Monday, June 20, 2016

DC WRAP: AYTO Season 4 Premiere & The Challenge Rivals III EP7

BY DC CUEVA                     
@DC408Dxtr / @DC408DxNow

As you begin this new week, welcome to DC WRAP as we review last week in the MTV Trifecta before the weekly cycle begins once again. And if we thought the comeback last year's Are You The One? cast had was something, no doubt it's JV compared to, of course, what happened last night with LeBron and the Cavs pulling off the greatest comeback in NBA history - more coming up later here.
   Last Monday was the premiere of Are You The One? Season 4 where we saw a twist right out of the gate where the house was tested about love at first sight which didn't turn out that way but the group did manage to garner three beams and get off to a good start. And a couple nights later, we had Episode 7 of Rivals III where Camila continued her bickering with her partner Tony while she received unfortunate news from back home, and where the power team squandered a chance to change the game completely.
   Ahead, our standard lineup of the Things to Know recap of last week, plus Winners List and Fantasy Scoring. Afterwards on ExtraTime, three of this season's players and a Challenge great try their luck at a favorite of their childhood, plus a musical perfect match and a Real World reunion. That's all next.


 THINGS TO KNOW 

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS: We begin with the AYTO premiere, where the singles are given something different this time. Instead of starting with a getaway challenge, when the cast meets up with host Ryan Devlin, he asks the group if they believe in love at first sight. Three pairs raise their hands: Kaylen & Stephen, Tyler & Alyssa and Tori & Prosper, and Ryan takes them aside and tells the house that they're going straight into the Getaway Date and the house must vote one of them to go into the Truth Booth and if they're a match, the jackpot goes up $250,000. After their date of going whale watching in Hawaii, Prosper & Tori are voted in, but they don't turn up a match.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: As is the case, when we have a whole new Trifecta cast, it brings about those first impressions and, in the AYTO's case, the question of who could be matches. Stephen begins to look at other girls, while Julia gets attracted to John by way of their common Louisiana roots. But revisiting what we had last year, Asaf becomes a target when after Julia calling him obnoxious, he becomes disrespectful of her after a side remark directed to her. She also becomes attracted to Morgan; Kaylen connects with Giovanni, and Tyler gets close with Nicole just before his date. John later reveals his affection for Julia, while Emma wants has plans to follow her gut.

A GOOD START: In these first three AYTO seasons, we've had the same result not only at the end but at the beginning: a failed truth booth and only two beams in the first matchup. As the house gathers for their first matchup, the focus is on the girls picking the guys and there's surprises in there. Nicole doesn't stay with Tyler after the revaluation that he & Francesca got to christen the Boom Boom Room. Emma draws backlash for choosing John before Julia does, where both call her out for going with her feelings than John's ambitions in a big blindside.
   But despite that, in the end the group notches three beams, the first time that they're over the minimum number you can get in this game without getting a blackout. At this early stage, this is the equivalent of getting 5 or more at the halfway point or eight late. In other words, they are doing better than expected despite the triangle getting in the way of things. In essence, they notch a split, which isn't all that bad. But bear in mind, this is just the beginning... Anything can happen.

EMOTIONS FLOWING: In Mexico, emotions flow among a few of the competitors before the week 7 competitions begin. Tony reveals his angst with Camila on a night out as he believes there isn't respect given to him by her, and in the kitchen they get into words, not surprisingly. Elsewhere, Devin and Cheyenne have issues of their own, and Big D decides to antagonize the others, starting with Cory, then Wes, and then Jamie defends the women as he tell him not to go after the girls. Cory tries to confront Devin but security steps in. And then, Camila is woken up by production to call her sister, and Lari (her Bloodlines partner) informs her that her grandmother had died. She's heartbroken by the news and Sarah consoles her. But unlike what's happened here, Camila decides not to return for her funeral and rather return but only with the money at the end...thus she stays.

