DC WRAP Double Shot: The Challenge Invasion Week 5 and AYTO s5 Ep. 9

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

As you wrap up this Monday night after you just saw the finale to the Bachelor, time for us at DCBLOG to prep you for this week in the MTV Trifecta by looking back at last week before we head into Week 6 of The Challenge: Invasion, Week 4 of Stranded with a Million Dollars, and the Season 5 finale of Are You The One?.
   Last week, the Underdogs deal with in-house turmoil before finally going for Shane and Kailah to battle Tony and Sylvia in elimination, which saw the Road Rules vet and KC native win, plus Zach and Jenna renewed their love affair. And on Are You The One?, the group traded in their first truth booth and also rode on the back of a D-I basketball player to garner nine matchup beams.
   Coming up, along with fantasy scoring and polls, we'll recap the past two weeks in Thailand and head into the Strategy Room for a look at where the AYTO cast stands going into the win-or-go-home week 10. All that, plus nuptials and a tech flashback awaits on the WRAP.

 THINGS TO KNOW 

INVASION Week 4-5

First, as rules dictate here, if a cliffhanger takes place on any episode in any of the three shows, that week's episode recap is carried over into the following week's review. Thus, we begin with EP. 5.

● CHAMPIONS INVADE: When the Underdogs enter their Week 4 challenge, TJ Lavin tells the group, "If you want to be a champion, then you have to beat the champions," and he brings on the team of eight Champions: Ashley K., Bananas, Camila, Cara Maria, C.T., Darrell, Laurel and Zach. This leads Sylvia to say, "Every one of us may have died a little on the inside," which was pretty much the reaction on every viewer's face too. The game format changes as well, from an individual game in the qualifying round to a team game after the merge, where while the finals purse remains $350,000, the winning team banks $10,000 each challenge day, and eliminations rotate between underdogs and champions, with teammates battling teammates to stay.

● OUTNUMBERED: For this first challenge, it's a team game called "Knockout," and are played in same-gendered matches played to three goals...the first to win two grab $10k. The Champions are at a disadvantage with only four players in both games, and with six on their side it's clear the Underdogs have the edge. The females are up first and with a champs team that has two strong girls in Laurel and Cara Maria leading them, it was expected that they would win over the underrated underdogs... same for the guys with their size.
   The game itself sees action become brutal among the girls, but the numbers outweigh everything: Ashley M. puts Team Red in front first, then Nicole, and Ashley nets goal #2 to give them the win. And for the guys, they go all out at the get-go, and Dario grabs the first goal, followed thereafter by Cory to put the underdogs up 2-0. Then with their power and skill, the champions mount a change to level matters with goals by Darrell and Bananas. And for someone who declared its their time in the Shelter, Tony nets the winning goal to give them the 3-2 win and the 2-0 series sweep.

● CIVIL WAR: For the first time in a non last-regular challenge, TJ forces the winning team to select their elimination choices on the spot after the mission ends. As a reward to those who score the first points, they get to choose who to go in. Thus, Ashley M. and Dario get dibs at who to throw in, and surprisingly she freezes under the weight of this surprise move, and after getting called out by TJ for asking for a group consensus she chooses Tony. Then, Dario puts Sylvia in, using the logic that she was the last to head to the Oasis and needed to prove herself.
   When the underdogs call for a meeting to discuss who the other two opponents are, the champions find themselves amused at, as Johnny Bananas puts it, "a band of misfits." There, in the present form the team doesn't have a sense of togetherness and unity who have not much logic, have no strategy and alliances that won't help them win a final. Shane shows his displeasure to Cory during the meeting, which shows how much turmoil they are in. And when the time comes to finally nominate someone, the guys' majority goes with Kailah, while the girls' majority picks Shane. More shortly.

