BY DC CUEVA
Last week, we saw the last four tickets being punched to the Oasis via a twister of a last challenge and a grueling final elimination of the qualifying round, all as the Champions are about to invade Thailand. And in the Caribbean, the house finally had a chance to get down and dirty, both in the challenge and in a carnival soiree, only for them to go back down to earth by more struggles in the shot at $500,000.
Ahead of us, a recap of last week's episodes, fantasy scoring, poll results and a look at the Match Math. Then on ExtraTime, we'll look at Anthony's hook-up fest on his original AYTO season, as well as a birthday for Baby Tadison. See you there...
THINGS TO KNOW
● LAST CHANCE SALOON: We begin our Wrap with one last chance for the Underdogs, as Nelson, Shane, Anthony, Amanda, Latoya and Sylvia face the prospect of one last challenge and elimination. For the easy way to get in, they would have to endure being in a cage, getting spun around 100 times and then moving their cage once the rope gives way. Then comes the tricky part of trying to retrieve a key at the other end of the course, which would then unlock their cage, and then race to the finish to go in. For the girls, it turns out to become more than what they bargain for, and LaToya takes the early lead she would then falter as Amanda overtakes her late to win. And for the guys, Shane also takes an early lead but then Anthony surges when the RR veteran struggles late, but Shane does get the job done to earn the automatic ticket.
● SHELTER SPARKS: Meanwhile in the Shelter, sparks fly among the players as they anticipate the end of their time by the beach. For those of you who watch Bachelor in Paradise, then you're used to seeing everybody trying to get it with everybody as they try to stick around in that house. And here, the "polidicking" that Ashley discussed last week is becoming more prevalent, just as we'll be discussing here shortly with AYTO. In The Challenge's case, three take place: Nelson and LaToya have a romance in kissing two times on the beach and in the shelter; Kailah and Cory kissing on the beach in private, and later Ashley herself when she and Hunter get it on in one of the beds, once they and the rest of the players arrive in the Oasis.
● THE CLIMB: For the last elimination, it becomes a breathtaking mini-final of sorts as Nelson, Anthony, LaToya and Sylvia are faced with a daunting task to make it to the Oasis. Their mission: ascend 1000 feet up the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand to the top at where a golden statue of a Buddha exists at the summit, pick up a heavy bag and then make their way back down the flights of stairs and ring in. For safety reasons, each of the four players have staggered starts, but the fastest man and woman would gain those last tickets to Paradise. Sylvia is first to begin her ascent to the summit, followed by LaToya, Nelson and Anthony. Syl suddenly finds herself gassed out, and is then passed by Nelly on the climb, just as Toya encounters a monkey in her race to the top. The leaders maintain a good lead when they grab their bags at the summit and then headed down the stairs, even as a rain storm rains on their parade but does no damage. Nelson & Sylvia do win and then are charged with the task to tell everyone to pack and head to the Oasis. More on next week's Wrap.
♥ COUPLES WATCH: Over in the Dominican Republic, after what we've seen with Alicia you might think that she will be someone to watch going forward in the Trifecta when it comes to the drama, just as we've seen with Amanda...no different. After another blown Matchup, she confronts Hannah after word surfaced of Alicia taking Hannah's crush Ozzy. Alicia speaks out about possibly being a match with him, but Hannah disagrees as she has eyes on staying together with him when it doesn't have to do with the game...more on that shortly. Elsewhere, Taylor and Andre spend time in the kitchen thinking of what to do to take their love affair to the next level after what happened with her and Tyler. And it's no surprise that in a down & dirty getaway challenge they win the date.
♥ COUPLES WATCH: Over in the Dominican Republic, after what we've seen with Alicia you might think that she will be someone to watch going forward in the Trifecta when it comes to the drama, just as we've seen with Amanda...no different. After another blown Matchup, she confronts Hannah after word surfaced of Alicia taking Hannah's crush Ozzy. Alicia speaks out about possibly being a match with him, but Hannah disagrees as she has eyes on staying together with him when it doesn't have to do with the game...more on that shortly. Elsewhere, Taylor and Andre spend time in the kitchen thinking of what to do to take their love affair to the next level after what happened with her and Tyler. And it's no surprise that in a down & dirty getaway challenge they win the date.
