DC WRAP Double Shot: Challenge Invasion Wk. 4 and AYTO s5 Ep. 8

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's Tuesday, which means it's time to help refresh you on the week that was in the MTV Trifecta last week before we commence this week's activity on The Challenge and Are You The One?, as well as Stranded with A Million Dollars too.
   Last week, the Champions invaded The Challenge much to the Underdogs' surprise but them having the hand numbers wise gave the newbies the win - only for turmoil to take over in who to put into elimination. And on Are You The One?, we had our second Truth Booth Perfect Match of the season as the group finally achieves some momentum, even if Ryan Devlin is letting them have it.
   Coming up, we'll be doing things a little differently around here, as in addition to offering fantasy scoring and polls, we'll take a trip into the Strategy Room to look at where Team 22 stand as they enter the final two weeks of the season. And afterwards, find out which latest big shot in the sports world is now on Team Kailah. See you after the jump...




First, because this site is pressed for time and because of what happened on last week's Challenge episode, we'll be moving the Things to Know recap for that episode to the Wrap covering this week's episode. We also plan to save the AYTO Things to Know for this episode for our Finale review for coming up later this month. Now, let's proceed...

 STRATEGY ROOM 

AYTO THROUGH EIGHT

As we head into the final one-fifth of Season 5 of Are You The One?, this is obviously where everyone in the house really begin to focus in on the game and what they have to do to collect the money at stake should they run the table at the Matchup. Because of what happened in Week 2, it will be $500,000 and if they decide to take trades in their last two matchups, they can recoup $300,000 to make the winning total $800,000 -- $36,363.64 if you're scoring at the home the cut every one on this cast will get if they go 11 for 11 the last two weeks.
   As we've seen in the first four seasons of this show, things can vary a bit when it reaches the home stretch of an AYTO season. In Season 1, we saw those Originals notch eight beams after that eighth matchup, and it was at the ninth that they, of course, closed it all out - the only time a cast has lit all those beams quicker than ten weeks. Since then, we've seen the past three casts be stretched to that "Win or Go Home" Week 10, and three times they've broken through.
♥ On Season 2, Week 8 saw their last non-match in the Truth Booth when later Rivals III pair Christina and Nate were sent in and returned a no-match when just about every guy was spotted with Team Eleven...and they also lost a Matchup beam. Also that week, another group who went to Mexico last year, Brandon & Briana, went on that date and if things would've gone their way perhaps their cast would've won the money a week earlier than they did given how they did enormously well in the booth late in that season, and would've figured out if Christina was gonna get paired up or not.
♥ On Season 3, Week 8 saw Kiki and Devin make-out yet again and his now-infamous Puppet moment. That season was obsessed with putting her into the Truth Booth and that week, she and Nelson were put in and in a non-surprise they were not a match. They also had three Matchup beams, which also saw her non-match, Austin, get paired up when Alec and Mike forgot to pick her in trying to follow strategy. They were stuck at 2-or-3 beams all season long until the double finale the next week, and we pretty much know what happened there.
♥ On Season 4 last year, they were stuck in the rut of getting four beams every week, just as we've seen with this season's cast. In Week 8, the group sent in Giovanni and Julia in by pure gut instinct after the exes' visit that week, and they added more insult to injury when they suffered a late blackout in that week's Matchup...the only time, we hope, that a group has seen their morale go down by way of getting no lights. It was afterwards that they responded with two Truth Booth matches to gain their ticket to Paradise.

Now, this season. The number this group of twenty-two singles have is eleven: if all of those beams are lit by the time we reach St. Patrick's Day weekend, it will be an interesting final Strategy Room debrief we'll be offering on the Week 10 WRAP.  So, here are last week's match-up:

WEEK 8 (Guys' Pick)
Kam & Edward
Carolina & Hayden
Derrick & Shannon
Mike & Kari
Andre & Gianna NO
Tyler & Hannah
Osvaldo & Taylor (3rd - Wk's 4/7)
Ozzy & Alicia (2nd - Wk. 7)
Jaylan & Tyranny (3rd - Wk's 4/7)
Joey & Casandra
Michael & Kathryn NO

FIVE BEAMS ▲1
• NO denotes an inferred no match, per analytics

Yes, we saw Ryan Devlin once again curse out the group, but getting a successful match-up is always good. And through the help of two of the sites that offer analytics of this Match Math, AYTO Math at AreUThe.Blogspot.com and Nick Uhlenhuth @NickUhlenhuth, let's go in-depth:
♥ There were only three repeat couples in Osvaldo & Taylor, Jaylan & Tyranny and Ozzy & Alicia who were all paired up in Week 7, and the rest of the non-confirmed matches were new pairs.

♥ In this post-week analysis there are two who are inferred no-matches in Andre & Gianna and Michael & Kathryn. And there was a 26% chance they would've blacked out in opting to take this gamble - as they must - in this game if they wanted to get out of the four-zone.