● JENNA & ZACH AGAIN: When word got out of this cast, one of the things that stuck out was, "How will Zach and Jenna handle being in the house yet again?" As those in the know might know, the two dated for over a year after they were on Exes 2, but then word got out that he had cheated on her while she was on a Challenge he wasn't on. Here, Jenna gets in her feelings and has eyes on revisiting their relationship, which makes for awkward moments and catches Camila's attention in seeing what has happened to him previously, as well as Laurel making facial expressions on whatever they do...including them cuddling in bed in the dark. This already adds to a house full of relationships with what's been happening to Cory & Kailah, Cara Maria & Nicole and Nelson & Sylvia.
   And to add more to this, Ashley, Sylvia and Amanda spark rumors about Jenna hooking up with Bruno on the ride over to Thailand, echoing what happened with St. Thomas lovebirds Trey & Laura and Portland's Jessica before Rivals II. Whether the rumor is true or not, this does wreck somewhat into Jenna's game, and Bananas finds himself in the drama as well. Keep an eye out for this.

● THE FORTRESS: For this season's elimination set, the show went back to the past in drawing on inspiration from the Inferno of years ago and created The Fortress. For this first trip into this elimination chamber, it's "Tuk Tuk Bang Bang," where this game takes place on the back of a tuk tuk - a Thai taxi cab, and will need to bang into a wall to force it forward towards a wall at the end of the course...the one who makes it across first wins. The girls go up first and leading into the round Kailah engages in trash talk. At first it begins to be a neck & neck battle with her and Sylvia, but the one who just became friends with Floyd Mayweather underestimates the strategy that goes into this game, and Kailah gasses out as Sylvia pushes forward and wins.
   And for the guys, it's experience versus youth in pitting Shane's veteran expertise against Tony and his renewed resolve. Given how he's competed in eliminations before and understands strategy, Shane goes lower every time he bangs onto the taxi, not moving back when he makes contact. This allows he & his vehicle to go forward more than was the case for everyone else, and it's no surprise that he comes away with the win. Tony losing hits very hard to him, as given that he came to this season with a chance to redeem himself for past bad behavior and intentions on getting to the final and helping establish funds for his kids back home. There, he tears up in his exit confessional when talking about how he fell short but came out of this a better man.

 AYTO STRATEGY ROOM 

ONE WEEK LEFT...

We'll be saving a wrap of both this week's and last week's episodes of Are You The One? for our Finale Wrap coming next week, but now we head back into the Strategy Room to dissect what's now ahead for the Season 5 cast as they enter the scenario the past three seasons have gone through: Week 10 and sudden death. As we wrote last week, the last two weeks of this game is where everyone very much focuses more on how to light up all the beams and collect the bounty of cash that's on offer.
   In Week 2, the group got jobbed by blacking out and losing half of their purse - $500,000. Last week came a decision that will be beneficial if they win, costly if they fall short. One of the two game-changing twists that came about this season was of the trade-in offer to trade in a potential no-match for $150,000, or to gamble and see if the couple they sent in will be worth the cash. Being the unanimous choice among the house after the other pair - Casandra & Mike - were a no-match earlier on, Tyranny & Derrick were sent in and knowing that they have only that $500,000 in the bank and with only two tries to try and increase that pot, they made the choice to accept the trade.
   Our analytics experts who we have sourced here in, AYTO Math and Nick Uhlenhuth, point out that they got this trade right: by their counts, Tyranny & Derrick are not a match. And if the cast does win this week, they'll be fortunate that this choice netted them the extra cash, which will translate into a $29,545.46 payday for everyone on this cast...that is if they want to split the cash into that 30-year annuity or take an $11,000 or so lump sum which, of course, doesn't take into account taxes.

Now, here's what happened at that ninth matchup in previous seasons...

