Monday, July 30, 2018

DC WRAP Double Shot: Final Reckoning's 1st 3 Weeks and Floribama Madness

BY DC CUEVA                      
■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Welcome back everyone on this Monday... a week with the last two days of July and the start of August is just beginning, but there is still a lot of buzz over what was a busy week for MTV Reality fans - and it has even more juicer in Lindsay Lohan having her own show now. Our focus here is on what happened in South Africa with the first elimination battle and the unveiling of new twists to the game that promises to make this season of The Challenge much more exciting. And also, there was the drama that occurred on Floribama Shore where a man got handcuffed as well as an argument breaking out.
   In a preview of what we'll be having come this time next month, DCBLOG will ultimately have Double Shot WRAP posts to round out our weekly posts: our recap portion of our episode coverage starting in late August and continuing through the fall will feature not just recaps, opinion and analysis on Final Reckoning, but also Are You The One? Season of Fate with its accompanying tidbits for our analytics nerds. But for now here, we'll be looking at the key moments of the first three episodes of Final Reckoning, and take another trip to the Strategy Room to discuss the possibilities the two twists we saw this week might have on this season.
   Then, we'll have more on the latest drama to go down in Panama City Beach: we'll hear from the two who got into an argument on the street, and the man who we got cuffed. And we'll round it off with a musical delight from the duo who just nipped a pair of champions in an all-Challenge Celebrity Fear Factor. All that awaits you here before new episodes begin shortly.


 THINGS TO KNOW 
FINAL RECKONING: A THREE-PART PREMIERE

● DIGGING FOR PARTNERS: We begin with, the beginning... and as it was for the first two legs of this trilogy, Final Reckoning begins with a hybrid of a challenge & elimination. This season's first Purge sees fourteen competitors running to a grave site, where inside the caskets buried underneath are the partners who they will have to deal with this season. After their partner emerges out of the crypt, they then run to the finish line, with the two slowest players being eliminated on the spot. And the diggers have to figure out who is who, with the help of a voice-altered walkie talkie.
   Looking to continue the momentum he gained from a good showing on Champs vs. Stars I and a finals berth on Vendettas, Zach relies on just his hands to finish 1st... only to find himself get paired with Amanda. The pair who places 2nd gets a visit from the moon, if you know what we mean, when Nelson digs up Shane. The rest of the pairs take care of their business, albeit with Cara and CT getting rude awakenings when they find out who their partner is. And the race to avoid getting the cut sees Britni get clueless looking for Chuck's grave and Jenna having trouble finding Jemmye, and it leaves them in the bottom two. And Zach & Amanda then choose CVS' Jozea & his counterpart Da'Vonne to be the third pair to go home... awakening the two-time Big Brother queen.


● A GIRL FIGHT & A NEW PAIRING: As the teams who survived the purge settle in their new surroundings, Angela picks up where she left off in the drama department when she and Shane get into it after she moves her clothes to his room after the room she picked didn't have a closet. She then loses it again when the house throws pillows at her when she reveals the clue relation to the season's first regular challenge (more on that in a moment). And talk of relationships becomes the buzz: Joss gets flirty with Amanda and share the season's first kiss, and Kyle and Faith then do so likewise.
   At the Vendettas reunion, Kailah didn't have the chance to confront Melissa and Kayleigh in person, instead being stuck in London and being fed into the New York drama via the magic of television, and when she finds that the British lasses are moving into the same room as her she decides to move elsewhere. But it only delays the inevitable: at first, last season's finalist gets into it with Kay for what seems to be just a minor occurrence compared to what goes down next. Mel approaches Kailah with an offer to bury the hatchet and work together... only she does it in a different manner than the kind way of the Brits and in one that those who watched her on her two EOTB series did: aggressive and in a snobbish way.
   Them getting to yell at each other leads to another inevitability: something physical. Mel gets on Kailah with her fist in the air, and the two get into a shoving match that, according to the social buzz that emerged afterwards, turns out to be more vicious than what's shown - but more dramatic than it got there. But regardless of whether it reaches CT/Adam level or just a Tony/Camila dust-up, rules are rules and -- in what's always an unwelcome sight when it's not for nominations -- TJ heads to the house to send Mel and Kailah home and rearrange Kam & Kayleigh as a new team. Kailah is obviously in tears after what happened, but there's mixed feelings for Team K-Squared in being a new pair, which as it turns out, may become a team to watch... more on that later.




