BY DC CUEVA
As you get to enjoy the middle day of your Memorial Day weekend this Sunday, we have the WRAP to bring you here to look back on the week in the MTV Trifecta. This past week saw the finale of Are You The One? Second Chances in the confirmation of a man who saw a trip to Australia to enhance his legend, and together with his match from the South made easy work of the competition. And he can also be proud of what happened the previous night on The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros, as the guy he grew close with in the mansion they called home last year had his most satisfying moment ever on this franchise in beating his rival in another epic Champions elimination.
We'll be covering both of them here in this truncated edition of the WRAP, ahead after the jump.
THINGS TO KNOW
● RACE OF CHIPS: First, the week's Champs vs. Pros challenge brings fans back to Free Agents and hot dogs - fittingly enough for this Memorial Day weekend. As it was then, the players will be wrapped head to toe in saran wrap and in a hot dog-like casing, which will then see them maneuver themselves in and around a BBQ-themed obstacle course, and then roll into a hot dog bun mat...those who make it the fastest wins. Unlike the first time, a few players must carry a bag of chips in their mouth throughout their run or risk conceding a two-minute add-on penalty.
In the challenge itself, it becomes fun to us viewers to watch, but things do get tense on course as Camila gets mad at Lindsey Jacobellis trying to block her on the mats, and Shawne Merriman dropping his chips for the pros in losing two minutes. That proves to be one of the factors in the Champs taking the win, dead-locking the season-long battle at 1-1, and team captain Jordan winning safety and $5,000 for his charity, Lucky Fin Project.
● PUNK AND FOOTBALL: Before that challenge, CM Punk brings up a twitter beef he had with Shawne from back in 2011 when the former was in WWE Champ and the ladder was with the Bills. There, both were at an event in Costa Rica and one offered to try and make a move on a WWE Diva, which then led to the wrestler referring to their '90s Super Bowl chokes, and him firing back about a thong the wrestler wore. Being older and wiser, the two agree that this bad blood they had should stay in the past and take care of this dispute without any incident. And after the challenge ends, Punk and Bananas get into words with one another which causes a lot of
Meanwhile, the teams do something you never see on an actual Challenge season nowadays: play flag football in a local park: Merriman and Kamerion Wimbley are captains and they all take part. This then leads to drama between the queen of last week's premiere, Lolo Jones, and Lindsey... might be something for the Olympic writers to write about in the leadup to PyeongChang.
● HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE: In a winter and spring full of epic duels, it extends to this Champs vs. Pros season as the guys are up for the vote. As losing captain, CM Punk is put into elimination by default, and as the one who did the poorest in rolling in the challenge, Shawne volunteers himself in - setting the stage for them to settle their score on the field itself. And there, Punk wins going away.
But compared to last week when it was the reverse, the athletes' battle is the co-feature compared to the main event of two champions facing off. As winning captain - and with each of the four other champions having multiple titles compared to him, Jordan is left with the tough task of having to pick one of them, and decides to take a gamble and pick Wes. And knowing that they're playing for charity and not for themselves this time, Ginger decides to say that he wants to meet Bananas. And though they have been at odds for years, and having faced off heads-up in two previous finals - Rivals I & II where they split one title apiece, this will be their first-ever elimination meeting.
This elimination harkens back to that Rivals II season where Knight & Preston and Derek & Robb, and then Cara Maria & Cooke and Nany & Jonna, turned into blindfolded ninjas trying to break sticks over each other. Bananas relies on the man who beat him in Thailand, Darrell, to coach him, and Wes looks to the guy he helped to the first of his two titles - CT to help him along. The two split their first two heats leading to the third and last one, which sees Wes take the win and leave his rival with nothing but silence in having finally settled this score... and all for charity, too.
Meanwhile, the teams do something you never see on an actual Challenge season nowadays: play flag football in a local park: Merriman and Kamerion Wimbley are captains and they all take part. This then leads to drama between the queen of last week's premiere, Lolo Jones, and Lindsey... might be something for the Olympic writers to write about in the leadup to PyeongChang.
● HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE: In a winter and spring full of epic duels, it extends to this Champs vs. Pros season as the guys are up for the vote. As losing captain, CM Punk is put into elimination by default, and as the one who did the poorest in rolling in the challenge, Shawne volunteers himself in - setting the stage for them to settle their score on the field itself. And there, Punk wins going away.
