DC ExtraTime: From Portland to The Challenge to Perry's Place

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Tonight as we now reach the final act of an drama and competition-filled thirtieth season of MTV's The Challenge, this Dirty 30 season is ready to reach its climax in a familiar setting of the mountains of Argentina. This was where the first-ever location change for the fifth major pro sport took place when a season many regard as the best ever, Rivals, had its final that saw Johnny Bananas, Tyler, Evelyn and Paula come away victorious. Last year, this was also where the show's most talked about and controversial moment ever took place: Johnny stealing all the $375,000 in prize money from Sarah after the Rivals III final.

   And now, this show has arrived again to determine a champion in its first-ever $1 million final challenge. It's the first time that this venerable show has given away this much money, and it comes at the end of a season that has included just about everything: a great cast, compelling competition, big time drama off of the field, and twists and turns just about as often as a see-saw soccer match. And for the final challenge, we have a stacked field that is about as good as you can have for this last act in a stellar rookie we featured after Part 1 of the final in Tori, and five previous champions: Cara Maria, Camila, CT, Derrick and the subject of this dedicated ExtraTime.

It was five years ago at this time that Jordan Wiseley had traveled back to Oklahoma for some rest and relaxation after filming his Real World season in Portland, Oregon - the last in its original, pure twist-free format. This came just after one of the most jaw-dropping moments we had ever seen on that show: a fight between two girls that made you think that you were watching an episode of Bad Girls Club than the OG of reality TV. That season, we saw him get into heated words with Marlon, pulled a Tom Cruise on Jessica, and was the object of attention of Hurricane Nia.
   That feeling of being unlikable and almost hard to watch set the tone for his career on a show that was made for him considering his strong competitive drive and brash persona before he headed to the Pacific Northwest. His time on The Challenge has seen him make finals in all but one of his seasons -- that one being him challenging champion Bananas where him flipping the cards proved to be his downfall. His first final came by way of a strong rookie showing, his second resulted in him winning the final, and his third is now ongoing -- if only barely. And along the way, in every house we have seen him call home, we have seen Jordan being Jordan... from hookups with three Challenge veterans to most recently a rap battle gone bad in Colombia.
   This unique personality helps to epitomize the spirit of being a rebel and one who loves to do things his way, even if it can rub people the wrong way on occasion. And he's accomplished what he's done on his bucket list with just one whole hand... something he has had since he was born, and he's overcome that lifelong disadvantage to earn the respect of his fellow competitors to now make his third final in four Challenge seasons. When he stood on top of that Norwegian mountain with Sarah after they won Battle of the Exes II two years ago on his last appearance before this year, his reputation had improved considerably. And he stated at the time that this was gonna be the swan song after just three seasons, which came as a surprise to many.
   But in between that and this return on Dirty 30, Jordan has been pursuing modeling and acting, and just this summer launched his own motorcycle line & lifestyle brand, Strapped MFG. And in this ExtraTime, we'll revisit a story we did back in September 2015 when he became... of all people, a police officer under the guidance of one of the most-powerful people in entertainment.


In August, MTV's corporate parent, Viacom, took a bold step in regaining its foothold in this new world of media and entertainment in announcing a first-look deal to begin in 2019 with one of the most accomplished producers in showbiz. There is very little in common between MTV reality shows and one of the ongoing dynasties in the industry, but there is one thing that binds the world that revolves around The Challenge and related feeder shows, and the world of a man whose imprint is all over the cable dial. And he will be more than ready to infuse the renaissance Viacom has had this year, with increased viewership at MTV, VH1, and most especially at BET.

   Tyler Perry grew up in New Orleans and then in Atlanta with a troubled childhood and upbringing with his own family. Those experiences inspired Tyler to take up a hobby of writing, which then turned into a passion for theater, and formed the root for his first undertaking in showbiz: the musical I Know I've Been Changed, which was funded by all $12,000 of his life savings. The play bombed at the local box office, but that was more than just the humble beginnings to what would become an career that would see him create new stage productions, and where persistence would pay off in increased revenue and his shows being seen by 35,000 people weekly in the ATL.
   It wouldn't be that long before Tyler made his way from the stage to the silver screen, as he played and developed the film character of tough, elderly black lady Madea in his first two movies, which vaulted him to the top of the box office charts in February 2006. He has produced and helmed nearly twenty films which have featured the likes of Janet Jackson, Gabrielle Union and Kim Kardsahian(!). They range from the Medea franchise featuring Perry himself and the 2008 hit Meet the Browns to the upcoming animated holiday film The Star, all of which have helped him become the highest paid man in entertainment in 2011, and with a net worth these days over $600 million.
   Early in his film career, Tyler Perry Studios also took the plunge into television as well: the sitcom House of Payne aired for six seasons on TBS and also to a broader audience in broadcast syndication. In 2012, Oprah Winfrey and her OWN network came to Perry with the goal to help bring a new audience to her fledgling network in her post-talk show life, and has been beneficial. Several series produced by him have aired to record viewership for the channel, including the one of our focus here.

