BY DC CUEVA
■ @DC408Dxtr @ TW / IG / YT
As one of the first basic cable networks to produce and air its own original programming, MTV has been a pioneer in the TV industry in making it possible for low-budget series to thrive, and perfecting reality TV before it became commonplace. The impressive resume includes series like Real World, The Challenge, The Hills, Catfish, Jack@$$, The Osbournes, Beavis & Butthead and Remote Control. Music shows like TRL, 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps and Unplugged, scripted fare such as Teen Wolf and Awkward, and the annual Video Music Awards are also very much notable in the channel's body of work.
The success of those shows and many others provide the backdrop for this installment of The Look, where we will look at what is the channel's highest ever rated series, and how a longing for the past and nostalgia are channeling the vibes for MTV's newest series, Floribama Shore.
The year of 2009 marked a year of transition and reinvention at MTV. Total Request Live had ended its original ten-year run as the growth of the Internet made music videos more widely available than just on a channel historically known as "Music Television," and the quest was on to find the next new thing for one of cable's pioneers. It took some time, but a one week stretch in December 2009 saw things change for a channel looking to again reinvent itself in what's become the YouTube age.
On a winter's Tuesday night, Teen Mom premiered as an offshoot of that summer's most buzzed-about show, 16 and Pregnant. The series followed four girls who had just become new parents to newborn babies: Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell, Amber Portwood and Farrah Abraham. They would then be joined by Season 2 & 3 ladies Chelsea Houska, Jenelle Evans, Kailyn Lowry, Leah Messer and Briana DeJesus as they became regular staples of the supermarket tabloids and everyone was, and still remains, glued to their every move.
Just five days earlier on December 3rd, 2009 came MTV's other game-changer, and those who wanted something a little more exciting in the drama category than that first show got exactly what they were looking for. In came eight people from New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island with common Guido backgrounds as they took for a trip down State Route 70 to Seaside Heights, NJ, took up residency in a time share, and sold shirts in a store located right by the boardwalk. And of course, they got to party it up all summer long, did many a fist pump on the dance floor and coined a lot of notable one-liners.
The result became Jersey Shore, which was intended to be an elimination style competition show for VH1, but ultimately made its way across the hallway to MTV as they were in need of something new and fresh to revive sagging viewership. Oddly enough, it was, of all things, a punch that helped make the show become as big as it became: Public outrage erupted when Snooki was punched by an onlooker which shocked everyone and brought the kind of negative press that accompanied such a controversial moment. But inadvertently, it helped to bring the show to the masses thanks to her, Mike The Situation, J-Woww, Pauly, Sammi, Ronnie, Vinny, Angelina and her replacement Deena, and the drama and humor they brought to fans.
On a winter's Tuesday night, Teen Mom premiered as an offshoot of that summer's most buzzed-about show, 16 and Pregnant. The series followed four girls who had just become new parents to newborn babies: Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell, Amber Portwood and Farrah Abraham. They would then be joined by Season 2 & 3 ladies Chelsea Houska, Jenelle Evans, Kailyn Lowry, Leah Messer and Briana DeJesus as they became regular staples of the supermarket tabloids and everyone was, and still remains, glued to their every move.
The result became Jersey Shore, which was intended to be an elimination style competition show for VH1, but ultimately made its way across the hallway to MTV as they were in need of something new and fresh to revive sagging viewership. Oddly enough, it was, of all things, a punch that helped make the show become as big as it became: Public outrage erupted when Snooki was punched by an onlooker which shocked everyone and brought the kind of negative press that accompanied such a controversial moment. But inadvertently, it helped to bring the show to the masses thanks to her, Mike The Situation, J-Woww, Pauly, Sammi, Ronnie, Vinny, Angelina and her replacement Deena, and the drama and humor they brought to fans.
