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As those of you who follow me know, I'm obviously a super fan of the Trifecta and who makes the ecosystem of The Challenge and the shows that feed cast members to there - Are You The One and Real World - the primary focus of this very site. But in the 18 years that I have tuned into that channel on a routine basis, those aren't the only shows that I watch on a spot on a dial I have watched since I was back in childhood and whose first memories was of watching that game show Remote Control.
There are over 20 shows that I have watched, live tweeted or followed since I joined Twitter five years ago, and have become friends with a lot of castmates from many of those shows. Without taking that long while of mentioning each and every single one of them, these people range from those willing to get down and dirty in West Virginia and the Dallas Metroplex and dreamers in the Big Apple, to traveling nurses, virgins, and a family whose patriarch found himself at the heart of a music festival that never really got off the ground. And the list goes on, all the way to MTV reviving a 2000's reality TV favorite for a new generation in Fear Factor.
Now, that number of MTV shows which I have gotten to live tweet, follow and or watch is about to increase by two, and that second one we will have a look at when their time arrives soon. As noted a few times before, if you think the first one is that summer guilty pleasure everyone seems to be watching in Big Brother or the one that had its season premiere last weekend in Game of Thrones, guess again - it's neither of those. The one I chose is something that might be a surprise to you at first, but when you get into what it's all about, you'll know why it was an easy choice to make it non-Trifecta show #23. That is the subject of this installment of The Look.
There is something in the television business known as the big-time timeslot effect: whatever is the highest-rated and most-watched show on a particular channel, it will likely bring a large audience to the program it leads out of. For example, for decades marquee late NFL games airing on one-time MTV corporate sibling CBS have brought healthy audiences into a perennial Sunday night staple, newsmagazine 60 Minutes. Another example is last season's biggest new hit on network TV and one of the many beneficiaries of what those at NBC call, "The Voice Effect" -- being a show follows the audience favorite singing showcase, sandwiched in between that, local news and Jimmy Fallon.
Within MTV quarters, there is perhaps no coveted place for a highly touted new show to air on the channel than after its two most loved & derived foursomes. Since it debuted in 2009 as the spinoff of 16 and Pregnant, the Teen Mom franchise has documented two generations of girls who have had their private lives being brought into the public eye for eight years, just as the issue they've brought into focus, teenage pregnancy, has become a hot-button topic. Because so many are fascinated with the soap opera lives of Farrah, Jenelle and the other ladies who are now into their twenties, the powers that be at Viacom thought of that same timeslot effect The Voice has offered at the Peacock by using that large audience as a way to introduce and bring viewers to new MTV shows.
In the two most well-known cases of MTV using this programming strategy, both have been given both the favorable lead-out of that show and the unfavorable time of airing past bedtime, opposite late news, late night talk shows and other things for sleep-wary viewers. First, in late 2012 there was a show that brought viewers into the fascinating world of digital dating as the bromance of Nev Schulman and Max Joseph brought together young people who have dated online but had never met before in real-life. Together with the emergence of Notre Dame football player Manti Teo and his online attraction around the same time, the season 1 buzz for the TV adaptation of the movie of the same name became enormous as it made the term "Catfish" part of pop culture lexicon.
And a year later came the other most notable show to air after Kailyn & co.: the first season of a dating experiment that brought together a eclectic and energetic group of twenty single girls and guys from around the U.S. and with no luck in romance to the islands of Hawaii. They were the perfect group to bring MTV's unique brand of reality TV with Real World-like big drama and Challenge-like competition to a new venture with the feeling of love spawned by the king and queen of romantic reality dating shows in The Bachelor franchise all together into one unique show. The first season of Are You The One? helped make the original cast icons, as a perfect match would become husband, wife & parents, and a drama queen from there make waves last night on her third Challenge.
