their lives when the exes moved in. Since then, she's pursued her budding modeling career, including a lovely stint in Paris. France. And now Ashley has something to prove as she enters The Challenge for the first time.
● BRANDON: We first got to know Brandon on AYTO Season 2 two years ago as a man with two lives: by day he works in cancer research, by night & weekend he's all about fun in that adult playground known as Las Vegas. With prank videos, poker and all else the town that's hosting the current Real World cast, it's no doubt the perfect backdrop for someone who just loves to have a good time. He was at the heart of the season's biggest story when he and Christina got together on the group's first night and never let go until later in the season and well after they were sent into the Truth Booth and returned a no match. On the Challenge front, there's a reason why he earned his MTV return in having won several getaway challenges during the season and will sure make an impact here. To add to the unique nature of this site in offering an angle on the Trifecta you won't get anywhere else, I happened to uncover Brandon's original AYTO audition tape, which you can check out here. And he will sure to have some celeb support this season: check out his Twitter pics with Jack Black and Mike Posner.
● BRIANA: When we first met Briana two years ago, the San Diego State University grad was in a big hurry to find love. Her plan was to find her man, get married, get pregnant while on the honeymoon and start a family. In Puerto Rico, she was paired up with Brandon several times on the challenges and on the dates before they got paired up for this season, but the one Bri was most close to in the house was passionate artist Curtis, who had a strong attraction during the time he was in the house, even after they were part of the first-ever AYTO blackout (no lights in a matchup ceremony). It was also there that my most notable moment of her came during their getaway date when she publicly revealed for the first time that she had suffered the trauma of a miscarriage while she was in high school, similar to the devastating story Kailyn from Teen Mom just went through. In the end, she found her perfect matches in three other girls: Christina, Jessica and Ellie by their code name the "Goon Squad," spending an entire summer in her San Diego hometown along with the guy below.
● NATE: From Kalamazoo, MI, Nate appears at first to have that rocker style with that faux hawk and tattoos, but he's anything but the bad boy his looks might point to. When we met him on AYTO 2, he's like any guy in going after the hottest girl in the room and usually has his way, but she then pushes him away by his snap attachment. In Puerto Rico, Nate was initially attracted to Midwesterner turned Hollywood girl Shelby and it became a triangle by way of her also courting fellow Challenger Dario, which became too much for Nate to handle. Later, he turned his attention to Jessica and then to Christina, who as we all know got into words with her after being a TB no match and with Brandon and led to him into those man tears that would score him big points in this Challenge. In the end when the group won the cash, he got matched up to the fourth member of the Goon Squad, Ellie, and later he moved out to SoCal to join the Squad in the Goon House. Now, destination Challenge for this high school football player...but first, check out his audition tape here.
● CHEYENNE: We saw Cheyenne on AYTO Season 3 last fall, and the L.A. girl is smart, ambitious, gorgeous & a frequent flyer - the total package as she sees it. We saw Chey speak her mind in Hawaii as she was quick to notice the group's bad gameplay and to stand up to the guys in representing for the ladies in the house. But as her social handle @CheyNotShy suggests, it was no surprise that she had one of the moments of the season where she woke the group up with a mic-dropping speech at the 5th Matchup where she called the group out for not moving on from their non-matches and the guys' behavior. Her words were, "The fact that this game is set up for us to find love and this is how we're doing it -- it's bizarre. I think you guys need to realize that we all are either going to win together or we're going to lose together. All this fighting, all this negativity, is going to bring this house down and we all know it." In the end, she was part of the final outcome when the plan that was based around her & Tyler was chosen, and that takes us to her partner.
The first Rivals was an all-time classic, while the second one might not have match the audacity of that but still was a great season. Now with a totally new twist in co-ed pairs and all the drama & competition we love from this show, we could have another one for the record books on our hands. So the questions we all have on our minds are... Who will overcome their drama and become friends? What drama awaits us? Will this season deliver? The answers come our way in six days. Bring it on.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
As we wrap up this preview post, and with the premiere of it coming next week, make sure you follow the DC Social Network of my social media platforms for wall-to-wall coverage of this Rivals III Challenge, plus Real World: Go Big or Go Home, and Season 4 of Are You The One?.
● On DCBLOG, we will again go beyond the hype, the headlines and the hook-ups to bring you the blogosphere's most unique coverage of the MTV Trifecta. DC SocialPulse will have our signature, exclusive social play-by-play diaries of all the moments from the episodes as they happen on Twitter - allowing you to see the other show that takes place in the cast's spontaneous interactions to what they're seeing on TV. We'll be posting two weekly diaries starting the weekend of May 7th covering episodes of the three shows. DC WRAP will offer the Things to Know recap of the week's key moments, Winners of the Night, analysis from the Strategy Room, added insight in ExtraTime, and Forum commentary & opinion.
