DC ExtraTime: The Real Life of a Disney Princess

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

We at DCBLOG hope you are enjoying this extended holiday weekend to go out and play in the snow, enjoy the sun or just relaxing or working these next few days. And considering the busy slate we have covering the current Season 5 of Are You The One? or the new season of The Challenge, let's take a moment now to focus not on our usual thing of bringing you the weekly 'Pulse of the episodes and focus on something uniquely different. And if you watch the former - the show some say is the guiltiest pleasure on TV - have kids in your family, then this slice of ExtraTime might be of interest to bring them along to your desktop or mobile to check out -- even if they might be a bit too young to watch those shows intended for an audience of those above middle school age.

A year or so ago, we had the usual tradition of inviting our relatives to come over to our house for my niece's 7th birthday - one of the many times that gives everyone in my inner circle reason to get together for much needed family time. Not only were my aunts, uncles and cousins there to join my family on that summer day: having a young member of your family celebrate their biggest day of the year also meant fellow classmates and members of their respective families were at our house enjoying a good time and good old family fun.
   The theme of that party revolved around Disney's enormously-successful animated film Frozen, which chronicled the story of sisters Elsa and Anna, their family and a snowman, and for which my kids have been huge fans of that movie since it premiered in theaters in 2013 and became an enormous hit for the Mouse & friends. We had a lady dressed as a princess from that movie come over to entertain my niece, nephew and all of their friends as they had the time of their lives. That offers the context for a fun look at what it's like to be a Princess.

Since its emergence more than a decade ago, YouTube has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the media world. The site has been credited with the shift among Millennials and all of us in how we all view our world, which we can do so now in the palm of our hands. And like reality television, the site has helped to produce celebrities almost overnight who have become staples of pop culture.

   One of them is Rachel Levin, a Philadelphia native of European descent and a daughter to a physician dad and a lawyer mom. She found her calling in the winter of 2010, at age 15, when she began a YouTube channel and started uploading videos of makeup routines, all as intended to be a hobby but with absolutely no idea of what would await her. Almost instantly, Rachel would have an ever-growing subscriber base by the time she was attending Penn State, all the while also grabbing the attention of the Wall Street Journal. And by the time she graduated, she had already become well-known in the digital world, also making rounds with Steve Harvey, Today and Cosmopolitan Magazine.
   Her YouTube channel - RCLBeauty101 - recently crossed the 11 million subscriber mark, and her videos - over 300 of them in all - are on their way to achieving two billion overall views. Her YouTube goodies span the range of what it's like to be a girl: from do it yourself tips on makeup to life hacks, to hilarious comedy - which often feature her two siblings, Daniella and Alyssa and collaborates with other YouTubers. Those who are fascinated with beauty and makeup no doubt know who she is.

However, the most-watched series of videos by Rachel doesn't have to do with beauty, but is more on something my niece and every young girl can relate to. Every October 31st, it's likely you'll see at least one Disney Princess come up to your door to say "Trick or Treat" and ask for Halloween candy in seeing girls dressed up as characters from those famous films we all watched as kids. Well, what happens when they're grown up and ready to live the life of being a princess? Rachel has done eight of those videos.
   The first one two years ago saw a modern-day real-life Snow White, but in the past year Rachel's done more videos becoming that character where one day she and the Frozen sisters drove around Beverly Hills serving as a carpool to other fellow famous princesses. Then shortly after came her most viewed video: a pool party that saw them ditch those dresses for bikinis in that sun-soaked paradise and joined a mermaid in a lush estate, which has garnered over 132 million views. Other videos in the series have seen the Princesses celebrate Halloween and Christmas, go on a date and having a pillow fight at a slumber party.

   Last August as the summer ended for kids, teens and college students, Rachel brought everyone back to school in fitting fashion as she and her fellow Disney Princesses boarded a school bus, went to school and went out a typical day on campus. This saw them take tests, do homework, even a little painting and take part in a game of dodgeball. That's where we have the link to the Trifecta.

From: IG @GiannaHammer

Two members of the Are You The One? family, and both with ties to Northeast Ohio, were asked by Rachel to serve as supporting actresses in this short. For the first one, we featured her in our look last summer at how those with ties to Cleveland and the North Shore saw that dramatic Game 7 of the NBA Finals where LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers beat the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors for the city's first sports championship in two generations that momentous Father's Day night. Ashleigh was part of that renowned Season 1 cast three years ago, and after that season ended moved out to Los Angeles to pursue acting, and as also added AfterBuzz TV hosting duties.
   Of course, the big story of this season that's been the buzz in the Dominican Republic has been of Midwesteners Gianna and Hayden. From almost the beginning of this season, the two got together and have never let go, joining the likes of Chris T. & Shanley, Brandon & Christina, Devin & Kiki and others in being that couple who were sent into the Truth Booth, returned a No-Match and yet have remained together when everyone else is telling them to play the game and not screw them from winning the money. As we told you in our season preview, Gia was full of intensity in going for what she wants when it comes to guys, which became too much for some guys to handle and even was too much to handle herself when it became obvious that she needed to move on. We're currently seeing that here in the AYTO house, all in front of more than just her family and friends.

Before Gianna was given that call to join 21 others in need of love on this season's cast, she and Ashleigh were called by Rachel to join her for the sixth installment of her Disney Princess video series, with Gianna playing the part of Pocahontas and Ashleigh playing Tiana from The Princess and The Frog. The results of their collaboration is located below... and if you wanna cut to the chase, Ashleigh's part begins at the 3:00 mark, while Gianna appears more than a minute later when the Princesses are in the classroom.

Ashleigh wrote on her Instagram caption, "I got to be a Disney princess with these Baes yesterday in a hilarious #rclbeauty101 short!! Can't wait to share it when it's finished!"  And Gianna added in a pic of posing together with what would soon be her fellow AYTO alum along with Ohioan, "The Tiana to my Pocahontas 👸🏽🐸 #Disney #OHgirlstakeoverLA"  Gia also added an additional slo-mo IG video of her doing a hairflip while filming that short film, too.

And here are the other videos of Rachel's Disney Princess series, presented in chronological order of when they were first posted on her YouTube channel.

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Tomorrow - or at the latest on Tuesday, the WRAP will review this past week's episodes of Are You The One? featuring Gianna and The Challenge - Invasion. Plus, learn more about the revealing moment the co-winner of this past week's mission in Thailand went through on his original AYTO season, and the endgame of what happened there when the latest instance of what an AYTO alum did last year to earn the wrath of a BMX legend. For now, join me over on DCNOW later for the NBA All-Star Game at @DC408DxNow, and see you then.

- I AM DC