DC ExtraTime: Power Couples - Sweet Music... and a Baby

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

 JORDAN & TORI, and Sweet Music 

IG @Jordan_Wiseley

Before the long, dragged out finale of The Challenge XXX late last year, we shined a light on two of the finalists who competed for $1,000,000. For the man who bested two multiple champions in the final, we focused not on Jordan's prowess en route to his second title, but him playing the role of a rookie policeman on Tyler Perry's If Loving You is Wrong. For the lady who finished behind a beast mode of a competitor and who's widely seen as the least-popular champ ever, we looked at how Tori earned her stripes in the showbiz world not in her two past shows or her stellar rookie season on Dirty 30, but at New York City's biggest events talking to Nelly, Fat Joe and Ja Rule on the red carpet.
   Couples from same and separate seasons of their original and on subsequent show are commonplace not only in the ecosystem of The Challenge/Real World bubble and Are You The One, but also other MTV shows (and if a picture taken at a club down so fun last week is an indication, the two Florida-based shows might have a romance in Nilsa from Floribama Shore and dreamy stud Carson from Siesta Key). Jordan and Tori are the latest of these power couples which, if you follow them on SnapChat and Instagram and view their stories, you'll get a good glimpse of what they get to do everyday in that sunbaked SoCal paradise.

Both Jordan and Tori have been in high-profile cast romances, both on-camera and off: After we first saw him on Real World Portland, on The Challenge we have seen Jordan hook up with Sarah in the closet on Rivals II, with Jonna later in that rookie season, and then Laurel on Free Agents. For Tori, we saw her make out with Asaf on AYTO Season 4, then head to the Boom Boom Room with her eventual perfect match Morgan on both that season and on Second Chances. She then got romantic with another AYTO alum in Mike from Devin's Season 3 cast before he cheated on her in Seattle in the Real World Bad Blood house. And there was the mess of her latest relationship bust with Derrick H. from Season 5, for which she faced his fellow castmate Kam last night in elimination.

   Shortly after Season 30 wrapped up filming and them making the final together, Jordan and Tori returned stateside and things began to click for the both of them. This was brought into focus on the XXX reunion where supposedly the two got to do their thing, and though the question of them being officially a couple wasn't answered when The Miz asked them about it, what we've seen on social media from them suggests that this is more than a casual friendship… cross-country treks for them, then them in the mercenaries who invaded Vendettas along with the man he beat for in the final Derrick K., and one Tori had issues with on Dirty 30 and then on Champs vs. Stars, Aneesa.

When Dirty 30 entered the business part of the season, Tori's YouTube channel posted the first of three YouTube videos with Jordan being part of it, and all three have music in them. Below are the three tracks featuring these two people who have a lot in common of being very versatile (him as an athlete, actor, model and entrepreneur – her as a musician, model and having done that interview work) and both being very good Challenge competitors and people.

"BUDAPEST"

"WORK"

SONG #3

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 GIANNA & HAYDEN and a New Baby 

The day after last week's episode of The Challenge Vendettas was February 14th — and of course, it was Valentine's Day. And it was the most appropriate day for the revealing of the newest members of the Team MTV Parents Club, with a couple who met on Are You The One? last year, on the season where Kam, Alicia, Eddie and Tori's most recent ex come to us from.

   For the group who infamously lost the money last spring, there is silver lining for the one couple of the Season 5 cast who is still together. Gianna and Hayden met in that mansion in the Dominican Republic, and though they weren't paired in a matchup ceremony they were nonetheless together for most of that season, and they clicked from the moment they met. But they are also one of the many couples who were sent into the small space where hopes and dreams can live or die by laser beams, and returned out of the Truth Booth as non-matches. However, after he began to see Brazilian Carolina in the house -- and eventually become that season's other TB match, in the end his heart was with his fellow Midwesterner. Him stealing $60,000 when he and his perfect match were up for the Choice on Second Chances is indicative of this relationship.

IG @GiannaHammer

Last week on the biggest day of all in the love department, we saw the biggest thing to happen to Gianna & Hayden: no, not them announcing that they had gotten engaged though that day should be around the corner — but something just as magical. For days leading up to last week, they teased about something that would drop on Valentine's Day, and those wondered what it might be. And there, a photo was posted on both of theirs Instagram accounts to reveal to everyone that they are about to become parents.
   She posted on IG @GiannaHammer, "Happy Valentine’s Day! This came as a big surprise to us and am I nervous HELL YEA but I’m super super excited to grow this little bean into a cute lil mini me (or mini Hayden). God has a way of surprising people when they least expect it. Adding another baby to the AYTO fam 🎉, August better come quick! 💜 s/o to my friends and family who gave me the strength and support I needed throughout these last 2.5 months, Hayden was born to be a dad and i can't wait to be a mom and the love and support means everything to me. I love you all and you know who you are 💜💪🏽"
   For him, similar words on IG @Hayden.Parker.Weaver: "Happy Valentines Day to my girlfriend, best friend, and MOM of our first child ❤️👶🏽 I cannot wait to go on this exciting (and terrifying) journey with you into a new chapter of our lives and the rest of our family. You’re going to be the best (and hottest) Mom ever. August 2018 cannot get here soon enough. I love you. #August2018 #AugustBaby #BoyOrGirl ?"

Our congrats go out to them as they embark on this new stage in their lives which will reach a crescendo this summer, and check out our ExtraTime from last year when Gianna joined with fellow AYTO alum and Northern Ohio native Ashleigh from Season 1 to become Disney Princesses for a day with YouTube superstar Rachel Levin... we assume that if it's a baby girl, we're sure that she'll dress up like a princess on her first Halloween.

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This week saw something I've not had in a while: for the first time in over a year I missed a deadline to publish episode posts relating to last week's episode of The Challenge Vendettas before last night's episode aired. But it's for a valid excuse: I've been busy spending most of my free time watching the PyeongChang Winter Olympics with a bit more interest than others in my Twitter timeline. We apologize to those of you who didn't get the action, reaction and interaction of Episode 7 up in time.
   But need not worry: that will be part of a 'Pulse doubleheader covering that and last night's episode which will be up this weekend starting on Friday. Also, we'll have a Look at MTV's newest series, Winter Break: Hunter Mountain, as four of those who faced off against Bananas and The Challenge establishment on Fear Factor will carry that winter momentum from Korea to New York's Catskill Mountains for lots of drunken debauchery and lots of fun in the snow.
   Speaking of #DCGames18, tonight sees Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and the U.S. Women's Hockey Team go for gold in Asia, plus final runs in the men's freestyle halfpipe and women's snowboarding big air — all with American medal threats. It's just starting over on DCNOW on Twitter @DC408DxNow... see you there right now, and we'll talk to you here this weekend.

- I AM DC