BY DC CUEVA
■ @DC408Dxtr @ TW / IG / YT
As is our custom and policy, if there are TBC's in any episodes we cover, the reviews for that week's episodes are jettisoned over to the following week's WRAP... thus, we'll have recaps of this week's episodes for you next week as part of an extended Things to Know. But we won't ignore this week here, and coming up well head into the Strategy Room to look at where AYTO stands after its first Matchup along with poll results, plus ExtraTime has special appearances by some of music's best as well as a Road Rules reunion.
But first after the jump and lieu of where we would review the episodes, a Challenge champion speaks out on an issue that's been everywhere in the past two weeks... Join us for all of that ahead.
Ordinarily, we at DCBLOG provide some temporary relief from everything that's going on in our imperfect world with our Trifecta coverage and the shows that give you reason to escape reality for reality TV's most exciting programming. Thus, it's our vision to keep ourselves out of covering things of a social or a political matter, with only just small & occasional mentions of it on here.
But if you might imagine from what been dominating the headlines in this divided country, then the story that has been dominating the news recently is one that has transcended sports: the controversy surrounding our President and his new, ongoing war with America's two most popular sports: the NFL and the NBA, all as people in Puerto Rico have been pleading for help in the wake of the two recent hurricanes that have left the island in shambles but have been going on deaf ears.
If you know the story by now, and provided that you have not been living under a rock the past two weeks, then we don't really need to mention, elaborate or discuss this very sensitive topic, and here it will be just short & brief -- and again, comments have been turned off in this post to prevent those from engaging in unnecessary jarring on here in what is a positive environment free of negativity. But there is one person in The Challenge community and a Real World alum who takes pride in Americana and is also a former college football wide receiver as well.
The last time we saw Zach Nichols on our screens, it was of him getting beaten up by Darrell in the first Champions elimination on Invasion earlier this year. If you know his journey by now, then he has been through a lot: his romances with RW alums Ashley K., Ashlee, Jonna and Jenna; his larger-than-life persona, his sometimes uneasy behavior and a mixed bag as far as his Challenge career has been concerned. And he is, after all, responsible for turning me into a Challenge fan by way of his epic elimination battle against Cancun's C.J. on his first season five years ago en route to becoming champion on Battle of the Seasons II.
This past week in a two-page screen-cap of something he wrote on his Notes app, Zach offered his take on the current controversy in our country try which makes mention of his best friend who is currently serving on active duty for the Army in Afghanistan, and for which we have reposted below in rich text form.
Zach is not alone: so many others in the MTV community have voiced their opinions in relation to sports, politics and current events all coming at the same intersection in the past two weeks, but out of respect again we won't talk about those because we don't want to turn all of you off by these events when our focus should be on the shows we cover and the people of these shows. But if you got a voice that you want to make loud and clear on the things that you're passionate about, then we encourage you to go ahead and make it heard in the platforms of your choice... it can make a big difference and can help to inspire change.
After getting our first look at the place where hopes and dreams lies in beams that light up the night sky, we now have an idea of how this game is shaping up, even though in a logical sense we are still technically at midway through Week 2. The first weeks of each season gives those who follow AYTO a chance to see which couples are probable matches and which ones are just temporary.
MATCHUP 1 (Guys' Pick)
♥ Kareem & Alivia
♥ Anthony & Geles (TB PENDING)
♥ Malcolm & Nurys
♥ Keith & Alexis
♥ Joe & Zoe
♥ Michael & Keyana
♥ Ethan & Jada
♥ Clinton & Uche
♥ Shad & Audrey
♥ Tyler & Nicole
♥ Dimitri & Diandra
THREE BEAMS
Typically, the house who are at the "getting to know you" stage gets a couple beams in the first week, but here Season 6 gets the same amount that Tori and her Season 4 mates got: THREE. When you get that many in the first try, it's a good start and you would want to build upon that going into this early stage of the game.
Looking at what we have at the first matchup chart and how we have seen so far, there are possibilities. Anthony & Geles, Keith & Alexis, Michael & Keyana and Malcolm & Nurys have all had strong connections in these first two episodes, but out of these four probable couples one of them are not one of those three beams, provided we are not being surprised by any of the other seven pairs being one of those three and those four couples are not any of those.
And with the former getting the nod to go into the Truth Booth (my one vote in my Match poll says they aren't a match but MTV's poll has them being given the match nod) this brings to mind the chances of what we might have here should Anthony & Geles get the Perfect Match message. If they are, then they replace Cameron & Mikala for the show's quickest Truth Booth match after Mikameron went to the Suites in Week 3 on Season 4, which in turn bested Pratt & Paris on Season 2 who got in at Week 4 just before that blackout which we discussed back on Friday.