♥ The maximum number of beams they would've gotten is eight - which would've been awesome, and the most likely number was four - which would've dented just about every hope.

But though eleven is the number the house of 18 is shooting for, there are now two intriguing numbers as we head towards the end of this season.
♥ FOUR: It's not the number they've had to endure for five straight weeks in the Matchup, but the number of combinations the cast has now to crack the code either this week or next week. When last week's episode began, there were 84 possible combinations, which was then paired down to 46 when Hayden & Carolina saw the words "Perfect Match".
   Compared to what happened in previous seasons, at the eight-week mark there were 23 for Season 3, 8 for Season 2 and 3 for Season 1...by the way, Nick cracked the code in Week 7 and got love from National Avenue and host Ryan Devlin. And this season began with almost 40 million combinations for the 11 guys and 11 girls -- 39,916,800 if you're scoring at home.
♥ THREE: Through the analysts' work, there are now three inferred perfect matches that the group has to figure out in the next two weeks: Alicia & Mike, Gianna & Ozzy, and Kari & Michael, but NONE of the three were paired up last week.

What about those four combinations? This is what is left among twelve people...
♥ Casandra & Derrick, Hannah & Tyler, Kathryn & Andre, Shannon & Joey, Taylor & Osvaldo, Tyranny & Jaylan
♥ Casandra & Tyler, Hannah & Joey, Kathryn & Andre, Shannon & Derrick, Taylor & Osvaldo, Tyranny & Jaylan
♥ Casandra & Andre, Hannah & Tyler, Kathryn & Jaylan, Shannon & Derrick, Taylor & Osvaldo, Tyranny & Joey
♥ Casandra & Andre, Hannah & Tyler, Kathryn & Osvaldo, Shannon & Derrick, Taylor & Joey, Tyranny & Jaylan

Andre is matched either with Casandra or with Kathryn, while Shannon is paired with Derrick in three of the four combos (only Joey in the first option). Tyranny & Jaylan also show up in three of the four (him & Kathryn are the other), while another 3/4 is Taylor & Osvaldo (her & Joey only other option). Tyler & Hannah are another option, as is him & Casandra. The most equal chance here is Joey: either it's him & Shannon, Hannah, Tyranny or Taylor. Who knows? If it comes down to next week he could be the one who could win or lose the cash for the entire house.

There is that side of me - my head - who feels certain that it's all but over and should just throw away the last few picks to put themselves in infamy in being the first AYTO cast ever to lose. But there's also that side of me - my heart - who watches the show and is rooting for them to win and should use any last chance they can get to eek out a win. And, as I wrote last year, it's not over yet - and won't be until the fat lady sings, as they always say.
   Devin and friends proved that this is not over until the lights go up in the tenth and last matchup. For the Season 5 cast, although they still have a big mountain to climb from 5 beams to eleven, this is doable. All they have to do now is to pair and/or choose wisely in the two remaining challenges and the last two matchups, and pick who they think is the best pair among the two for the truth booth.
   For the presumptive matches we now know, they should not put those couples in the booth and just go with the ones that has some uncertainty to. Andre and Casandra or Kathryn, Taylor & Osvaldo or Tyranny & Jaylan are more viable to put in than the ones involving either of the Mike's here or Ozzy...just choose the one who they think will let them win. The last Truth Booth the past three seasons have seen matches and this is where the house's chances will lie in.

We have seen this since Season 2: who is gonna be the one who will take the lead in the strategy and give their cast the W? And who is the one who could hold all the cards when it's needed the most? People like Anthony, Devin, Tori and the whole Season 1 cast take the strategy part of the game; we've seen JJ, Layton, Tyler J. and Asaf hold the house's fate in their hands like a player taking the last free throw in a close basketball game.

   As we set off on the last two weeks of the season, there's always been an NBA-style conspiracy theory about whether MTV is doing whatever they can to try and manipulate the game's outcome and just give the cast the win in the 10th and last matchup - which by the way isn't allowed at all in those regulations governing game shows with money involved. But the most intriguing part to keep your eyes on starting tomorrow is to see how this group takes advantage of any momentum they have to get to the winners' circle. As I say, don't be surprised if this happens again or if that happens.

