DC WRAP Double Shot: Challenge XXX EP14 and AYTO Season 6 EP5

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

We're into another week, and as you try to get through your Monday welcome back to our DCBLOG view of the MTV Trifecta before new episodes air tomorrow night. Last week, we had a full Challenge episode, shall we say, with mission and elimination included that saw big time drama take place in between and a meeting of two giants. And on AYTO, there was also some heated drama there as well, along with a lingerie party and a mixup of sorts as the house tried to get everyone else to switch up.
   Coming up, our recap of last week with the key moments, a look at another comeback season in the one they call the bulldog making what could be his best chance at the crown, and interesting tidbits as the season by the season by the Bayou reaches halfway. And you don't wanna miss what we have in store on ExtraTime: guest appearances by a true original and one of TV's most popular series… find out who they are ahead. See you there.

 THINGS TO KNOW 

● CARTAGENA HEIGHTS: We begin this week's review with The Challenge week's daily mission, which sees the players head into Cartagena's tallest building -- 600 feet tall. Their goal: walk across a tiny balance beam and make contact with one of three X panels at the end of the beam, which will then send one of them up for the vote into Redemption. With two heats per pairing, the fastest player in each heat gains safety, and the overall winner is the fastest player among the genders, and who then gains voting power for Redemption and the Presidio.
   The guys go first, and Hunter decides to put him and Tony in one heat and enemies Bananas, Derrick and Jordan into the other. The bulldog wins for the veteran guys, while Hunter's speed takes the other one and the overall win. For the ladies, Kailah, Jenna and Tori go into the first run - which turns out to be a close race that sees Jenna take the win and voting dibs. And in the other one, Veronica sprints early but stumbles, leaving Camila to take advantage and win and send the Queen falling as Britni watches. In the end, it's Jordan and Veronica who head into Redemption
● DRAMA IN THE HOUSE: As the Redemption House awaits their chance at revenge, they also take advantage of just chilling. That doesn't include Cara Maria as she gets anxious for another shot, but once Jordan arrives, the red head immediately shows her displeasure. The argument here is that he wanted to vote her out because he doesn't want to run with her in a final because they might not gel when cash is on the line, and the girls who are left are better than her. It's no surprise that Cara gets ticked off and decides to pull a Tonya: throw his bags in the pool and try to kick him out of the room; all when she's been clearly the best female competitor this season.
   Meanwhile at the Main House, the elimination nominations take place, and given that he was double crossed last time, it's no surprise Hunter returns the favor and votes in Derrick. Jenna then votes in Camila after everyone has become tired of her antics... the votes are the came vice versa in a small audience in the living room. It's after what happened there that Camila then goes off on Tori, which then leads to verbal jabs when Tori tells her what the entire nation thinks of the Camilinator after the trash we saw last month: she's a terrible person.
● EPIC ELIMINATION: For the Double Cross, after Britni and Kailah pull singles, Tori gets the XX and sends in Britni to face Camila... and it's no contest in that female elimination as Camila's power and Britni's struggles propels the vet to an easy win when the combatants try to jump onto a big wheel and get it to spin by going on top of it, which then reels in a line of rope with the intent to get it all in quicker.
   But it's the guys who become the main event, and in a Heads-Up duel, Tony pulls the double as it sets up a battle between Bananas and Derrick, with the one who wins not only staying but also taking up residency in 2nd place in male elimination wins behind King Wes' 16 overall. It also is a rematch of a battle that took place on The Island which Bananas won as he went on to the first of his six titles and a friendly one as well, given they were on two winning Challenge teams together - and them appearing many times on Ultimate Challenge Radio.
   This battle lives up to the billing of this being a meeting between two giants, as Johnny jumps out of the blocks quickly and tries to get atop on the tire, run and fall. The bulldog responds by taking quick spins, and when he sees that he also needs to run too, that becomes the turning point. Derrick begins to show what he's made of in being fleet footed, agile and being able to react fast. As he runs fast and shows that strength, D goes on to a big win and sending Bananas to what will be the most packed small house ever, but not without a big hug.

