BY DC CUEVA
As you now bring this weekend to a close, welcome back to DCBLOG for our Wrap of the week in the MTV Trifecta. This week saw the Camilanator make her return to the Challenge house as she got into it with pop-off queen Amanda and the AYTO alum got into it with Laurel - who also got into a love triangle with Cara Maria and Nicole. We also saw the Underdogs take back control into the week's mission, where Shane singlehandedly forced a battle between two champions in a Champions elimination between four-time champion Darrell and six-time champ Johnny Bananas.
Now, if you weren't with us for our Challenge Pulse yesterday, due to the episode ending without full resolution in it ending in the middle of the first elimination battle between the guys and Cara & Laurel, by rule this week's episode recap will not be covered here this week and will be moved to next week in an extended Things to Know, and we'll be providing just the fantasy scoring in this Wrap. So by default, a recap of AYTO Second Chances will be provided here on a scaled-back Wrap, plus a look at a Road Rules veteran turned supernatural detective. That's all ahead.
THINGS TO KNOW
AYTO Second Chances Ep. 2
♥ MAKING MOVES: First, the week's mission sees the first two people to hook up down under, Alicia and Gio, begin to further the relationship they fostered last week, and not surprisingly Francesca is feeling bothered that this is taking place behind her back. Later when she and her perfect match Mike have time in the hot tub, Gio comes in and things get tense with her and the Wolf, and Mike makes plans to eventually vote him into the Choice.
Meanwhile, the first two times we've seen Nate on MTV, we've seen him fall in love with Shelby and make a move on Christina in the AYTO 2 house, and then with Nicole last year on Rivals III. It's no different in the Second Chances pad as the tattooed guy decides to again make his move, this time with Carolina. With the focus her partner Hayden has on Gianna back home, it's no surprise that the two decide to hook up, and Ellie shows worries of Nate possibly losing his focus in the game...and no surprise: she gets into word with them.
♥ CASTS AND DOCTORS: The week's challenge sees the nine couples having to deal with one thing: casts...one of them is covered in them, and all the pairs must complete tasks relating to them. There is one catch: for the most dangerous part of the game, their partner must cut off the cast themselves instead of a doctor. Here, all the couples board a taxi to the city, then go around town - including meeting a clown of all people, visit a doctor to remove the cast and then race back to the house...first one wins. One task includes filling out each other's medical paperwork, which sees a number of pairs struggle including Cameron & Mikala. Eventually, it would be Season 5 that would take the cake and 1-2 on the podium as Alicia & Mike take first place, the $40k, immunity and a stay in the winners' suite; followed by Carolina & Hayden, and third place going to Tori & Morgan.
♥ SHARE OR STEAL Pt. 2: Before that challenge takes place, the group gets asked of who they feel will steal the money from their partner. Shanley raises her hand, much to Adam's dismay. As talk of who might join last-placers Ellie & Nate takes place, and far away from her partner, Hayden decides to tell Tori of his plans to go into The Choice and eventually steal from Carolina, adding "I don't think I can win this with her." After she tells Devin of his plans, they make plans to send the pair in, while the rest of the house decides to put Adam & Shanley in. Big D immediately gets frustrated as he then calls out Tori for being "Medusa" in front of everyone. There, Shanda the Panda goes back on her joke earlier and reaffirms that she won't steal the money from Adam, and the two choose "share" to stay in Australia and send home Ellie & Nate.
ENDGAME
THE CHOICE
The setup for the final part of each week of AYTO Second Chances sees familiarity in that it shares the same setting of this taking place at nighttime, a machine and everyone sitting on the house patio. But instead of beams showing everyone what their fate is every week as what we've seen with the singles and host Ryan Devlin on Are You The One?, this one has two machines and nothing else, along with host Karamo Brown.
During episode 2, Karamo tweeted a video showing the setup right before the big moment. The three-time Trifecta veteran captioned, "This is what happens right before #TheChoice is made. Will they steal?" Scenes like this will become very familiar as we head through the course of this spring.
This is what happens right before #TheChoice is made. Will they steal? @AYTO2ndChances #AYTO #AYTOSecondChances pic.twitter.com/Hy9DnGP8Vl— Karamo Brown (@KaramoBrown) March 30, 2017
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| IG @KaramoBrown |
♥ @KaramoBrown: "Damn another one bites the dust! I'm going to miss Nate and Ellie! They were a cool ass couple! @AYTO2ndChances #AYTOSecondChances #AYTO"
♥ @whaattaafoxx: "Thanks for keeping someone in the game that volunteered to go home. Other people would have killed to be there. I still had fun though. I'll be back. @AYTO2ndChances"
And the uniqueness of this site in having brought you the 'Pulse to every episode of Are You The One? since it premiered three years ago means that we're able to all the way back to the Season 2 finale and culled up the Instagram posts from Ellie and Nate after what happened in December 2014.