GOING OVERBOARD: The week's challenge is "Road to Nowhere," where the teams will ride a scooter off a 400-foot cliff, while also being charged with having to grab as many flags as they can, all of them holding point values; the team who scores the most and runs the fastest wins. Wes & Nany go first and go slow & steady but manage 5 points; so does Ashley & Cory and Jenna & Vince. Sarah & Johnny then get up to 15 points, being matched by Devin & Cheyenne. But it's the big red flag that sees Nate & Christina grab 25 points and ultimately the win, but Dario & Nicole encounter problems in their run-up but still manage to get 20 points. Camila & Tony also overcome all distractions to earn a tie with them for second at 20, but KellyAnne and Jamie run into a problem with their scooter and score none, putting them into the Jungle

ONE BAD CHOICE: Nate and Christina are faced with a big decision of who to throw in. The feeling among some of us insiders was that if they wanted to make a big splash, they should follow in what Cory's done in putting in a veteran team rather than the conservative rookie move. Christina has Camila & Tony in mind as revenge for what happened the previous week, and when both teams talk at the dinner table Camila blames the winners for losing their token while Tony has thoughts of what they might do. When they leave, Tony says to Camila "I will make their lives a living hell," but the power team reassures otherwise. Amanda & Nelson are also brought in and make an alliance, and he tells them to make a power move to change things up.
   But in the nominations, it's a total surprise as the replacement pair gets put into the Jungle against their wishes, and so does their fellow AYTO 3 castmates Devin & Cheyenne, and obviously Amanda is upset. And it gets worse in the elimination when she becomes the first in this season to draw a black skull, which means she & Nelson are in the elimination battle. There, they play Chill Out, featuring ice baths and a puzzle made of wooden planks and discs, with the first to stack the puzzle to the height designated winning safety. Both teams strategize while also realizing the need to flip the discs on their sides for height, and remain neck & neck. Nelson & Amanda's puzzle crashes down later on, and Jamie & KellyAnne win as we reach the halfway point.


 THE WINNERS LIST 
CAMILA: For Camila, it was not easy having to compete in the aftermath of her losing a member of her family unexpectedly. But being brave enough to decide to stay in Mexico and compete knowing that they would've wanted her to compete and try and win a cut of the cash at the end is the epitome of toughness in being able to compete and not screwed over Tony. She earns billing in this week's list.
KELLYANNE & JAMIE: It's true that we've not had as many eliminations as missions this season, but we've seen teams gain confidence in winning these jungles. Now with KellyAnne and Jamie winning, they're now gaining confidence in that they could sneak into the talk of who could be in the final, and in winning this tough jungle they've added validity to their case.
DARIO & NICOLE: They might've finished second to Nate & Christina, but now with two straight runner-up finishes Dario & Nicole are quietly making their way under the radar without making much noise in the house lately, and they could become power team sooner rather than later. Dario isn't making as much noise as he did last season, and that's a good thing. Watch out for these two.
JOHN JACOBS: Okay so, he's not on either of these casts, but AYTO original and Exes 2 castmate John does earn his way into the 'List this week. If you saw the Rivals III 'Pulse, JJ live-tweeted the Season 4 premiere and offered some humor to watching the new set of singles try their luck at love. He always brings comic relief to Twitter and could bring humor to The Challenge if he returns.


FANTASY TRAX

Weekly Point-Scorers
Order (C-Competition, D-Drama, R-Romance, B-Bonus)
1. DEVIN: 50 Pts. (all in Drama)
2. CHEYENNE: 40 Pts. (all in Drama)
3. TONY: 35 Pts. (C-5, D-30)
T-4. CAMILA: 30 Pts. (C-5, D-25)
T-4. JAMIE: 30 Pts. (C-20, D-10)
6. CORY: 25 Pts. (all in Drama)
7. KELLYANNE: 20 Pts. (all in Competition)
T-8. Four tied at 10 Pts.: CHRISTINA, NANY, NATE and WES
T-12. DARIO & NICOLE: 5 Pts.

Top 10 Total Point-Scorers
Players already eliminated are shaded out
1. CAMILA: 340 Pts.
2. ASHLEY: 255 Pts.
3. TONY: 195 Pts.
4. DEVIN: 175 Pts.
5. NANY: 170 Pts
6. BANANAS: 150 Pts.
T-7. Four tied at 130 Pts. (AMANDA, CHEYENNE, JAMIE and VINCE)

Category Key Scorers & Big Scores
DEVIN: Devin earns 50 Points - all in the Drama category: giving a toast at the club (10 pts.), 20 pts. for getting into two verbal fights (10 each) for Jamie at the club and with Cheyenne, Cory and a producer in the driveway, and having a meltdown (20 pts.) after that 2nd fight. He also jumps four places into 4th place overall after being in 8th place going into Week 7.
DRAMA: Cheyenne earns 40 points - all in Drama, for her two verbal fights (10 each) with Devin at both the club and in the driveway, and 20 pts. for the post-driveway meltdown, and moves into an overall tie for 7th. Tony scores 10 pts. for his verbal fight with Camila in the kitchen and 20 pts. for the post-fight meltdown. In addition to scoring for that fight with him, Camila scores 15 additional points for crying three times (5 each) in relation to her grandma's death and talking to Christina about going to the Jungle. Cory scores 25 points for pushing Devin at the club, while Jamie gets 10 for the aforementioned fight with Devin.
COMPETITION: Jamie & KellyAnne both score 20 Competition points for winning their Jungle battle, while Nate & Christina both score 10 for being power team; Nany & Wes earn the same amount for being first to compete. Dario & Nicole and Tony & Camila each notch 5 pts. for placing second in the mission.



