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A DCBLOG Discussion
WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK
This summer slate of reality television, headlined by the likes of Big Brother and, of course, The Challenge, has been going on for some time, providing a much needed respite from what has been another eventful few months in this world we live in. And here, we'll take this opportunity to look back and take stock on all that took place in the run of programming that took place in the first half of 2017 in reality TV in the moments, the people and beyond during this break in our usual weekly coverage covering the social media reaction, the particulars and our look at the people of this site's principal beat of covering the MTV ecosystem of The Challenge and its related sisters.
This is the first of two parts which we will have to discuss the MTV Trifecta, and later this month we'll review The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions, the Champs vs. Pros mini-season, and the current Dirty 30 season with thoughts on the season so far as it is at its halfway point... We'll be talking to fellow Challenge blogger Allan Aguirre coming up then. But first, we'll be devoting this first part to Are You The One? as Andrew and I will look back at Season 5 from earlier this year, as well as AYTO Second Chances which followed the chaotic ending in the Caribbean... all as Season 6 is now less than two weeks away.
So, join Andrew and I -- or better yet, Cueva & Kirk -- after the jump as DC FORUM presents Part 1 of Reality Debrief 2017: the Mid-Year Edition.
EDITOR'S NOTE
First, we'd like to start by saying thanks to all of you for your patience in waiting for this Debrief. For the past month or so, I have been promoting in my Twitter page that there will be this midyear Wrap and have been aiming to have it up as soon as possible. But due to things called life and work -- including a nice gig Andrew has this summer with the Oakland A's, this has been pushed back countless times with plenty of worries in my mind that this might not be posted at all.
It won't be as detailed as first planned as we'll be nixing the planned discussion of non-MTV shows such as Survivor and Big Brother... you can always reach out to Andrew and talk about them there, and those shows will instead be covered in our traditional year-end review at year's end. And because of time constraints, there will be questions that won't be covered by the both of us in the main section of this post, and there will be time to discuss those subjects in ExtraTime at the end of this post.
Still, we have a promise to be able to get these posts up to all of you, no matter if it's posted way past its intended deadline. And doing a post is better than not doing it at all, even if it can take all the necessary time to put these posts together, which is why this site is as good as it is and offering the kind of in-depth coverage synonymous with this site. And we would never break any promises and not deliver on what we would promise to offer and then not... that would be unjust.
With that in mind, we're glad you're been waiting and have kept your loyalty to this site. But now, it's time for us to talk. Let's get on with the show...
Still, we have a promise to be able to get these posts up to all of you, no matter if it's posted way past its intended deadline. And doing a post is better than not doing it at all, even if it can take all the necessary time to put these posts together, which is why this site is as good as it is and offering the kind of in-depth coverage synonymous with this site. And we would never break any promises and not deliver on what we would promise to offer and then not... that would be unjust.
With that in mind, we're glad you're been waiting and have kept your loyalty to this site. But now, it's time for us to talk. Let's get on with the show...
AYTO SEASON 5
C-1. Season 5 is the first to see its cast lose the cash. What are your overall thoughts on what we saw this winter?
• ANDREW: "It was a great season. I liked how terrible people played and how the non matches led to the teams demise."
• DC: "I really enjoyed Season 5. Obviously, what we saw at the very end of that and then on the reunion is still somewhat burned into my brain even to this day, but overall we had a very good season that had it all except for them winning."
C-2. Well, you told me one word in describing the finale: "Wow." Did you possibly think that they could lose after they got so close in week 9? I literally thought that they were gonna take this one out.
• ANDREW: " I thought so but at the same time in the middle weeks which are the crucial ones they weren't making any progress. Seeing the non matches ruin it made it fun TV."
• DC: "I, too, thought that they were gonna win that. This had shades of what we had last year when they were stuck in that dreaded four-hole and then found a way to not only get out of that but also go on a run that ultimately gave them the win. Here, Team 22
C-3. On the After Match, Devin was blunt in saying Season 5 is the dumbest cast ever. Do you agree with him, and what do you make of how this cast was messy during the season which even befuddled Ryan Devlin, and this comeback coming up short?