But compared to last week when it was the reverse, the athletes' battle is the co-feature compared to the main event of two champions facing off. As winning captain - and with each of the four other champions having multiple titles compared to him, Jordan is left with the tough task of having to pick one of them, and decides to take a gamble and pick Wes. And knowing that they're playing for charity and not for themselves this time, Ginger decides to say that he wants to meet Bananas. And though they have been at odds for years, and having faced off heads-up in two previous finals - Rivals I & II where they split one title apiece, this will be their first-ever elimination meeting.
This elimination harkens back to that Rivals II season where Knight & Preston and Derek & Robb, and then Cara Maria & Cooke and Nany & Jonna, turned into blindfolded ninjas trying to break sticks over each other. Bananas relies on the man who beat him in Thailand, Darrell, to coach him, and Wes looks to the guy he helped to the first of his two titles - CT to help him along. The two split their first two heats leading to the third and last one, which sees Wes take the win and leave his rival with nothing but silence in having finally settled this score... and all for charity, too.
♥ ESCAPE FROM AUSTRALIA: For the final mission of AYTO Second Chances, Devin & Rashida, Adam & Shanley and Morgan & Tori are tasked with having to go to several different locations around Melbourne, with the goal of being the first to finish and to net an additional $50,000 into their bank. The pair that finishes second will have their bank cut in half, and the last place finisher will lose all of their money.
First, the matches head to the Sky Deck in the city to spot their first destination: a maze where boxes are located inside the park and where it includes questions about their match. Shanley & Adam find their destination first, but after that it becomes a big struggle as the originals find themselves behind the 8-ball early and them not knowing each other's answers haunts them. This sees Devin & Rashida catch them and overtake them for the lead, as do Tori & Morgan.
Next sees the group putting together rocks in order of appearance from top to bottom, and it appears that Dashida seem to have it all right... until they figure out that she had the order opposite. Team Torgan gets their combination right on the first try and make up valuable time, all as Shanley & Adam are struggling both with the rocks and their emotions. This leads them to the lighthouse right by the sea, where to no one's surprise it's Devin & Rashida who come away with the win. Tori & Morgan finish 2nd, and Adam & Shanley go home broke in 3rd.
First, the matches head to the Sky Deck in the city to spot their first destination: a maze where boxes are located inside the park and where it includes questions about their match. Shanley & Adam find their destination first, but after that it becomes a big struggle as the originals find themselves behind the 8-ball early and them not knowing each other's answers haunts them. This sees Devin & Rashida catch them and overtake them for the lead, as do Tori & Morgan.
Next sees the group putting together rocks in order of appearance from top to bottom, and it appears that Dashida seem to have it all right... until they figure out that she had the order opposite. Team Torgan gets their combination right on the first try and make up valuable time, all as Shanley & Adam are struggling both with the rocks and their emotions. This leads them to the lighthouse right by the sea, where to no one's surprise it's Devin & Rashida who come away with the win. Tori & Morgan finish 2nd, and Adam & Shanley go home broke in 3rd.
♥ ONE LAST TWIST: When Devin & Rashida think that they have clinched the whole thing right on the spot, host Karamo Brown gives them one last twist: in order for them to take the money, they have to be put into The Choice. Back at the house, Devin tells Morgan about the plans he had a week or so earlier about him possibly stealing from Rashida, and is something that has been on his mind for some time. This is then communicated to Tori, and then to Rashida. As the champs think about what's next, for Adam & Shanley it seems that this has dissipated a friendly bond they had going into this season, with him conceding that after their struggles their relationship has soured.
♥ FINAL CHOICE: And then it leads to the final Choice, and for the first and only time this season it's Devin & Rashida who are brought in front of Karamo and everyone to see what they will do with the $170,000 they've accumulated here: whether to share in that purse, to let one or the other take all the money, or effectively forfeit all of that to Tori & Morgan if they double steal, which Barbie & Ken hope will happen. There is a lot of concern on Rashida's face about Devin and his manipulation tactics which he has used to great extent over his run. But after the two plead to each, the two both choose share, and each go home with $85,000 from this dominant season. And for Big D, he now $130,000 in winnings: the $7,500 from Rivals II, and $37,500 for leading the miracle in the islands.
POLLS
What is your favorite Champions
elimination of this year?
