Outside of a few sports-related posts and a tribute to someone who I was lucky to meet before his untimely death this summer in Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, the lions' share of posts that we have offered you have been of following this site's greatest passion of covering the MTV Trifecta. Sure, there was no Real World season that premiered this year, other than for the season finale of Bad Blood airing just after we rung in 2017... but nonetheless, we were witness to so much exciting television that riveted those like you who were glued to MTV each week all this year.
With two seasons of The Challenge, two seasons of Are You The One?, three spinoff seasons of both those series, and two new shows that took Real World's place and offered something fresh in Stranded with a Million Dollars and Floribama Shore, we were surely entertained by everything that went down in our living rooms and mobiles. We even did one-off reviews of three other shows outside the Trifecta in 90's House, Rory Kramer's Dare to Live, and MTV's breakout hit and a guilty pleasure of sorts: Siesta Key (don't judge me, sometimes a show everyone seems to hate & you're afraid to tell everyone almost becomes just as addictive).
In our twelve months of documenting the MTV Trifecta, we have covered seven full seasons and two which are still ongoing that, when you account for actual episodes, reunions and specials, adds up to exactly 100 hours of television. That's about 71 hours sans commercials or almost three full days of binge watching non-stop if you decide to do all-nighters for two days. And when you factor in all of the posts we have done this year almost each week and almost non-stop, with the exception of a few weeks in June and July, we averaged 1.57 posts a day, or every other day over the past year - even though we usually target our posts towards the time where you're just relaxing in the weekend.
Sure, 2017 didn't have the kind of famous or infamous moment that reached the level of the Bananas steal, but still we have been bare witnesses to some of the year's most-talked about moments that can only take place in the MTV Trifecta. This year began with something new: an 11th couple in the Are You The One? house, making 11 for 11 the new magic number for Season 5. And what happened there with couples who were no matches staying together after the fact and poor gameplay led to the show's most infamous moment ever: them being the first cast to lose the game altogether.
We then went to Thailand where eighteen underdogs who had never won a Challenge title before were given what for a moment appeared to be just a mere cakewalk… only for that to get upstaged by an Invasion of the Champions. What ensued was some really great drama and competition that saw a beast of a competitor experience something she's never had before: go home early, the feeling of playing this game get to their heads, and a couple guys from an old time return one more time. In the end, we had both a Champion and an Underdog satisfy both fan bases in CT winning his second crown, and Ashley M. taking down Camila to become the biggest surprise champion in many years.
Then came the spinoffs: ten pros and ten stars challenging those two and some Challenge big names to answer who is the strongest. Those like Lolo Jones, Justina Valentine and Gus Kenworthy have excelled and stood up to the onslaught of the big names, while the beneficiaries of their efforts are the charities they competed for... and what we saw with Lolo's great gesture and Bananas' friend from Special Olympics reminded us of a bigger thing than this show. And down in Australia, we saw reaffirmation of a growing legend in Devin who won Second Chances with Rashida, and saw a bad end to a perfect match's relationship and greed putting one's true love over his match.
All of those help set the stage of a dramatic second half of the year that saw this site rise to the occasion offering more than half of this year's output from July to December. We came to Colombia for the landmark 30th season of The Challenge, XXX: Dirty 30. MTV really stepped things up in not only having a bold cast of favorites and newbies, but also upping the ante to $1 million... the richest prize purse in Challenge history. They also brought the entire cast of New York for both a big season launch and then at the end of it all for the reunion, which two of my good friends got to become witnesses to. And while it was, yes, a long season by the standards of what we have seen in the past decade and not every episode had the standard challenge/elimination format we're used to, we saw the kind of season that told you why fans like you love this show.