Through Nine Tries...
                         Match-Ups   TB Matches
♥ SEASON 1     WON        Three
♥ SEASON 2     8/10          Four
♥ SEASON 3     2/10          One
♥ SEASON 4     6/10         Three
♥ SEASON 5     9/11          Two    

Now, here are the scenarios that played out on the previous four seasons of AYTO of what happened in Week 9 and, with the exception of the first bit, in Week 10.
♥ On Season 1, Andre was the sole winner of that week's Matchup and, in the only time that's taken place on the show, had sole control of who to put into the Truth Booth, and opted to unlock the John/Jacy/Scali love triangle by putting JJ and Jacy into the Booth, where they returned a no-match and signaled to them that all three and Ashleigh should switch partners at what would be their last Matchup...they won. And this is the only time that the truth booth would be a no-match before the closeout Matchup Ceremony.
♥ On Season 2, Week 9 saw Jasmine and Alex sent into the Truth Booth and they returned a Perfect Match, and in that week's Matchup the group had grown their number of beams to nine. And in Week 10, Dario and Ashley were sent in and became Perfect Match #5, and though Layton put everyone on edge for him choosing Christina instead of Tyler in the last Matchup, they of course won.
♥ On Season 3, Hunter and Britni were sent into the penultimate Truth Booth and came back a no-match, and then got worse for the house when they dropped a beam to two in Matchup #9. Of course, we saw those now famous Solo red cups, which then led us to their 10th try where they sent Zak & Kayla in, and were just their second Truth Booth match, which ultimately became the record low number for least TB matches going into a last Matchup. And with Devin's coin flip, it earned the group the Underdog Award on my 2015 Debrief.
♥ On Season 4 last year, it was in Week 9 that the group finally got over the dreaded 4-beam hump, but only by two lights to six. But the group did get some good news when Emma & Prosper were sent into the Truth Booth and emerged a match and giving them much-needed momentum. And in their 10th & last try, the group again opts to put in a strong couple - Julia & Cam, into the Truth Booth and they become a match. And in this last matchup, Asaf opts for strategy in choosing Kaylen over Francesca, and not only do they win they also will be on Second Chances come next week.

And that brings us to this season. The record for most beams entering the last matchup was eight, held by Season 1 in Week 8 and Season 2 in Week 9. It was surpassed by Season 5 last week in Nine, which if they had played this game at just ten beams, we would've been here talking about their run to the money. But now, the question here is, how can they make one last switch to give them the money? But first, here's last week's match-up chart...

WEEK 9 (Girls' Pick)
♥ Kam & Edward
♥ Carolina & Hayden
♥ Kari & Michael YES (4th - Wk's 4-6)
♥ Alicia & Mike YES (4th - Wk's 3/5/6)
♥ Ozzy & Gianna YES (3rd - Wk's 1/3)
♥ Tyranny & Jaylan YES (4th - Wk's 4/7/8)
♥ Shannon & Tyler NO (6th - Wk's 3-7)
♥ Hannah & Joey
♥ Casandra & Derrick
♥ Taylor & Osvaldo YES (4th - Wk's 4/7/8)
♥ Kathryn & Andre YES
NINE BEAMS ▲4

• YES denotes an inferred perfect match, per analytics

• NO denotes an inferred no match, per analytics

To go inside the Match Math, here's what we know...
♥ There were six repeat matches in Week 9: Kari & Michael, Alicia & Mike, Ozzy & Gianna, Tyranny & Jaylan, Shannon & Tyler and Taylor & Osvaldo. Of those half-dozen, the first three are inferred perfect matches in the eyes on the analytics, while Shannon & Tyler are the only ones who are presumed to be a non-match.
♥ Week 8 saw Alicia & Mike, Gianna & Ozzy and Kari & Michael revealed as likely perfect matches. And Week 9 saw three more inferred matches in Kathryn & Andre, Taylor & Osvaldo, and Tyranny & Jaylan.

♥ The most likely number of beams was six, which would've put this group on par with last season in having to switch over four couples in order to get to unlock the doors to Fort Knox. But with Derrick taking the lead, the maximum number of beams last week was NINE, which was the result they got there last week, which now gives them just one switch to put them in the winners' circle.