● AGAIN, REDEMPTION: Just as it was 12 months ago, it seems that giving up six people this early is a bit too many to give up at week 1... and our three deposed pairs are off not to the airport but to the Redemption House, although this one has a nice view of the South African countryside rather than be cramped in a Colombian town on Dirty 30. TJ brings our pairs there upon their temporary elimination from the main game and tells them to keep a close eye on what's going on in the main house... and he then brings them to the Surveillance Room to watch that Kailah/Mel fight, which leaves everyone shocked and stunned and leaves Jenna upset seeing her top female ally get the boot.
   In something unusual for partner seasons than we've had previously, two of the pairs are on more than civil terms: the Barbie is alright with having Jemmye watch everything from their vantage point, and so are Da'Vonne & Jozea - especially when they later get invited to watch RuPaul. But the pair who are under the most scrutiny in this small estate are the pair who came here with a lot of baggage and unfinished business: Britni and Chuck endured a bad break-up when she earned her Challenge stripes, and after some occasional sexual tension things then blow up with the two just last week. It's the only big thing going on in redemption, but we can thank Jem and Da'Vonne for their commentary.




● RINGS & A RETURN: Someone who didn't see action in the Purge was Johnny Bananas, whose original partner was Devin but - as we reported here earlier - his dad, youth baseball coach Tim Molaghan, died suddenly after his son left for this Challenge and Devin had to fly back to tend to matters much bigger than TV. So, it's not until the season's first regular challenge that the new host of NBC's 1st Look sees his first action on the field, and finding out who he is partnered up with. In a surprise, the music that accompanies him plays which means, it's Tony Time: just off his Champs vs. Stars win, Tony is Johnny's partner - and both are not happy about it.
   As for the competition itself, Wreck Yourself sees players hooked to a harness and standing on a platform, with swingers having to grab rings and bringing them back to their partner while also fulfilling their dreams of becoming Peter Pan, all while needing athleticism, agility and being a good jumper if they want to become the season's first power team. The smaller girls go in the first heat for the co-ed teams on the premise that they would fare better than the guys, but instead it's the only all guys team that takes that heat in Brad & Kyle in taking 11 rings. In the back-end, Bananas and Derrick are chosen to go swinging and the ladder fails miserably. The former manages to get 11 of his own as do Brad & Kyle, but the heat #1 winners also take #2 on the premise of a quicker time, and they become power team. Angela & Faith surprise everyone in finishing 3rd overall with 9 rings, proving that they won't be pushovers as it's historically been the case for rookies like them.

● THE TRIANGLE: For someone who made his fair share of headlines in that Big Brother 18 house, Paulie has sure made everyone in the MTV fandom talk since he moved into that Ex On The Beach villa. After we saw him and Lexi get shot down in the Shack of Secrets, people have seen why he was not America's most-liked houseguest two summers ago, and after that fateful elevator ride down to hell Paulie comes here with a girlfriend back home in Bachelor alum Danielle Maltby.
   For Cara, she's come here single with no Abe in sight, but who shares a house again with one who felt her charm in Kyle, and who got to see each other for a few months after they returned from the Czech Republic, including the Chicago stop on The Challenge Throwdown tour on the night Cory announced his parenthood. When she talks to Bananas on the patio after they move in, Cara tells him that she wants another chance to be with the pirate all while he and Faith are getting cuddly.
   And when she finds out about this in an effort to make the Geordie guy lose his mind, the redhead then makes the effort to seduce Paulie... and soon after they begin to flirt as this turns into a good old love triangle, which then becomes a square by way of what Kyle and Faith are doing in him getting into her bed. It's no surprise that Episode 2 devotes more time to the Square than to rings, with the guys now harboring hate towards one another and being a bit clueless of whether they like or want the attention of our defending champion whose perfect match is, of course, her pet horse.