Both Are You The One? and Catfish became massive hits in giving those who watched that MTV's ongoing mamma drama soap opera reason to lose at least an hour of sleep, and not only did the channel give them renewals for new seasons, they were also given advancements of airing earlier too. And that brings us to the latest show to gain the post-Teen Mom slot, though this one will air one hour earlier than the rookie seasons of those shows. And for a tale of how this show got off the ground and what it resembles, you have to go back some thirteen years. Coincidentally enough, it too was also helped by another show from what this site refers to by the horse racing term of the Trifecta.
There are over 20 shows that I have watched, live tweeted or followed since I joined Twitter five years ago, and have become friends with a lot of castmates from many of those shows. Without taking that long while of mentioning each and every single one of them, these people range from those willing to get down and dirty in West Virginia and the Dallas Metroplex and dreamers in the Big Apple, to traveling nurses, virgins, and a family whose patriarch found himself at the heart of a music festival that never really got off the ground. And the list goes on, all the way to MTV reviving a 2000's reality TV favorite for a new generation in Fear Factor.
Now, that number of MTV shows which I have gotten to live tweet, follow and or watch is about to increase by two, and that second one we will have a look at when their time arrives soon. As noted a few times before, if you think the first one is that summer guilty pleasure everyone seems to be watching in Big Brother or the one that had its season premiere last weekend in Game of Thrones, guess again - it's neither of those. The one I chose is something that might be a surprise to you at first, but when you get into what it's all about, you'll know why it was an easy choice to make it non-Trifecta show #23. That is the subject of this installment of The Look.
There is something in the television business known as the big-time timeslot effect: whatever is the highest-rated and most-watched show on a particular channel, it will likely bring a large audience to the program it leads out of. For example, for decades marquee late NFL games airing on one-time MTV corporate sibling CBS have brought healthy audiences into a perennial Sunday night staple, newsmagazine 60 Minutes. Another example is last season's biggest new hit on network TV and one of the many beneficiaries of what those at NBC call, "The Voice Effect" -- being a show follows the audience favorite singing showcase, sandwiched in between that, local news and Jimmy Fallon.
That show is This Is Us, which follows the story of people linked in some way by the oddest of coincidences and brought together by some of the biggest stories they have witnessed. It delighted everyone of all ages, who stuck around after finding out who was eliminated on The Voice to see what would happen next for the Pearson family. It has amassed enormous viewership among its large legion of fans, equally strong critical acclaim and last week nabbed 11 Emmy nominations in this Renaissance for those at 30 Rock. And along with that, This Is Us has also landed the most coveted timeslot of all: after America's biggest sports event - the Super Bowl, which NBC will air SB LII from Minneapolis this February along with the Winter Olympics in Korea four days later.
Within MTV quarters, there is perhaps no coveted place for a highly touted new show to air on the channel than after its two most loved & derived foursomes. Since it debuted in 2009 as the spinoff of 16 and Pregnant, the Teen Mom franchise has documented two generations of girls who have had their private lives being brought into the public eye for eight years, just as the issue they've brought into focus, teenage pregnancy, has become a hot-button topic. Because so many are fascinated with the soap opera lives of Farrah, Jenelle and the other ladies who are now into their twenties, the powers that be at Viacom thought of that same timeslot effect The Voice has offered at the Peacock by using that large audience as a way to introduce and bring viewers to new MTV shows.
In the two most well-known cases of MTV using this programming strategy, both have been given both the favorable lead-out of that show and the unfavorable time of airing past bedtime, opposite late news, late night talk shows and other things for sleep-wary viewers. First, in late 2012 there was a show that brought viewers into the fascinating world of digital dating as the bromance of Nev Schulman and Max Joseph brought together young people who have dated online but had never met before in real-life. Together with the emergence of Notre Dame football player Manti Teo and his online attraction around the same time, the season 1 buzz for the TV adaptation of the movie of the same name became enormous as it made the term "Catfish" part of pop culture lexicon.
And a year later came the other most notable show to air after Kailyn & co.: the first season of a dating experiment that brought together a eclectic and energetic group of twenty single girls and guys from around the U.S. and with no luck in romance to the islands of Hawaii. They were the perfect group to bring MTV's unique brand of reality TV with Real World-like big drama and Challenge-like competition to a new venture with the feeling of love spawned by the king and queen of romantic reality dating shows in The Bachelor franchise all together into one unique show. The first season of Are You The One? helped make the original cast icons, as a perfect match would become husband, wife & parents, and a drama queen from there make waves last night on her third Challenge.