 FORUM POLLS @DC408Dxtr 

Which underdog made the biggest impact 
in their upset win over the champs? 
● TONY                               29%
● ASHLEY                            38% 
● CORY                                  6%
● NICOLE                             24%

  OUT OF 34 VOTES

Which no-match couple do you think are 
hampering the chances of the AYTO house? 
● Taylor & Andre / #TayDre   78% 
● Hannah & Ozzy / #Hozzy    22%
  OUT OF 50 VOTES

 FANTASY TRAX 

►#DCChallenge

■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
    1. KAILAH: 35 Points
 T-2. Six players tied at 30 points each
 T-7. Five players tied at 20 points each
T-13. Four players at 10 points each

■ TOP 10 TOTAL SCORERS
    1. SYLVIA: 185 Points
    2. ASHLEY M.: 145 Points each
    3. KAILAH: 140 Points
    4. HUNTER: 135 Points
    5. NELSON: 130 Points
    6. SHANE: 115 Points
 T-7. AMANDA and CORY: 110 Points each
 T-9. JENNA and TONY: 100 Points each

■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
All female competitors earn 10 points for being first to compete in last week's challenge, while all the underdog players receive 20 points for winning that mission.
● KAILAH: As the week's top scorer, Kailah scores all points noted above, plus 5 additional points for female crying after Cory rejected her. She is 3rd in the overall points standings at 140 points.
● TONY: Tony earns the week's other non-competition related scoring in earning 10 points for mentioning his girlfriend back home, Alyssa, to CT who he met at an after show last year.


►#AYTO
Italics denote perfect match

■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
     1. CAROLINA: 15 Points
     2. HAYDEN: 100 Points
     3. GIANNA: 35 Points
  T-4. Three tied at 15 points each
  T-7. Three tied at 10 points each
T-10. Three tied at 5 points each
   22. DERRICK: -20 Points

■ TOP 12 TOTAL SCORERS
   1. CAROLINA: 225 Points
   2. HAYDEN: 185 Points
   3. OZZY: 175 Points
   4. ALICIA: 170 Points
   5. EDWARD: 165 Points
   6. TAYLOR: 155 Points
   7. HANNAH: 145 Points
   8. KAM: 125 Points each
   9. ANDRE: 120 Points
 10. JOEY: 110 Points
 11. KATHRYN: 100 Points
 12. TYLER: 95 Points

■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
♥ CAROLINA & HAYDEN: As the second Truth Booth match, Carolina & Hayden each earn 20 points for being voted in, 50 points for being confirmed a match & going to the honeymoon suites, and 25 for being part of the love triangle with them and Gianna. She picks up 15 points for being chosen for the date, 10 for talking about an ex at the week's challenge, and 5 for crying after the truth booth result, while he gets 5 points for winning that challenge. The two stand atop the overall points table at 225 and 185, respectively.
♥ GIANNA: In addition to the 25 points for being part of the love triangle with Hayden & Carolina, Gianna earns 10 points for crying twice, after Carolina & Hayden won that challenge and then after the truth booth result was posted.
♥ Other Notables: Carolina aside... Casandra, Hannah, Shannon, Taylor and Tyranny each earn 10 points for mentioning their exes in the challenge; while Andre, Hannah, Ozzy and Taylor get 5 hook-up points. Michael (5) & Kathryn (15) get points for winning the other challenge/date spots, and Derrick loses -20 points for going against matchup strategy when he picks Shannon.

▪    ▪    ▪

 #DCExtraTime 

KAILAH MEETS THE MONEY MAN

As Kailah awaits her fate in whether or not she goes into the first elimination after the merge with the Champions, another well-known luminary has pledged their support for the one who's become the least-liked person in The Challenge Oasis.
   As we told you here last year, she met songstress Halsey at the MTV Movie Awards, months before her collaboration with The Chainsmokers that brought them to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks in "Closer." That song just made history in spending the most ever weeks in the Top 5 of the singles charts, as Grammy winners Drew & Alex just became the third group in BB history to have three singles in the Top 10 at the same time: "Closer," "Paris" and their latest single "Something Just Like This" with Coldplay which they performed last weekend at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, for which they won five awards. Now, another one has Kailah's back - again, with visual proof.

IG @Kailah_Casillas

Back in our first AYTO 'Pulse in January, we mentioned on the side about the possibility that existed of a fight that's come out of nowhere to dominate the talk of those who follow fight sports. The buzz among them the past few weeks, and first generated nearly a year ago, has been of a much ballyhooed prize fight in the sport of boxing between its richest fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and the UFC's biggest star, Conor McGregor. That fight has garnered a lot of talk among fans of boxing and mixed martial arts as its credibility as a legitimate match has garnered the ire of purists on both sides of the ring, notably UFC head honcho - and close friend of TJ Lavin - Dana White.

   Twenty-one years ago as an Olympian, the son of a former world champion, his father Roger, suffered his only meaningful loss in organized competition when Mayweather lost a controversial, close decision to a Bulgarian fighter in the semifinals of the bantamweight class at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Since then - and when he turned professional shortly after, Floyd has never lost. The last time we saw him in the ring was in 2015 when he went 49-0 in what was his last fight...and don't make us talk about what happened in his previous fight earlier that year, by the way.