● IT GETS TWISTED: A new Challenge season isn't officially on until TJ Lavin unleashes the first few twists on the competitors, or in this case - to the main house. Though a lot of fans have let it out at MTV about them featuring more of the drama rather than have both competitive elements in the same episode (and it's why we saved our first Things to Know until this week), Episode 3 sees more of the strategical parts of the game that was featured more on Vendettas when the discussions among the Troika and the dinnertime Inquisitions made for some tense television.
   As winners of the first daily mission, Brad & Kyle are the only ones safe from elimination... and not only will they get a chance to hear from everyone else on why they should not be picked to go into the nighttime spectacle, they also get something extra this time around: an additional vote compared to one for everyone else, and all of that is done in secret. And when the proceedings are finished, unlike the usual procedure the results are not revealed until the teams arrive at the elimination chamber, which this season is called Armageddon.
   And once there, the team who receives the most votes will get thrown in. But instead of the spot that usually goes to the last-place team, for this instance they will get to face off against any team who they voted for them, all made through the stage being lit up to indicated who voted for who. And in this case, it's Paulie & Natalie who get five votes including Brad & Kyle's power vote for the obvious reasons with Cara. We'll explain more in the Strategy Room shortly.

● KILLA KAM vs. LADIES MAN: If you watched Vendettas, you saw how Kam turned herself from being part of an infamous MTV cast to then winning three eliminations as a rookie and making it to the final. After falling short of cashing in Prague and losing to Brooke Hogan on Champs vs. Stars II, Kam knows she wants to go to that next level... but it's when she & Kayleigh are picked by Natalie & Paulie that, as the weakest of the three up for the vote that they got to prove why Kam has become a queen of the dungeon.
  Here, players are hooked to a resistance cord and must run to retrieve one puzzle block to give to their partner inside a cage, where they will then stack to the point where they can escape onto the top of the cage and gain the first win. In an unusual move, Kam is chosen to go up against Paulie in a rare female-male setup for this part of the game, and he is given a handicap of a thicker and shorter cord than hers to make sure and get more resistance.
   At the opening horn, it almost becomes no contest in Kam having an easy time sprinting to and grabbing the blocks, while it is nothing but a drag for Paulie as he's forced to have to do what we has to satisfy Natalie. If what we saw last season from her was great, this was even greater in seeing Killa Kam kill this elimination, and even coaching Kay to stack the puzzle after struggling early, even if it can take having to her her yell just to get this job done. And now, Kam is 4-0 in regular eliminations here… now things should be looking up for them despite being paired at last minute.



 STRATEGY ROOM 
FINAL RECKONING: MORE TWISTS ON OFFER...

For longtime Challenge fans, we always expect to have twists that are as chaotic as anything to rock the game… and there's no shortage of that here on Final Reckoning. If you are new to watching this show and have watched reality competition series like what Paulie, Natalie and co. have been in on Big Brother, you expect to have one of these come in at least once in a while. But now after this three-part opening act of sorts, we now have an idea of what the next several months have in store for us here.

For how this season's elimination procedure goes, we can put it this way: you gotta win the daily challenge to then just sit back & relax in the cold of the South African night… and the only thing they really has to do is just make a game-changing vote. For everyone else, they will be on edge but also take note that those who finish last won't necessarily be going in, and all of them won't know who goes in until before the nighttime spectacle takes place.
   Whoever wins each week gets safer and the Power Vote: a vote that counts as two against another team, which puts emphasis on everyone to win to make sure you come in with street clothes going into the elimination, as well as hear from everyone else on why they should not be chosen. Everyone else has just one vote, and all of the votes will take place in secret in a Deliberation Room similar to what we had with the Troika last season, and it leads TJ to say, "No more bandwagon or burn votes and no more BS, really."



For what awaits us in the elimination chamber itself, that will be where the results will be revealed in front of everyone in the cold rather than in the climate-controlled environment of a living room. Everyone will find out who goes in with the pair who gets the most votes getting to suit up and compete. But in lieu of the last place team who would usually have the spot of competing against the team voted in, the opponents are now chosen by the pair chosen in, and can choose any of the eligible teams that voted for them to go up against in Armageddon.