♥ CARNIVAL CRAZINESS: To get their minds off of what's been a stressful time in their quest for the cash, the group rejoices to the news that they'll be having a private nighttime Dominican-style Carnival beach party just for them...and given what we've seen in the past it's always gonna be entertaining and dramatic. Both Gianna and Hayden realize that they are the ones who have been hampering the house's chances at making connections and progressing in the game, and both decide to see other people at the party. There, Gianna reconnects with Michael, while Hayden gets a chance to connect more with Carolina - which might prove to be the difference in them possibly winning or losing in the homestretch. And for Hannah and Ozzy, they heat things up to the point what he tells her that he loves her. When she spots them enjoying a moment to themselves, Alicia decides to take the wheel and do her thing with him. Hannah then confronts him about it and breaks things off,
♥ RYAN LOSES HIS MIND: As far as the game goes, the house is nowhere near where they should be at this late stage. In proof being their secret sauce we saw on week 6's after show, Tay & Dre showed promise as a strong couple in the house after she decided to ditch Tyler. And it's no secret that they are sent in over Derrick & Kari, and with the offer of $150,000 being added to their jackpot also being made available to them. But unfortunately in the Chamber of Lasers, they and most everyone else see that they're not a match, and upon returning walk past everyone for some alone time, vowing not to separate when their focus really should be on opening up to other people for game's sake. They then tell everyone about their plans to stay together, much to everyone's dismay.
At the Matchup, girls' pick only three new couples pair up compared to seven who decided to stick together, and they're left with the same four-beam result. It's after the house lights come up that host Ryan Devlin decides to have his TJ moment and loses his cool by even cursing at the group. Tyranny says, "Ryan basically told us we're being a bunch of dumb@$$es." Now all eyes are on them to turn the tide before they make the kind of history no other AYTO cast has ever had.
►STRATEGY ROOM: AYTO MATCH MATH
Four/fifth's of this season in the books, and just as it was last year, the group is stuck at four beams and with seemingly nowhere to go. But we have seen before how casts of the past three seasons (not counting Season 1's easy road) have been behind the 8 ball going into week 8, and then finding a way to get out of that position and into that light at the end of the tunnel.
WEEK 7 (Girls' Pick)
Kam & Edward
Casandra - Andre (2nd - Wk. 4)
Alicia - Ozzy
Shannon - Tyler (5th - Wk's 3-6)
Taylor - Osvaldo (2nd - Wk. 4)
Kari - Derrick
Kathryn - Joey (5th - Wk's 3-6)
Tyranny - Jaylan (2nd - Wk. 4)
Hannah - Michael (2nd - Wk. 1)
Gianna - Mike
Carolina - Hayden (5th - Wk's 3-6)
FOUR BEAMS
For those who love analytics - and with the great work done by AYTO Math and @NickUhlenhuth, there are now 84 combinations left for the group to possibly pair down, just after they got from 232 to 165. There were six couples paired up in week 4 who were paired up here plus one from Week 1, and the best they could do is eight lights though it was likely they would stay at half that number.
Now, if Michael & Kari go on tomorrow's date, then it's about a sure thing they'll be put in: both sites have them at 94% to be the second Truth Booth match - the highest percentage among those left. Coming in second is Ozzy & Gianna at 87%, then Kathryn & Joey at 60%, Hayden & Carolina at 55%, Andre & Casandra at 52% and Shannon & Tyler at 51%.
And if you've been following their sites all season long, since week 5 both had an idea that Andre & Taylor were not a match...they could've been better off with adding $150,000 to their jackpot.
FORUM POLLS @DC408Dxtr
Going into the merge, which underdog
guy has most impressed you?
● TONY 14%
● SHANE 29%
● CORY 38%
● TEAM AYTO 19%
OUT OF 21 VOTES
If this season's AYTO cast want to win the cash,
what should they do for their last 3 weeks?
● Follow Their Hearts 17%
● Go With Strategy 83%
OUT OF 19 VOTES
FANTASY TRAX
►#DCChallenge
■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
1. NELSON: 65 Points
T-2. AMANDA & SHANE: 55 Points each
4. SYLVIA: 50 Points
5. LaTOYA: 40 Points
T-6. ASHLEY & HUNTER: 35 Points each
T-8. CORY & KAILAH: 15 Points each
10. DARIO: 10 Points
■ TOP 10 TOTAL SCORERS
1. SYLVIA: 155 Points
T-2. ASHLEY M. & HUNTER: 115 Points each
4. NELSON: 110 Points
5. KAILAH: 105 Points
6. SHANE: 95 Points
7. CORY: 90 Points
T-8. AMANDA and LaTOYA: 80 Points each
T-10. JENNA and TONY: 70 Points each
■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
As this week's challenge contained a mass start of competitors starting at the same time, all non-Oasis competitors receive 10 competition points.