So, what is left on the table for Season 5? As we've been seeing all season, eleven is the magic number, and with this finale taking place two days short of St. Patrick's Day, the wish is that this group gets to 11 for 11 and walk away $650,000 richer. But now there's one more intriguing number...
♥ TWO: After what happened last week, the number of combinations that are now left is just two. One of them will crack the code that wins them the money, the other will give them infamy as the first AYTO cast ever to lose and go home money-less.
   The two remaining combinations involve a combination of six people who comprise the three remaining perfect matches that will bring them to that magic number of 11.

♥ Casandra & Derrick, Hannah & Tyler, Shannon & Joey
♥ Casandra & Tyler, Hannah & Joey, Shannon & Derrick

Here, Casandra is paired either with Derrick or Tyler, Hannah is paired either with Tyler or Joey, or Shannon is paired with Joey or Derrick. And it must be in the order above: Cas picks Derrick, Hannah picks Tyler, and Shannon picks Joey; or its Cas going with Tyler, Hannah going with Joey and Shannon opting with Derrick.
   Now, this Matchup will be fresh in everyone's minds when they go into the last challenge and last matchup. it's best for the whole house to not party as much in this last week and to remember who they got paired up with at the patio so that when they get to pick who competes for the last date who they think is right for them in this game, and to see who was paired in matchup #9. It's best that either of those three couples above go into the Truth Booth and not let someone who the analytics have as an inferred match get voted in if they show in the top two.
   Each of the six who the science doesn't have their match figured out is now a 50/50 shot after we saw Hayden & Carolina go up to 94% in the week before their Truth Booth trip. Now, it's up to them to make the right switch with no buffer of an additional week like what might've happened to Season 1. People would think that the big wigs will do whatever they can to try & bring an NBA-like conspiracy theory to how the final matchup will play out, but it will be a tension convention come 9:40 PM ET/PT on Wednesday. Got lots to talk about on the Finale WRAP this weekend.

 FORUM POLLS @DC408Dxtr 

So, what will happen next week 
on the Are You The One Finale? 
● Go 11 for 11 and WIN         50% 
● Fall Short and LOSE            50% 
  OUT OF 44 VOTES (22 Win/22 Lose)

After his 1st ever elimination win, where 
do you think Shane will finish this season? 
● Won't win but make final  35%
● Will come up just short     65% 
  OUT OF 26 VOTES

FANTASY TRAX

►#DCChallenge

■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
    1. CORY: 45 Points
    2. KAILAH: 40 Points
 T-3. Three players tied at 35 points each
 T-6. Three players tied at 20 points each
    9. TONY: 15 Points
  10. SYLVIA: 10 Points

■ TOP 10 TOTAL SCORERS
    1. SYLVIA: 195 Points
    2. KAILAH: 180 Points
    3. CORY: 155 Points
    4. NELSON: 150 Points
    5. ASHLEY M.: 145 Points
 T-6. HUNTER and SHANE: 135 Points each
    8. JENNA: 125 Points
    9. NICOLE: 120 Points
  10. TONY: 115 Points

■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
● CORY: Cory scores 45 overall points in Week 5: 15 for nudity and 20 for sex/off-camera noises when hooking up with Kailah in the spare room, and 10 points for verbally fighting with Shane after the elimination. He remains top guys' scorer and stands 3rd in the overall points table.
● KAILAH: Kailah earns 40 overall points for the related hook-up above with Cory, and earns 5 points for female crying after losing her elimination battle with Sylvia. She finishes with 180 points.
● Elimination: Along with the points attained in his fight with Cory, Shane earns 10 points for winning the elimination to now stand tied with Hunter in 6th overall. Sylvia chalks up 10 points for winning the girls' elimination to pad her overall lead at 195 points. And Tony scores 15 points for male crying when he chokes up tears in the confessional after losing his elimination.
● House: Cara Maria & Nicole earn 25 points for their play-wrestling session, while CT gets 20 for calling home to his girlfriend back home. Jenna and Nelson each score 20 points for a meltdown after she hears about the rumor and crying for an additional 5, and him after getting rejected by Sylvia.