Over a week ago - while the stars were in Hollywood for what would be a most memorable Oscars in many retrospects, it was also Floyd's 40th birthday and he celebrated it down in Los Angeles over four days. The weekend included a small kick-off dinner gathering to begin the weekend on Thursday, a roller-skating party on Sunday, and a Showtime-televised boxing card at the Pechanga Resort & Casino on Friday in the Inland Empire, put on by his Mayweather Promotions company.
   The main event came on Saturday at the L.A. Live complex near the Staples Center, which was, as reported by the media, a "official star-studded Oscars-inspired birthday gala" which featured the lavish and over-the-top persona that best fits the man who made $1.3 billion in revenue from his years in the ring. It felt almost exactly like one of the many after parties and viewing parties that took place that weekend that had musical performances, first-class bar and catering, and a guest list that makes you think that this was the biggest party in town and not the Oscars.
   Floyd's BFF of sorts, Justin Bieber, was the most notable of the guest list along with Mariah Carey, Future, Marlon Wayans, Tyrese, Allen Iverson, Morris Chestnut, Fat Joe and Nicole Murphy. No word on whether the Burger King man eavesdropped on the proceedings, but Mariah did have the honor of singing "Happy Birthday" to the Money Man, adding on Instagram that she took an 18-hour flight just to celebrate with him. The cake itself was huge and features a suitcase of money, images of the retired (for now) boxer, a belt, and is topped by, of all things, a crown.

As Kailah has recently moved to Las Vegas, she was joined for the party by the multi-talented Mikey P. Some of you might know him more for his musical work, which he began while he was a teenager in performing alongside Pitbull, Rihanna, Flo-Rida, Jason Derulo and Trey Songz, among others at radio festivals, plus doing movie work in Standing Ovation. But reality TV fans know Mikey from having done a few of these shows, starting on MTV's From G's to Gents in 2008 featuring the most famous valet in hip-hop Fonzworth Bentley, then trying his luck on that testy course of American Ninja Warrior and most recently baring it all on the first season of VH1's Dating Naked.

   And while the big news that emerged from that weekend was of Pretty Boy Floyd's Las Vegas house being broken in while he was down in LA, Floyd and friends, with Kailah and Mikey too, all enjoyed the evening. Kailah tweeted, "We're at @FloydMayweather 40th bday & @iammikeyp is making me take pics with famous people & after I'm like "uh, who was that?" She would then post on Instagram, "thanks for having us tonight @floydmayweather & happy 40th birthday! 🎉", while Mikey added "Tonight was unreal! Thank you so much for inviting us to your birthday party champ! @floydmayweather ...such a fun night for me and @kailah_casillas !"

   If you happen to be one of those who've been invited by Floyd for one of his lavish parties, then you know that you are in the big time. And who knows? They may be there for the event of all events in fight sports should that fight happen. Stay tuned to see what happens there.

▪   ▪   ▪   ▪   ▪

And while we will ponder about that, we're gonna wrap it up here for the week that was in the MTV Trifecta. As always, there's a lot more to all of

● First, Shane had the opportunity to do two interviews after last week's episode: first with The Challenged Podcast, which you can listen to here; and with betmaker Drew Scott at this link. In both interviews, he discusses this season, his previous Challenges and his original Road Rules season.
● Just posted yesterday was a chat Candy Dish had with one of this week's ExtraTime subjects, Stephen, as they discussed this and last season, his relationship with Julia and that Las Vegas trip. Listen to their interview here, plus past ones with Cory, Sarah and Devin.
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Bungiovanni (@AdamBongo) as they discuss The Challenge and AYTO. Check out their latest Challenge podcast here, a review of AYTO here, and past shows at RobHasAWebsite.com, where the site's focus in on the new Survivor season.
● Last week, AfterBuzz TV had several guests for their Challenge/AYTO coverage: first, Cory came by to discuss the Underdogs' win and the mindset the group had when the champions arrived and that heated discussion after the win. And the next night, the AYTO wrap welcomed Osvaldo, Shannon, Carolina and Ozzy as they talked about that game-changing episode with the panel.
● Also, check out Ace Nichols (@AceNichols33) and her Challenge recaps which you can see on her YouTube channel, including her latest recap. And check out Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk) at YouTube, Blog Talk Radio and with Reality Radio, including the many interviews Andrew has done with over 80 members of the Trifecta including nine Invasion cast members.


As previously announced, I'll be looking at asking fellow Trifecta alums to join me for interviews here to get their thoughts on The Challenge,  Are You The One?, and the new AYTO Second Chances... if all things go as planned, I'll have the first interview up as soon as next week. Tweet whatever questions you might have to #AskDCBLOG on Twitter, and it may be used in those chats in aiming to offer a veteran's view of everything going on as we continue to evolve DCBLOG as the quintessential fan site for all things MTV Trifecta.
   Be 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 start your weekend with a new round of posts to cover a busy week in the Trifecta, plus preview that AYTO All-Star Challenge too. And 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