● NELSON & LaTOYA: As the week's top scorer, Nelson scores 65 overall points. Competition wise, he earns 10 points for winning the last elimination and, thus, earns 25 points for gaining the last guys' spot in the Oasis. He and LaToya pick up 30 points for open-mouth kissing two times in the shelter bed and on the beach, in addition to the aforementioned 10 competition points above.
● AMANDA: As top scorer for the girls in week 3, Amanda scores 55 overall points, all in the competition category - 20 for winning that regular challenge and 25 for the Oasis ticket.
● SHANE: By virtue of week 3, Shane picks up 55 overall points in earning 20 for winning that regular challenge, 25 for punching his ticket to the Oasis and 10 for proposing a toast in the pool.
● SYLVIA: In winning the last ticket, Sylvia scores 50 overall points in getting 10 for winning the elimination, 25 for the Oasis ticket, and 5 for female crying upon winning. She takes the lead in the overall points standings with 155 total points.
● ASHLEY & HUNTER: Both Ashley and Hunter score 35 romance points for open mouth kissing (15 points) and having sex (20 pts. for pulling covers over in bed). They currently stand tied for 2nd in the overall points table at 115 points each.
● OTHERS: Cory & Kailah score 15 points for open-mouth kissing by the beach, while Dario gets 10 points for giving a toast in the Oasis.
►#AYTO
■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
1. TAYLOR: 75 Points
2. OZZY: 60 Points
3. ALICIA: 55 Points
4. HANNAH: 50 Points
5. ANDRE: 45 Points
T-6. DERRICK & KARI: 20 Points each
T-1. ALICIA and OZZY: 170 Points each
3. EDWARD: 165 Points
4. TAYLOR: 140 Points
5. KAM: 125 Points
6. ANDRE: 115 Points
T-7. HANNAH and JOEY: 100 Points
9. CAROLINA: 100 Points
10. TYLER: 95 Points
■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
♥ TAYLOR & ANDRE: Taylor is Week 7's top scorer with 75 total points, earning 5 for winning the challenge, 15 for being chosen to go on a date, 5 for hooking up with Andre, 20 for being voted into the Truth Booth and 5 for female crying upon the no-match result. She goes into 4th in the overall points table at 140 total points. Andre scores 45 points for all points related to Taylor.
♥ OZZY, HANNAH & ALICIA: Ozzy leads all guys this week with 60 points: 15 points for hooking up in the pool with Hannah and a related 5 for hooking up with Hannah as well, 15 points for being called a player by Hannah in lieu of a thot/ho, and 25 for being in the love triangle. Hannah scores 50 for all of those points related to Ozzy, while Alicia also earns 15 for being called a ho by Hannah, 15 for a meltdown and 25 for the triangle. Alicia and Ozzy are tied at the top in overall points at 170 each.
♥ DERRICK & KARI: Drama aside, Derrick and Kari each score 20 points for being the other couple to win a challenge (5 points) and being chosen for that date (15 points).
• • • • •
#DCExtraTime
ANTHONY: MASTER OF THE HOOK-UP
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| IG @A_Bartolotte |
And on television, it has evolved into an art form over the 25-year life span of the MTV Trifecta ecosystem spanning four shows and many people too many to count who we have seen kiss and engage in sexual activity for everyone to witness in their living rooms. When the now-famous shower scene took place on The Real World Miami in 1996 - and then when the show headed to Las Vegas for the first time fifteen years ago, it's now become par for the course to see young people hooking up in the comfort of our homes on a television platform outside the pleasure-land of premium channels and pay-per-view.
And of course, since Are You The One? debuted three years ago, this has been brought to another level in combining what MTV viewers love about The Real World and The Challenge with romantic reality shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. In AYTO's five seasons on the MTV airwaves, we have seen many couples forged because of that show, and though four three of them still exist and only one of them is a true perfect match (one we'll look at later during this cycle), there is one person who has been able to hook up for as often in that house full of singles.
On Season 2, Anthony came in as that frat guy who took a break from the same university at where both Theo of this Challenge and Jimmy Garafalo went to, and made his mark by hooking up with not 1, not 2, but NINE girls once the confetti fell after the group came back from two blackouts to win the money - for which Anthony had a hand in their plans. He hooked up with Jenni, Briana, Ellie, and several other girls before the science settled with him and Alexandria - among the nine girls he locked lips with...it's in the bottom video of the two below.