♥ LINGERIE PARTY: The next night in New Orleans, the AYTO house gets a much needed chance to get down and let loose on the dance floor... and also, take some clothes off too. The ladies decide to put on their more scandalous outfits as a lingerie party takes place, and the group takes advantage of what they gotta do to open up to each other, while at the same time also having fun... and of course, getting some sparks flying. This includes doing lapdances, and seeing Keith make his play to be the Magic Mike of this Season 6 cast... all while being patriotic.

♥ KARLVIA FALLS APART: While Ethan & Geles share a kiss, Malcolm and Nurys forgive after last week's events, and Audrey and Diandra talk about Mr. Drummer, a couple teetering on the edge of becoming the latest power couple are Kareem and Alivia. The previous week, we saw them go on a mini-date fishing in the Louisiana lakeside, but this week in a sudden turn of events they decide to see other people: her in Keith with that lapdance, him in Zoe. And at that party, Kareem and Zoe step away, make out a little bit and things unravel for Karlvia. Keyana goes to tell Alivia about his ways, which leads to tears and him to call Key a snake. Then Tyler stands up for Alivia, and then he and Kareem exchange shoves. Yes, an AYTO season doesn't truly begin until a fight breaks out.

♥ TRUTH & STRATEGY: Another couple who have eyes on one another are Dimitri and Nicole, but he is busy watching the girls in their lingerie and draws Nicole's ire for his immature ways. However as one of the three getaway dates, they get voted into the Truth Booth and not surprisingly, they come up a No Match... a fourth straight negative result in the chamber of lasers.
   With this in mind, as they face their fourth Matchup Ceremony - and after drawing just one light in their first shot at the choice, the girls decide to mix things up and opt for strategy instead of instincts for their second time picking. They opt to sit with the guys who they feel are just right for them and not necessarily for their hearts. While Clinton & Uche stick together as do Joe & Zoe, surprising choices come about in front of Terrence J.: Audrey & Shad, Dimitri & Alexis, and the biggest head scratcher: Diandra picking Kareem instead of Malcolm. It results in three beams, but at least it's worth a try when they have nothing to lose at this early stage four weeks in.

 POLLS @DC408Dxtr

This week's two FORUM polls garnered just south of 200 overall votes in reply to the heated episodes we saw this past week: the first netted exactly three figures, the other was a landslide.

After their Redemption House fight, whose 
side are you on - Jordan or Cara Maria?

● I'm with JORDAN                     40%

● I'm with CARA MARIA               60% 

   OUT OF 100 VOTES (40/60)

After what went down tonight on AYTO 6, 
should Alivia give Kareem another chance?

● YES, give him a 2nd shot           7%
● NO, move on from him!           93% 

   OUT OF 82 VOTES

 ENDGAME 

DERRICK'S RETURN

When Andrew Kirk joins me to look back on this Challenge year on our year-end Reality Debrief in a couple months, a topic the both of us will discuss will be of 2017 being the year of returns for some of the old school veterans from generations past. Invasion saw the return of Road Rules alums Darrell and Shane, which saw the ladder become a breakout star, and the former put up a good effort in his return and then winning Champs vs. Pros. Also there, Ashley K. returned for a brief time and left with a nice consolation prize in Dario, while CT returned from his time away to take the crown.
   Along with Darrell and CT on this landmark thirtieth season, the nature of this milestone season has also seen several reemerge from their several-seasons' slumber: Exes 2 champion Jordan, Rivals 2 finalist Jemmye, St. Thomas staple Marie, and a vet who we discussed here two weeks ago in Road Rules alum and three-time champion Veronica. For another one whose MTV roots lie in that RV, this past week saw another renowned and respected veteran have his turn in the spotlight.

