Thursday, January 17, 2019

The Look: Siesta Key - Welcome Back to Paradise

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

For those who were dreaming of snow outside your window on Christmas last month, there's probably a similar feeling of sentiment for those who are just wanting to escape the cold right now after you've just packed away your holiday decorations. It's especially true for those of you who live in New York, Chicago, Canada and everywhere else where the high temperatures on a given January day can vary day by day, but most likely you're freezing in multiple layers going to and from work and school... though you can agree that it's nice cuddle weather for some binge watching, too.

If you happen to be one of those people - and who happens to also be an MTV Reality fan, there is some good news coming your way. Next week sees the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of one of cable's most buzzed-about series the past few years, and one that helped to spur MTV's overall rise from just another run-down TV channel bitten by the mass exodus to binge-land, to one that now has the industry talking about this one-time music video outlet turned TV hub of the millennial generation. And it is the show that was inspired by a show that introduced a new sub-genre of reality TV: the reality soap... and it will provide a fitting bridge to the latest MTV reboot come spring.

In July 2017, MTV dipped its feet into the sand of the small Sarasota, Florida suburb of Siesta Key, where it discovered a group of those who as kids grew up watching Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari on Laguna Beach and The Hills, and whose lives were just as fascinating as their California counterparts. The same production team behind Laguna was brought on to bring their magic touch from the West Coast to the East Coast, and to a new group of those who despite being slightly older were looking to break out on their own into a new era as adults during the most exciting summer of their lives... while not escaping the drama taking place in the town they call home.

Siesta Key reintroduced everyone to the kind of addictive, guilty pleasure television that had people buzzing a decade ago with Laguna/Hills' unique mix of big drama that glues even the teen-friendly audience in, as well as a cinematic filming style and a bold musical soundtrack to boot. And Tuesday night, the world will be welcomed back to a place judged to the best beach in America for another season in paradise, where the group is a year older, where love will now be taken to a new level, and where old and new will collide to spark some fireworks. But to understand what's coming next in the Key, you gotta look back a little bit to where this journey to Season 2 began... which was long ago.


Season 1A of Siesta Key in summer 2017 began with Alex going on two dates with both his ex Juliette and high school sweetheart Madisson in the space of 24 hours, and ended with everyone turning their attention to what's next for themselves when the summer ended. In between, there were over-the-top parties at the king's palace, a new romance blossom in Madisson & Brandon, a fight over Alex with Chloe and Amanda, and new girl Kelsey getting closer with Garrett. There was also a drama-filled trip down to the Bahamas, rapper Pauly get arrested and break down after his first performance, and Juliette turn her attention to Garrett after Alex turned to Kelsey - a love square.
   Fifty-three weeks ago to the day of the new season premiering, Season 1B -- the winter portion of that first season -- began where the summer of this first voyage ended: the biggest celebrities in a town of 1,500 and in a place the size of the entire Las Vegas Strip turning their attention to fall and to new chapters in their lives... and a jaw-dropping moment: Alex facetiming Chloe from a hospital bed. After he went away to law school an hour's way up in Tampa Bay, Alex found himself in a local bar getting into it with bystanders, and the end result of that bar brawl was his jaw bring wired shut and with barely a word to get in while recovering from that awful night.
   When the group gathered for the first of many outdoor parties that autumn, word began to spread from (who else?) Chloe about something that she discovered while checking her phone: she found that Kelsey had passed out at Garrett's place after everyone else had a night out. That angered Jules as she got to question Garrett about his loyalty to her and it also caught Kelsey's attention as well. And Brandon had started to get to know a newbie to the Key in Chloe's new bar worker Canvas while he was still dating Madisson.



All of these factors led to one of the first big throwdown to take over the Key, when the group came together at the same joint to celebrate Chloe's 22nd birthday at the Tiki bar where she worked at. On what was supposed to be a night to toast the birthday girl, tensions reached a boiling point in a night that the cast described as "chaotic," "full of mayhem" and a "complete explosion." Juliette would say of this, "It was interesting to have us all in one place, which is not smart."
   There, the word got out of all that took place at that party by the lake to everyone in the open, and it was only a matter of time before punches were thrown, everyone was screaming, and the whole dynamic of this once-tight clique changed in one evening... and Juliette even had the opportunity to share a smooch with Alex on his.