We had twists and turns just about as often as summer fireworks with Purges at the beginning and end, the Redemption House, and the Double Cross that turned things upside down in elimination with a couple XX's. We had dirty gameplay all season long, hookups we did not expect, and a lot of intense competition and eliminations, and also confirmed a theory one had in this show's winningest player seemingly cursing himself after what went down on Rivals III. Unfortunately, the most memorable moment of the season saw what is in all likelihood the start to the unfortunate end to a Challenge career in Camila, and her racist tirade vs. Leroy and her epic meltdown on Champs vs. Stars, saw her win in the final being tarnished a bit. However, the won who won for the guys came back from a few seasons' hiatus and dominated the $1 million final as if he was a seasoned vet, and Jordan not only took the W but also scored, what is in many minds, the rookie of the year in Tori - who herself had a stellar 2017 competitively, though not all things came up rosy because of what happened with her & Derrick H., but she will be back and will be a staple.
All of those help set the stage of a dramatic second half of the year that saw this site rise to the occasion offering more than half of this year's output from July to December. We came to Colombia for the landmark 30th season of The Challenge, XXX: Dirty 30. MTV really stepped things up in not only having a bold cast of favorites and newbies, but also upping the ante to $1 million... the richest prize purse in Challenge history. They also brought the entire cast of New York for both a big season launch and then at the end of it all for the reunion, which two of my good friends got to become witnesses to. And while it was, yes, a long season by the standards of what we have seen in the past decade and not every episode had the standard challenge/elimination format we're used to, we saw the kind of season that told you why fans like you love this show.
We had twists and turns just about as often as summer fireworks with Purges at the beginning and end, the Redemption House, and the Double Cross that turned things upside down in elimination with a couple XX's. We had dirty gameplay all season long, hookups we did not expect, and a lot of intense competition and eliminations, and also confirmed a theory one had in this show's winningest player seemingly cursing himself after what went down on Rivals III. Unfortunately, the most memorable moment of the season saw what is in all likelihood the start to the unfortunate end to a Challenge career in Camila, and her racist tirade vs. Leroy and her epic meltdown on Champs vs. Stars, saw her win in the final being tarnished a bit. However, the won who won for the guys came back from a few seasons' hiatus and dominated the $1 million final as if he was a seasoned vet, and Jordan not only took the W but also scored, what is in many minds, the rookie of the year in Tori - who herself had a stellar 2017 competitively, though not all things came up rosy because of what happened with her & Derrick H., but she will be back and will be a staple.
And then, there's Are You The One? Season 6. We came to New Orleans a few months ago asking ourselves, "What's next?" after what their direct predecessors did not do in the Caribbean. Another group of 22 singles came there like other casts before them: all with no luck in love and no idea what awaited them. What happened after they moved in was an experience that proved frustrating at times with them not seemingly getting into rhythm in their game, but also tense with the romances that emerged with the Malcolm sweepstakes, Clinton & Uche, and of course Keith & Alexis. The ladder represents how tumultuous a relationship in an AYTO house can get with them being on everyone's mind each week right up to the end, and what later emerged in her proving that love wins in the end as she became the first AYTO castmate to come out. But almost no one except the house expected the biggest surprise of all to take place: the house being tagged as the worst cast ever going on a late surge and setting records in pulling off the series' biggest-ever comeback: 11 for 11 and $1 million.
As for this site, I and DCBLOG have stepped up to the challenge and risen to the occasion to offer all of you what I personally consider to be the gold standard in this industry of covering the MTV reality TV world, and those of you who loyally check out this site regularly share this feeling too. So many times in the past twelve months, I've logged in long hours working late into the night after episodes air and often all day on my off days from work to compile together all the things that make this site so great. Sure, there are all the episode recaps, the analysis, occasional opinions and all else that you'd expect sites like ours to do, and we offer them here. But this site allows you to go beyond those and offer you a distinctively different angle on this MTV world through our lens.
For loyal fans who watch the episodes live each week and the increasing number of you who are cord-cutters, who can't watch episodes of The Challenge or AYTO until they're posted on over-the-top methods and have to go into a social media blackout of sorts until you watch it later... DC SocialPulse has been your savior and has allowed all of you the opportunity to experience or relive the moments that have made everyone talking through the tweets of the casts who saw those 100 episodes go down through the eyes of Twitter. From the AYTO5 loss and the Season 6 comeback to Camila's meltdown, big time moments and all else in between and after, the 'Pulse has brought you a front row seat to all the action, reaction and interaction as the cast, alums and all of us.