Anthony's most notable hook-up in the AYTO house came in Episode 5. When the group was in need of starting anew following the first-ever matchup blackout, Anthony and the group played a game of Truth or Dare - just as their Season 1 predecessors did earlier that year. But this time, when it time to come to his turn, Anthony would kiss not one, but TWO girls without giving up his seat in the living room. And it came in front of everyone including someone we'll be seeing in a few weeks in Ellie. Check it out below.
After that hook-up with Christina and Jessica, he would then get into a heated fight with Layton when the two were playing for Jenni, and after that second blackout he would take the lead in the house's strategy, and eventually with getting three Truth Booth matches they won the money...without getting penalized in losing money for having a blackout as we've seen since.
Ant's not alone when it comes to kissing multiple girls: of course, we've seen Tyler, Andre and Ozzy kiss multiple girls this season; last year that title fell to Giovanni and Asaf; and Season 3 saw Chuck get close to several girls (including his current girlfriend Britni) and Alec kiss three girls in the premiere itself.
BABY TADISON'S BIRTHDAY
In summer 2015, social world was abuzz when news emerged of Real World Skeletons couple Tony and Madison revealing that they were going to be parents, with them expecting a new baby girl. Of course, a lot has taken place since then with him becoming a dad for a second time shortly after Baby Harper was born and his wildcard behavior putting him in a light his kids may not approve of once they become old enough to watch him on TV. And obviously, he received a ton of negativity on social media for his actions on the first two Challenges and for going back to his first love Alyssa.
But of course, what matters the most in all this are the kids and of how he can be a good father to the both of them, which is not something we should judge but he is doing whatever he can to adjust to dad's life this early. We have seen Tony tone down his act during the first part of this Challenge, and he appears on his way after winning the week 1 elimination and then spending all this time relaxing ahead of the merge. And as I told Andrew Kirk in his Challenge preview, having two kids gives Tony reason to focus on competing this time, and if he does make it to the final and cashes he'll no doubt use his winnings to build a savings account for the kids for college and the like, and hope he can reverse everyone's negative feelings for him as someone who can compete as well as being a good example to his growing family.
If you're one of those who also watches Teen Mom, a familiar sight in the franchise's eight years on MTV has been of the kids of the eight young moms celebrating their birthdays when that big day comes around once every year. It's something that I am familiar with in having two kids in our family, something we elaborated a little bit in our ExtraTime bit last week when we spotlighted two AYTO alums role-playing Disney Princesses in a video by YouTube vlogger Rachel Levin last week.
Well, a Trifecta version of what we've been seeing on that show has been taking place in the past two-plus years with Tony developing a relationship with Madison in Chicago, then announcing their parenthood, him hooking up with Christina and Jessica in the Challenge house, getting back together with one of his two skeletons, announcing he's becoming a dad for the second time, and getting into fights with Shane and Camila on those Challenges. And those who visit the SnapChats of Tony and Madison offer a daily glimpse into their lives as parents, which of course is no easy task.
Over a week ago came one of those days of celebration for the girl known to everyone as Baby Tadison but is officially known as Harper London-Delaney Walls as she celebrated her first birthday in the company of her mommy, daddy, sister Isla Rose, uncle Shane, Alyssa and their respective families, as well as AYTO Season 1 and Austin resident alum Amber & her baby Scarlett Avery.
In one of his photos, Tony captioned, "Safe to say I got my hands full lol...I was so happy my girls could be together today for Harper's birthday. I love y'all! #HarperLondon #IslaRose #MyBabyGirls" And another photo, Shane added, "I think it's safe to say she liked her birthday cake! #kodakmoment #priceless #Harpers1stBirthday #cakecakecake 🎉✨🎁🎈🍰👑" Below are some of those intimate moments, courtesy of their Instagrams and SnapChat.
And with the appeal of some cake looming there, we will head on out here and wrap up our weekly view of the MTV Trifecta. In preparation for tonight's festivities, we have just one link for you here...
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Bungiovanni (@AdamBongo) as they discuss The Challenge - featuring the former & her, and AYTO with her & the ladder. Check out their latest Challenge podcast here and past shows at RobHasAWebsite.com, where the site's focus in on the new Survivor season.
As announced over the weekend, I will begin to ask fellow Trifecta alums to join me to do interviews here, and to get their thoughts on The Challenge as the champions have invaded Thailand, on Are You The One? as the season winds down towards its conclusion, and the new AYTO All-Star Challenge debuting in a few weeks. It's not too early to begin sending in your questions, so tweet what you might have to #AskDCBLOG on Twitter, and it may be used in those chats coming up next month. Nothing is as unique as being one of those hundreds or so who've lived this experience of being a cast member, and we're looking forward to adding cast interviews to this site as we continue the evolution of DCBLOG as the quintessential fan site for all things MTV Trifecta.
