BY DC CUEVA
We are now into winter and speeding towards 2019 with lots of goodies for the MTV fan: after a nearly two-year, non-stop block of seven regular & spinoff seasons, The Challenge is taking a much deserved break, as taking its place in the interim as this site's main focus is Ex On The Beach, as the loving feeling we've had with Are You The One gets turned upside down with Season 2 of the American version of this addictive MTV global franchise.
It might still be considered the new kid on the block in a field of shows which this site has revolved historically around The Challenge, Are You The One and Real World, but Ex On The Beach has now become a worldwide phenomenon thanks to its U.S. debut back in April and its overseas versions which have been an MTV international staple for five years. Both the American and original British iterations of EOTB feature reality TV castaways which includes those who are now initiated into the broader MTV Reality family starting with the season 2 premiere, including four from the British show who made their U.S. TV debuts on Vendettas earlier this year and will be joined by a few more next year. This time, the overall total of singles and exes who are occupying the luxurious mansion in Malibu is 28, but twenty of them have appeared on a prior reality series. And like what we saw last season, there is also room for regulars - an NFL player and a model among them.
First off, some exemptions: as they are already part of the MTV family - and chances are you've watched their exploits if you're a regular viewer like this blogger, we're saved the expense and time writing about those who've appeared on MTV beforehand. They are Malcolm, Diandra and Nurys from AYTO Season 6, Jozea, Nicole and Nelson from The Challenge, EOTB 1 exes Angela and Tor'i, and the season's key figure in Teen Mom's Farrah Abraham and her ex, Simon Siran. Aside from Simon, we've covered each of the nine MTV'ers in at least some sort in past posts on here, so be sure to search around for more on them if you're that curious... and do check out past episodes on the streaming platform of your choice to see how they got to Malibu.
As for here, we'll be focusing on those who come to Ex On The Beach having been through the ringer of being on a reality TV series before, and who are now joining the MTV family with this season - thus making themselves eligible for The Challenge draft pool if the chance comes up to join Bananas, Cara Maria and friends. And since this season’s non-MTV crop is so big, for the first time we’ll be spitting this Newbies post into two: Part One here will cover the singles who entered the house last week, while Part Two covering the season's notable exes will be up afterwards separately. And as we did with Season 1 and starting with Vendettas, we've embedded clips of their past shows as well.
The purpose of is to help you, the MTV fan, get to know to them, give you an idea of who they are, what they're about and the backstory of their reality resume before they came, or will come, to the EOTB house. Those featured here have something in common with a member of last season's cast having played for the heart of a beautiful girl who herself got heartbroken, two who spent long stays in the most watched summer house anywhere, and others who until last week were not known but now are on their way to further fame and gaining new fans among the MTV crowd.
The purpose of is to help you, the MTV fan, get to know to them, give you an idea of who they are, what they're about and the backstory of their reality resume before they came, or will come, to the EOTB house. Those featured here have something in common with a member of last season's cast having played for the heart of a beautiful girl who herself got heartbroken, two who spent long stays in the most watched summer house anywhere, and others who until last week were not known but now are on their way to further fame and gaining new fans among the MTV crowd.
So once again, we at DCBLOG are here to answer that question, "Who Are These Newbies?", this time for Season 2 of Ex On The Beach USA.
♥ CHAD JOHNSON (The Bachelorette)
When viewers saw him for the first time two summers ago, Chad was a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps from outside Tulsa, Oklahoma adjusting to returning to life back home as a luxury real estate agent. He saw himself in his bio as confident, witty and yet goodhearted, and who described his finest achievement in “being born good looking” with his beard and 6’2” form. And casting directors found someone who would become the perfect villain for the show, much the same way as Paulie on his Big Brother season, and on MTV - Farrah, Devin, and, of course, Bananas and Wes.
He got to exude all of that on Bachelorette Season 12, where Chad developed a habit of recognizing what JoJo wanted from him and the rest of the suitors. It made for many an explosive moment in his month on the show, including taking shots at the rest of the guys, memorable one-liners and much more before he got the boot in Week 4. And then Bad Chad made his way to Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise, where he got drunk right when he moved into the house, and his behavior was too much for the house to handle, and host Chris Harrison sent him packing just as soon as he was getting unpacked, initiating a now famous meltdown.
