DC ExtraTime: The Life We Live - Rocky Mountain Style

*** CAUTION: Videos Embedded Below Contain Adult Language and Content Intended for a Mature Audience. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

All Photos Courtesy IG @Dre.Media

Winter --- it's perhaps the most magical of the four seasons when the first dusting of snow begins just as we ring in the Christmas holiday season. But as evidenced by what happened down in Texas recently, it can also be just as excruciating as a sweltering 100° summer heatwave when temperatures fall well below average into the freezing range when things get out of control. But you just can't help but stare in awe of whenever that mixture of ice and rain fall out of the sky, and for a time we all become kids again putting together snowmen, do snow angels and take advantage of the slopes to go skiing and snowboarding.

It is in this backdrop that offers the compelling setting for the biggest season yet of a YouTube show put on by someone who I first discovered here four years ago. There that summer of 2017, he got to meet his favorite member of MTV's The Challenge, Kailah Casillas, and the rest of her Season 30 cast... so did some of those who he collaborated on for his homemade Caucus Challenge series in his Secaucus, New Jersey backyard. And ever since we first featured him then, Andres Rodriguez has continued to bring an increasing local and national fanbase some guilty pleasure television that is created, produced and edited all by himself... and one which has also increased by one show to a Real World-like spinoff.

And while we were all getting snowed during this winter of 2021 as well as what we hope will be the last weeks & months of this seemingly endless but now almost about to end COVID lockdown, over the holidays Dre decided to go big once again during the midst of this pandemic. This time, he invited along some of his friends and asked a bunch of newbies to join him for the biggest season yet of his more chill but equally as dramatic sister series of Caucus. And if the first four seasons of it brought its fair share of drama and fun in New York State and Miami, then The Life We Live has no doubt saved its juiciest stuff for the group's first-ever trip outside of the Eastern Time Zone and into the Rocky Mountains.

As a way of wanting to branch out of having done ten seasons of The Caucus Challenge plus a summer camp-themed spinoff last year, Dre decided to launch a non-competition based series featuring Caucus alumni, while continuing to inviting newcomers to join in. Inspired by a life-changing Spring Break trip he had with a few of his closest friends, The Life We Live began with him & those friends flying down to Miami to celebrate that most exciting of birthdays and one of those ultimate of coming-of-age moments: turning the magic age of 21. 

   In what would ultimately become the only series he's been able to do since then, later that summer of 2019 TLWL followed Dre to the Poconos for an end-of-summer trip turned vacation from hell as those for the castmates' past made their way from home, just as it was on Real World Skeletons. That winter, Season 3 brought him and the group to the cabin in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York for a weekend over the holiday break, where once again there was drama waiting for them at base camp. And half a year later into the new normal, he and his friends drove up to the city of Boston to take advantage of whatever they can of the lost summer of 2020.

But like it was for when he marked season 10 of Caucus, Andres knew he had to mark the fifth season of TLWL in a big way: the first four seasons took place along the Eastern Seaboard with the past three taking place in the Northeast after the first one went down in South Florida. So, there was perhaps some inspiration of sorts to try and branch things out for the group's 2020 winter break into a place that he has never been to before.

   And given that some of his friends are also those who love pot, it was an easy choice for him to choose one of the thirteen states were marijuana is legal both for recreational and medical usage -- Colorado as the host site for Season 5 of TLWL. As the bios for the cast below point out, Dre has always had on his bucket list a state that is majestic in its scenery but one can only truly appreciate it by coming out to Colorado: snow-capped mountains, picture worthy canyons & plateaus, and endless outdoor options.

Obviously, there would also have to be some caution considering the times we're in where not everyone is willing to travel during a pandemic -- it was with this in mind that the cast had to quarantine for some time before heading on that winter break. Even more so, a few of the cast even had to fly out a day earlier than they planned in order to beat not only the travel rush that traditionally comes with the Christmas fortnight, but also to avoid getting stranded back home by a winter blizzard that hit the Tri-State Area prior to them coming to Colorado.

   And just as it was back in Season 1, this trip coincided with the birthday for one of the castmates chosen, so there was more to look forward to for everyone than this being just a week-long getaway from the worries back home on the East Coast for a trip unlike any other in the several years' history of Dre.Media. But just as it was so often the case during the twisted year that was 2020, the group that Dre had in mind for joining him on this venture to the Rockies at first would not be the final group that would join him in Colorado Springs... and born out of this fluid scenario of who he would bring out on this trip would be the cast that would bring out all of the drama full of familiar & fresh faces.

  MEET THE CAST  

ALL BIOS EXCEPT LAST ONE

COURTESY IG @Dre.Media

Names Link to Instagram Profiles

⛰️ DRE (TLWL 1-4) - "From Miami to Colorado, Dre has once again out done himself. Colorado has been a dream vacation of his since he was a kid and he’s finally getting to visit while making his dreams a reality. Every season Dre comes in with a handful of friends, but this time he only has two of his bestfriends JT and Leo. Coming into the house his loyalty is tested when a roommate oversteps boundaries and leaves Dre with a real life decision. Is Dre as “real” as he claims or will his hunger for drama overpower his morals?"