● DARRELL vs. BANANAS 13%
● CAMILA vs. LAUREL 22%
● CT vs. DARRELL 25%
● WES vs. BANANAS 40%
▪ ▪ ▪
#DCExtraTime
A REAL WORLD RETROSPECTIVE WITH BRAIN CANDY
If you're a regular visitor to this site, then we usually conclude these original recap posts with a reminder of, and links to, where to go to listen, watch or read any supplemental webcasts or articles of interest after our weekly look at the Trifecta, the episodes and our stories on this fascinating ecosystem. If you're a TV enthusiast like me, then our epilogue might harken back to the '80s &'90s when, after a primetime special airing on the network, CBS and the Library of Congress ran a PSA called "Read More About It": recommendations of several books in reference to the special airing that night, and a reminder to check them out at the local library or bookstore.
Last weekend saw the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the longest-running series in the history of both MTV and basic cable when The Real World began in New York on May 21, 1992. It's the show that started it all for the genre of reality TV, has been the foundation of MTV's original programming slate, and is the backbone to the Trifecta. And though the show has evolved a lot, the core element of the show documenting seven strangers in a house has remained the same, as does balancing out both the jaw-dropping moments reality TV fans come to expect, with the serious subject matter reminiscent of the show's early days and relevant to the channel's longstanding social activism commitment. And the Real World's way of storytelling has helped to influence both how we get to cover and bring you the stories of the people of that show and the Trifecta overall.
If you're someone who's a fanatic of the Real World/Challenge franchise, then it's likely that you listen or watch The Brain Candy Podcast with Real World alum Sarah Rice and her friend, Road Rules original and Challenge veteran Susie Meister, whose lifelong friendship began when the ladder began her ride to being part of the winning champions team on The Ruins back in 2009, and the former who also made the final as well as a rookie. The podcast has afforded these two plenty of time to discuss matters outside of the MTV world in touching upon subjects ranging from science and online dating, to crime, politics and social activism - and just about everything in between. They've had the chance to talk to the show runner of this year's biggest new hit TV show This Is Us to discussing their common passions too many to mention here.
For those lucky enough to fork over a few dollars to their Patreon, those super fans have been afforded wall-to-wall MTV coverage with live Q&A's on the episodes throughout this past season of The Challenge, and interviews with both current and past cast members from the Trifecta. If you lucky enough to remember Nathan from Real World Seattle, Tara from Road Rules Northern Territory or the one who had that tall girlfriend in Miami - Joe, then you are a true fanatic... they are among those the ladies have talked to on their podcast. If you're one of those who are budget-minded, don't worry... Sarah and Susie have also done some MTV coverage for free on the regular Brain Candy Podcast site, which includes the times where they cold-called Cara Maria and Wes, and where they discussed in detail her history with Johnny Bananas before we got to see what happened to her in Argentina last summer.
With the show Sarah got her MTV start in, Real World, celebrating the big 2-5 this past week, during this spring she and Susie have discussed the original reality TV series spread out over the course of five podcasts. In the course of the five and a half hours of discussion, the ladies got to discuss the show's evolution and everything related to the show, and even caught up with Sarah's estranged dad who she had a phone fight with in Brooklyn. And also, they had the chance to interview one of the Real World's most-notable alumni: Judd Winick, who was a New York cartoonist heading into San Francisco but left the house with a close bond with the late Pedro Zamora and where he met roommate Pam Ling, who later became his wife... the only couple in the long history of the series to have met each other on the same season.
We've embedded all of their podcasts below which you can listen to now, and check out Brain Candy Podcast at thebraincandypodcast.com, as well as Patreon for their MTV coverage.
And that will wrap up for this week's WRAP. One additional webcast of note...
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and special guests who have joined them throughout the Trifecta cycle. For the finale, Ali returned from her semester away at law school to discuss the final with Brian, and for the reunion she was joined by fellow RHAP host Angela Bloom (@angpalaggi) to discuss the eventful reunion. Check out the podcasts at the linked sites there, and check out robhasawebsite.com for their extensive coverage of the Survivor: Game Changers season that has just ended, along with Big Brother too.
We are not done for this week's posts here... in the coming days, ExtraTime In-Depth will take an expansive look at the history between Johnny Bananas and Wes, and the long road of bickering and drama between two of the show's biggest and most well-known players leading up to their epic elimination battle this past week. Stay tuned for that, along with a slew of In-Depth posts in the coming weeks and months, as well as our traditional season-end Reality Debrief with myself and Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk). Remember, if you have a reality TV question us two would want to answer for our midyear installment, tweet them to #AskDCBLOG to me @DC408Dxtr or to Andrew and it may be used in those posts which begin towards the end of Champs vs. Pros.