♥ @mtvellienicolepuckett/IG: "And the winner is!!?? @natesiebs11 is my PERFECT MATCH!! I wouldn't have it any other way! MTV knows exactly what they were doing with us two. We are so much alike it's kinda scary... But I love it!!! This boy is my rock! I'm so glad MTV found him for me I owe them everything! This process really does work. And I believe in it #AREYOUTHEONE ❤️❤️❤️❤️"
♥ @mtvnatesiebs/IG: "Words can't describe how thankful I am to have this girl in my life. She has taught me so much not only about what I need in my life but also a lot about myself. Shout out to my Perfect Match 😊 @mtvelliepuckett Love you baby girl!!😘😘💯"
FANTASY TRAX
#DCCHALLENGE
■ WEEKLY POINT SCORERS
1. AMANDA: 85 Points
2. CAMILA: 65 Points
3. LAUREL: 50 Points
4. JENNA: 45 Points
T-5. ASHLEY M and NICOLE: 30 Points
T-7. Four players tied at 20 points each
11. CARA MARIA: 10 Points
■ TOP 10 TOTAL SCORERS
T-1. ASHLEY M.: 220 Points
T-1. CORY: 215 Points
3. AMANDA: 225 Points /\6
T-4. SHANE: 220 Points
T-4. SYLVIA: 220 Points
6. NELSON: 200 Points
T-7. CAMILA: 195 Points
T-7. JENNA: 195 Points
9. HUNTER: 185 Points
10. KAILAH: 180 Points
■ THE WEEK'S NOTABLES
As the Underdogs team won this week's challenge, all members each earn 20 points - including Shane, Hunter, Nelson & Cory. All girls who competed also earn 10 for being first to compete.
● AMANDA: Amanda is the week's top scorer with the same amount as earned by Camila last week, 85 overall points, including those mentioned above. She earns 15 points for nudity in getting dressed in the shower while fighting with Laurel, 20 for verbally fighting two times with Laurel and with Camila by the pool and 20 for a meltdown in the house after those fights with them. She is the week's top mover, moving up six spots to 3rd in the overall points table at 225 points.
● CAMILA: Camila scores 65 points this week, including 15 points for nudity in the pool with Jenna (who also earns those points along with those mentioned above), 20 points for verbally fighting two times with Amanda in the house and in the pool and another 20 for one of her signature meltdowns after that fight with Amanda, on top of the 10 for competing in the first female heat.
● LAUREL: Laurel scores 50 overall points this week, which includes 10 for verbally fighting Amanda in the house, 20 for a meltdown after that argument, 10 for that first challenge, and 10 for giving a toast while drinking with CT and Cara Maria.
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#DCExtraTime
A FAREWELL TO GRIMM
featuring DAVID GIUNTOLI
featuring DAVID GIUNTOLI
This past Friday night came the conclusion of the six-season run of NBC's supernatural drama Grimm. To be exact, this is an occult detective police procedural show, described by The Oregonian as, "a cop drama—with a twist... a dark and fantastical project about a world in which characters inspired by Grimms' Fairy Tales exist," though much of the show's inspiration for its characters and stories can be attributed to other sources.
The series' synopsis is that a homicide investigator of the Portland Police Department, Nick Burkhardt, finds out that he is a descendant of a line of guardians called Grimms, who have the responsiblity to keep a balance between the world they live in and the mythological creatures of this planet earth, which are called here by their German world of Wesen - which is their term for a creature or human. And during the series, Nick has to battle a whole range of these Wesen, with help from friend Monroe and real-life detective partner in crime Hank Griffin.
Nick's part is played by none other than David Giuntoli, who first graced our screens on Road Rules South Pacific fourteen years ago on the same season that brought MTV fans that wild guy named Abram. He was born in Milwaukee to a mom and dad of Italian, Polish and Australian descent, then spent his childhood outside of St. Louis, and then went to school at Indiana University Bloomington. He then came home to the Gateway City with a bachelor's degree in international business & finance, but Dave knew that his heart wasn't in being in an office cubicle but more in the entertainment world. His family found that he had a sense of humor back then, and then reconnected with his teacher from high school theater class to begin taking acting lessons there
Those plans to conquer Hollywood had to take temporary detour once MTV casting directors spotted Dave and casted him on Season 12 of Road Rules, spending time in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific. Being part of the final six who collected the handsome reward then saw him take part on The Challenge: Gauntlet, where he was part of the winning Road Rules team that included Darrell, Rachel, Veronica and past "Catching Up With..." subjects Theo Von and Sarah Greyson. The winnings allowed Dave to pay off his remaining college debt and then turn his focus entirely to pursue acting full-time.
In the ten years since he moved down to SoCal, Dave has amassed a broad television resume in notching guest appearances on more than 15 series. This includes Nip/Tuck, Veronica Mars (with AYTO host Ryan Devlin), Grey's Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer, Privileged, Without a Trace, Cold Case and Hot in Cleveland with that true original, Betty White. And he has also had roles in eight films including playing DC agent Scott Wickland in last year's 13 Hours, the MTV telepic Turn the Beat Around, and was on the shortlist for the title role of the Superman movie Man of Steel before Henry Cavill was given the nod.