►#AYTO
Italics denote perfect match

■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
     1. CASANDRA: 55 Points
     2. DERRICK: 55 Points
     3. JOEY: 40 Points
  T-4. HANNAH and TYRANNY: 25 Points each
     6. MICHAEL: 20 Points
     7. MIKE: 15 Points
     7. GIANNA: 5 Points
   22. SHANNON: -20 Points

■ TOP 12 TOTAL SCORERS
   1. CAROLINA: 225 Points
   2. HAYDEN: 185 Points
   3. OZZY: 175 Points
T-4. ALICIA: 170 Points
T-4. HANNAH: 170 Points
   6. EDWARD: 165 Points
   7. TAYLOR: 155 Points
   8. JOEY: 150 Points
   9. KAM: 125 Points
 10. ANDRE: 120 Points
 11. TYRANNY: 105 Points
 12. KATHRYN: 100 Points

■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
♥ CASANDRA: Casandra is tied with Derrick as the week's top scorer with 55 overall points: 10 points for crying twice, 15 points for hooking up in the confessional with Joey, 5 points for winning the challenge, and 25 points for being part of a love triangle with Joey and Hannah (Hannah also earns those points as well).
♥ DERRICK: As co-lead scorer, Derrick earns 55 overall points: 20 for physically fighting Michael over Kathryn (Michael also earns 20 as well), 15 points for being chosen for the date by Tyranny, and 20 for them being voted into the truth booth (Tyranny gets 5 for winning the challenge as well).
♥ JOEY: Joey is 3rd this week with 40 points which, in addition to the 25 points for the love triangle and 15 for his hook-up with Casandra, he earns 15 for being chosen for the date.
♥ Other Notables: Gianna scores 5 points for crying when Hayden leaves, Mike gets 15 for being chosen for the date, and Shannon is deducted -20 points for going against matchup strategy in choosing Tyler.

▪    ▪    ▪

 #DCExtraTime 

AN iPHONE FLASHBACK w/ CAROLINA

As we told you back in early January, those in Las Vegas look forward to its first big event of the year and the annual kickoff of wondering what's next in those gadgets we rely on everyday - the Consumer Electronics Show. But one notable item wasn't introduced at any of those shows that take place after the buzz wears off of the holiday shopping season, also the world's largest annual convention taking place in the city with the most convention space of any city anywhere.
   Ten years ago, the iPhone was introduced by Apple patriarch Steve Jobs at the MacWorld 2007 convention in San Francisco's Moscone Center, up the ways from the company's headquarters in Cupertino, CA. The first two models - a 4GB and 8GB - went on sale in the U.S. that June as hundreds of customers lined up outside Apple stores nationwide to the phone that would be the game-changer in the world of mobile phones, with some media calling it "the Jesus phone." The iPhone has become an essential part of the lives of countless millions of people here and around the world.
   And you're not alone: I was given my first iPhone for my birthday back in 2011 and am into my third phone - an SE in case you ask. I do utilize the two previous phones for the sake of being able to retweet cast members' tweets on my DCNOW live hub when episodes of the Trifecta air on TV, and the same goes for sports events and awards shows too.  And of course, I'm on my phone much of the time when I'm not at my day job - always keeping an eye out for what's up around the world, or capturing photos and video for my various social media platforms.

When we met Carolina, she was that Brazilian who now calls Seattle home, and who is honest and independent. Through the help of the Flow Chart that was posted on last week's AYTO Aftermatch, she was first spotted with Joey, then with Ozzy and with Jaylan, but sat for five straight weeks with Hayden at matchup before they were sent into the Truth Booth and became our second Perfect Match. And in the week or so since, she, along with both her perfect match and Gianna, have gotten some hate in social land.
   But something that wasn't mentioned much in her MTV.com bio was that when she came onto the show, she was a student in video & music production in college in the Seattle area. In prep to do this vignette, we happened to find her YouTube channel, which features her going skydiving and a few other odds and ends. She has something in common with me in having a passion to do original videos which we then post on that site.