• ANDREW: "Well its pretty obvious this wasn't the smartest cast. Seasons 1,2 and 4 won this game flawlessly, while season 3 one pulling it out of their butt. I'm not saying that finding 10 or 11 perfect matches is easy but they were thinking more with their hearts and less with their heads which they needed to do both ."
• DC: "I'm obviously not gonna go hard on them, but out of the five casts they've had this group was, from the game point of view, the most all over the place group we've had. We didn't really see them take the game as serious as the others had before them, and Ryan was in that position to say to them that they were not playing this game right. It was a really good effort to try & come back and they nearly won and made all of this redundant like what we saw with Big D, but again it was a mixed bag in the game department."
C-4. I polled Twitter after the finale of why they lost. Do you think the blame should be put on the whole house, the non-matches or on the one who screwed this one up, Shannon?
• ANDREW: "I don't think you can put the blame on just Shannon. I think you gotta put blame on her and Tyler, Taylor and Andre, Hannah and Ozzy, and the one that made the moves Derrick I think makes sense too."
• DC: "I stand with you. I took polls both before and after the finale... it was split 50/50 between them winning and them losing. After that, the blame game poll had the entire house being put at fault for losing and not Shannon or the non-matches, and I do side that it wasn't just her or those who didn't get separated until late, the whole house is to blame. Our Vegas friend Brandon who went through that on his season told me here that he was glad that they lost and it was them being too promiscuous that saw them lose, as did them struggling. And Shannon did admit on Twitter that she has to go through the enigma of being the one that cost them everything."
C-5. Season 5 was the largest cast in AYTO history with 22 castmates. Which people and love triangles stood out to you among this group?
• ANDREW: "Going to give you two guys and girls for this one. two people stood out for me. One Hannah was a standout because she was in the truth booth multiple times and was very blunt which I like. And wasn't her biggest fan in AYTO 5 but Alicia was a standout as well. She played the game which I liked and did things that made me love to hate her!"
• DC: "For me, the one that stood out was the triangle of Gianna, Hayden and Carolina; we pretty much knew that they were gonna be an item and as it turns out, they are made for each other. It was also fascinating to see him go for Carolina as they turned out to be that match in the game and we knew what happened afterwards. I agree on Hannah on your reasons there and not just because the three of us call NorCal home... and for Alicia as she took advantage of this stage in being that ultimate pot stirrer."
• ANDREW: "It was a great season. I liked how terrible people played and how the non matches led to the teams demise."
• DC: "I really enjoyed Season 5. Obviously, what we saw at the very end of that and then on the reunion is still somewhat burned into my brain even to this day, but overall we had a very good season that had it all except for them winning."
C-2. Well, you told me one word in describing the finale: "Wow." Did you possibly think that they could lose after they got so close in week 9? I literally thought that they were gonna take this one out.
• ANDREW: " I thought so but at the same time in the middle weeks which are the crucial ones they weren't making any progress. Seeing the non matches ruin it made it fun TV."
• DC: "I, too, thought that they were gonna win that. This had shades of what we had last year when they were stuck in that dreaded four-hole and then found a way to not only get out of that but also go on a run that ultimately gave them the win. Here, Team 22
• ANDREW: "Well its pretty obvious this wasn't the smartest cast. Seasons 1,2 and 4 won this game flawlessly, while season 3 one pulling it out of their butt. I'm not saying that finding 10 or 11 perfect matches is easy but they were thinking more with their hearts and less with their heads which they needed to do both ."
• DC: "I'm obviously not gonna go hard on them, but out of the five casts they've had this group was, from the game point of view, the most all over the place group we've had. We didn't really see them take the game as serious as the others had before them, and Ryan was in that position to say to them that they were not playing this game right. It was a really good effort to try & come back and they nearly won and made all of this redundant like what we saw with Big D, but again it was a mixed bag in the game department."
C-4. I polled Twitter after the finale of why they lost. Do you think the blame should be put on the whole house, the non-matches or on the one who screwed this one up, Shannon?