But the crowning role of David's acting career is, of course, of playing Nick Burkhardt on Grimm. The detective gets told by his aunt of his roots, who then gives uses his ability to make pin-sharp deductions on peoples' pasts, and then perceive aspects of the supernatural only he can figure out. And in the series' 123 episodes, viewers have been able to witness every step of Nick's journey, including its last act on Friday night.
While on set shooting the show in his current residence of Portland, OR, he met co-star Bitsie Tulloch - who plays the role of Nick's girlfriend and female lead Juliette, and the two confirmed a real-life relationship that turned in an engagement last year. And in typical fashion of being in this place where the last non-twist Real World was filmed, David often rides his bike to and from filming.
After filming that final episode just under two months ago, he posted the following Instagram caption from when he, cast and crew wrapped their six-year run:
"i've just wrapped 6 years of working on Grimm. 6 years of sharing the same warehouse/forest/street corner/ city with the finest group of men and women i'll ever have the pleasure of working with. I didn't pick these folks, but i love them. that is what makes a family a family. i will miss each face, each personality. they became the fabric of my day, and the void they leave will rattle me. i am so grateful for all of you. thank you for your craft and your good nature. thank you for taking the piss out of me and keeping me grounded. love to you all! #grimm #grimmfamily #postpartumhairloss"
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And on that bittersweet note, that will wrap it for this week's WRAP. As we conclude, there's a lot to discuss from this past week, and here's where you can indulge yourself in these webcasts:
● A sports handicapper who has emerged to become a notable MTV podcast host is Drew Scott (@DrewScottSports), and when figuring out the lines in Las Vegas he has brought on some notables to talk The Challenge. In recent shows, he has welcomed Jenna, Marie, Shane, and legends Derrick Kosinski, Landon and Jamie of RW New Orleans 2000. Check out all of those podcasts at teamdss.libsyn.com.
● After this week's episode aired, the No Quitters Podcast was joined by Shane as they discussed everything from Episode 9, the season up to this point, his long MTV career and much more. Check out their podcast here, and visit noquitters.libsyn.com for all of their podcasts from previous seasons.
● For hardcore Challenge fans, check out the Brain Candy Podcast with Susie & Sarah and their premium offering hosted by Patreon, where for those of you who can pitch in a monthly subscription fee, you can listen to interviews the duo has done with castmates past and present from the Trifecta, plus live commentary and a book club. Visit patreon.com/braincandy for more info, and visit thebraincandypodcast.com for the ladies' intelligent conversations and a chat they did with the executive producer of the season's breakout hit This Is Us, Ken Olin.
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_) and Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Bungiovanni (@AdamBongo) as they discuss The Challenge. And in this week's RHAP, Haley Strong (@HStrong_) substitutes for law student Ali as they discuss Camila, the triangle, the prank fallout and the eliminations. That, plus Survivor, at RobHasAWebsite.com.
● Check out Ace Nichols (@AceNichols33) and her unique Challenge recaps, where in the past few days she has posted several recap videos to the past few episodes which you can check out on her YouTube channel. We like to send our very best to her as she has been dealing with her and her ex-wife Gina announcing their amicable separation this past week and wish them all the best.
● And check out Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk) at YouTube, Blog Talk Radio and Reality Radio, including the many interviews Andrew has done with over 80 members of the Trifecta including nine Invasion cast members. He's recently tweeted plans to bring on more castmates as the season rolls along, so be sure to join him and I in the chatroom for those chats and on Periscope, plus our season-end review here at the end of this Trifecta cycle.
With our usual reminder to bookmark this site for weekly episode coverage and to follow live tweets of the Trifecta plus tomorrow night's National Championship on DCNOW at @DC408DxNow, as we mentioned here earlier this week we'll be presenting two ExtraTime In-Depth posts which will focus in on two notable moments from Challenge seasons past:
● First, it was one of the most memorable moments in Challenge history and up until last year was the show's most controversial finish, which led to how the person at the heart of it realized that he wasn't strong and fit for the fifth major pro sport. That led him to lose the fat, make a remarkable transformation and become an inspiration to many. Either tomorrow or Tuesday, we'll have the story on Challenger Eric Banks and his Challenge Against the Odds.
● And second, one night in late March in Orange County, CA saw the final curtain call for one of pop punk's most renowned bands as Yellowcard played their final show together after a 20-year run that began in Jacksonville. But in addition to their breakout year of 2004, their breakout moment came when they played in the middle of Real World and Road Rules veterans smashing everything they could. We'll have their story on their big break also later this week.
That's is how we look at it this week Inside the MTV Trifecta...thank you for joining us. And until we talk on DCNOW tomorrow night, see you then and enjoy your week ahead.
- I AM DC
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