DC ExtraTime: The British Bear Gets Busted

 *** CAUTION: Content Featured May Be Disturbing to Some Readers *** 

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

In the course of the past two weeks, all eyes have been glued to the biggest nation in the free world, as the final days of a turbulent presidency have played out just after what might be the defining moment of a former reality star's occupancy of the White House, and the lingering consequences of a stunning raid of Capitol Hill. But while that has been going on in Washington, D.C., along with today's inauguration of a new man in charge, those who've been wanting to get away from a world where many major countries are still on lockdown have found a haven in the Middle East.

Last week, the world's finest judokas gathered in Doha, Qatar for the first competition of a delayed Olympic year, and this week sees Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas headline a European Tour golf tournament in this region less than two years it welcomes football's best for the FIFA World Cup. For the past several months next door in the United Arab Emirates, global pop collective Now United and most of its seventeen members came together to create songs, videos and content for their growing Uniters fanbase. And a group NU's Mexican member Sabina Hidalgo idolized back home, boy band and VMA winners CNCO, have also spent their winter vacation in this region.

And as the streets of the United Kingdom remain all but deserted as the pandemic-initiated quarantine continues, the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi have remained vibrant in these uncertain times. During this winter, this UAE and its ideal warm climate have lured British reality TV stars in need to let their guard down to this paradise, including those who have worn the Union Jack on MTV's The Challenge since their invasion of America's fifth major pro sport began on Vendettas. And as the current season of Double Agents enters its second month in Iceland, this past week saw a possible reckoning for one of those who brought his cheeky personality into American airwaves, and his crush on that U.S. debut.

In 2019, fans were anticipating a fresh start for The Challenge after the controversial ending to the last leg of a three-season trilogy that felt like it lasted just about as long as that man has been our President. But after Ashley Mitchell solidified herself with the title of Millionaire in stealing all of partner Hunter Barfield's money to conclude Final Reckoning, fans of the fifth major pro sport were eager to get over that and begin anew. And just as it had done for four years previously, the show continued to expand its reach from just being a friendly competition between alumni of The Real World and Road Rules, to now being a global one involving stars of reality TV from across the universe.

   War of the Worlds brought together competitors from seven countries to Namibia, and it ended with Turkish Survivor castaway Turabi "Turbo" Camkiran in a state of disbelief in winning $750,000 for conquering arguably the toughest Challenge final ever in the desert. But it also heralded in the start of a new era of fresh blood joining Johnny Bananas, Cara Maria and other veterans in the quest for gold, which comes around about every few years. Floribama Shore's Gus Symrios and eventual Season 3 roommate Mattie Lynn Breaux joined in the fun as did "Ninja" Natalie Duran of American Ninja Warrior, and Big Brother champ Josh Martinez.

   On the international front, in addition to Turbo the British invasion continued as Love Island's Theo Campbell and Ex On The Beach alumni Ashley Cain and Zahida Allen strived to follow in the trek of fellow EOTB UK alumni Joss Mooney, Rogan O'Connor, Kayleigh Morris and Melissa Reeves and her fellow Geordie Shore chap Kyle and adopted Brit in Aussie Dee Nguyen in making their mark on the other side of the Atlantic. Two of them would eventually conquer the throne the following season, though it's what happened with the ladder months later that, unfortunately, seen her get blacked out.

But no person held the weight of being the most well-known member of the WOTW rookie contingent than former London painter Stephen Bear, who first appeared on Survivor-inspired series Shipwrecked. But Bear would then make his mark on two series of Ex UK and then moved into the Celebrity Big Brother house and won the top prize... and he also helped launch the original UK version of How Far is Tattoo Far?. And on his three Challenge seasons, he had a memorable partnership with Big Brother's favorite houseguest Da'Vonne Rogers, and an infamous hookup with Challenge queen Kailah Casillas.

   Someone else on that WOTW newbies class was another resident of the Love Island casa in Georgia Harrison, who started her TV career on the UK's take on The Hills, The Only Way is Essex, and who was then chosen to join Britain's summer guilty pleasure on its third series in 2017 along with Theo and Double Agents rookie Gabby Allen. Georgie would exceed the expectations expected for any rookie competitor in making it to the final in her first go, and then went onto War of the Worlds 2 where she was beaten out by Tori... and she even got to become part of Rebel Wilson's girl squad.

   While the American side of Challenge Nation was fixated on the budding romance of Cara Maria Sorbello & Paulie Califiore, a British public who are always obsessed with reality couples wherever they can pay that federally-mandated TV licence fee were focused on Bear & Georgia. Despite him having a girlfriend back home, the couple clicked from the beginning, where both had something in common with having done romantic reality shows, and they dated off and on for a time after filming of War of the Worlds 1 wrapped up.