• ANDREW: "I don't think you can put the blame on just Shannon. I think you gotta put blame on her and Tyler, Taylor and Andre, Hannah and Ozzy, and the one that made the moves Derrick I think makes sense too."
• DC: "I stand with you. I took polls both before and after the finale... it was split 50/50 between them winning and them losing. After that, the blame game poll had the entire house being put at fault for losing and not Shannon or the non-matches, and I do side that it wasn't just her or those who didn't get separated until late, the whole house is to blame. Our Vegas friend Brandon who went through that on his season told me here that he was glad that they lost and it was them being too promiscuous that saw them lose, as did them struggling. And Shannon did admit on Twitter that she has to go through the enigma of being the one that cost them everything."
C-5. Season 5 was the largest cast in AYTO history with 22 castmates. Which people and love triangles stood out to you among this group?
• ANDREW: "Going to give you two guys and girls for this one. two people stood out for me. One Hannah was a standout because she was in the truth booth multiple times and was very blunt which I like. And wasn't her biggest fan in AYTO 5 but Alicia was a standout as well. She played the game which I liked and did things that made me love to hate her!"
• DC: "For me, the one that stood out was the triangle of Gianna, Hayden and Carolina; we pretty much knew that they were gonna be an item and as it turns out, they are made for each other. It was also fascinating to see him go for Carolina as they turned out to be that match in the game and we knew what happened afterwards. I agree on Hannah on your reasons there and not just because the three of us call NorCal home... and for Alicia as she took advantage of this stage in being that ultimate pot stirrer."
AYTO 2ND CHANCES
D-1. Well, you made the call back in 2015 of AYTO having its own spinoff. Your thoughts on what transpired down in Australia?
• ANDREW: "I'm glad that brought a new show for AYTO cause we're not going to see everyone from AYTO go to the challenge."
• DC: "Well, you are obviously a genius, as I always say. For me, Second Chances was fresh and unique and added a challenge element to this AYTO mix as well as a money element too, which made it much more interesting than we have on the regular show."
D-2. There was some familiarity to you here of a show you watch in Amazing Race in most of these missions being more like what you see on that show. How different is it compared to watching those challenges on AYTO and on The Challenge?
• ANDREW: "Its different from AYTO as in they already who their match is and were forced. It was great to see them go from trying to find there match to working with who they were paired up with."
• DC: "I agree. This gave those ten who found out that they were compatible a chance to explore why the matchmakers gave them that verdict. They were tasked with having to do everything a match is supposed to do in all aspects, and though it's not what we're used to from having watched Challenges for a long time it did bring that Amazing Race element that's not as demanding but still fun too."
• ANDREW: "I liked the game show back in the day on GSN called Friend or Foe. It paired up two people and they made money similar to what they did and had to choose friend aka share or foe aka steal. It would've been nice to see elimination rounds but it was exciting to guess what the couple is going to do."
• DC: "Obviously, what happened last year with Bananas inspired this twist... My thoughts on The Choice are that money is a big deal and what he did there gave this show some inspiration for the last element to each week in Australia and it really gave some new insight into the couples who were up for the trip to the stage with Karamo. We learned that there was a flaw that did in Mikameron, and we knew quickly that Hayden was not entirely focused on Carolina. Much better from a dramatic standpoint than the twists in the Caribbean."
• ANDREW: "I remember hearing on either social media or a podcast that had this been the format Mikayla would've said no to it. Its unfortunate that it ended the way it did but sadly reality tv romances don't normally last."
• DC: "Early on, I saw them making that run into knocking on the door of the top 3, and it turned out to be that way. They thought that this was an All-Star season but had no idea of this being Second Chances and the format did expose those flaws in what they thought was a perfect match thing they had going, and obviously it was bad seeing this all end very badly for them. Tough to watch and to see how this thing all ended for Mikameron."
• ANDREW: "Simply two type A personalities don't normally work well together. Plain and simple. "
• DC: "You and I had the Originals as possibly being in the top three, and as it turned out they would be there in the end. I quite literally thought that they would be one of those who would compete for the final, and considering how tight the original cast are that they would gel. But, as you say - they turned out to be opposites of each other and that was their undoing."
