BY DC CUEVA
We were slated to do our usual Things to Know recap covering the first two episodes, but because our focus this coming week is on getting our long-promised Reality Debrief up - that will now be part of next week's posts instead when we'll have a couple big twists to drop on the game. But coming up, we'll head inside the Strategy Room to discuss the changes in this season's roster and how things might shake up, and how the Redemption'ers might get a leg-up on the competition down the street. Then, we'll have a look at how one of those living in that small villa is doing something good that will make you appreciate her even more... that's all to come on this week's WRAP.
STRATEGY ROOM
MIX UPS, ROOKIES, AND PEEKING IN...
While our recap of Episode 2 will be combined with both Episodes 1 and 3 next week, there are some notable takeaways from this past week that's worth taking a second look at...
● MIX-UPS & REPAIRINGS
When we began this season, we had twenty-eight competitors who competed in that first challenge which doubled as a Purge, and saw three pairs head off to the lap of luxury of Redemption. At the end of that, they dug up Johnny Bananas and it became twenty-nine, then it became twenty-three when Kailah and Melissa were sent home, and then back one notch to twenty-four when Tony emerged to become Bananas' partner.
So, what do we make of these roster moves? For here, it would've been a nightmare to have four girls get kicked out for not understanding that rules are rules, and that they should be obeyed at all times and for the competitors to find different ways to control their anger. But unlike what happened on The Duel II when CT and Adam got the boot following their vicious fight and Nehemiah and RW Philly alum M.J. replacing them on short notice, here the partners not only stayed but were re-paired. Instead of being distraught like what we saw with Sarah two times, Kayleigh and Kam were paired up rather than join Kailah and Melissa on flights back to America and England.
In our opinion, it is a good thing for Kay and Kam to not get sent home by the actions of their partners, but now comes the biggest challenge yet of having to work together as a new pair formed right on the spot. Kam had a solid showing last season and it would've been both devastating, and to be frank - unjust for her to have this sophomore Challenge end on this note, but now comes having to deal with Kayleigh. And for the Brit, it's an opportunity for her to hopefully step up her game with being paired with last season's outstanding rookie... it's not the only thing on Kay's mind as she also has to deal with Natalie after it was revealed of her being outed by the EOTB/UK alum.
Heading into this week, both Bananas and us fans (that is, those who've been doing their best to steer clear of spoiler-ville including me) have been in a limbo of who should be his partner. Had it been Wes, this game would've been over, or if it was Sarah, that would've been a soap opera in itself. Had Cory been the one, we'd would've wondered how a third-tier competitor could deal with a nemesis, as did Devin after what happened in Spain... and it could've been anyone who has had dealings with the six-time champ (and now, one who's taking his talents to 30 Rock come this fall). Even someone like Evelyn would've been considered for what she did to him a decade ago.
But, in the logical sense with what this season is all about, the right person is now paired up with him. What we saw last season with Tony deciding to turn against Bananas and eventually send him home was a boss move, and stamped him as a true competitor in that Vendettas season, and who just succeeded him as season MVP on Champs vs. Stars. We didn't expect Mr. Tony Time to make a return to this season after going on the run he has had in the past year, along with putting an emphasis on what truly matters to him: his two kids. It's true: they aren't happy to be teamed up in putting the dynamic egos together here, and now it becomes a big story to keep an eye out for... but if what if what we saw in their heat was an indication, things should be fine.
But what impressed us the most of what we saw with Brad and Kyle. Given his return last season, the Cutthroat champ had to prove why he was a great competitor back then, and with what we saw in that first heat he proved why. And Kyle had to prove that what we saw from him last season was no flash in the pan, and while his partner singlehandedly gave them first dibs on who to put in and as his new love attraction was a standout this week, things are clicking for them when most everyone else is having difficulties in what was the first regular challenge here after the purge that started this thing.
● THE LATEST ROOKIE REVOLUTION?
Amidst seeing all of these players from everywhere be on this show over the past decade, one trend has remained consistent thru all of this: in all but one Challenge season since The Duel II, there's been a first-time rookie competing in the final challenge... that's fourteen of the last fifteen with the one exception being the first Battle of the Exes. Given how hard it is to win at that first try, only one of those have managed to cash in: Team San Diego and this past week (as you saw in our Pulse diary) Sam had to defend herself on Twitter over fans saying it was a mostly rookie field season that saw her, Zach, Frank and Ashley win six years ago.
We have six pure rookies competing on this season and while we're too early to look into the crystal ball, there is already talk about two of those half-dozen who put in a strong effort in that first daily. And if conventional wisdom had its day here - and if history has traditionally told us through the years, then we'd be saying here that all of the rookies should be on their way out early on. And in a sense, all three of those who we featured in our Challenge preview in Chuck, De'Vonne and Jozea are out of the question... at least as the main house sees it with no idea that they're just hanging around in an outer villa waiting for another shot. But after what we saw in that ring challenge, we now have the latest rookies to prove that they won't be push-overs.
Those who watched Ex On The Beach U.S. this spring were introduced to Angela and Faith, and they saw the same kind of dynamic and explosive personality that the former first had on the last-ever season of Bad Girls Club two years ago. And the ladder proved that there's more to her than being part of the scandal that rocked Vanderpump Rules and Jax Taylor & Brittany Cartwright. The moment that got them paired up here was the date Faith went on with Angela's man, dunk king Tor'i, and girl code being violated in the Hawaiian islands which, usually, would take something big for it to be forgiven. And while other teams have yet to even gel here, these reality alums are fresh off of what went down on EOTB and have gotten over this quickly - both here and on Twitter.