Both Are You The One? and Catfish became massive hits in giving those who watched that MTV's ongoing mamma drama soap opera reason to lose at least an hour of sleep, and not only did the channel give them renewals for new seasons, they were also given advancements of airing earlier too. And that brings us to the latest show to gain the post-Teen Mom slot, though this one will air one hour earlier than the rookie seasons of those shows. And for a tale of how this show got off the ground and what it resembles, you have to go back some thirteen years. Coincidentally enough, it too was also helped by another show from what this site refers to by the horse racing term of the Trifecta.
In the fall of 2004 came the fifteenth season of The Real World when Philadelphia welcomed the cast to the City of Brotherly Love. Reality TV's first African-American gay man and host of Are You The One? Second Chances - Karamo Brown, was on that cast, as was future multiple Challenge champ Landon, as they and their roommates worked with Puff Daddy to get out the vote and with Jon Bon Jovi and his arena football club. For the first half of that season, RW Philly led into a show that helped further MTV's evolution as the pioneer in reality TV programming.
Laguna Beach -- The Real Orange County documented the lives of high school-aged teenagers who led lives which are glamorous and made all of us jealous in wanting to head down to the place where it's sunny all year round. With pristine, sand-clad beaches and fabulous estates valued in the seven-to-eight figures, Laguna Beach and Orange County was the perfect backdrop for a show that featured all of the big time drama we expect from an MTV reality show, and helped draw in tourism dollars and buzz to those parts of a state that defines living in a place 40 million people call home.
The show helped to make two blonde girls -- Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari -- superstars and many of the castmates on the show teen idols. And for the girls who were played by the resident heartthrob of the bunch, Stephen Coletti, those two went on to be part of Laguna's spinoff, The Hills, which followed their story up the I-5 freeway (Santa Ana Freeway to the locals) to Los Angeles. And in the Hills, their adventures in Hollywood with Audrina Padridge, Whitney Port, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and friends became the stuff of legend.
Obviously, there was a lot of drama on Laguna and The Hills, but they also featured the kind of laid-back style folks out west enjoy, which was also the vibe I had from when I started befriending Team MTV in social world: Real World St. Thomas five years ago this summer, and a few other shows too. And you may not believe this but, I was actually one of those who watched Laguna as loyally as Real World, and it had a hand in inspiring me to actually go onto a site called MySpace and reconnect with past high school friends. That helped introduce me to something called social media.
Now, we fast forward to 2017 and while both LC and Kristin are enjoying post-MTV lives as well as parenthood, the attention turns to California's equivalent on the East Coast at the other end of the Sun Belt: Florida. And while the attention is on the state's major cities of Miami, Tampa Bay, Orlando and Jacksonville, somewhere located a stone's throw from the Tampa area lies the beachside town of Sarasota. This is where Violetta from Real World Skeletons calls home, as do over 400,000 residents in this county, the majority of them - 41% in fact - are 65 & older in this paradise for retirees as well as those snowbirds who flock here each winter for some fun in the sun during the season of snow.
For the focus of MTV's latest new reality show, the people featured aren't in that elderly majority but in that group that makes up 11% of Sarasota County's entire population: 18-29 year-olds and seven of them who live in a Census-designated area located inside Sarasota city boundaries on one portion of town but is a place that is unique. It is a barrier island with over 6,500 people living there with art galleries and upscale retail shops along with plenty of housing and beaches for everyone to enjoy what's seen as America's top beach. It's the fitting backdrop for this new summer soap from the same producers who brought the world to Laguna.