In the wake of the night that changed the whole group, one would wonder if things would taper off... but it wouldn't when it came to #Jalex. When she went back up to Florida State for her sophomore year, he went up to Tallahassee for a surprise visit... not surprisingly, there were some drama there too.



After taking time away from the runway, Kelsey was given an opportunity she couldn't refuse: a trip up to New York City for a big modeling opportunity, and Madisson jetted along with her as she also pursued her future aspirations in the Big Apple. They had much anticipation about going up to the City as Whitney Port did when she left The Hills, but in the end their trip did not turn out well... and it would not get any better for Kelsey when it came to Garrett.








It was also there in the Big Apple that saw a turning point for Madisson's relationship with Brandon. During that trip, he was down in Florida performing at a club, and at night's end he had his arms around another girl. And when they met at a Halloween party, things did not turn out well... leading to one last meeting on the pier when they ended things.









It wasn't that long after what went down with #Bradisson before Canvas turned her attention elsewhere, and to an unlikely destination. Who had any thought that she would take a 180 and go the other way.... to Madisson's sister, Paige?




As the fall reached its end, things continued to unravel in #Jalex Land. It first came up at Alex's housewarming party when he moved into new digs, at the group's Friendsgiving gathering, and when his night with the guys was crashed by, yes, Juliette and Chloe.








Amid the drama of the core group, there was another touching moment that recognized an all too familiar moment in our world: Madisson's friend Tarik had been struggling to adjust to living life openly as a gay man in a conservative town like Siesta. He shared with Chloe the connection he had to the Pulse Orlando shooting when a friend of his was one of the 49 victims of that rampage. And then, he had the courage to come out to his parents, including his mom.



And for the most interested viewer in the comings & goings in Florida, Spencer Pratt had many chances on both TV and online to express his thoughts on the cast in representing the viewers in our judgement. And when he came to New York to chat with TRL Late Night, Kelsey was listening in on one of his chats when she was in the same room disguised as a crew member.



As America returns to Siesta Key ten months after Season 1 ended, a lot has gone on for the Siesta Seven, and while quite a bit has or will change, other things will also stay the same too. That includes those lavish over-the-top famous parties the group loves to throw -- one of which was featured on here while filming took place last year when the cast weren't even the biggest stars of that soiree.
   Like what we saw in Season 1, the group will again tackle love and heartbreak with perhaps a greater degree of high stakes than it was the first time out... with that comes friendships that will become volatile in the sweltering Florida sun. And just as it was last winter, there will be new arrivals invading the scene who will sure to not only stir the pot, but also add fuel to the fire of a friend circle that's become a bit larger.
   Ever since the events at that chaotic birthday bash, Juliette & Alex have become an item once again even as she's at Florida State and he's pursuing a law degree in Tampa. But this perfect relationship could once again encounter some rough seas just as it was on Season 1. For here, his ex will rejoin the Siesta scene, and she will pair up with his one-time Chloe to help stir more of the drama like she did in our first summer in the Key. And perhaps, #Jalex will become history yet again.
   In the post #Bradisson world, Brandon rebounded with a new girlfriend but with a collaboration with a talented new artist comes his way he will have to choose his dreams or his girl for his future. For Madisson, she's been struggling with an on & off relationship with Ben, but now has her ex returning to town as well... and he happens to be an archrival of the Siesta king. And she might as well have a situation on her hands when something about Ben begins to circulate.
   Kelsey has been roaming the globe again on the modeling beat and got to rekindle things with an ex from back home in the Midwest... and she returns to Florida to again care for her mom. And if you've seen his Instagram, Garrett no doubt sees the gym as his perfect match. But romantically -- and after the breakup with Kels -- you'll never guess who he falls for next... and it force him to look back to his past before he moves on to the future.
   And among the newbies who came to town last winter, she ignited some buzz when she first got close to Brandon and then made out with Paige. But Canvas will now turn her attention from partying down to trying to reconnected with her estranged mom... but temptation may come back when her friends gets into the discussion. And we can't forget about Pauly, Amanda and the rest of the larger group, too.