If they aren't, they join Shanley & Chris T., Christina & Brandon and Kiki & Devin -- each of whom were sent into the Truth Booth early on and came out of the room with the gut-wrenching feeling that they're not moving out after the No Match message popped up. Of course, those three couples stayed together and those are the ones who would draw the most ire from the house for not moving on.
Obviously, the house will be distraught Anthony & Geles aren't a match, but what we now have with Keith and Alexis with him and Zoe and Alexis and Joe, which turns this into a square. That will be something to watch if any of them win the coming week's getaway the house will sure to vote them in. Same thing with the Malcolm/Nurys/Diandra triangle and Michael & Keyana.
'GRAM SCAN: Music Superstars and Road Rules Reunited
Three Instagram posts to share with you to end this week's WRAP...
►#iHeartFestival
First, last weekend in Las Vegas, music's best took to the stage of T-Mobile Arena for the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Coldplay, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, Lorde, Big Sean, Pink, Miley Cyrus & sibling Noah, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Kesha headlined the stage. Also there and at the outdoor Village on the Strip were three-fourths of One Direction (Niall, Harry and Louis), Halsey, Little Mix, Bebe Rexha, All Time Low, Khalid and Julia Michaels, among others and from all musical genres, all in celebration of the iHeartRadio music app and all things sound.
AYTO's reigning fan favorite couple from last season, Gianna & Hayden, were given the lucky task by fan audience service 1IOTA to head up to Sin City to represent them through social media and provided the outlet's Instagram story during the two days of the festival, and in sitting right up front they got up close to the artists as they performed in front of a sold-out arena and for a webcast audience (the show will be encored on The CW this coming week). And the two also had the chance to take the stage when were given the chance to be extras during the set of 30 Seconds To Mars and, of course, their well-known frontman Jared Leto.
Below is an Instagram video of them being given a token of appreciation by a fairly toned down Miley Cyrus during her set, and also posted on YouTube their first-hand experience of going to the big weekend (above is a picture of them with the MTV VMA moonman). Gianna and Hayden also had the chance to meet up with a friend of theirs and a fellow Midwesterner, The Bachelor's Ben Higgins who was also in town for the iHeart Festival, and later on here we'll be sharing with you their inspiring trip to Honduras to help needy children in that Central American country.
While Hayden, Gianna & Ben got to party with Miley, Jared and Coldplay, over in the Big Apple as Season 6 is now in full swing, another musician has now joined Team AYTO. Last week, the object of Keyana's affection, Michael got to tend bar in the clubhouse of Bravo's late night show Watch What Happens Live with the channel's signature host Andy Cohen, and a guest of that show is someone who is musical royalty and whose nickname is the Dutchess.
It was in the mid-'80s that Stacy Ferguson began her showbiz career as the voice of Sally in two Charlie Brown specials, but it was her five-year stint on the Kids Incorporated where she first made her mark, as well as being part of girl group Wild Orchid. But it was a call she got from a hip-hop group that would change her life, as she joined The Black Eyed Peas at the most opportune time as the group broadened its musical scope from just hip-hop to also include pop and dance-pop. Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap & Taboo would garner the music world's attention with over 76 million records sold, and hits like "I Gotta Feeling," "Where Is The Love" and a Super Bowl halftime show. And she has also fared very well solo-wise, with several hit singles as well as her own brand fragrance... her second solo album just released this past month.
When Michael and one of his friends appeared on WWHL, this is what happened next...
►ROAD RULES REUNITED
And as the Road Rules renaissance continues with Veronica and Derrick still in the running on Dirty 30, there was a mini-reunion for two members from Season 12 of that show, which aired 15 years ago this year, and where a four-time Challenge champ got his start. The comeback story of last season, Invasion, was of Campus Crawl alums Darrell and Shane, who we saw make a deep run to the Underdog Bloodbath stage of that season in Thailand. As we told you earlier, the champ took down Zach, then eliminated Johnny Bananas and took eventual winner CT to the limit... and Shane showed that same fire that those who had grown up with the Trifecta saw from him during his past seasons.
Last week as Shane was getting accustomed to his new digs in our nation's capital, someone who shared an RV with him on that journey to colleges across America came in for a visit to where he works in D.C. Eric Jones came to that Campus Crawl from a traditional Florida family, became a star player both on the football field and in the math field, then went to Cornell and became the life of the party. On that season while Darrell, Shane and Rachel were developing their skills that would bring them to many challenges as did Gauntlet queen Sarah Greyson, Eric developed a love affair with Seattle native Kendal that lasted for some time during their trip.