Being in Bachelor Nation isn’t the only experience Chad has had in reality TV, and in summer 2017 he enjoyed a doubleheader. First, he was cast on Season 2 of E!'s celeb-reality romantic show, Famously Single, where he shared a loft with a Ronnie from Jersey Shore who didn't have the title "dad" in his plans, as well as other single celebs as he helped to improve his reputation. And shortly after, Chad flew across the pond to Britain where he took up residency in the Celebrity Big Brother UK series 20 house with Real Housewives' Brandi Granville and British celebs, and had it out with Jemma Lucy, an EOTB UK vendetta of now two-time Challenger Kayleigh Morris.
Below, the best and worst of Bad Chad: his iconic time on The Bachelor, his last moments of his weekend in the BIP house, him getting rejected by Dancing with the Stars' Karina Smiroff, and him facing Jemma in the CBB UK house. And on a side note, Chad also got to hang with three MTV notables - The Hills' Spencer Pratt and Jason Wahler, as well as Mike The Situation prior to moving to the EOTB house - we wonder what advice they & Ronnie gave him beforehand.
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♥ MORGAN WILLETT (Big Brother Over The Top)
Twelve chosen houseguests moved into the house - and while Jozea lost the public vote to be the last castmate to go in for a second chance, one of the newbies who came to BBOTT was Morgan Willett. The Austin, TX publicist and former cheerleader was part of a pair of siblings who not only followed in Paulie & brother Cody's lead - but they also entered the house as the same time with her sister Alex, which certainly delighted their mom who watched Big Brother religiously. Morgan described herself as "sassy, honest and talkative," where trying to focus on the game and herself was her most difficult tasking going in, and whose strategy was "Charm 'em then cut 'em."
In the house, Morgan was part of an alliance called "The Ball Smashers" and like what Challenge fans have seen in the past she was one who preferred to fly under the radar during the season letting the focus be on her sister and everyone else. As a relative underdog, it was just late in the season that she emerged from her sister's shadow that Morgan relied on her social game to win competitions that were key to her making it to the end. And when coupled with the relative hate given to the two others who made it to the final vote, Jason Roy and Kryssie Ridolfi, her more likable personality managed to give Morgan America's vote, and the $250,000 to win BBOTT. And this came after she was nominated five times and gaining veto power two times.
After winning BBOTT, Morgan stayed out in SoCal with Alex and houseguest Shelby Stockton, and by the time Season 19 rolled along the following year she became an expert panelist in AfterBuzz TV's Big Brother coverage, including getting to interview winner Josh Martinez at the finale, and even got to chat with the Floribama Shore cast on the red carpet at this year's MTV Movie & TV Awards. Other highlights of her season are below along with interviewing Gus, Nilsa & company.
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♥ COREY BROOKS (Big Brother 18)
On the season itself, Corey was in the same team as what would be his showmance partner, and a larger alliance that included her, BB returnee (and later Challenge cult fave) Da'Vonne Rogers and half of the house, and they won the first competition. Then, Corey escaped eviction a few times and laid low until gaining Head of Household in week 7 and used a veto power. But he then found himself the target when he was nominated alongside Paulie for eviction by Victor Arroyo, and again by Michelle (LN) but survived both times. Week 12 saw him regain HOH, nominated Paul Abrahamian and Victor, and sent the ladder to eviction, but then Paul returned the favor to Corey -- and finally Corey was evicted in 4th place, shy of being in the final three and missed on cashing in the final purse, though $3,000 isn't that bad.
He became known for his showmance with Michigan nurse Nicole Franzel, who not only won BB18 in the end but also scored Victor following the show and, who in turn, proposed to her during BB20 this summer. Corey, along with Paulie, became one of four contestants to gain veto power in all three possible scenarios on that show, was one of a handful to win that and HOH in the same week, had four weeks of having a Have-Not during a season, and won three POV competitions. And like Paulie, Corey also found himself in controversy when - in what's now become common these days - he was found to have posted homophobic tweets before he went to the house. And fans went for his head for animal abuse when he told the house a story of him and his friends setting a goat on fire.
Now in this tip of tea, this would've been Corey's second MTV show: he flew out with the rest of the Season 31 Challenge cast for Vendettas as an alternate in case someone pulled out at last minute, got injured early on or if a CT/Adam took place. He would've been Victor's vendetta had any of those scenarios arose, but in the end he was on the way out without viewers ever knowing it... but now Corey joins Team MTV as the Big Brother takeover continues. And below is some of his best stuff.