Last winter, the original Siesta Seven (Eight, if you count Pauly Paul) were joined by several newcomers to the island: Canvas, Paige and Tarik were joined by dreamy Niall Horan lookalike Carson and Juliette's BFF Hannah. In accompanying the same spot that Alex M., Taylor and Jason had in Laguna and of course Spencer on The Hills, the Season 2 newbies in Siesta not only are returning for the summer to stir up some drama, they also have a link to the person where the world in this clique seems to revolve around him: one is an past ex, the other is a vendetta.
   Before there was Juliette, Madisson, Kelsey and Amanda, there was Cara... she is Alex's ex-girlfriend from before he became famous, and has returned to town for the summer. Almost instantly, she'll be welcomed into the group with open arms -- except for Juliette... and Cara will have to pick whether being in this clique will be worth the risk, especially with the appeal of that guy with the abs.
   And also new to the bunch is Alex's archnemesis and one who an Instagram user likened to a guy he met not too recently in Ronnie. He is Jared, who has just completed a tour of duty in the military out in California and has moved back to Florida about to catch up on old times with his ex Madisson. And what happens when he and Cara come to his birthday party next week? Expect the worst.

When Siesta Key debuted in the heat of summer as one of the many shows to gain MTV's equivalent of the post Super Bowl timeslot in airing after Teen Mom in its first season, it was all fun and games with some drama mixed in - all in spite of a controversy that turned out to be confounded. When it returned for the second half of its first season last winter, things amped up a little when the newbies came and when things unraveled for our favorite romances.
   And now for Season 2, the stakes have increased to an all-time high for this group: there is guaranteed to not only have love in the air, but also plenty of heartbreak and betrayal on offer... and plenty of emotion too. And while last season began with Alex's birthday party that set the table for everything else that went down, this time around a scene very familiar with another MTV show up the road in Panama City Beach may as well set the tone for what this season is all about: a brawl.



IG @SiestaKeySource/@AllAboutSiestaKey
Last but not least: this preview would not go by without a mention of the two fans who joined with US Weekly TV writer and the magazine's resident MTV expert Emily Longretta and the entire cast to launch the season back in mid-December up in New York City with a Facebook Live video which is embedded below, and proceeded by a Taylor Swift-like social media puzzle that had fans buzzing in the week leading up to launch day.
   Siesta Key superfans Tori Rios and Hunter Goodwin not only religiously watched that first season like so many others, but also translated a love of this show by launching Instagram accounts @SiestaKeySource and @AllAboutSiestaKey. Both have had the opportunity to meet the cast down in Florida and both have forged a virtual BFF friendship in following the show they love, though in reality they were separated by hours and miles in Florida and West Virginia. And Tori and Hunter were selected by MTV to help kick off the month-long countdown to this Tuesday, and once again they met their idols. This was also the first time that they got to meet each other in person, which helped further cement their deep friendship... all forged by a show that they enjoyed so much when it premiered, and have waited patiently for Season 2 to arrive. Now, the night they've waited ten months for is only days away.




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If you've been in the loop this week, this has certainly been a busy one in MTV land. On Tuesday, Mike the Situation turned himself in for a months long stint in prison, followed by drama surrounding a club promoter on Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club. Tonight sees more fireworks for the singles & exes on Ex On The Beach and down in Florida on Floribama Shore... and yesterday saw the kickoff to the countdown to The Challenge: War of the Worlds, which debuts three nights after the Super Bowl.
   As always, DCBLOG will be on top of all of these shows when we rejoin you for our traditional episode coverage over the extended holiday weekend, and we'll also have our first ExtraTime of 2018 too. And in recognition of a special 2-hour season premiere, next week we'll be offering a one-time-only Pulse Special covering the opening act of Season 2 of Siesta Key, among other things as we now kick off the busiest year ever for us going Inside MTV Reality. Hope you'll join us then...

- I AM DC
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