As these friends spend this time in the sun in this coastal place many Americans are getting to experience for the first time along the Gulf of Mexico, it's also a summer of them coming of age as they also begin to map out who they are at this important crossroads and what they want to be when the endless summer ends. And just as it was in SoCal, Siesta Key will capture everything in cinéma vérité style -- with no cutaways to confessionals by cast members as in other reality-based shows, which will allow viewers to get immersed entirely in the drama MTV describes as "intoxicating."
Since the show, its cast and its first look trailer was revealed to viewers last week, locals have shown worries that it could become the next Jersey Shore in bringing a negative vibe to town in showing the bad stuff and not much of the good just as it was in Seaside Heights. But if what we saw with our guilty pleasures as well as two other shows I got to enjoy in another Florida show which took place over in Gainesville two years ago and up the east coast in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood, the cast reassures it will channel the vibes of those shows and won't put the town of this 3.5 square mile stretch in a bad light as it did up the seaboard on the boardwalk.
Like any other reality TV cast, the group who will be documented on Siesta Key is diverse, relatable and perhaps ready to become MTV's next big stars.
● First, there's 22-year-old Alex, who MTV calls "the King of Siesta Key," and the core of this clique. He's best known for throwing lavish, over-the-top parties and having the lifestyle of a playboy at the luxurious mansion he and his family call home. He also happens to be son of an well-known Florida businessman: his dad is a chiropractor and namesake of the 1-800-ASK-GARY hotline which offers medical or legal info to those who need it. Though Alex now has a college diploma, he's focusing on a future that's uncertain but for now will take in the chance to soak up the sun.
● Juliette is 19, a Florida State student returning home from her first year up in Tallahassee and who also happens to had a fling with Alex that flamed out in the Florida sun. Anything is possible though, and she is no hurry to heat things up again, especially with taking a cue from The Challenge in coming up with those nice one-liners that will make those girls who will be watching wanting to shut up those who are hating on them.
● Kelsey is to Siesta what Casey was to Laguna: the new girl in town and who just moved to Florida just under a year ago from St. Louis. This 20-year-old had a globe-trotting modeling career that saw travel to gigs around the world, but when her mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Kelsey put family ahead of her dreams to be her caregiver. As she was busy walking up and down the runway, she didn't have as much time of having fun in high school and plans to make up for it here.
● Garrett happens to be Kelsey's boyfriend and is a personal trainer with those abs and takes his hobby of staying fit so seriously he's one who prefers to give up nights at the clubs for gyms at dawn. This 21-year old also has a modest upbringing and with this nice-looking group, this seemingly picture perfect relationship between Garrett & Kelsey could find itself in jeopardy if the cards fall where they may be.
● Madisson is another college graduate who just got her engineering degree from Southern Methodist University and just home from Dallas for the summer. She and Alex were high school sweethearts and haven't totally moved on from one another, and the temptation is always there. Madisson has her eyes on both moving on from him and beginning anew as the 23 year-old plans for what's next.
● Chloe is the one girl of this clique who's been in Siesta Key all her life and never went away to college preferring to stay in town, going to cosmetology school. This 21-year-old can best be described as Ms. Know It All and the group's "alpha female." Chloe also happens to be like those castmates we love from the Trifecta: one who you could likely have as either a best friend or the worst enemy you don't want to have.
● The other newbie of the bunch is 22-year-old Brandon, a longtime good friend of Alex's who was personally asked by him to add some diversity to the group. He, too, has the makings of a Florida heartthrob who's also laid back too and will sure have the girls going after him on the beach. Brandon also happens to be a jack of all trades, too: he's skilled in music, modeling and acting, and hopes this MTV show is the start of something big.
● And one who's not listed in the actual cast is Alex's cousin Pauly. No, he's not Pauly D., but this Pauly does bring with him some baggage. Two years ago while he lived in D.C., he was cuffed after getting caught with a phony handicapped parking placard, and recently he found himself in trouble with the law again after being a no-show for a hearing on charges of possessing pot. That's the only bad spot in the group's squeaky clean image… he, too, is also a musician.