This moment was, of course, posted to Instagram with the caption, "Guess who had a mini Reunion this weekend!! #mtv #roadrules #thechallenge #likeafinewine," while the girl who replaced Sarah on the RV upon her vote-off Raquel wrote, "Awwww my boys! 😍."
And on that note, we will wrap up this week's look at the week in the MTV Trifecta. As we go, there's more to the story with these links below...
● After the special on Race in America that aired the week after the controversy that took place in the Dirty 30 house, Leroy joined the Who Got Next Podcast and discussed at length the racism issue and the fateful events that happened with him and Camila. Listen to that podcast on SoundCloud.
● Just this weekend, Ethan from AYTO Season 6 joined The Sapphire Network to discuss what's been happening so far in New Orleans, what we can expect this season, and even some love secrets. Check out that podcast on SoundCloud also.
● And check out Rob Has A Podcast and its MTV coverage with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Buongiovanni (@AdamBongo) as the former and her discussed last week's and this week's Challenge episodes along with guest host Johnny Langan for the second Redemption battle, and her and the ladder talking the premiere and episode 2 of AYTO.
With the usual reminder to bookmark this site for our all-encompassing and acclaimed MTV Trifecta coverage, we have the first installment of this cycle of ExtraTime In-Depth, which will feature the Backstory of Dirty 30 competitor Ammo coming in the next few days in between our traditional spots of posting our weekly episode coverage over the weekend. Follow DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for live tweets of the Trifecta, tomorrow's finale of Siesta Key, Tuesday's 90's House and much more. Join the conversation surrounding Dirty 30 at #DCChallenge, and send your thoughts about the work this site does at #DCBLOG as well as making sure to share our links on social media and increase this site's visibility to your fellow fans.
That is how we look at it Inside the MTV Trifecta... thank you for checking us out. Have a great week ahead, see you then and welcome to October.
- I AM DC
AMERICA DIVIDED: ZACH SPEAKS OUT
Ordinarily, we at DCBLOG provide some temporary relief from everything that's going on in our imperfect world with our Trifecta coverage and the shows that give you reason to escape reality for reality TV's most exciting programming. Thus, it's our vision to keep ourselves out of covering things of a social or a political matter, with only just small & occasional mentions of it on here.But if you might imagine from what been dominating the headlines in this divided country, then the story that has been dominating the news recently is one that has transcended sports: the controversy surrounding our President and his new, ongoing war with America's two most popular sports: the NFL and the NBA, all as people in Puerto Rico have been pleading for help in the wake of the two recent hurricanes that have left the island in shambles but have been going on deaf ears.
If you know the story by now, and provided that you have not been living under a rock the past two weeks, then we don't really need to mention, elaborate or discuss this very sensitive topic, and here it will be just short & brief -- and again, comments have been turned off in this post to prevent those from engaging in unnecessary jarring on here in what is a positive environment free of negativity. But there is one person in The Challenge community and a Real World alum who takes pride in Americana and is also a former college football wide receiver as well.
The last time we saw Zach Nichols on our screens, it was of him getting beaten up by Darrell in the first Champions elimination on Invasion earlier this year. If you know his journey by now, then he has been through a lot: his romances with RW alums Ashley K., Ashlee, Jonna and Jenna; his larger-than-life persona, his sometimes uneasy behavior and a mixed bag as far as his Challenge career has been concerned. And he is, after all, responsible for turning me into a Challenge fan by way of his epic elimination battle against Cancun's C.J. on his first season five years ago en route to becoming champion on Battle of the Seasons II.
This past week in a two-page screen-cap of something he wrote on his Notes app, Zach offered his take on the current controversy in our country try which makes mention of his best friend who is currently serving on active duty for the Army in Afghanistan, and for which we have reposted below in rich text form.
"I find it funny how there are people out there who idolize professional athletes, Hollywood, and the media without knowing the facts. My best friend, someone I would call a brother, is currently serving in Afghanistan. For that reason alone, I could not vote for a criminal who's responsible for the deaths of American soldiers, and belongs in prison.
My best friend is an older brother to four great kids, who I would also consider my brothers. I see the pain and fear in his family's eyes when his name is brought up. I get to talk to him once every few weeks, and yesterday when I spoke to him, his exact quote was "My men only got hit with 3 IED's and a few grenades last week, BUT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE NOBODY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
Think about how selfless, and brave one must be to have that attitude in the face of danger, and death. He wasn't forced to serve, he does it because he believes in this Great Nation and what it stands for. So every time I see The American Flag being disrespected, it makes me sick; especially from spineless, ignorant morons behind a computer screen.
