DC WRAP: Real World Go Big or Go Home - "Take A Hike"

BY DC CUEVA                     

> @DC408Dxtr / @DC408DxNow

Well after an eventful premiere last night to The Challenge: Rivals III, we are back in the swing of things in the MTV Trifecta as we welcome you back once more to DCBLOG as we turn the attention to Real World: Go Big or Go Home.
   Last week saw an emotional moment for Christopher as he went back to his birthplace of Salt Lake City and resigned from the Church of Ladder Day Saints for actions he deemed prejudicial to the LGBT community. Also, we saw the roommates being tested to their limits in the toughest mission so far in going up a hill in the Vegas valley a day after Kailah got hung over. And she also battled with Dione over being excluded from a house clique, all as the two and some of the other roomies got into words earlier this week on Twitter before this episode which we discussed here yesterday.

    As again we'll save the Things to Know recap for next week, this edition of DC WRAP will have some thoughts and reflection on Chris' defining moment against his church, the newly re-titled Winners List and Spring Break with Team Are You The One. Join us here next.

 DC FORUM 
CHRIS' DEFINING MOMENT

In our last DC WRAP for Real World Go Big which seems almost ages ago, we discussed the old-school nature of this season and how it parallels with other seasons that were rooted in the show's first generation. Even as there's been controversy with the various moments during the season and a social beef among castmates that led to two of them signing off just yesterday, Episode 6 provided us with a perfect follow-up to that Forum write-up in adding another one for that list of the most-poignant moments this franchise has ever gotten to chronicle. It once again reaffirms the unique standing The Real World has had for so very long.
   In that post, we discussed how Real World has frequently dealt with real issues and social activism more than any other show on MTV outside of, of course, True Life and Teen Mom. On occasion, Real World has spotlighted young peoples' views on religion: from Julie from RW New Orleans in 2000 and how BYU expelled her for living in that co-ed house which is against the beliefs of the Church of Latter Day Saints, to fellow Mormon Chet on RW Brooklyn, and other occasions too. And over the years, we've seen the castmates have their moments where they truly feel that they are becoming themselves on a show whose title really rings true when this happens.

   In its Wikipedia entry, Mormonism is defined as "the predominant religious tradition of the Ladder Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity." It was founded in the 1820's in Upstate New York by its president, Joseph Smith, and some twenty years later began to distance itself from traditional Protestantism just as his successor Brigham Young and his followers headed westward to the present home of the LDS and the epicenter of this movement, Salt Lake City. Among the most prominent Mormons include longtime Senator & current Minority Leader Harry Reid, music icon Gladys Knight, American Idol alum David Archuleta and Maze Runner author James Dashner.

   What is life like if you're part of a religion most feel is the most controversial? Think of it is something totally different, though Mormons do share a trait with those in other religions in devoting time and energy to serving their local churches and spreading the word of practicing what they preach. There's a strict health code that takes alcohol, smoking and coffee out of their diets. There's a more family-oriented nature to these people and a deeper connection among a Mormon family's entire family tree than is usually the case. And Mormons are strict when it comes to what they call the Law of Chastity: no sex until one gets married; abstain from adultery, formication and masturbation; and conservative views of homosexuality. As this season takes place, this is in the aftermath of the landmark Supreme Court ruling making same-sex marriage the law of the land.

   The Ammon family has a long and proud Mormon heritage dating back to the aforementioned patriarch of American Mormonism in Joseph Smith. After years of living in that strict home with his parents, the first sign of realizing who he was dropping out of BYU. Then, he admitted to being pan sexual to his family, moving cross country to New York and applying to go on Real World...something that would've surprised everyone considering the risqué nature of both this TV icon and the channel it airs on. And when he arrived in Vegas, it had been some time since he last read The Book of Mormon, and he was afraid to discuss it until he found about the roommates he was living with and that there was an interest in his upbringing and that there was someone who was also Mormon as well.

   Chris lived in the shadow of the LDS Church with his family until he decided to stand up for himself when he found out about several things. He found that homosexual men were being searched for all over BYU with the intention of them being kicked out and being forced to come out. When news got to him of a close gay friend being drugged and raped by a fellow BYU man being given only an expulsion and not criminal charges, and then another friend who was forced to tell his family that he was gay, Chris knew he had to so something. All of this took place while the battle over Prop 8 banned same-sex marriage in the largest state of the union.

   And the straw that broke the camel's back was when he found out that the Mormon church had taken action over homosexuality when news leaked that same-sex couples were considered apostate in the wake of last June's landmark High Court ruling and that any kids they adopt could not be baptized until they turned 18 years old, were moved out of their home and would deny responsibility or support for support of gay parents. It led to the phone call from producers of a mass resignation in front of the LDS Church's headquarters where was invited to not only attend but speak as well. He asked himself and then there in Salt Lake, "Who was there to stand for what is right?" when all of these actions took place.