● First, there's 22-year-old Alex, who MTV calls "the King of Siesta Key," and the core of this clique. He's best known for throwing lavish, over-the-top parties and having the lifestyle of a playboy at the luxurious mansion he and his family call home. He also happens to be son of an well-known Florida businessman: his dad is a chiropractor and namesake of the 1-800-ASK-GARY hotline which offers medical or legal info to those who need it. Though Alex now has a college diploma, he's focusing on a future that's uncertain but for now will take in the chance to soak up the sun.
● Juliette is 19, a Florida State student returning home from her first year up in Tallahassee and who also happens to had a fling with Alex that flamed out in the Florida sun. Anything is possible though, and she is no hurry to heat things up again, especially with taking a cue from The Challenge in coming up with those nice one-liners that will make those girls who will be watching wanting to shut up those who are hating on them.
● Kelsey is to Siesta what Casey was to Laguna: the new girl in town and who just moved to Florida just under a year ago from St. Louis. This 20-year-old had a globe-trotting modeling career that saw travel to gigs around the world, but when her mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Kelsey put family ahead of her dreams to be her caregiver. As she was busy walking up and down the runway, she didn't have as much time of having fun in high school and plans to make up for it here.
● Garrett happens to be Kelsey's boyfriend and is a personal trainer with those abs and takes his hobby of staying fit so seriously he's one who prefers to give up nights at the clubs for gyms at dawn. This 21-year old also has a modest upbringing and with this nice-looking group, this seemingly picture perfect relationship between Garrett & Kelsey could find itself in jeopardy if the cards fall where they may be.
● Madisson is another college graduate who just got her engineering degree from Southern Methodist University and just home from Dallas for the summer. She and Alex were high school sweethearts and haven't totally moved on from one another, and the temptation is always there. Madisson has her eyes on both moving on from him and beginning anew as the 23 year-old plans for what's next.
● Chloe is the one girl of this clique who's been in Siesta Key all her life and never went away to college preferring to stay in town, going to cosmetology school. This 21-year-old can best be described as Ms. Know It All and the group's "alpha female." Chloe also happens to be like those castmates we love from the Trifecta: one who you could likely have as either a best friend or the worst enemy you don't want to have.
● The other newbie of the bunch is 22-year-old Brandon, a longtime good friend of Alex's who was personally asked by him to add some diversity to the group. He, too, has the makings of a Florida heartthrob who's also laid back too and will sure have the girls going after him on the beach. Brandon also happens to be a jack of all trades, too: he's skilled in music, modeling and acting, and hopes this MTV show is the start of something big.
● And one who's not listed in the actual cast is Alex's cousin Pauly. No, he's not Pauly D., but this Pauly does bring with him some baggage. Two years ago while he lived in D.C., he was cuffed after getting caught with a phony handicapped parking placard, and recently he found himself in trouble with the law again after being a no-show for a hearing on charges of possessing pot. That's the only bad spot in the group's squeaky clean image… he, too, is also a musician.
It was the idea of dad Gary two years ago to make a reality TV show on the lifestyle of son Alex and his friends as they went about enjoying their adventures in the sea, spending time on the beach and getting down in the nightlife. He paid a local production company with his own cash to have them film the pilot with hopes that they would find its way at a network, and the people featured in that test drive was actually half of the cast above. But it was only last year when MTV heard of their idea and decided to dive in as it perfectly with one of its newly stated goals of capturing the joy of being young. Ironically, it's something that Alex enjoys but because of work, his dad didn't get the chance to enjoy the sunny lifestyle much when he was young.
Since filming began in April (also around the time that Challenge XXX started down in Columbia), MTV cameras have been filming at a number of local bars and businesses around town where the cast works. That may have fans come walking in after episodes air and take pics in the same places the cast go to, part of the MTV effect given to any city that hosts one of its reality shows. Rumors on the grapevine also suggest they may follow what the Laguna kids did in taking their talents on a vacation out of country, just as Stephen, Kristin and co. did going down south to Cabo, Mexico.