UPDATE: 6/27/16
#DCSocialPulse FANS VIEW
Now, reaction to this week's episodes with me and fellow MTV insiders.

> AYTO 4 - Premiere
@dc408dxnow: Last year, it was a Houdini act by a derided Bostonian that saved his cast in the end. Now we do it all over again. Time for #AYTO Season 4.
@dc408dxnow: So, here we are again in Hawaii. It's in Maui and another group of 20 singles lost in love have come to fine their one & possibly money too
@dc408dxnow: Our team has been put in the ringer of a matchmaking process that's detected their match, now they need to find it & it won't be easy.
@dc408dxnow: Kaylen raises her hand & points to Stephen. Tyler going w/ Alyssa. Tori seeing Prosper. All raising their hands for what's coming here...
@dc408dxnow: Super-twist right at the start: love at first sight. If they get their match, it becomes a $1.25 million jackpot as they go on their dates.
@dc408dxnow: .@IAMPMUNA @tori_deal playing ping pong, Asaf & Francesca clicking, and all of the usual get to know things going on in this house
@dc408dxnow: Johnny and Julia come from Louisiana, Stephen and someone else clicking too. Now a huge pick coming right as we start this whole thing
@dc408dxnow: Uh on, we have fireworks w/ Asaf and one of the girls. This is not looking pretty for him. #DCAYTO
- @CSUGradAkirk: @dc408dxnow @dc408dxtr he's bad news I feel like he's gonna get into a lot of disagreements
- @dc408dxtr: @CSUGradAkirk yeah, that's not how you can make a solid first impression on everyone in degrading a girl like that
-  ‏@CSUGradAkirk: @dc408dxtr yea wonder where they found this guy from
@dc408dxnow: Going around the couch to get to know everyone. Mikala liking Cameron. Morgan is that Jack of all trades, Kaylen is dominant.
@dc408dxnow: Gionvanni is total package, but one of the girls not feeling the wolf. Kaylen taking him aside though Stephen is going on date w/ her
@dc408dxnow: John talking to Emma. And this guy is stuck between her and Julia. Meanwhile Tyler talking to Nicole, each other is adorable despite date
@dc408dxnow: 23rd bday for this man they call Johnny Drama, and Julia might've picked the loudest guy in the house which is the last thing on her mind.
@dc408dxnow: Stephen & Kaylen, Tori & Prosper and Tyler & Alyssa on first getaway date and what a sight as they kayak w/ the whales. $250K Truth Booth.
@dc408dxnow: Tori & Prosper both make music as hip-hop artists. It would be music to our ears if they get picked & become a match right out of the gate
@dc408dxnow: R-Dev has arrived for the vote as everyone sees who they've voted in. Ty says he went to BBR w/ Alyssa. Now will they go in? Someone else?
@dc408dxnow: Music to our ears... @tori_deal @IAMPMUNA going into the #TruthBooth to see this group can get off to the best possible start you can have.
@dc408dxnow: No luck... @IAMPMUNA @tori_deal are NOT a match. Out goes $250K. Now all they need is a MC w/ 3+ beams & they'll be ok going forward here
@dc408dxnow: John talking to Emma about this, and he thinks Julia is his match. Emma has to tackle her demons of opening up if they want the cash.
@dc408dxnow: First #MatchUp. Don't think they'll win here but again, if they get 3+ lights (one more than 1st MC in past), they'll sleep okay.
@dc408dxnow: Kaylen picks one of the guys I can't tell. Alyssa & Cam. Francesca w/ Asaf & he's in his tux w/o the suit. Emma next to choose. Is it John?
@dc408dxnow: Emma does pick John... He wanted Julia and now we've got a love triangle. He's rejecting her right in front of everyone. Huge twist. #DCAYTO
@dc408dxnow: Camille & Prosper. Two other couples. Now who will Julia pick? Morgan. And this place is windy at 50's, unseasonably cool for Hawaii.
@dc408dxnow: Nicole goes w/ Stephen after what we saw earlier here. Tori & Tyler last to lock. Now, will it be 2 lights, 3 or a very early blackout?
@dc408dxnow: The first 3 #AYTO casts began w/ 2 light beams. Tonight... THREE. They'll be sleeping well after getting off to a good start in this quest.