Last year during Rivals III around the time he reemerged on social media, we looked back at Derrick K., who was the star of Road Rules X-Treme that summer of 2004, and whose experience going through everything extreme more than prepared him for what he would encounter next. We described him as "strong, determined and feared," and one who's so respected by everyone who has crossed paths with him on the now-ten Challenge seasons he has been on that they feel it's best to not let him get dragged into the politics and house drama... ask of course Nelson about that.
   A lot of campaigning by fans from that time until now saw the Bulldog being dragged away from working the coal mines, keeping himself in tip-top shape doing CrossFit and putting family first in his kids to give it one more go and to compete for his son back home. Unlike most of the people in this cast, Derrick is someone everyday joes can relate to: normal, loyal, honest and one who works just as hard as I do... and he's a diehard fan of Game of Thrones and Chicago sports. And from the looks of the photo above, he's in better shape thanks to that CrossFit experience, making this game more ideal for him.
   Also on Medium, Allan put him at the top of the ever-present question of "Who do you want to run the final with?", even though we still have no idea of what that final will be about and no mentions from TJ of the actual final purse. His reason? Derrick has a skill no one else has: leadership. Proof of this came at the sky beams when he got to help Jenna go all the way to the end of that course... the only girl to do so. If the Dirty 30 final has the same rotating pairs format we saw last season, whomever gets paired up with him will no doubt enjoy his company, and rely on his help, expertise and experience to navigate themselves through the time where legends are made. All he needs is to muster through that puzzles problem that's plagued many a player in their past seasons.
   In his player profile on Medium at season's beginning, fellow fan Allan Aguirre singled out two strengths that helped Derrick beat Bananas last week: balance and footwork. Being able to not only excel at the athletic part of getting over the wheel, sprinting there, keeping himself at the top and work as agile as he did no doubt helped him in what was an elimination that had Diesel in mind when he made his return.
   For now, the guys' field in the main house is Derrick and the alliance of Tony and Hunter, while Bananas, CT, Dario, Jordan and Leroy are in Redemption. While the betting man may favor Johnny, CT or Leroy on their strength, Jordan for his tenacity and Dario on his luck, something to keep your eye out as we head late into this affair is experience and respect: Derrick has both of those. And depending upon who emerges from the cramped quarters tomorrow, the Bulldog might have a better shot than many think of making the final... and he would be the people's favorite.

 STRATEGY ROOM 

AYTO MATCH MATH: TRUTH BOOTH & MATCHUP #4

It may be Episode 5, but we've just come off of the fourth Truth Booth and Matchup for the Season 6 kids. And though they are behind in the count, them being able to now get back to where they started with the same maximum total of beams they accumulated in week 1 is some sort of moral victory, plus they got to mix up the order in eight new pairs in hopes that this will get everyone else going. The game is far from over for SS6, and they've got time on their side if they want to get to 11 lights with no need to rush just yet. Below is the matchup chart and, for the first time, the progress chart.

MATCHUP 4 (Girls' Pick) 
♥ Alexis & Dimitri
♥ Diandra & Kareem
♥ Zoe & Joe (3rd - TB's 1 & 3)
♥ Uche & Clinton (3rd - TB's 1 & 3)
♥ Audrey & Shad (2nd - TB 1)
♥ Jada & Tyler
♥ Keyana & Anthony
♥ Nicole & Ethan
♥ Geles & Michael
♥ Nurys & Keith
♥ Alivia & Malcolm
THREE BEAMS ▲1

SEASON PROGRESS 
♥ 1st: 3
♥ 2nd: 1
♥ 3rd: 2
♥ 4th:  3 
● Ahead of Seasons 1 (2), 2 (Blackout) and 3 (2), 
and Behind Seasons 4 and 5 (4 each)


Now that we have the familiar format of an episode featuring the results of both a Truth Booth and a Matchup Ceremony, things now reset here at halfway through these episodes. Being a little bit skeptical of how things go as far as the seasons editing, maybe they could add an additional episode or perhaps the Originals may have some company around the holidays in figuring this all out before the 10th round... but that's a discussion for much later. For now, there's a good possibility that the next time we talk to you as Halloween comes, this game will be much clearer thanks to what we might possibly see with this cast and what history has told us in the first five seasons of this love fest.