So, what do we make of these latest two twists? If what we saw on Vendettas was something in having a three-person panel have weekly control, than what we have on Final Reckoning will make this game a totally different one. Personally, I love these twists: the only way to be alright in the house in this game is to win, and having all that power will mean more than just watching Armageddon without any worries. And for the elimination twist, I love the fact that the revenge vote will be on for the voted team to settle things with their enemies, have an easy time with a weak side of take a gamble in gunning for a strong team.
   And in our Twitter poll, 75% of you who took part agreed that the revenge vote is your favorite twist to this game of all we've had so far… with many more including a familiar friend to return tomorrow night. I also side with all of you on that in that too. And for more on the elimination process, check out Allan Aguirre's newest Medium post.


▪       ▪       ▪

 ENDGAME 
FLORIBAMA SHORE: AFTER THE FIGHT

Before all that went down in South Africa, we saw two big moments take place last Monday in Panama City Beach. If you watched the first season of Floribama Shore, you know that there were two bar fights that took place within weeks of each other - and more could be in store here. And at the end of last week, we had another incident at a local bar, though this time it took place outside of it when Kirk decided to slap one of those who got on him in a rough birthday night for Gus and Jeremiah. And the former found himself in an argument with Candace that also touched upon the intense social environment we are living in right now.
   Below, and without much commentary to follow, are thoughts from Candace, Gus and Kirk on last week's events on Floribama Shore before things get even more intense in PCB in just over an hour.

I felt like I was being pitted against one one my best friends @KirkMedas with Candace saying "oh is that your friend now?" After all I did was do what police and PRODUCTION  told me, which was get everyone out. Yeah I got mad and said STFU. Everyone gets worked up at some point. I understand that people hold me to a higher standard, I hold myself to it too. But I am am still human and get heated some times as well, sorry for raising my voice at you like that 💜 @pimpfriedrice_
   Went 2 seasons without ever losing my cool or raising my voice at anyone despite being come at multiple times, lost my cool this once and now I'm a hypocrite for trying to be better ? lol I still make mistakes too peeps. Just in case you wondered if @_pimpfriedrice and I are still cool 😎 All families fight, still always love my sis 💕 #mtvfloribamashore #mtv #family @FloribamaShore
● TWITTER @GusSmyrnios, after EP3

A lot of emotion was involved in the episode last night. I feel like people forget that it's "reality tv". Everything you see going on is real. Putting yourself out there and being vulnerable is a lot harder than people realize. Our actions are basically just being observed by the world and everybody thinks they can handle what's going on better than we do in the moment . Real situations, real fights, real coming together as a family at the end of the day. So are myself along with my family (roommates) gonna make some mistakes along the way? Hell yeah we are! We're all In Our 20s still growing and learning from each other. We'll make it, just might be a little bumpy 😅 Do good 100 times, mess up once and that's all they will see. ADTR said it best," We gave all of ourselves to entertain you, we're only hurting ourselves" #mtvfloribamashore #mtv #raw #emotion #love #family #photoshoot
● INSTAGRAM @guscalebsmyrnios, after EP3

Tonight’s episode and aftershow touches on some sensitive issues that plagues our country. Make sure to tune in tonight on @MTV at 10/9c. #MTVFloribamaShore  Hopefully y’all won’t be too hard in your judgements of either side and understand that we all come from different backgrounds and different teachings. This is what makes our Shore house so dynamic... tensions get high, words are thrown, however it’s all to gain an understanding. Imma always ride of die for my friends and my roommates... no matter what’s at stake. #JudgeMe #ButDontBeTooHarsh #MyHeartCanOnlyTakeSoMuch #ForrealTho #IJustDrankAFiveHourEnergy #MyHeartThumpin #ImSweatin
● INSTAGRAM @_PimpFriedRice, before EP3

Last night episode showed a side of me that I hate coming out. I’ve grown up with barely any family and strugglin for the most part. I grew up fast having an older bro and I’ve always been taught to never let anyone disrespect you or your loved ones. Sure, alcohol was a huge part but morally I don’t regret a thing. Last night also showed problems we have here in America. Although we are here for your entertainment it doesn’t favor us from real life shit. We deal with it too except it’s broadcasted. I’m a ride or die and I’ll be that way until my last breath #CantHoldMeBack #mtvfloribamashore
● INSTAGRAM @KirkMedas, after EP3