   After watching that speech and what he did, and considering the timing of this season airing just as two states in the South have bills in their legislature intent on discriminating the LGBT community, it was incredible and inspiring to see Chris stand up for what he believes in and the people he now represents. He has sacrificed so much: losing family, friends, and an entire community 15.6 million people strong in the LDS Church, for the sake of standing up to a section of our American society who have made their voice heard in so many ways in the past two decades. And as the article he penned for MTV.com states: "I am happy. Happy to be me. Happy to be free. And happy to finally has the chance to share my story."

   In its long run, The Real World has shared incredible stories of young people who viewers who watch this show can directly identify themselves in having shared a trait with one of the roommates. You don't see that kind of intimate impact or depth of storytelling on The Challenge or AYTO, and it gives this show this unique standing among not just the Trifecta but other shows in a genre it pioneered. Chris' battle against the Mormon church adds a young adult's perspective on this religion to us, and it joins Pedro's battle with AIDS, the Brooklyn cast and others from over the years in bringing validity to the show's title, reaffirming the serious nature of the show that caters to both the old-school fans who've watched every season and that new generation of viewers too. That's why when the show covers things like this, it's why the show's title has been unchanged for 25 years.

 THE WINNERS LIST 

Now as we'll be having two shows to cover in our weekly episode write-ups starting with this weekend's recap of the Rivals III premiere and Episode 7 of RW Go Big, we've decided to rename the section that honors those who stood out in the episodes as "The Winners List." Because of these shows airing on separate nights this time, the previous name was outdated and it was felt it was time to update that title. So, here it is...
● Chris for standing up for who he is and being brave enough to do what he did last week.

● Kailah for being able to gut it out during that hike and needing all that time to get it done.

 #DCExtraTime 

AYTO's MEXICAN TAKEOVER

This week in ExtraTime, though this post is now taking in the month of May and close to graduation time, we are headed to Spring Break as the countdown to Season 4 of Are You The One? is now in full force. And while some of the 61 alumni of the romantic social experiment were busy welcoming 20 new members into their fraternity/sorority - something we'll now share with you when we preview Season 4 here in a couple weeks, six of them were busy doing other things.

First, four alums from the first three seasons of the Trifecta newcomer recently went down to Cancun to do their part to help cater to those having a relatively late Spring Break. Season 1 Originals (and Exes 2 competitors) Adam and Brittany, Shelby from Season 2 (who was in a middle of a love triangle with Rivals 3 competitors Dario and Nate), and the most popular girl from last season, Kiki of Season 3, flew down to the Spring Break hotbed to work with one of the tourism companies helping students get out and about. As we told you here back in March, it's common for the Trifecta family to take time out to take part in Spring Break activities as part of the entourages that help out the same college-aged audience who watches MTV and the RW/Challenge franchise & AYTO, and these people always relish the chance to meet these same people, just as it was for the Real World Cancun and Back to Vegas casts.

And second, while Amber & Ethan remain the only AYTO perfect match that's still together (no less be the only married couple & the first to become parents), there's not one but two unmatched couples who are still together from Season 3: Chuck & Britni, and Zak & Hannah. While Devin & Kiki was the biggest story of last season, it's the ladder who have developed the biggest social following of their castmates as they're approaching 300,000 total followers on Instagram. And that has to do with the Italian-Canadian's always hilarious comedy videos that he produces himself and also features Hannah as well. Their videos have become a must-watch for those who want to have a dose of laughter to their day, and given how the last time a person whose name pronounced the same way as him wasn't well liked, Zak and Hannah have become the digital darlings of the Trifecta.
   We told you here back in January of Team Ohana's takeover that saw the comeback kids go to New York City for New Year's, to Montreal for snowboarding, and to Mexico to bask in the sun. And just recently with the words, "This is how we blew our @mtv @AREUTHE1 money," Zannah released their most elaborate web video which he posted on his Facebook page at Facebook.com/ZakLongo. It was of that trip to Cancun a few months ago, and he utilized every possible camera he can get his hands on to put on a great two-minute video set to "Rozes" by The Chainsmokers which you can check out here. Hope all is well with the both of you...you are each other's perfect match regardless of what the science told you both in Hawaii. Keep bringing us the humor.

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And that's all for the RW Episode 6 posts here on DCBLOG. Two reminders as we go here:

- First, this is the last single-show WRAP post here for a while as starting with our next Wrap this weekend, we'll have extended Things to Know recaps covering the entire Trifecta, integrating outstanding performers into The Winners List, FORUM opinion and ExtraTime too. Of course, we plan to have TWO DC SocialPulse diary posts to cover not just RW Episode 7 tonight, but also last night's premiere of Rivals 3. We'll also discuss the new Team MTV baby and look at the unlikely underdog run of Leicester City.

- Second, with the usual reminder to join DCNOW @DC408DxNow for Real World coming up later, we've got a big sports weekend ahead. Saturday has the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown in the Kentucky Derby as the quest for immortality begins again after American Pharoah's run to history last year. Later that night, the pride of Mexico - Saul "Canelo" Alverez defends his middleweight title against British star & Bay Area resident Amir Khan at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, plus Game 3 of the Warriors-Blazers series.

Again, thanks for reading and until we rejoin you on DCNOW later tonight and back here on the BLOG this weekend, enjoy this Cinco de Mayo and have a good one.

- I AM DC