   Zoe & Joe got paired up for a third time after being paired in both guys' choices weeks, and AYTO Math currently pegs them at 68% of them being one of those three beams - the highest odds among their calculations. The second best goes to Audrey & Shad, who come in not that far behind at 66.4%, and after the drama with her & Malcolm it's pretty much time for her to focus in on Mr. Jawline. Clinton & Uche have paired up at each matchup and their odds have increased to 34% and it may be a matter of time before they get sent into the lights to perhaps confirm their trip to the Suites - perhaps, they are that one light from Week 2 and the reason seven figures is still up for grabs instead of just six. 

   Also with favorable odds are Nicole & Tyler (36.6%), Diandra & Dimitri (31%), Anthony & Keyana (24%) and Geles & Michael (21%).  No doubt, these couples should stay together - or pair up for the fifth challenge, and hope they get picked into the Truth Booth and then spend the rest of their time all alone while the rest of their castmates try to figure out how to get from three to eleven in these next six tries or less.

As we told you here last week, no AYTO cast has reached the halfway point of their season (after the fifth Matchup) without notching a match in the Truth Booth. In Season 1, Dillan & Coleysia went off to the Suites in Week 5, then the next season Pratt & Paris escaped there just before the very first blackout in Week 4. Chelsey & Connor achieved perfection in week 5 of Season 3, while Cameron & Mikala went from the House to the Suites in 3 weeks - a series record. Just last season, Edward & Kam emerged a Perfect Match in Week 5 before Alicia swooped him from beneath her grasp, and if that tea is right this triangle might take them to somewhere new... stay tuned.

   The cast can be lucky that there's still $1 million in their potential treasure chest right now. The girls performed poorly at matchup up until this week, but amidst a somewhat weird Matchup, they got to return to where they began this season at three. They are behind now, but mixing it up is a step in the right direction even if strategy can net mixed results in this game, and the new pairs who sat to each other here may get a shot at furthering their relationships going into this season's second half. Stay tuned where this goes.

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 #DCExtraTime 

WILL & GRACE… AND SIMON TOO

We are now just one month into the new television season as far as those in the land of the broadcast networks who count the official September to May season is concerned. Last night saw the return of perennial audience favorite The Walking Dead, the latest season premiere to delight fans during what is no doubt Christmas for those who love television. And along with it being the home to last year's darling of American television This is Is, the latest chapter in the resurgence of NBC as a force in primetime lies in bringing back an old favorite from its most successful era.
   During the 90's and 2000's, one of those shows that made the Peacock "Must See TV" was Will & Grace. The New York-based sitcom focuses on best friends Will Truman and Grace Adler: one is a gay lawyer played by Eric McCormack, the other is a straight interior designer portrayed by Debra Messing. The show became a landmark in many ways: one as part of Must See TV Thursday as Friends and ER, another in being a favorite of critics, viewers and award voters, and third as one of the first network series to feature gay or lesbians as principal characters. The series' impact of helping to improve mainstream opinion of the LGBT community was validated in former VP Joe Biden remarking that Will & Grace "probably did more to educate the American public on LGBT issues than almost anything anybody has ever done so far."
   Amidst the tense nature of the current American landscape, this year NBC chose the right moment to bring back Will & Grace following positive feedback to a 10-minute mini-reunion to encourage voter turnout and participation in last year's elections, followed by orders of not one but two seasons of the show. And with it joining This is Us, The Voice and Sunday Night Football in the Nielsen top ten of the first month of the fall season, viewers have no doubt welcomed back Will, Grace, Karen Walker and Jack McFarland (played by Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes, respectively) to their lives.
   Last year during Real World Go Big featuring Ammo of this Challenge season, ExtraTime featured another proud gay Real World alum, Simon Sherry-Wood from CT's Paris season, as he traveled as a touring hair stylist with Madonna on her world tour. He is one of the many who have had the opportunity to attend live tapings of the ninth overall season of Will & Grace on the Universal Studios backlot, and this past week he got to do so with his boyfriend, and afterwards shared a moment with Will himself. He captioned in his Instagram post below, "When you and your homo-bro get to watch a taping of Will & Grace and then get to sit on their couch w/ this guy 🙌🏼 #imhappyiswear #dreamcometrue #WillandGrace #wecanquoteitall".