As for this site, I and DCBLOG have stepped up to the challenge and risen to the occasion to offer all of you what I personally consider to be the gold standard in this industry of covering the MTV reality TV world, and those of you who loyally check out this site regularly share this feeling too. So many times in the past twelve months, I've logged in long hours working late into the night after episodes air and often all day on my off days from work to compile together all the things that make this site so great. Sure, there are all the episode recaps, the analysis, occasional opinions and all else that you'd expect sites like ours to do, and we offer them here. But this site allows you to go beyond those and offer you a distinctively different angle on this MTV world through our lens.
For loyal fans who watch the episodes live each week and the increasing number of you who are cord-cutters, who can't watch episodes of The Challenge or AYTO until they're posted on over-the-top methods and have to go into a social media blackout of sorts until you watch it later... DC SocialPulse has been your savior and has allowed all of you the opportunity to experience or relive the moments that have made everyone talking through the tweets of the casts who saw those 100 episodes go down through the eyes of Twitter. From the AYTO5 loss and the Season 6 comeback to Camila's meltdown, big time moments and all else in between and after, the 'Pulse has brought you a front row seat to all the action, reaction and interaction as the cast, alums and all of us.
And for those of you who wanted more than just episode coverage, ExtraTime has allowed you to go beyond the screen to offer you the stories behind the story through the prism of the shows you love. That's where the gist of much of this site's very best work of the year lies in: the story of a rock band who hung up the mic after 20 years and whose journey began with them getting their big break in an early Challenge season. There's the oral history of The Challenge's biggest rivalry and, despite the spinoff season's unique nature it diminished the glow of having a banana and a ginger in the same room in that intense environment. Who can forget our story on a homemade Challenge by a devoted superfan of the show who met the cast in New York this summer? And there's the portraits we've offered on so many personalities, past and present, that have offered you a different view of them in our unique style of storytelling.
Not everything about this site is perfect and often times it has been frustrating: many times behind the scenes, I've had to reshuffle my blog schedule when those I've wanted to talk to had to blow me off because of things that go beyond my control, posts which were promoted on social media turn out to not see the light of day due to the complexity of the stories which are being covered, and even having to put a fellow Twitter user on blast through subtweets not once, but twice for not promoting this site on their platforms so that this site can be sampled to the largest possible audience it deserves.
But all of this is part of the blood, the sweat, the tears and the hustle that comes with being perhaps the single hardest-working person who covers this MTV world on a week-in, week-out basis as I do. There is perhaps no one blogger in this business who works just as hard as anyone to get out the very best content to all of you out there, all fueled by a love of the shows that, while they air just a couple nights a week, it has now become my biggest passion. And this site regular churns out some of the most unique, insightful and engaging coverage anywhere, and coverage of the highest caliber that has become the calling card of this site. The support you have given to me has more than driven me to exceed and make all of this tiring work seem all worth it in the end.
And while we are not ready to put 2017 to bed just yet with a three-part Reality Debrief to come in this early part of the new year, there is a lot to look forward starting as soon as we all return to work and school in a couple days. Just as soon as we ring in 2018, there is already a new Challenge season coming up with both fan favorites and a bunch of newbies with unresolved issues ready to duke it out in Vendettas. There is the new U.S. adaptation of the British series Ex on the Beach which promises to bring the brand of MTV reality TV we're used to to a new level of crazy. And there's a lot on the plate that's hard to judge at this point as we ready to say farewell to this year, but all points will lead us to another phenomenal year of big moments, bright stars and so much more in offering this regular escape from reality for real life drama found nowhere else. And it will once again be our duty to bring all of that to you each week, and it all begins tomorrow on New Year's Day when we get to introduce the newbies of the new Challenge season and reintroduce a Challenge veteran.