And with the usual reminder to bookmark DCBLOG for our unique coverage and follow DCNOW for live tweets at @DC408DxNow and #DCChallenge, this weekend is the kickoff of summer 2017, and tonight on my entire network of social media platforms, I will be revealing the destination for the upcoming summer vacation I will be taking in less than two weeks from now. That will be on DCNOW during a Memorial Day installment of DC Playlist starting at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT, and will be explained more following our In-Depth post coming in the next day or two.
For now, see you there on DCNOW later tonight, and talk to you back here then. And to all of you, a safe and Happy Memorial Day.
- I AM DC
Last weekend saw the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the longest-running series in the history of both MTV and basic cable when The Real World began in New York on May 21, 1992. It's the show that started it all for the genre of reality TV, has been the foundation of MTV's original programming slate, and is the backbone to the Trifecta. And though the show has evolved a lot, the core element of the show documenting seven strangers in a house has remained the same, as does balancing out both the jaw-dropping moments reality TV fans come to expect, with the serious subject matter reminiscent of the show's early days and relevant to the channel's longstanding social activism commitment. And the Real World's way of storytelling has helped to influence both how we get to cover and bring you the stories of the people of that show and the Trifecta overall.
For those lucky enough to fork over a few dollars to their Patreon, those super fans have been afforded wall-to-wall MTV coverage with live Q&A's on the episodes throughout this past season of The Challenge, and interviews with both current and past cast members from the Trifecta. If you lucky enough to remember Nathan from Real World Seattle, Tara from Road Rules Northern Territory or the one who had that tall girlfriend in Miami - Joe, then you are a true fanatic... they are among those the ladies have talked to on their podcast. If you're one of those who are budget-minded, don't worry... Sarah and Susie have also done some MTV coverage for free on the regular Brain Candy Podcast site, which includes the times where they cold-called Cara Maria and Wes, and where they discussed in detail her history with Johnny Bananas before we got to see what happened to her in Argentina last summer.
With the show Sarah got her MTV start in, Real World, celebrating the big 2-5 this past week, during this spring she and Susie have discussed the original reality TV series spread out over the course of five podcasts. In the course of the five and a half hours of discussion, the ladies got to discuss the show's evolution and everything related to the show, and even caught up with Sarah's estranged dad who she had a phone fight with in Brooklyn. And also, they had the chance to interview one of the Real World's most-notable alumni: Judd Winick, who was a New York cartoonist heading into San Francisco but left the house with a close bond with the late Pedro Zamora and where he met roommate Pam Ling, who later became his wife... the only couple in the long history of the series to have met each other on the same season.
We've embedded all of their podcasts below which you can listen to now, and check out Brain Candy Podcast at thebraincandypodcast.com, as well as Patreon for their MTV coverage.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
And that will wrap up for this week's WRAP. One additional webcast of note...
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and special guests who have joined them throughout the Trifecta cycle. For the finale, Ali returned from her semester away at law school to discuss the final with Brian, and for the reunion she was joined by fellow RHAP host Angela Bloom (@angpalaggi) to discuss the eventful reunion. Check out the podcasts at the linked sites there, and check out robhasawebsite.com for their extensive coverage of the Survivor: Game Changers season that has just ended, along with Big Brother too.
We are not done for this week's posts here... in the coming days, ExtraTime In-Depth will take an expansive look at the history between Johnny Bananas and Wes, and the long road of bickering and drama between two of the show's biggest and most well-known players leading up to their epic elimination battle this past week. Stay tuned for that, along with a slew of In-Depth posts in the coming weeks and months, as well as our traditional season-end Reality Debrief with myself and Andrew Kirk (@CSUGradAKirk). Remember, if you have a reality TV question us two would want to answer for our midyear installment, tweet them to #AskDCBLOG to me @DC408Dxtr or to Andrew and it may be used in those posts which begin towards the end of Champs vs. Pros.
And with the usual reminder to bookmark DCBLOG for our unique coverage and follow DCNOW for live tweets at @DC408DxNow and #DCChallenge, this weekend is the kickoff of summer 2017, and tonight on my entire network of social media platforms, I will be revealing the destination for the upcoming summer vacation I will be taking in less than two weeks from now. That will be on DCNOW during a Memorial Day installment of DC Playlist starting at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT, and will be explained more following our In-Depth post coming in the next day or two.
For now, see you there on DCNOW later tonight, and talk to you back here then. And to all of you, a safe and Happy Memorial Day.
- I AM DC
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