Make sure to follow us for our unique look at TV's most unique reality shows, which now includes MTV's bold series Stranded with A Million Dollars. We'll be back here on Friday to begin a new round of posts to cover that, the Champions' arrival, Episode 8 of AYTO and much more, for which we'll be announcing what we'll be covering here after that eighth Matchup over at @DC408Dxtr. And also follow DCNOW @DC408DxNow for live episode tweets, and use my hashtag #DCChallenge to join the conversation there and on my other hub with polls included too.
That's is how we see it this week in the MTV Trifecta...thank you for checking us out. And until we talk on DCNOW later and then back here Friday, see you then and enjoy your week ahead.
- I AM DC
But of course, what matters the most in all this are the kids and of how he can be a good father to the both of them, which is not something we should judge but he is doing whatever he can to adjust to dad's life this early. We have seen Tony tone down his act during the first part of this Challenge, and he appears on his way after winning the week 1 elimination and then spending all this time relaxing ahead of the merge. And as I told Andrew Kirk in his Challenge preview, having two kids gives Tony reason to focus on competing this time, and if he does make it to the final and cashes he'll no doubt use his winnings to build a savings account for the kids for college and the like, and hope he can reverse everyone's negative feelings for him as someone who can compete as well as being a good example to his growing family.
If you're one of those who also watches Teen Mom, a familiar sight in the franchise's eight years on MTV has been of the kids of the eight young moms celebrating their birthdays when that big day comes around once every year. It's something that I am familiar with in having two kids in our family, something we elaborated a little bit in our ExtraTime bit last week when we spotlighted two AYTO alums role-playing Disney Princesses in a video by YouTube vlogger Rachel Levin last week.
Well, a Trifecta version of what we've been seeing on that show has been taking place in the past two-plus years with Tony developing a relationship with Madison in Chicago, then announcing their parenthood, him hooking up with Christina and Jessica in the Challenge house, getting back together with one of his two skeletons, announcing he's becoming a dad for the second time, and getting into fights with Shane and Camila on those Challenges. And those who visit the SnapChats of Tony and Madison offer a daily glimpse into their lives as parents, which of course is no easy task.
 |
| Snap @ShaneJacob |
In one of his photos, Tony captioned, "Safe to say I got my hands full lol...I was so happy my girls could be together today for Harper's birthday. I love y'all! #HarperLondon #IslaRose #MyBabyGirls" And another photo, Shane added, "I think it's safe to say she liked her birthday cake! #kodakmoment #priceless #Harpers1stBirthday #cakecakecake 🎉✨🎁🎈🍰👑" Below are some of those intimate moments, courtesy of their Instagrams and SnapChat.
 |
| IG @T_Raines |
 |
| IG @ShaneJRaines |
 |
| IG @T_Raines |
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
And with the appeal of some cake looming there, we will head on out here and wrap up our weekly view of the MTV Trifecta. In preparation for tonight's festivities, we have just one link for you here...
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Bungiovanni (@AdamBongo) as they discuss The Challenge - featuring the former & her, and AYTO with her & the ladder. Check out their latest Challenge podcast here and past shows at RobHasAWebsite.com, where the site's focus in on the new Survivor season.
As announced over the weekend, I will begin to ask fellow Trifecta alums to join me to do interviews here, and to get their thoughts on The Challenge as the champions have invaded Thailand, on Are You The One? as the season winds down towards its conclusion, and the new AYTO All-Star Challenge debuting in a few weeks. It's not too early to begin sending in your questions, so tweet what you might have to #AskDCBLOG on Twitter, and it may be used in those chats coming up next month. Nothing is as unique as being one of those hundreds or so who've lived this experience of being a cast member, and we're looking forward to adding cast interviews to this site as we continue the evolution of DCBLOG as the quintessential fan site for all things MTV Trifecta.
Make sure to follow us for our unique look at TV's most unique reality shows, which now includes MTV's bold series Stranded with A Million Dollars. We'll be back here on Friday to begin a new round of posts to cover that, the Champions' arrival, Episode 8 of AYTO and much more, for which we'll be announcing what we'll be covering here after that eighth Matchup over at @DC408Dxtr. And also follow DCNOW @DC408DxNow for live episode tweets, and use my hashtag #DCChallenge to join the conversation there and on my other hub with polls included too.
That's is how we see it this week in the MTV Trifecta...thank you for checking us out. And until we talk on DCNOW later and then back here Friday, see you then and enjoy your week ahead.
- I AM DC
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