> Rivals III - Episode 7
@dc408dxnow: So we begin at the club and Tony has some flashbacks as Camila & Devin are getting it on, and he's talking to Camila and D... #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: .@MTVDevinWalker: "I'm used to being the underdog, but I hate being the underdog." Case in point: look back to the #AYTO 3 finale #DCNOW
@dc408dxnow: Big D is getting into words with everyone and now it's going back to what we saw last year before that miracle. Jamie not happy w/ him
@dc408dxnow: Chey going off on D in the streets. Tony's fuming at Camila in the kitchen. He's irate to say the least #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Amazing. This is the worst news you can go through: losing a family member while you're hundreds of miles away. All too surreal #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: They're riding off a cliff in a minicar to collect flags and hope its enough for them to win safety. And Camila is gonna give it a go here
@dc408dxnow: Off goes Nany & Wes: 5 pts. Next is Cory & Ash: 5 pts. Vince & Jenna... Also 5. Sarah & Bananas... 15 & the lead. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Devin & Chey: 15 and tie at top. Nate & Christina: red at 25. Way to crash the party you two! Nicole & Dario: difficulty but 20 for 2nd
@dc408dxnow: Whoever thought you'd have each of the three #AYTO teams who've gone so far be in the top 5? This is pretty remarkable. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Nelson & Amanda have 5. So does Jamie & KA. Tony & Camila have eyes on red... One plus green w/ 20. Nate & Christina are power team at 25
@dc408dxnow: Correct me: KellyAnne & Jamie didn't pick up any points and they go to the jungle. Now Nate & Christina have a huge call to make here
@dc408dxnow: They're thinking of letting D & Chey prove themselves, let Camila & Tony settle what we saw LW, and a third team I didn't pick up there
@dc408dxnow: They've talked to Tony & Camila and he's fuming, now they're going to Amanda & Nelson...he's going after the vets. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: KellyAnne & Jamie already in. Nate & Christina vote in Amanda & Nelson and Devin & Cheyenne. Camila & Tony get away w/ one. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Well, there'll be some second guessing over that conservative gameplay instead of making a power move of going for the vets. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Amanda draws the black skull: she & Nelson meeting KellyAnne & Jamie. Devin & Cheyenne pull off the escape. Now going icing w/ puzzles.
@dc408dxnow: Summer officially begins next week and it's gonna take tenacity & skill here to win. Now into the puzzle as they stack their way to the win
@dc408dxnow: Now back to the tub. And back to the puzzle. They'll be some strategy going on in here as Devin strategizes and A/N's puzzle falls off
@dc408dxnow: KellyAnne & Jamie and Nelson & Amanda doing whatever they can to get to the red line. And it's the former that wins here. #DCChallenge
@dc408dxnow: Well, it's the power move that wasn't that in the end is the big moment of this week as far as this game goes. Halfway there. #DCChallenge



 #DCExtraTime 

GUTS... DO YOU HAVE IT?
If you're a 90's kid who remembers well a great decade of your adolescence, then you didn't know back then you've had a relationship with MTV's parent company, Viacom since that time. Not only do they operate this channel whose shows we cover wall-to-wall here, they also own Nickelodeon - one of the world's most iconic kids brands and the top TV destination for that age group when you look at viewership. And along with news this past week of All That alum Nick Cannon bringing his iconic Wild 'N Out series back across the way from MTV2 to the flagship later this summer, there was a Throwback Thursday featuring one of the most-renowned shows from the network's '90s heyday.
   One of those shows I remember watching back then was GUTS, Nick's sports-themed '90s game show that, in a way, resembles a kids version of The Challenge. To Generation Y, you probably know New England native Mike O'Malley more as the host and play-by-play man for GUTS than you do for him starring on Yes Dear or recently as a series regular on Glee. Last Thursday, Mike joined Johnny Bananas, Camila, Jenna and CT as they got to become their inner kids once again as they competed in "DEWggro Crag," put on by the TeenNick channel's "The Splat" late night teen block and sponsored by Mountain Dew.
   At the end of every episode of GUTS - which generally featured three challenges with three players competing, there was an obstacle course called the "Aggro Crag," a large obstacle course that began on the ground, saw contestants climb all the way to the top in tagging various checkpoints along the way, while encountering rocks called "crags" that could hamper the players' way on their way to the top. This is the kind of game that's perfectly suited to what we see on The Challenge: if you're able to get through that last one swiftly and be able to lift that trophy rock at the end, then you can probably win a weekly challenge with TJ.
   Of course, you all know what happened the first time both Johnny Bananas and CT went at it in an elimination chamber and we won't have to tell you what happened there, or the second or third times they met in a win or go home scenario. But if you prefer to not count that third battle, which in essence was just a kids game to put it bluntly as it was a puzzle, then the face off between those two served, in essence, the true rubber match to this thing and those two guys went at it on the rock, with Camila and Jenna calling it on MTV's Periscope channel.
   Given CT's size and Bananas doing this game for a living, it was basically a dead-even thing going in, but in the end this battle was all but finished in a minute as Bananas made his way up the course in less than 60 seconds over the Rivals II champ. This left Camila to say, "He’s gonna brag about this the rest of his life." Will this lead to another Challenge win for JB? We'll see about that, of course.