This week's installment of the 'Pulse will not only cover tonight's Real World but also the cast reveal for AYTO Season 4, while the WRAP will analyze the episode plus join familiar names for a better late than never Spring Break, among other things. And just before Wednesday, we'll have a DC FORUM Strategy Room post where I'll be joined with Andrew Kirk and MTV insiders as we discuss our thoughts on Rivals III and AYTO 4. If you want to have your voice heard in my Forum preview, tweet your thoughts or questions to me on Twitter @DC408Dxtr using the hashtag #DCChallenge by Monday night, May 2nd.
● My other Twitter hub dedicated solely to event coverage, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow will again be the place to be to experience the action as it happens with live & curated real-time episode tweets (PT viewers only). While you watch the episodes with me, join the conversation at #DCChallenge, #DCRealWorld and #DCAYTO. You also have a front-row seat to all the biggest events in sports and entertainment, from the NBA Playoffs and Dude Perfect to the Rio Olympics. Tonight in addition to RW, we'll have Day 1 of the NFL Draft from Chicago with coverage beginning at 8PM ET spanning the entire first round.
● And in an effort to further expand the audience and exposure for this site, each weekend my DC Instagram hub (IG @DC408Dxtr) as well as my primary Twitter handle will plan to post quote pics each weekend of the best episode tweets from the cast. You can always follow me there as I'm always ready to talk this show and what else you have on your mind. I'm also on Tumblr at dc408dxtr.tumblr.com, Snapchat @DC408DXTR1 and other platforms too.
● On DCBLOG, we will again go beyond the hype, the headlines and the hook-ups to bring you the blogosphere's most unique coverage of the MTV Trifecta. DC SocialPulse will have our signature, exclusive social play-by-play diaries of all the moments from the episodes as they happen on Twitter - allowing you to see the other show that takes place in the cast's spontaneous interactions to what they're seeing on TV. We'll be posting two weekly diaries starting the weekend of May 7th covering episodes of the three shows. DC WRAP will offer the Things to Know recap of the week's key moments, Winners of the Night, analysis from the Strategy Room, added insight in ExtraTime, and Forum commentary & opinion.
This week's installment of the 'Pulse will not only cover tonight's Real World but also the cast reveal for AYTO Season 4, while the WRAP will analyze the episode plus join familiar names for a better late than never Spring Break, among other things. And just before Wednesday, we'll have a DC FORUM Strategy Room post where I'll be joined with Andrew Kirk and MTV insiders as we discuss our thoughts on Rivals III and AYTO 4. If you want to have your voice heard in my Forum preview, tweet your thoughts or questions to me on Twitter @DC408Dxtr using the hashtag #DCChallenge by Monday night, May 2nd.
● My other Twitter hub dedicated solely to event coverage, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow will again be the place to be to experience the action as it happens with live & curated real-time episode tweets (PT viewers only). While you watch the episodes with me, join the conversation at #DCChallenge, #DCRealWorld and #DCAYTO. You also have a front-row seat to all the biggest events in sports and entertainment, from the NBA Playoffs and Dude Perfect to the Rio Olympics. Tonight in addition to RW, we'll have Day 1 of the NFL Draft from Chicago with coverage beginning at 8PM ET spanning the entire first round.
● And in an effort to further expand the audience and exposure for this site, each weekend my DC Instagram hub (IG @DC408Dxtr) as well as my primary Twitter handle will plan to post quote pics each weekend of the best episode tweets from the cast. You can always follow me there as I'm always ready to talk this show and what else you have on your mind. I'm also on Tumblr at dc408dxtr.tumblr.com, Snapchat @DC408DXTR1 and other platforms too.
● Plus, be sure to follow the group of insiders including Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk), Brian Cohen (@BusDriversRoute), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets), Ace Nichols (@AceNichols33), and Reality Radio Podcast (@RealityRadioPod). The end of each DC WRAP post will have the links to all of their podcasts plus others that cover the Trifecta so you can go deep into the discussion.
Once again, be sure to bookmark DCBLOG as this site again will cover The Challenge like no other site can, and hope you enjoyed this Rivals III Season preview. Until later tonight, thanks again for reading, see you then and, of course, good luck to the cast.
- I AM DC
Photos Courtesy Ian Spanier/MTV
Photos Courtesy Ian Spanier/MTV
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