So go ahead and idolize Hollywood, make heroes out of grown men who throw, catch, and shoot balls. As for me, my hero is, and forever will be First Lieutenant Brock Armstrong and the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army, and anyone else who has put their life on the line fighting for this Sovereign Nation. And remember that your First Amendment rights to disrespect the American flag are preserved by the brave men and women who willingly fight and die for it. God Bless."
- Zach Nichols @ZNichols15
Zach is not alone: so many others in the MTV community have voiced their opinions in relation to sports, politics and current events all coming at the same intersection in the past two weeks, but out of respect again we won't talk about those because we don't want to turn all of you off by these events when our focus should be on the shows we cover and the people of these shows. But if you got a voice that you want to make loud and clear on the things that you're passionate about, then we encourage you to go ahead and make it heard in the platforms of your choice... it can make a big difference and can help to inspire change.
STRATEGY ROOM
AYTO 6 - THROUGH ONE & A THIRD
After getting our first look at the place where hopes and dreams lies in beams that light up the night sky, we now have an idea of how this game is shaping up, even though in a logical sense we are still technically at midway through Week 2. The first weeks of each season gives those who follow AYTO a chance to see which couples are probable matches and which ones are just temporary.
Through these first two episodes, we have seen several couples form as well as everyone's favorite: a love triangle. And after seeing Malcolm struggle to pick between Nurys and Diandra and him opting for the former and drawing Diandra's and Audrey's ire, below is the first chart...
MATCHUP 1 (Guys' Pick)
♥ Kareem & Alivia
♥ Anthony & Geles (TB PENDING)
♥ Malcolm & Nurys
♥ Keith & Alexis
♥ Joe & Zoe
♥ Michael & Keyana
♥ Ethan & Jada
♥ Clinton & Uche
♥ Shad & Audrey
♥ Tyler & Nicole
♥ Dimitri & Diandra
THREE BEAMS
Typically, the house who are at the "getting to know you" stage gets a couple beams in the first week, but here Season 6 gets the same amount that Tori and her Season 4 mates got: THREE. When you get that many in the first try, it's a good start and you would want to build upon that going into this early stage of the game.
Looking at what we have at the first matchup chart and how we have seen so far, there are possibilities. Anthony & Geles, Keith & Alexis, Michael & Keyana and Malcolm & Nurys have all had strong connections in these first two episodes, but out of these four probable couples one of them are not one of those three beams, provided we are not being surprised by any of the other seven pairs being one of those three and those four couples are not any of those.
And with the former getting the nod to go into the Truth Booth (my one vote in my Match poll says they aren't a match but MTV's poll has them being given the match nod) this brings to mind the chances of what we might have here should Anthony & Geles get the Perfect Match message. If they are, then they replace Cameron & Mikala for the show's quickest Truth Booth match after Mikameron went to the Suites in Week 3 on Season 4, which in turn bested Pratt & Paris on Season 2 who got in at Week 4 just before that blackout which we discussed back on Friday.
If they aren't, they join Shanley & Chris T., Christina & Brandon and Kiki & Devin -- each of whom were sent into the Truth Booth early on and came out of the room with the gut-wrenching feeling that they're not moving out after the No Match message popped up. Of course, those three couples stayed together and those are the ones who would draw the most ire from the house for not moving on.
Obviously, the house will be distraught Anthony & Geles aren't a match, but what we now have with Keith and Alexis with him and Zoe and Alexis and Joe, which turns this into a square. That will be something to watch if any of them win the coming week's getaway the house will sure to vote them in. Same thing with the Malcolm/Nurys/Diandra triangle and Michael & Keyana.
DC FORUM: POLLS
With everything that went down with the two remaining members of the Young Bucks, it is the subject of this week's two polls.
After Nelson was sent home, how far do
you think Hunter will go this season?
● Get Eliminated ASAP 64%
● Going all the way to the end 36%
you think Hunter will go this season?
● Get Eliminated ASAP 64%
● Going all the way to the end 36%
If you were the producer, what would
you have done with Nelson?
you have done with Nelson?
● Send him home ASAP 63%
● Give him a second chance 37%
● Give him a second chance 37%
▪ ▪ ▪
#DCExtraTime
'GRAM SCAN: Music Superstars and Road Rules Reunited
Three Instagram posts to share with you to end this week's WRAP...
►#iHeartFestival
 |
| IG @GiannaHammer |
AYTO's reigning fan favorite couple from last season, Gianna & Hayden, were given the lucky task by fan audience service 1IOTA to head up to Sin City to represent them through social media and provided the outlet's Instagram story during the two days of the festival, and in sitting right up front they got up close to the artists as they performed in front of a sold-out arena and for a webcast audience (the show will be encored on The CW this coming week). And the two also had the chance to take the stage when were given the chance to be extras during the set of 30 Seconds To Mars and, of course, their well-known frontman Jared Leto.