When you and your homo-bro get to watch a taping of Will & Grace and then get to sit on their couch w/ this guy 🙌🏼 #imhappyiswear #dreamcometrue #WillandGrace #wecanquoteitall

A post shared by Simon Sherry-Wood (@simon_says___) on Oct 20, 2017 at 12:39pm PDT

AYTO MEETS SNOOP

Finally from one television icon to a true OG in the hip-hop world: some time ago we revisited the time when Brandon from AYTO Season 2 found his way to the audience of Dr. Phil's talk show the day after he was featured in that infamous moment on Rivals III... we reposted and updated that bit to include a later appearance in the audience from a fellow Season 2 alum who he got paired up with just after the show's very first blackout - Jasmine.  Well, the stage of that show isn't the only place where we have spotted the girl who resembles Rosario Dawson.
   Tomorrow night, TBS (or as old school TV fans refer to it, the Superstation) will relaunch a staple of old school television as the game show The Jokers Wild returns in a totally new way. The object of the show is answering questions based on categories bring randomly determined by a Vegas style slot machine, which also happens to have jokers. For its TBS reboot, the one and only Snoop Dogg will serve as both host and executive producer, and where his casino will be where the action takes place. And instead of trivia, mini-games like dice, playing cards and the like will take center stage.

   When you get to watch the show tomorrow (or perhaps later on because it's likely you're gonna DVR it anyway), Jasmine will be one of those contestants competing on the premiere episode of the all new Jokers Wild with Snoop Dogg. And here's an interesting fact about his sidekick: the show's co-host Jeannie Mai (also of the talk show The Real) went to the same high school as my sister, Milpitas High School here in the Bay Area, and both were part of the same Class of 2000 graduating class. That's something to look forward to as below is a peek at that premiere with Jasmine & Snoop.

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And on those two juicy notes there, we will wrap it for this week's WRAP. As we conclude, a few links of worthy mention...
● After last week's AYTO, AfterBuzz TV was joined by Kareem, Tyler and Dimitri along with Shannon from Season 5 as they discussed what went down on Episode 5 including, of course, what happened with the former and Alivia, the fight and D's trip to the Truth Booth with Nicole. Check out that podcast here, plus guest spots from other AYTO alums and castmates plus The Challenge and more on ABTV.
● Check out Rob Has A Podcast and its MTV coverage with Brian Cohen (@CohenBrian_), Ali Lasher (@LashTweets) and Adam Buongiovanni (@AdamBongo) with discussions of last week's episodes of AYTO and The Challenge, where as Brian hopped over to Yankee Stadium to watch the Bronx Bombers, she was joined by friend Jonathan Forman (@jofo322).
● For hardcore Challenge fans, check out The Brain Candy Podcast's Patreon offering where Susie and Sarah are offering premium subscribers exceptional content. Interviews with Jemmye, Derrick and Ammo are in their Patreon offering with a subscription, along with Portlander Averey and just post this weekend, a catch-up with Darrell's Road Rules Campus Crawl RV-mate Kendal.


Though this is the episode recaps, our look at Week 14 of this Challenge is not done quite yet... Just before the final Redemption Challenge goes down, we will again unlock the keys to the Strategy Room to provide a capsule of the remaining field, the possibilities and offer our first posting of our Power Rankings. We'll also tell you of two life-changers to one of this year's returnees and another who we will be seeing hosting Champs vs. Stars less than a month from right now.
   For now, thank you for joining us for the WRAP, and see you later here later -- either tomorrow or later tonight -- as our view Inside the MTV Trifecta continues. See you then.

- I AM DC