• ANDREW: "Morgan comes off as a guy who can squash things pretty easily. I gotta good feeling based on Tori's performance in 2nd chances we're going to get a good showing from her on Dirty 30."
• DC: "For Barbie and Ken, obviously things were still fresh from what happened with her and Mike, and they got over that very quickly and doing not only better than expected, they also beat out the Originals despite Adam having that Challenge experience. And as it turns out, Tori doing well there has really set her up well for what we've been seeing from her so far in Colombia."
• ANDREW: "Devin and Rashida were terrific. They were villian's but at the same time they played their cards to perfection."
• DC: "I agree, I saw them as favorites to win and yes they were villains but played the perfect game to win this. Many were on edge of what he might do in that last Choice, but from seeing them treat the After Show stage as their own club when they announced this thing and them having that good vibe on that last date, you pretty much knew that there was nothing that could lead him to press steal."
• ANDREW: "He's a super charismatic individual. I still don't agree most the crap that he does, but he's very funny and plays his character very well where I think others don't."
• DC: "When we watched him in Hawaii, it was hard to take in for many to see Devin take advantage of the game situation in how he manipulated Kiki then literally take his cast from the depths to Disneyland. And we then saw him take those talents to Rivals III and ride luck and a second chance, and then go to Australia to execute that playbook again on Tori in a game that was practically made just for him. And what we saw with Big D is that he is indeed very beguiling and there's a lot to his persona that he is now part of this next generation."
• DC: "When we watched him in Hawaii, it was hard to take in for many to see Devin take advantage of the game situation in how he manipulated Kiki then literally take his cast from the depths to Disneyland. And we then saw him take those talents to Rivals III and ride luck and a second chance, and then go to Australia to execute that playbook again on Tori in a game that was practically made just for him. And what we saw with Big D is that he is indeed very beguiling and there's a lot to his persona that he is now part of this next generation."
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#DCExtraTime
ALONE TIME W/ DC
Now, because Andrew is very busy with A's gig, understandably he's had limited time in replying back and answering some of the questions above -- thus, the lateness of this post being presented way later than first expected. But because there is still so much that went down in the first half of the year -- and you expect this site to provide this deep kind of in-depth coverage of this MTV world, we felt that those stories we didn't touch upon above shouldn't be left untouched and deserve to be discussed.
Thus, ExtraTime -- normally this site's storytelling vehicle -- will offer a chance to touch upon those things here with just yours truly. Here now, a few extra thoughts on AYTO Season 5 and a precursor to Season 6 as we get close to the new cast's first close-up in a few days.
On the Twists, and what was the most intriguing...
• "Obviously, there were 22 castmates and everyone was shooting for 11 for 11, along with the truth booth trade-in offer and the blackout loss being changed to half of the pot. I took a poll on premiere night and 62% voted that it was all three that was the biggest twist from Season 5. To me, it's a tie between the blackout and the trade-in because money makes a big difference."
On how those twists played into the house's strategy...
• "They did have one blackout like the past couple seasons, and obviously there were two on Season 2... it lost the cast money in those instances in S3 and S4 and here it was $500k - I believe it did them in eventually. And for the trade-in, they were able to trade in two late in the season when they were in desperate need, and it was wise for them to use them knowing this was likely gonna slip away and they had to do whatever they had to do to regain momentum."
On how the Season 6 cast should play the game this season...
• "For this new cast, they now know what they have to do from the shortcomings their immediate predecessors had, as well as what the first four casts did. It's simple: just rely on your hearts first, then look to strategy if it not going well. Just make sure that everyone in the house is on the same page and following the same lead... don't be like Shannon and be like the kids who pulled out that miracle in Hawaii. It will be something to keep your eye out as this begins again."
On Terrence J taking over for Ryan Devlin as host...
•"I tweeted my thanks to Ryan after the news broke of him deciding it's time to step aside and let someone else take over the AYTO hosting role. It is a hard task to have to host one of these shows in policing the cast, going all in on them if they see that they're not being honest, and all that goes along with this duty. He did it well and he'll be missed.
