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Welcome to the weekend, and to this week's look Inside the MTV Trifecta at DCBLOG. Coming up, we'll be covering this week's episodes of Are You The One? Season 6 and The Challenge XXX, along with the incredible backstory of a Dirty 30 competitor. But first as an appetizer to all those, we'd thought you might like to enjoy an updated version of an ExtraTime story from earlier this year.
This story involves not a high profile romance that took place inside the six houses that have hosted television's guiltiest guilty pleasure or the bevy of hookups that we have seen in the first two episodes of our new season in New Orleans, but two members of the same cast and America's most well-known psychologist, Dr. Phil. And it seems that he's become as well-known in AYTO circles as the 120 or so castmates who are now part of the show's alumni circles, host of the show's first five seasons Ryan Devlin, and his successor in new host Terrence J.
This story involves not a high profile romance that took place inside the six houses that have hosted television's guiltiest guilty pleasure or the bevy of hookups that we have seen in the first two episodes of our new season in New Orleans, but two members of the same cast and America's most well-known psychologist, Dr. Phil. And it seems that he's become as well-known in AYTO circles as the 120 or so castmates who are now part of the show's alumni circles, host of the show's first five seasons Ryan Devlin, and his successor in new host Terrence J.
Since we first posted this bit during the Second Chances spinoff earlier this year featuring an alum from the Season 2 cast being spotted in the audience of the popular nationally syndicated daytime talk show, this past week in a rather strange twist, his fellow cast member from that sophomore class was also seen in the audience of the one who got his TV start by way of the queen of daytime. And ironically, those two castmates have a common history of sorts, though not as well-known as the ones he had on that season, which debuted three years ago this coming first week of October.
What follows after the jump is our original story from back in May, followed by a new follow-up in showcasing a second member of that very same cast being featured on an episode of Dr. Phil which aired earlier this week, and the common link between our two subjects. Enjoy this bonus installment of DC ExtraTime… we know you're gonna get a kick out of this.
What follows after the jump is our original story from back in May, followed by a new follow-up in showcasing a second member of that very same cast being featured on an episode of Dr. Phil which aired earlier this week, and the common link between our two subjects. Enjoy this bonus installment of DC ExtraTime… we know you're gonna get a kick out of this.
ORIGINAL STORY: BRANDON
From earlier this year during AYTO Second Chances
Before The Challenge Invasion final a week or two ago, we looked back at the time when the man who came within two minutes of taking down CT, 2nd place finisher Nelson, went onto GSN's Baggage hosted by someone we called "an American treasure," daytime talk king Jerry Springer. Well, Nelly is not alone: another Are You The One? alum and one-time Challenger got the chance to meet another daytime TV heavyweight, and coincidentally it was the guy he replaced in the Rivals III house... and this one was just this past AYTO Wednesday. And ironically, this came a day after he was featured in the latest Challenge Hall of Fame special on what not to do in front of TJ Lavin... and he also happens to live in the same city as our subject.
In 1988, the Texas Board of Examiners of Psychologists found that McGraw had transitioned a former patient from therapy to a temporary job, and that the patient had inappropriate contact with him. They filed charges against Phil, but the case was dismissed and eventually he would cease his psychological practice but kept his license in good standing until 2006. At the same time, he joined with a trial consulting firm, which would ultimately bring him to the attention of the queen of daytime.
Oprah Winfrey hired the firm in preparation for a trial that involved her and many others in regards to beef in Amarillo, TX which would end in victory three years later. So impressed was Oprah about Phil that their relationship would vault into him appearing on her show, eventually becoming a relationship and life strategy expert shortly after the trial ended. 1999 saw him publish his first book, Life Strategies, which was the first of four best-selling books on relationships... and it was inevitable that he would have his own show. And in 2002, the Dr. Phil TV show was born, and every day he tackles a different topic in offering advice for the troubles his guests may have for him.
It remains a staple of daytime television in being the medium's most visible forum for bringing mental health issues to the forefront every day. This has afforded Dr. Phil greater exposure thanks to his show getting off the ground through Oprah's production company, and has brought the same kind of issues MTV's Real World has touched on to his show: bullying, domestic violence, depression, suicide, mental illness and more. And he's also had to endure the wrath of things like an unauthorized biography exposing unethical business practices and abuse of his late first wife, various lawsuits from guests, and a highly-publicized 2008 visit with Britney Spears that drew much ire from her family and mental health professionals.