Below is an Instagram video of them being given a token of appreciation by a fairly toned down Miley Cyrus during her set, and also posted on YouTube their first-hand experience of going to the big weekend (above is a picture of them with the MTV VMA moonman). Gianna and Hayden also had the chance to meet up with a friend of theirs and a fellow Midwesterner, The Bachelor's Ben Higgins who was also in town for the iHeart Festival, and later on here we'll be sharing with you their inspiring trip to Honduras to help needy children in that Central American country.
While Hayden, Gianna & Ben got to party with Miley, Jared and Coldplay, over in the Big Apple as Season 6 is now in full swing, another musician has now joined Team AYTO. Last week, the object of Keyana's affection, Michael got to tend bar in the clubhouse of Bravo's late night show Watch What Happens Live with the channel's signature host Andy Cohen, and a guest of that show is someone who is musical royalty and whose nickname is the Dutchess.It was in the mid-'80s that Stacy Ferguson began her showbiz career as the voice of Sally in two Charlie Brown specials, but it was her five-year stint on the Kids Incorporated where she first made her mark, as well as being part of girl group Wild Orchid. But it was a call she got from a hip-hop group that would change her life, as she joined The Black Eyed Peas at the most opportune time as the group broadened its musical scope from just hip-hop to also include pop and dance-pop. Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap & Taboo would garner the music world's attention with over 76 million records sold, and hits like "I Gotta Feeling," "Where Is The Love" and a Super Bowl halftime show. And she has also fared very well solo-wise, with several hit singles as well as her own brand fragrance... her second solo album just released this past month.
When Michael and one of his friends appeared on WWHL, this is what happened next...
Loving the Milk Men On @BravoWWHL @andy @michaeldean2_0 @Fergie #WWHL #milk @JussieSmollett pic.twitter.com/AsR4uz8Grb— VJ Brendan Thompson (@VJBrendan) September 27, 2017
►ROAD RULES REUNITED
 |
| IG @Shannanity |
Last week as Shane was getting accustomed to his new digs in our nation's capital, someone who shared an RV with him on that journey to colleges across America came in for a visit to where he works in D.C. Eric Jones came to that Campus Crawl from a traditional Florida family, became a star player both on the football field and in the math field, then went to Cornell and became the life of the party. On that season while Darrell, Shane and Rachel were developing their skills that would bring them to many challenges as did Gauntlet queen Sarah Greyson, Eric developed a love affair with Seattle native Kendal that lasted for some time during their trip.
This moment was, of course, posted to Instagram with the caption, "Guess who had a mini Reunion this weekend!! #mtv #roadrules #thechallenge #likeafinewine," while the girl who replaced Sarah on the RV upon her vote-off Raquel wrote, "Awwww my boys! 😍."
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
And on that note, we will wrap up this week's look at the week in the MTV Trifecta. As we go, there's more to the story with these links below...
● After the special on Race in America that aired the week after the controversy that took place in the Dirty 30 house, Leroy joined the Who Got Next Podcast and discussed at length the racism issue and the fateful events that happened with him and Camila. Listen to that podcast on SoundCloud.
● Just this weekend, Ethan from AYTO Season 6 joined The Sapphire Network to discuss what's been happening so far in New Orleans, what we can expect this season, and even some love secrets. Check out that podcast on SoundCloud also.
● And check out Rob Has A Podcast and its MTV coverage with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Buongiovanni (@AdamBongo) as the former and her discussed last week's and this week's Challenge episodes along with guest host Johnny Langan for the second Redemption battle, and her and the ladder talking the premiere and episode 2 of AYTO.
With the usual reminder to bookmark this site for our all-encompassing and acclaimed MTV Trifecta coverage, we have the first installment of this cycle of ExtraTime In-Depth, which will feature the Backstory of Dirty 30 competitor Ammo coming in the next few days in between our traditional spots of posting our weekly episode coverage over the weekend. Follow DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for live tweets of the Trifecta, tomorrow's finale of Siesta Key, Tuesday's 90's House and much more. Join the conversation surrounding Dirty 30 at #DCChallenge, and send your thoughts about the work this site does at #DCBLOG as well as making sure to share our links on social media and increase this site's visibility to your fellow fans.
That is how we look at it Inside the MTV Trifecta... thank you for checking us out. Have a great week ahead, see you then and welcome to October.
- I AM DC