As for his replacement, Terrence J did an awesome job doing the After Show and Reunion after hosting Coupled last summer. Those who have followed him from when he started at 106 & Park know of how he great he is on camera and like Ryan is very versatile. He is the perfect fit to take over this spot and, as I wrote on here, hopefully Terrence got clues from Ryan on how to handle this tough job. It's no Coupled and no Safe Word, that's for sure."
• "Obviously, there were 22 castmates and everyone was shooting for 11 for 11, along with the truth booth trade-in offer and the blackout loss being changed to half of the pot. I took a poll on premiere night and 62% voted that it was all three that was the biggest twist from Season 5. To me, it's a tie between the blackout and the trade-in because money makes a big difference."
On how those twists played into the house's strategy...
• "They did have one blackout like the past couple seasons, and obviously there were two on Season 2... it lost the cast money in those instances in S3 and S4 and here it was $500k - I believe it did them in eventually. And for the trade-in, they were able to trade in two late in the season when they were in desperate need, and it was wise for them to use them knowing this was likely gonna slip away and they had to do whatever they had to do to regain momentum."
On how the Season 6 cast should play the game this season...
• "For this new cast, they now know what they have to do from the shortcomings their immediate predecessors had, as well as what the first four casts did. It's simple: just rely on your hearts first, then look to strategy if it not going well. Just make sure that everyone in the house is on the same page and following the same lead... don't be like Shannon and be like the kids who pulled out that miracle in Hawaii. It will be something to keep your eye out as this begins again."
On Terrence J taking over for Ryan Devlin as host...
•"I tweeted my thanks to Ryan after the news broke of him deciding it's time to step aside and let someone else take over the AYTO hosting role. It is a hard task to have to host one of these shows in policing the cast, going all in on them if they see that they're not being honest, and all that goes along with this duty. He did it well and he'll be missed.
As for his replacement, Terrence J did an awesome job doing the After Show and Reunion after hosting Coupled last summer. Those who have followed him from when he started at 106 & Park know of how he great he is on camera and like Ryan is very versatile. He is the perfect fit to take over this spot and, as I wrote on here, hopefully Terrence got clues from Ryan on how to handle this tough job. It's no Coupled and no Safe Word, that's for sure."
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
And that is all... at last, and for now. Of course as always, a big thank you once again to Andrew for helping me out on these Debriefs, and to all of you for being patient for this post to finally be posted here. Of course, the both of us will again get together at year's end for the traditional year-end Reality Debrief as we review this summer and fall's reality TV slate over the Christmas holidays... and hopefully it will be posted during that time and not later well after.
Next week, or hopefully before this month is over we'll be recapping The Challenge Invasion and Champs vs. Pros, and offer a midseason evaluation of Dirty 30 with Allan Aguirre, along with getting into a little bit of Big Brother talk with him too. With this in mind, we're opening up the question lines for you to ask us Challenge questions and him stuff on Big Brother. Feel free to send us your questions to #AskDCBLOG on Twitter, and you may be included in Part 2.
And once again, DCBLOG has a call to those who follow the Trifecta and reality TV in general that want to come on here to do these Q&A's on The Challenge and other shows from this genre. Whether you're a blogger, podcast host or even a cast member not currently on these seasons, the invitation is out there for you to join me here and chat it up. Follow me on Twitter @DC408Dxtr or shoot up either a DM to me there or just to dc408dxtr@icloud.com, and we'll get started.
Later tonight - or tomorrow at the latest, DCBLOG will shift back to Week 8 of The Challenge XXX as the WRAP will have thoughts on the big moment of a shocking hookup and the top moments of the past four episodes, among other things. Then at midweek, we'll have our season preview of Are You The One? Season 6 as we begin a busy fall stretch which we will explain here shortly.
For the time being, thanks for spending time around the table with me & Andrew, and of course, make sure to join us later as we continue our look Inside the MTV Trifecta. See you then.
- I AM DC
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