So, why are bringing him up? This past Wednesday, Dr. Phil welcomed a woman named Julianne who claims that her daughter's boyfriend, Leighton, manipulated her and turning daughter Mariah into a liar herself as well as a con artist. From making up stories of him being kidnapped, having cancer and making a phony crowdfunding site, the story becomes almost a tale tailor made for a Hollywood melodrama - even to the point of hotel security being called before they took to the set and tension continuing backstage before all three women involved in this circus meet each other.
A noticeable difference between watching daytime TV talk shows and an reunion or after show for the MTV Trifecta is that on the former, cameras cut to those in the audience a bit more often as if they're viewers like us in the living room: watching this all go down with interest. And on that Dr. Phil episode Wednesday, there was one person in the audience who, if people were watching that show, is also an MTV fan as well, they happened to have spotted someone very familiar.
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FOLLOW-UP: JASMINE'S TURN, AND THE LINK...
San Diego native Jasmine came to Puerto Rico with, as her MTV bio noted, "the complete package: an ambitious girl with a bright future as a dental hygienist" -- obviously, guys have to make sure that their hygiene is as good as their looks and personality. Late in the season, she and comedian Alex were sent in the next to last Truth Booth and returned a Perfect Match, part of the late run in the chamber of lasers that was the keypoint in the cast coming back from a late deficit to snatch the $1 million in the nick of time. And yes, she is a huge fan of Big Sean, and she and castmate Jessica got to hang out with him shortly after this season ended (as we featured on here also), as did Nicole from RW Skeletons and bronze medalist on The Challenge Invasion, and Melanie from AYTO Season 3.
While Susan, David and Bekah were on stage confronting those issues in front of the large audience that tune to the show everyday, Jasmine was in the audience of that episode. And while we don't have YouTube video of that bit like Brandon's part above, when David admitted that he blew part of the front door of the mom's house, cameras then cut to Jasmine reacting with one of those curious looks: an eyeroll.
This unprecedented event -- which has happened four additional times on the show including another that took place shortly after that first one -- saw Brandon's eventual perfect match and Rivals III partner Briana and her crush Curtis tagged as a no-match, as did the current boyfriend of Challenge champ Ashley K. - Dario and future actress Shelby, who was then pursued by Nate - who we also saw on Rivals III and Second Chances. Had the game's present procedure existed then, the Season 2 cast would've lost as much as $500,000 from their current jackpot, and for what would happen later with a second blackout two weeks after the first, the cast would've walked away with $250,000 instead of the seven figures had they gone 10 for 10, which they eventually did.
It was after this debacle that Team 21 would begin anew, and in that week's challenge Brandon won a spot on the getaway date for a third time, and he would choose Jasmine to tag along for the trip. They would then stick together for the matchup when he picked her, and then had to deal with the wrath of the house who had become tired of his much publicized relationship with Christina, the 11th girl, and them staying together after they were sent in at week 2 and didn't get their keys to the Suite and sending the other girl of the double match home. One of them who went off on poor Brandon was Curtis, who himself, was put into the Truth Booth with Shelby as a ploy by the house to truly break him and Bri up, and were a perfect match much to their shock. And of course, who can forget Brandon's eye-rolled reaction after getting all that criticism leveled at him?
Just yesterday and after sharing a clip of that show in her Instagram story, Jasmine posted the following on Twitter showing their reactions in their brief time on camera: one being like all of us watching anything big go down on AYTO, the other just being somewhat reserved. Sometimes things don't change in three years -- it was three years ago next week that Season 2 premiered. Full circle.
— Jas I Pen (@JasIPen) September 28, 2017
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Later on this weekend here, the Are You The One? Season 6 cast takes on the task of tackling their (and Terrence J.'s) first Matchup Ceremony, as well as more hookups and trouble for the newbies. But before that comes the Pulse for Dirty 30 and tensions rising in Colombia, plus a look back at one of The Real World's most infamous castmates and who is partially responsible for the trend of pranks in MTV reality show houses. Rejoin us for all of that here shortly.
- I AM DC