Of all the years that I have had the passions of writing for a living and watching and following the MTV universe which go back well before I launched this site, 2017 has been the most exciting year ever. It's in no small part due to the hundred or so castmates, competitors and hosts who entertained us this year and brought us so many memorable moments, and the support you the fans have showed them and those like you who supported me this year. We offer them nothing but our thanks for the memories they brought us the past twelve months, and the lyrics of the musical epilogue at the end of this bit seems to represent the shared experience they all went through: "I did it all... I saw so many places, The things that I did... I swear I lived." They surely have done exactly that.
It's been our pleasure and our privilege to once again bring you this look at this world of ours from this spot on the World Wide Web. This year has, no doubt, been an unbelievable and incredible ride, and we hope you enjoyed every moment of it... and let's hope that 2018 will be just as good, perhaps even better. And to all of you, thanks for your continued support... and may I, DC Cueva, wish all of you a very safe, peaceful and a Happy New Year. May the coming year bring you the very best ahead.
- I AM DC
Not everything about this site is perfect and often times it has been frustrating: many times behind the scenes, I've had to reshuffle my blog schedule when those I've wanted to talk to had to blow me off because of things that go beyond my control, posts which were promoted on social media turn out to not see the light of day due to the complexity of the stories which are being covered, and even having to put a fellow Twitter user on blast through subtweets not once, but twice for not promoting this site on their platforms so that this site can be sampled to the largest possible audience it deserves.
But all of this is part of the blood, the sweat, the tears and the hustle that comes with being perhaps the single hardest-working person who covers this MTV world on a week-in, week-out basis as I do. There is perhaps no one blogger in this business who works just as hard as anyone to get out the very best content to all of you out there, all fueled by a love of the shows that, while they air just a couple nights a week, it has now become my biggest passion. And this site regular churns out some of the most unique, insightful and engaging coverage anywhere, and coverage of the highest caliber that has become the calling card of this site. The support you have given to me has more than driven me to exceed and make all of this tiring work seem all worth it in the end.
And while we are not ready to put 2017 to bed just yet with a three-part Reality Debrief to come in this early part of the new year, there is a lot to look forward starting as soon as we all return to work and school in a couple days. Just as soon as we ring in 2018, there is already a new Challenge season coming up with both fan favorites and a bunch of newbies with unresolved issues ready to duke it out in Vendettas. There is the new U.S. adaptation of the British series Ex on the Beach which promises to bring the brand of MTV reality TV we're used to to a new level of crazy. And there's a lot on the plate that's hard to judge at this point as we ready to say farewell to this year, but all points will lead us to another phenomenal year of big moments, bright stars and so much more in offering this regular escape from reality for real life drama found nowhere else. And it will once again be our duty to bring all of that to you each week, and it all begins tomorrow on New Year's Day when we get to introduce the newbies of the new Challenge season and reintroduce a Challenge veteran.
Of all the years that I have had the passions of writing for a living and watching and following the MTV universe which go back well before I launched this site, 2017 has been the most exciting year ever. It's in no small part due to the hundred or so castmates, competitors and hosts who entertained us this year and brought us so many memorable moments, and the support you the fans have showed them and those like you who supported me this year. We offer them nothing but our thanks for the memories they brought us the past twelve months, and the lyrics of the musical epilogue at the end of this bit seems to represent the shared experience they all went through: "I did it all... I saw so many places, The things that I did... I swear I lived." They surely have done exactly that.
It's been our pleasure and our privilege to once again bring you this look at this world of ours from this spot on the World Wide Web. This year has, no doubt, been an unbelievable and incredible ride, and we hope you enjoyed every moment of it... and let's hope that 2018 will be just as good, perhaps even better. And to all of you, thanks for your continued support... and may I, DC Cueva, wish all of you a very safe, peaceful and a Happy New Year. May the coming year bring you the very best ahead.
- I AM DC
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