Jersey Shore replaced The Osbournes as the highest rated series in MTV history and became a pop culture landmark at the turn of the decade, as each of the castmates became household names and pop stars, turned Seaside into a tourism capital, did the same in the house, boardwalk and Danny's Shore Store becoming national cultural landmarks, and gave the definition to a simple, three-letter acronym: GTL - gym, tan, laundry. The BFF friendship of Snooki & J-Woww, the on-again/off-again romance of Sam/Ron, and what the guys would say next became something that got viewers hooked from the beginning... a show described by some as "a reality comedy with heart."
Earlier this summer, the web was abuzz with two reunions involving most of the cast: a Burger King commercial and an E! special, and one Challenger who grew up watching the show had a chance to meet two of the castmates in Kailah meeting Pauly D. and Ronnie. And since the show ended in 2012, the Shore franchise has been kept alive by spinoffs with a few of the cast (Snooki & J-Woww the most notable) and local adaptations of Jersey Shore on MTV's international channels in Europe and Latin America. There's Geordie Shore in the U.K., Acapulco Shore in Mexico, Warsaw Shore in Poland, Gandia Shore in Spain and an all-star international version called Super Shore.
Now, almost five years to the day after we waved farewell to that legendary cast and that iconic shore house -- which took place on that almost apocalyptic day of Dec. 20, 2012, and with Deena now having tied the knot, we now get to say hello to a new generation set on bringing the magic of Jersey Shore down south to a place where it's sunny and warm all year long: Florida. Earlier this year, MTV invited those to escape to paradise when it documented a group of college-aged Floridians spending their summer in the tucked away part of the Sunshine State of Siesta Key. Now, they once again head to Florida for this much-anticipated revival of the Shore franchise where it began.
With a beach in the Florida Panhandle stretching all the way to Alabama, Floribama Shore represents the story of eight young adults who travel here to spend their summer on the Gulf Coast's hottest beach town, Panama City Beach, FL. Just like those who come here each March for Spring Break, these youngsters will party it up and forget what's going on in the real world for some time while they are having the time of their lives. No doubt, they will channel what their predecessors in Seaside did those six magic seasons in doing it big, but also with a sense of Southern charm that accompanied another cable hit, CMT's Party Down South.
However, just as it is on Real World, each of the eight housemates come here with incredible life experiences, and as it was for Alex and co. down in Sarasota, they'll also find themselves at a crossroads: some are coming in single, others are enjoying life free as a bird for the first time, and also trying to escape their tough pasts too. Like any good coming of age moment, Floribama Shore will capture the thrill, joy and angst of being young and in your twenties, and trying to figure out what the future has in store with a new group of people who becomes a second family... all the while enjoying the beach, the nightlife and fun with friends.
The cast who have been chosen to take on this daunting task of following in the footsteps of that legendary Seaside counterparts are those who have their own stories of what brought them to Florida.
● AIMEE: Hailing from the small town of Perdido, AL -- population 200 near the Alabama/Florida border, Aimee is anxious for a new start in her life. She has been in an on & off relationship with her boyfriend for ten years, but when he got another girl pregnant she had to finally draw that line. However, there's nothing that can dim the spark of someone who calls herself "Princess Goddess Mermaid," and Aimee's not afraid to say what she thinks but always keeps the house in line with that down home wisdom.
● CANDACE: With her big hair, make-up perfectly applied like that of Challenger Nicole R., and outfits ready to take over the 'Gram, Candace is bringing that Southern belle vibe to PCB... and with humor too. She grew up in Memphis being around that city's tough life there with her having experienced more violence with guns than many of us might remember. Coming from there gives her a chance to finally enjoy being care-free in Florida, with her quick wit and "I don't give a S___" demeanor will make her a voice of reason here.
● CODI: A true southern gentleman who's a bartender in South Carolina, Codi is more than anxious to take a leave from his job being a bartender there to drive down to Panama City Beach. But having gained experience in listening to the problems of other people in that bar, he may find himself in getting into the conflicts his housemates may potentially find themselves here. He looks at himself as both a caretaker and pot-stirrer, but at day's end Codi is someone who's a southern soul who's able to bring together the house.