A video that came up there was one she made in Fall 2014, following the release of the iPhone 6, which increased the screen size and upgraded cameras, connectivity and speed to where now everyone in my family except me have that model (I opted for the SE upgrade so I can still keep the same sized phone holder on my belt, by the way). In the video we have embedded below, she and her class made a parody video where they went into an Apple Store in the Pacific Northwest, had a guy play the role of Apple CEO Tim Cook and where they predicted that the model for the iPhone 7. Check it out for yourself below...which also includes Carolina as well.

TRISHELLE GETS MARRIED

Lastly in what is the latest life-changer for the community that is Team MTV, we'd like to send our congrats to Real World Las Vegas Vegas original Trishelle Cannatella who, this past week, is now a wife. Last weekend, she and fiance John Hensz - a former Louisiana National Guard veteran and a Delta pilot - made it official in a plantation in New Orleans, seven months after their August 2016 scroll in the French Quarter announced to the passers-by that they were engaged.
   Longtime Road Rules and Challenge stalwart Katie Doyle were among Trishelle's bridesmaids as was Brittany Brower from America's Next Top Model, among a 150-person guest list where, according to gossip site Too Fab, even included a mention of the Real World's famous opening tagline, "This is the true story..." in reference to the couple's first date.
   They are now overseas on their honeymoon, which she's been documenting on SnapChat and brought them to Tahiti and New Zealand, including those famous houses in the ocean there in the islands. And everyone from Bachelor alum Bob Guiney to her Vegas roommate Arissa have sent messages of congrats to her...Arissa writing on Instagram: "Congratulations! You are GLOWING WITH HAPPINESS and the love you are feeling is evident all around you. I am literally crying for you."  We here send our congrats.

▪   ▪   ▪   ▪   ▪

And this will wrap up our weekly look at the Trifecta. Lots to cover for this coming week, but before we explain that, there's plenty to discuss from this week, and here's where you can find them...

● First, last week AfterBuzz TV were again joined by several guests for their Challenge/AYTO coverage: Dario and Ashley K. joined the ABTV Challenge chat as they discussed everything up to last week and them being on opposite sides of the underdogs/champions game. And the next night, the AYTO wrap welcomed Shannon, Tyler and Derrick as they discussed the ladder's strategy to bring the group to 9 beams, and her move to put her heart over strategy.
● Temple Talk, the student-run local talk show produced by Temple University in Philadelphia, welcomed AYTO's Kam to their show last week as they discussed her time on the show and even engaged in a dating game of sorts with students from that great college. Check out that show here, plus a chat they did last year with longtime Real World/Challenge veteran Aneesa.
● 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 and past shows at RobHasAWebsite.com, which includes extensive coverage of the new Survivor season which debuted last week.
● Also, check out Ace Nichols (@AceNichols33) and her Challenge recaps which you can see on her YouTube channel, including her recap for last week's episode and the one before that - something called Mardi Gras backtracked her schedule. And check out Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk) at YouTube, Blog Talk Radio and with Reality Radio, including a discussion they had earlier today and AK's entire Trifecta interview archive on both sites.
● And for those fans of Stranded with a Million Dollars, last week Alex returned to his roots at Vermont's CBS affiliate, WCAX, where he discussed his time on the show and reminisced about his time there in market #98 in Burlington, VT. Check out that interview here.

Now, with the usual reminder to follow DCNOW @DC408Dxtr for live episode tweets (which you can join tomorrow's coverage at #DCChallenge) plus NCAA March Madness which commences tomorrow with the First Four followed by the two busiest days in American sports afterwards, we have a busy week upcoming here. In addition to offering our Pulse posts and WRAP for Invasion, Stranded and the AYTO Finale, we'll also have a preview of AYTO Second Chances to come your way in the week ahead. That's FIVE posts coming up from now until that ladder debuts in 9 days. And all of our coverage kicks off on Friday, all to kick off the St. Patrick's Day weekend which, of course, will be packed with plenty of basketball too. And it may also include interviews as well - tweet to #AskDCBLOG if you got questions.

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 tomorrow and then back here Friday, see you then and enjoy your week ahead. And also, be safe out there too.

- I AM DC