TORI & PROSPER - MUSIC MATCH
Okay, so they were not a perfect match and didn't give the house an additional $250,000 to their jackpot should they run the table at summer's end, but that didn't prevent the first visitors to the AYTO4 Truth Booth, Tori and Prosper, to becoming their own perfect match when it comes to music.
   As we told you a few weeks back here, P.MUNA is pursuing his musical dream as a hip-hop artist, and we showcased his chat with UCLA Radio which you can check out there. And for Tori, she's a hip-hop artist who also happens to have a good Rolodex of people she's spoken to over the years which we'll tell you about here as the season goes along.
   Just after the premiere last week, the two not only revealed their own avatar, they also dropped a joint track called "Feeling Free" which also features singer Joie Giordanno, which you can check out below on her SoundCloud.



A TEAM STT REUNION
Credit: IG/@SwiftMTV
And finally, next Monday is a milestone for both me and in my MTV relationship: June 27, 2012 was my first day on Twitter, and that night Real World St. Thomas premiered. The first two people I got to chat it up with on the world's most accessible social network was, what you might say now, one of the three perfect matches of that cast in Trey & Laura. Though I've become good social media friends with Team MTV since then, I'll always be grateful to Team STT, as the interaction I enjoyed with them and their fan-friendly nature with fans like myself is what I remember the most from their season in paradise, and that allowed me to get comfortable in the Twitter-verse. And of course, we've seen them on three Challenges as well, and have followed the ride of them and each new Real World (and now, AYTO) cast as well, too.
   This past week saw a reunion for two of those seven who spent their summer on Hassel Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In this case, it's the guy who I refer to as "Gentle Giant Ginger" Robb, and Swift when the ladder made his way to Philadelphia for a visit. Robb's caption reads, "Look who I found! My brother Swift stumbled into Philly tonight so what better than #Sips on a rooftop?" Swift adds, "Me and mi favorite giant ginger at #sips.. I missed my bother @robbertacus." It's the strong bond between those two and Trey that explains how the Trifecta has been able to bond strangers at the beginning into lifelong friends when the experience ends, and it's one of the best aspects about these shows. And I still have vivid memories of that first twitter summer with Team STT and will be a bit nostalgic come my 4th Twitter b'day next Monday.



And that will bring to a close our Week 7 coverage of the Trifecta on the 'Blog. You might've noticed that this post is actually a bit different as we didn't include fan reaction or our usual epilogue as this is being posted here on this first day of summer of June 20th. But as we are actually pressed for time here, we'll be updating this post to include those links coming up tomorrow or before Wednesday.
   Our Wrap will be somewhat limited next week in that the focus will turn to a special edition of ExtraTime focusing on the fifth anniversary of the original Rivals Challenge that debuted this week in 2011. Again, with the schedule seeing two shows airing concurrently in Rivals 3 and AYTO 4, we'll be posting two 'Pulse diaries a week starting on Friday with the ladder, on Saturday with the former and the WRAP on Sunday or Monday; and in the case of ExtraTime, likely before the episode for next week instead of this week.
   With the usual reminder of both episodes airing this week and to join the conversation for Rivals III at #DCChallenge, we have a busy time ahead on DCNOW @DC408Dxtr after last night's epic Game 7. We'll be turning to soccer and the Copa America tournament as the U.S. faces Argentina Tuesday, then the final and consolation playoff on the weekend; and shortly thereafter the knockout stages of the UEFA EURO 2016 event as well. And of course, chat it up with me at @DC408Dxtr on Twitter and Instagram.
   Thank you for reading and until we talk to you here on Friday, enjoy your week and stay cool.

- I AM DC

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