In fall 2014, the show If Loving You Is Wrong began airing on OWN, being loosely based on one of Perry's films, The Single Moms Club. Just like the movie, the primetime soap follows a group of five husbands and wives, and their related friends, who all live on the same street in the same middle class neighborhood in the same town, all as they try to find love amidst the lives they have. At first look, they're relatable people with working jobs, romance and kids... but below all that are heartbreak, deceit and lies that try to make these people's lives miserable. The series has been a hit for Oprah's network ever since, with its fourth season having premiered earlier this fall.
   When the show entered its sophomore season in fall 2015, there were openings in the cast to join the main group of female leads Amanda Clayton, Edwina Findley, Heather Hemmens, Zulay Henao, and April Parker Jones in this soap. One of the recurring storylines revolves around the role played by Henao of Esperanza Willis, whose ex-husband Eddie Willis (played by Joel Rush) is a former U.S. Marine, a corrupt policeman in his hometown, a recovering cocaine addict and shares custody of a daughter from their marriage.
   Working in the police force as a rookie cop working under Eddie's guidance and is also a drug addict himself, Ben Bryant. That role was filled by Jordan when he joined the cast for that second season, which saw him temporarily relocate from L.A. where he calls home now, to Atlanta where that show is filmed in what is the South's most-prestigious film studio.
   When the Season 2 premiere episode aired in September 2015 -- six months after they won Exes 2, his partner Sarah posted on Instagram, “Look who is on my tv!! (And NOT on the MTV channel!!) it’s @jordanw_usa !! Nice job bro!!”  And the person who had berated him in that Norway hotel room the day before that final and eventually got sent home for that tirade, Nia added “‏Yes! I’m so so proud of him.”  And yes, one of the scenes do make reference to his deformed hand, which in the case of his character of Ben, it becomes the victim of a gun when it was shot off, taking part of his hand.

Below are clips of Jordan's scenes from If Loving You is Wrong.

Jordan Wiseley Demo Reel from jordan wiseley on Vimeo.

Select Scenes from Tyler Perry's "If Loving You Is Wrong"

Being an underdog of sorts on paper to multiple Challenge champions CT and Derrick, should Jordan win tonight's final he will have overcome the rough landing he endured in skydiving from 20,000 feet to make his case for being a top-10 male competitor. With being able to make three finals in four starts and winning two of them will add validity to his argument, especially when returning after a two years' hiatus, beating a loaded guys field that also included Bananas and Darrell, and overcoming his two adversaries in this final -- all with 15 titles between those four aforementioned players alone, this win would be a solid accomplishment.
   And how about this for some added spice to this Tuesday: If Loving You Is Wrong airs on OWN in the house proceeding The Challenge. Perhaps, it's safe to say this is Jordan Tuesday, and by night's end - and provided he stays on his feat after that crash landing last week, tonight he could have $450,000. Appearing on two primetime shows on different networks on the same night is sweet, but being able to win the biggest final in Challenge history would be even sweeter.

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Tonight, Jordan looks to make it back-to-back titles on the season finale of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30, and DCNOW will have live tweets of that on Twitter @DC408DxNow - and you can join our conversation at #DCChallenge... if you plan to watch it, go ahead and enjoy the final act of this long but exciting season. But if you have other plans or don't have cable service -- need not worry... after you catch up over this short work week, join us over the coming Veteran's Day weekend with our usual look Inside the MTV Trifecta with our Pulse diaries of the finale and tomorrow's Are You The One, a recap and full analysis of the $1 million final, and ExtraTime stories such as these. Enjoy the finale, and see you here this weekend.

- I AM DC