Just as it was when Jersey Shore debuted, as well as the short but sweet run of Buckwild in West Virginia, there were tons of negative publicity, though in the end the casts became more well loved. Pauly hopes that the negativity that exists now will give way to viewers relating to them and what they go through: "I hope they take away from the show that a group of friends can come together, have some drama, but still keep it classy and not be trashy. We do have problems, but we're all really good people." Chloe concurs: "We don't all live in a big house together, and we aren't all drinking together every day. But we are on summer vacation, drinking and having a good time."
Just as it was when Jersey Shore debuted, as well as the short but sweet run of Buckwild in West Virginia, there were tons of negative publicity, though in the end the casts became more well loved. Pauly hopes that the negativity that exists now will give way to viewers relating to them and what they go through: "I hope they take away from the show that a group of friends can come together, have some drama, but still keep it classy and not be trashy. We do have problems, but we're all really good people." Chloe concurs: "We don't all live in a big house together, and we aren't all drinking together every day. But we are on summer vacation, drinking and having a good time."
For Alex, this is an opportunity to help introduce the place he calls home and a vacation haven often overlooked by Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, South Beach and the many golf courses to the MTV audience: "It’s going to show that there is youth in this town and there’s not just youth with money that act like brats. I think they’re going to be like these people actually appreciate what they have and they live it up." Same thing for Madisson: "It's a great opportunity to represent the town where you grew up. It’s a huge responsibility and I hope that I take it with grace and I can make my town proud. I think they are showing the beauty that Siesta Key has to offer."
And for Juliette, it's only when it premieres on July 31st -- a dozen days from now, that it will finally sink in that they are no longer just famous to those in this part of Florida: "It doesn’t feel real yet. It’s not going to feel real until I see myself on TV. I think we’re all in the same boat on that one. None of us know what it’s going to be like, or if people are even going to like us."
The anthemic song that accompanies the trailer below is "Cut to the Feeling" by the Canadian girl who five years ago this summer gave the world "Call Me Maybe": Carly Rae Jepsen. It's a fitting track to accompany a first look at a show that epitomizes what it's like to have the summer of your life with that tight-knit group of friends you've grown up with. This adventure with Alex and co. is the latest chapter in addictive reality TV presented by a channel that loves doing it covering the many and varied aspects of what it's like to be young. And Siesta Key could do what only a handful of shows have done in recent years... become the next one: MTV's next big hit.
The anthemic song that accompanies the trailer below is "Cut to the Feeling" by the Canadian girl who five years ago this summer gave the world "Call Me Maybe": Carly Rae Jepsen. It's a fitting track to accompany a first look at a show that epitomizes what it's like to have the summer of your life with that tight-knit group of friends you've grown up with. This adventure with Alex and co. is the latest chapter in addictive reality TV presented by a channel that loves doing it covering the many and varied aspects of what it's like to be young. And Siesta Key could do what only a handful of shows have done in recent years... become the next one: MTV's next big hit.
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Coming up this weekend, DCBLOG will be all over the premiere of The Challenge XXX, as thirty of the MTV Trifecta's dirtiest castmates - the Dirty 30 - will join host TJ Lavin for the start of their quest for the $1 million at the end of the Columbian rainbow. Without giving things away in the interest of those who didn't watch it live... plenty of dirty action to commence proceedings.
And after we give those people all the time to catch up now until then (it will count towards the "live+3" ratings metric until Friday), join us for our 'Pulse diaries of all the social play-by-play, a recap of episode 1 and bits of ExtraTime. And what will be covered in those stories will be revealed later tonight on Twitter @DC408Dxtr, where you can take part in our poll that's up there and share your thoughts with yours truly at #DCChallenge.
And after we give those people all the time to catch up now until then (it will count towards the "live+3" ratings metric until Friday), join us for our 'Pulse diaries of all the social play-by-play, a recap of episode 1 and bits of ExtraTime. And what will be covered in those stories will be revealed later tonight on Twitter @DC408Dxtr, where you can take part in our poll that's up there and share your thoughts with yours truly at #DCChallenge.
Until then, enjoy the rest of your week, and have fun in the sun.
- I AM DC
- I AM DC