Like it has been in America, Britain has been grappling with the pandemic which has made things tense on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party-led government. The lockdown order that was put in place at the outset has seen Kailah ultimately move permanently to Britain with her new boo, Love Island & EOTB alum Sam Bird. And the allure of escaping the UK for hospitable locales not covered by its imposed travel ban has seen Bear, Joss, Rogan, Theo and Georgia -- among other UK reality stars -- spend extended holidays away from their families for Christmas & New Year's.

   Last summer, Stephen found himself in the line of fire of the tabloids when he invited a score of friends for a London-area restaurant party but didn't follow social distancing, and then brought them back to his flat in Essex outside the city. That came after the cops were called for accusing his then unidentified girlfriend of trying to cheat on him after she came home, coming after stating his goal of having a stable family and a longer-term significant other in spite of his public record of cheating on girls. And it includes his Tattoo Far co-host, Geordie alum Charlotte Crosby, whom he reunited with for a one-night-only dinner date earlier this year.

   And then, there's Georgia: while they were in Thailand filming WOTW2 in summer 2019, Stephen joined her and Theo on a vacation retreat in Thailand after their eliminations, but then she reportedly got locked out of the hotel room they she stayed in with him while he was cheating on another girl. It complicated a relationship that blossomed in Namibia and made them WOTW's other romantic focus, until what happened there in Asia and him berating her on Instagram while there for The Challenge.

By sure luck, the both of them were in the same city at the same time in this crazy time during this fall and winter... and while they have been avoiding one another for obvious reasons, it was during this extended vacation for one of them to let out into the open a dirty secret from what happened there in Asia. Last month, Georgia decided to bring to the public's attention on her social media channels that her ex Bear had, in secret, recorded them getting cuddly with each other on surveillance cameras in his house normally used to keep track of goings and to spy on would-be robbers.

   In her allegations, she believes that he shared the tapes of their intimate affairs with a couple friends of his and it would then make its way to WhatsApp, where it was shared on there a month before privacy concerns surfaced at the Facebook-owned messaging service. And Georgia also alleges that screenshots of that sex tape was being shared to Bear's subscribers on everyone's favorite place for racy content in this cash-strapped time of quarantine life, OnlyFans. In both allegations being brought forth against him by Georgie, Stephen denied sharing the videos or pictures with everyone else and insists the footage that's in question is with another girl.

   Following the allegations being brought forth, Georgia posted the following on her social media stories and made an emotional video plea as she stated her plans to bring him to court...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Challenge: Double Agents (@thechallenge36_)

Regardless of what's in the receipts, this brings into focus the act of misconduct known as revenge porn: sexually-explicit content taken without the consent of one or each other's parties and in many instances for the sake of profit or to silence the victims. This always leads to potentially damaging consequences for the person in question and the person being targeted, and laws have been passed in most of the U.S., Britain and other jurisdictions around the world for spreading these NSFW imagery.

   In response to Georgia's accusations, OnlyFans disabled Stephen's account and new ones he tried to create to circumvent his ban from the service just as he flew to Dubai for an extended Christmas vacation. And when he arrived back home in London on his birthday on January 15th last Friday night, authorities were waiting for him outside the Heathrow Airport arrivals building to put him inside an Essex Police vehicle to investigate him for his involvement in, as reported by the redtops, "disclosing private sexual photographs or films without consent with the intent to cause distress, harassment, and obstructing a police officer."

   After a day in custody, Bear posted the necessary bail to allow him to return to his home over the weekend, whose exterior was damaged from being broken into by the cops while he was detained. While also disregarding current lockdown procedures in Britain, accompanying him to grab some Starbucks was 18-year-old Tia McAlister, a beauty therapist from the London suburb of Slough who's thirteen years younger than the reality star, and who has seen him off and on. And these two items are not alone on Bear's table: his Instagram account being hacked prior to his arrest, the attempted suicide he had in Dubai, and him failing to pay ex Charlotte for a business venture gone bad. And oh, he just premiered his own YouTube series, as he now awaits a court date in early February, and Georgie herself asking the public to not spread hate towards Tia's way.

If we thought the reality show that has just ended last night in our nation's capital was something, then this one involving Stephen Bear has been quite a hell of a ride - both on the four different TV shows he's been on, and when the cameras are off. But what happens when going that far is too far? Well, he got arrested on his birthday for doing something that's totally unethical and out of line of trying to get back at his ex, a Love Islander turned Challenger, in a cruel way that saw Georgia Harrison tear up on our phone screens. He is now facing this charge of revenge pornography which carries a minimum of a three years' stay behind bars... now that is a cruel reality check for this British Bear getting busted.

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A reminder before wrapping -- along with coverage of tonight's episode of Double Agents and more on last week's baby news within Challenge Nation, there's this piece of news from elsewhere Inside MTV Reality: there's word on the grapevine from down from Florida that someone who became an Instagram icon by getting to host her own dating show on the IGTV tab is about to follow in the footsteps of a well-known suitor from the world of reality dating television and into the clique that knows a thing about drama. We'll have more on a well-known socialite taking her talents into the next season of Siesta Key coming up during this week's blog wave starting on Friday night.

- I AM DC

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