Angela and Faith took part in the first of the two challenges and in the end had nine rings. Add in the whole field (and if you can take away one of those duel 11's Brad & Kyle had), and Team EOTB finished 3rd just behind Bananas & Tony, and ahead of champs & finalists galore like Kam, CT, Veronica, Zach, Nelson, Cara and Tori. That speaks a lot when you out-do all of them in the first regular challenge - which harkens back to what we saw on Rivals I when Jasmine & Jonna benefited from the nerves that those who had just been paired up had jumping off a waterfall to win that first challenge as did fellow first-timers Leroy & Adam. And sure, this challenge was tough in execution and most of these teams this week squandered, but placing 3rd overall must feel as good as a win... and when you can get TJ Lavin's nod of approval this validates them a bit more.
When it will come to who gets voted in a couple days from now, if the current scenario of alliances and politics we've had these first two weeks it looks like Faith & Angela are safe as Kyle is aligned with them, Tony & Bananas, Zach & Amanda and the like and giving him & Brad the necessary votes to vote in Paulie & Natalie. But as we know, anything can happen... and it's only when TJ lays down the law early Tuesday night that we'll know about it. But for now, our lone all-rookie team has a good shot this early on to continue this rookie revolution all the way to autumn. And what we saw with Angela in blowing up after the pillow events will surely make her a fan favorite in no time, too.
● PEEKING THROUGH...
And if we thought the Redemption House would just be something that will just eat away time from these episodes -- one and a half of a way through as far as the game is concerned, there might be just as greater intrigue in the smaller villa than it was last time out last year. When he joined Britni & Chuck, Da'Vonne & Jozea and Jemmye & Jenna there for the first time, TJ hinted to them that there will be a way to keep an eye out on what's happening in the Main House. Again, we all were left clueless of what the host meant... but now, we know what it is in the Surveillance Room.
They all got an opportunity to sample what we in our rec rooms got to see two weeks ago in the footage of Melissa & Kailah getting into it will now give them a chance to better understand what's gone down in the main house and get themselves set to go for revenge - either at the first opportunity they return to the house or when they get asked about this on the reunion later on or even on Twitter. Jenna, obviously, was distraught seeing her top ally on the girls side get the boot while everyone else were left shocked by seeing that a team was booted out before them.
If Brian Cohen has his way, the seemingly impossible idea of having live feeds into this community won't be far off... and that would become unmissable TV. But for now, this twist surely makes life in Redemption a little more exciting. And on the topic of one of those residents there...
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#DCExtraTime
BACK TO SCHOOL
It's mid-July, which means that amidst the sight of summer essentials like BBQ charcoal, beach balls, outdoor patio and camping gear in the seasonal section of your local department store, there's also a similar sight to remind us that, before you know it, the summer sun will soon set on us - at least to many of you in the teens and twenties. With plenty of backpacks, notebooks, pencils and the like, pretty soon it'll be time for the kids to think about going back to school and college.
During this past week, Jemmye joined a nationwide movement for everyone to get ready for school in using her exposure on this show to do a random act of kindness that surely makes her an even greater sweetheart. And her focus was on those who are wrapping up their vacations and are now in prep mode to welcome back all of their students for classes which, for many across the country, begin next month.
She tweeted, "If any teachers in Nola &/or Mississippi need school stuff lmk, I would love to buy whatever you need for you.... Teachers. Make an @amazon wishlist of stuff you need.... I was just able to purchase a few supplies for a teacher & it made the donating process so easy. More people will be willing to donate if the process is that simple. If you’re able to, plz consider helping a teacher get their classroom ready. The appreciation each teacher expressed to me showed how badly they need our support. This has totally opened my eyes up to what teachers really do on their own for their students💜"
In the past week, Jem has spent time not getting into online drama or her signature live tweets of a Teen Mom franchise that's certainly made some headlines the past few days, but helping school teachers across America buy school supplies for their students. She went to Amazon to make school supply purchases for ten teachers out of her own wallet, and she retweeted every tweet from - and replied to - everyone who were willing to help her out in the New Orleans area where her original RW took place and where she resides now, as well as in Mississippi where she lived before going onto MTV and where her parents still call home in Starkville, home of Mississippi State.
One twitter user wrote, "Of all the years I’ve watched her on TV, I’ve never doubted that @JustJem24 is a great human being. She proved I was right when she decided to buy supplies for teachers, including myself. We are about to look fresh while writing in my room this year!" And another posted, "I simply replied to one of Jem's post THANKING HER for supporting teachers and I was contacted and then supported herself. I love that she is using her status to help support teachers! This is the kind of stuff we need to see on social media, not the junk! #fanforlife"
Jem also gave special attention to those in special education teachers, as a nephew of hers has the autism condition (the younger brother of this blogger also has that spectrum disorder, too). And as someone who knows what it's like to live with someone with special needs, as my younger brother also has the same spectrum disorder her nephew has, this gesture touches close to home for this blogger (as is to my sister, who chaperones on field trips my niece & nephew take often). For this, Jemmye is one of this week's MVP's along with Brad & Kyle and Angela & Faith.
And later during our Challenge coverage, we'll revisit the time where the host of The Challenge got the opportunity to change the lives of two people in the Las Vegas area - and updated to include new stories involving TJ and those in Southern Nevada.
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And on that heartwarming note, that concludes things for now here. In the coming days, we'll begin that aforementioned Reality Debrief with me and Andrew Kirk... but in between that, ExtraTime will meet three compelling people: one of music's pioneering trailblazers, a man whose antics defined one of MTV's biggest hits, and a social media star who's had a hand in helping Drake take over the charts. We'll meet them with the help of one of those we just saw get sent home as well as old & new MTV alumni before this week's episodes. We'll talk to you then...
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
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