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♥ JANELLE SHANKS (Bad Girls Club)
As is so often the case during BGC's run on the pre-crime Oxygen channel, Janelle came to the house as a latecomer when she arrived as a replacement after an original girl was evicted for fighting. She made quite a mark in the same house as that season's star Sarah Oliver, where she gained the nicknames "The Weave-otologist" and "Black Barbie," all while being pushed over, getting hated on, flipping her 30-inch weave many a time, and ultimately being shoved out of South Beach. In the ladder, Janelle got into a fight with housemates Jasmine and Tiana when she was led to one of their pranks, and by night's end was sent packing.
Perhaps more than was likely the case for Angela, Janelle might be a little more Challenge ready, thanks to having competed on the second season of BGC's own Challenge spinoff series, All-Star Battle, where after the drama of Miami she was ready to let loose the twerk-happy and fun side of her while also competing in a Challenge-like setting helmed by Ray J. She fell short of her goal to make it to the end, but for someone who is an NBA fan, loves to go drunk bowling and even has a spot in her heart for Harry Potter, she will be ready to take her talents to Challenge land.
Below, some of Janelle's biggest moments including a fight in the Miami house, her entrance to that season's reunion and what went down on the All-Star Battle.
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♥ CHEYENNE PARKER (Fire Island)
One who joined him as a single who moved into the house in the premiere is Cheyenne Parker. He is largely unknown to a lot of people, unless they are in the gay & lesbian crowd who caught the one season of the show he comes to us from: Fire Island on Logo TV. It documented a group of gay men spending a summer in Fire Island Pines, a barrier island on South Long Island which has become as popular a hangout for New York's LGBT as Chelsea, Greenwich Village and Hell's Kitchen.
Cheyenne's bio read, "Entrepreneur and model Cheyenne brings his fiery and passionate personality to the beach house. While launching his brand he must navigate the island’s temptations." As a fitness model, he's been featured in several magazines, while as an entrepreneur he created his clothing brand Maison Parker. And the show got to document his passions while also portraying his fiery persona, which as the clips below indicate, has made him a favorite so far on Ex On The Beach.
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♥ MAYA BENBERRY (Catching Kelce)
Two years ago, the E! channel gave out notice to 50 women from across America to come to Kansas City rather than to a tropical paradise for a new dating show, where the person of their affection was KC Chiefs wide receiver Travis Kelce. One of them who came for a chance on Catching Kelce was Maya Benberry, a Kentucky native who came to the heartland as an elementary education graduate, an Army brat and one who described herself as a psychic and with the ability to tell if a guy is lying.
Maya first caught the attention of the show via a casting call and totally expected to have a short stint on the show in packing only a few clothes in her suitcase, with no idea she would make it all the way to the end. There - as she competed with ladies from every other state in the union to win Kelce's heart, she went on the usual customs for any romantic reality show: dates, eliminations and the like, as detailed in one clip below, along with plenty of drama in between.
As she told the site SarahScoop, there were feelings between her and Kelce from when she and the suitors first gathered at the famous KC BBQ. She eventually made it to the final four and eventually she was given his nod... Maya and Kelce were then together for several months before they split up, and it got ugly when he began to see another suitor from the show. As it was now, Maya was the subject of social media hate after the show and after the breakup, and admits after that not telling the truth about what happened between them was her only regret. With that now out of the way and with all that's gone on so far here, Maya is on her way to a fresh start here.
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Next week: Part 2 of Who Are These Newbies? - Ex On The Beach Season 2, as we shift the focus to the notable exes who will be moving, or have just moved, into the house. It includes the first to come to MTV from the show that made reality a network TV staple, a couple with as explosive and complicated a relationship as any in the house, and an old roommate of one of the singles.
Last night's episode of Ex On The Beach saw the tenth single enter the house and fireworks with one of the exes, while Floribama Shore saw our Florida friends glide along with their eventful trip down in Cabo, Mexico. We will have both of them covered when we present 2018's final SocialPulse posts on here this New Year's weekend, along with our traditional look at the MTV family's Christmas activities. Join us for that here tomorrow as we begin our final weekend of going Inside MTV Reality in 2018 on DCBLOG.
- I AM DC
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