▪       ▪       ▪

 #DCExtraTime 
LOVE LIES WITH TORI & JORDAN

After what we saw last Tuesday, Celebrity Fear Factor saw Ludacris welcome an all-MTV field to the first of last week's doubleheader of gross-out TV. The hosts of the channel's two love-fests, Romeo Miller from Ex On The Beach and Terrence J. from Are You The One? joined Luda as they and their friends battled against shark waters to grab golden rings and trying to walk a balance beam facing fireballs. It was the ladder who won the bet of who would progress the furthest, and we'll enjoy the company of Terrence and the 22 singles who'll head to Hawaii for Season 7 in a few weeks.
   But just as it was with the first Celeb Fear Factor last year, it was the two teams that represented The Challenge, CT & Cara Maria and Jordan & Tori, that advanced to the Final Fear: a showdown with the water and them having to unlock chains around them being hung from upside down. And by a close margin of 20 seconds, it was Dirty 30 champ and his girl that beat out the two defending champions of the regular & spinoff Challenge to win $50,000 for their charities.
   On the night of them conquering their fears, Tori & Jordan invited everyone to a new passion they have: music. She has been a musician for a long time, who had the opportunity to talk with hip-hop's best before being discovered by MTV, and quickly became a fan favorite upon her original AYTO season (which also had plenty of musicians on Season 4) And his Real World cast included a football player turned hip-hop artist (who was his partner on a Rivals II season that saw them make the final as rookies) and who invited three roommates to cameo on tracks they cut while they were in Portland.
   Those who check out Tori's YouTube channel see that there are the aforementioned interviews with Nelly and the like, hilarious vlog videos, and musical covers she & Jordan made since they first locked eyes on one another during Dirty 30. Last Tuesday, the couple we like to call now, #Torgan, dropped a studio cover of "Love Lies" from Khalid and Fifth Harmony's Normani on YouTube and Instagram. It has already garnered 41,000 YouTube hits, over 230,000 collective Instagram views and over 3,000 comments from their IG followings in the six figures.
   She captioned in Instagram @Tori_Deal: "Me and @jordan_wiseley went from being under the covers together to singing covers together. Thanks to all our friends who let us play music with them @theelemenopea @kbrady27 @robshore @realjessieshapiro @lensforface 💗🤗." And many of their MTV friends, including the one they beat on Fear Factor, pitched in to send praise to #Torgan:

● CARA MARIA @MissCaraMaria: "You. Guys. ♥"
● NICOLE @N_ZanattaMTV: "You guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!"
● AUDREY/AYTO6 @AudreyyyCharline: "I'm obsessed with this!"
● HANNAH/AYTO5 @ItsHannahFugazzi: "Amazing ♥"
● CHEYENNE @CheyNotShy: "♥♥♥"
● ANEESA @AneesaMTV: "Ok!!!! I see y'all!!! Love it and you guys"
● FAITH @KingFaithHope: "Ayeee!!!"
● LOUISE HAZEL @LouiseHazel: "♥♥♥"
● MICHELLE WATERSON/CVS 1: "Beautiful"
● AMMO @LoveIsTheAmmo: "@tori_deal @jordan_wiseley I love this you guys"
● JONNA @JonnaMannion: "So good!"
● PROSPER/AYTO4 @IamPMuna: "Damn I almost cried"
● JAY G. @JayGMTV: "That's really dope"
● GIOVANNI/AYTO4 @WolfGodFlex: "Big flames"
● SIMONE @SimoneJKelly: "Awww beautiful u two!! ♥♥"
● NICOLE R. @NicoleXORamos: "You guys are amazing ♥"
● JOHNNY R. @_JohnnyReilly: "Love it! This is the s__t guys nicely done, keep it up! @jordan_wiseley @tori_deal"



▪   ▪   ▪   ▪   ▪

And on that lovely note, that's all for now here. An all-new Floribama Shore follows soon, and join me over on DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for all of that. And keeping up with the musical theme of the ExtraTime story above, tomorrow we'll revisit with a pop singer who we first featured when a Challenger was in her Real World days just before she became big... and just after her own high-profile breakup, find out who is the latest member of Team MTV to meet Halsey. Talk to you later.

- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Got something on your mind? Let us know! But please be mindful and do not post spam or negative comments (due to that, all comments are subject to blogger approval... and we reserve the right to disable these sections if things get way out of hand).

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)