● GUS: A Greek American from Tallahassee, Gus is that southern charmer who puts respect for women and everyone at the top of his daily list. Considering what we might see on this season, it'll be a challenge for him here. but considering how he was kicked out of his house at 17, Gus had to grow up fast and is anxious for his summer in PCB... and to find the right lady too. And here's reason for Trifecta fans to watch: he went to high school with AYTO stud turned Challenge power Hunter. Perhaps, the Young Bucks may want to welcome a new member?
● JEREMIAH: From Amelia Island north of Jacksonville, Jeremiah has both the good lucks of Clark Kent, the physique of Superman, and him channeling the model & gum vibes we got from the Sitch. He's opinionated, smart and confident, and when you watch next week's premiere look for the kind of excited vibes when someone who's muscular walks into the house. But should he follow what we saw with the guys up in Seaside and brings girls home, watch out - things might get a bit testy. But for now, enjoy his smile.
● KIRK: A PCB local who grew up in Atlanta, Kirk has definitely embraced the lifestyle of the beach with his wild hair and always smiley vibes. He also happens to be a hardcore Miami Hurricanes fan and anxious to see them go all the way to the CFP national title. Kirk takes pride in the words "family first," and considering how things might shape here, he may find himself having to defend his new family here. He's definitely that athletic party-goer who's ready to show the rest what this great town has to offer.
● KORTNI: Also a local of Panama City Beach, Kortni is ready to show her new roomies what the town has to offer. But as they'll be learning next week, they don't call her Krazy Kortni for nothing: she's never lived away from her Florida home, has never had to take care of herself, and has never had a hob she didn't get her pink slip from. She is that country girl who, like a few we've seen on the Trifecta and on CMT, will be ready to bring the party here... provided she makes it past night one in her hometown.
● NILSA: Nilsa also enjoys the status of having lived here in PCB her whole life, but is looking forward to living on the beach with new people ready to party. But Nilsa has already been through a lot: she got married at age 23 but then she and her husband divorced. Being free once again, she's ready to sow wild oats by the beach, but with some hot roommates anything can happen and she may find herself at the heart of the drama here. And oh, she's a Patriots fan who entered a contest for Maxim magazine and takes her makeup seriously.
Those who have been rolling with the original cast believe that their successors won't match what they got to do in Seaside... but as they always say, first impressions are everything and a definitive judgement isn't given until the first episode ends airing. But if next week's premiere delivers, than these new kids on the block will prove that even after five years, there's magic when you bring together eight people into a house by the beach and them enjoying the summer of their lives. And it also lands the ever-coveted post-Teen Mom slot, too. It all begins in six days.
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As was announced here a week or two ago, with the Shore franchise playing a role in the future - provided you've checked out our Forum Special on the next Challenge, DCBLOG will cover Floribama Shore as part of our site's weekly MTV Trifecta coverage with all-in-one posts recapping the episodes and offering a Pulse running diary each week starting with the premiere, and proceeding our extensive Challenge and AYTO coverage. DCNOW will offer live tweets of Floribama each week on DCNOW at @DC408DxNow, where we'll have this week's Trifecta episodes covered followed Thursday by a special Thanksgiving installment of the Playlist.
For this coming week, we'll be bringing you the Pulse of tonight's Challenge Double Shot of the Dirty 30 Reunion and Champs vs. Stars premiere, tomorrow's Are You The One, and a dedicated WRAP of this long 30th Challenge season. And at weekend's end, we'll have our exclusive Forum look at the Reunion through the eyes of a friend of this site who went to it just a couple months ago and is ready to discuss that and the season with yours truly. That all comes your way on Black Friday, after we give fans the time to watch or catch up on the episodes, and our DCBLOG coverage will come your way here over the long holiday weekend.
That is how we look at it Inside the MTV Trifecta for this week... thank you for checking us out. Enjoy tonight's Challenge doubleheader, as well as Johnny Bananas appearing later on The Tonight Show, and have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