⛰️ ASHA (TLWL Poconos) - "In Poconos she was grieving, in Upstate she was cuffed, but in Colorado... all is game. Wanting to stay out of the drama, Asha finds herself at peace with her new roommates. Tensions build up when a friendship is compromised and liquor is fueling the house. Is Asha here to enjoy her vacation and make memories or are her motives not what they seem to be?"

⛰️ AVA (TLWL Boston) - "After coming in hot and heavy in Boston, Ava wants to come into Colorado calm, cool, and collected. Moving in this time there are more roommates and she has no relation to majority of the group she's about to live with. With all these new people and personalities a new side of Ava is awoken. Will she adjust to her living circumstances or will 'The Ava Experience,' be no more?"

⛰️ CHRISTINA (Newcomer) - "This hotheaded Latina from Jersey, is coming in HOT! Christina is good friends with the one and only Ava and is ready to shake the room. She is loud and out there and says, “You either love me or hate me, there’s no in between.“ If anyone’s coming to make their mark it’s her. She says this is an unreal experience and can’t believe she went from watching TLWL to officially being on a season. Will Christina be welcomed into the TLWL family or will her bold personality leave her feeling unwanted?"

⛰️ JANIECE (Newcomer) - "Currently living in Orlando, Florida, Janiece decided to take this trip to travel, make friends, and pick things up where they left off with JT. It’s been months since she last saw JT and it’s been a rocky situationship. Entering the house she's open to making her own friendships despite precious feuds JT has had with other roommates. Janiece states “I don’t have the best track record for getting along with females...” Although she’s reserved and laid back, her temper is something she’s working on. Will Janiece lay low and fade in the background or will her attachment to JT make her an instant casualty?"

⛰️ JT (TLWL Poconos) - "For the first time since Poconos, JT has to confront his feelings upfront and in person when Janiece shows up in Colorado. It’s been months since he’s last seen her and he has unanswered questions and bottled up feelings. As if having a situationship in the house isn’t enough, JT has to live with most of frenemies from past TLWL seasons. Does JT stand a chance in this environment? Will he finally get the answers he’s been longing for from Janiece?"

⛰️ LANCE (Newcomer) - "Lance is a huge fan of reality TV and loves to participate in LRG’s. (Live Reality Games) When he stumbled across TCC and Dre.media he instantly hopped on the opportunity to be on TLWL! Coming in as a newbie Lance worries that he might not be accepted easily and wonders how he will infiltrate the group of OG’s. Although he is outgoing and understanding, Lance finds himself in multiple confrontations when roommates in the house test his patience."

⛰️ LEO (TLWL Miami) - "Making his long awaited return, Leo is back for season 5 of TLWL! Leo is never the one to start the drama but he’s always there to instigate and stir the pot. Having his girlfriend Sydney on this trip will make things a bit interesting seeing how opposite both are from each other. Does Leo have what it takes to live in a house with crazy individuals... or will he pack his bags and sign out before even settling in?"

⛰️ MIKE (TLWL Upstate NY) - "Back for his second season of TLWL, Mike is here for a good time. Ready to stir the pot, get everyone wasted, and chef it up in the kitchen, he knows the vibe. This time around he’s more comfortable with his surroundings and is not holding back anything. His number one rule is “be close to the drama but not too close.” Will that apply this time around or will he get caught red handed?"

⛰️ JOSH (TLWL Upstate NY) - "In TLWL: Upstate, Josh came in a bit shy and nervous. Not knowing anyone and having the pressure of cameras around, he drunkenly got into some drama. This season he’s more confident, and ready to face fears, make friends, and hold his own. Josh is known for being a quiet person, but those are the ones you need to look out for."

⛰️ SYDNEY (TLWL Poconos) - "TLWL’s sweetheart is back! The last time we saw Sydney she was walking into the house with unanswered questions regarding her summer love Leo. This time around she has all her answers and is happily in a relationship with Leo. From what we’ve seen Sydney stays clear from the drama, but with dating an instigator and being friendly with public enemy number one, this trip may freeze over."

⛰️ JAKE (Newcomer) - For the twelfth & last member of the TLWL 5 cast, it's always a plus to have someone with at least a good knowledge of the local area where the show is taking place. In this case, the last spot belongs to Colorado Springs local Jake, who's called this town home all his life. But as is the case with Lance, Jake may find that being totally new to the clique and living with complete strangers may be tougher than it seems at first.

With all twelve of them in place, they all would embark on a unique and adventurous experience that is brand new in many ways: a totally new destination, four newcomers joining in for the first time, and a new way of vacationing in doing so for an entire week than just a 3-day weekend, but also spending more time indoors for obvious reasons.

   Where the first season saw them on the beach, the second and third ones take place in the serenity of the outdoors, and the fourth taking place in the city, this fifth installment of The Life We Live sees them into explore what Colorado has to offer in this playground of escape in the Rocky Mountains. They also have to get themselves ready for both challenges and excursions alike when they're in a place with a lot of options to be outdoors, and prepare for real life to set in... especially when situations that the TLWL series hasn't had as of yet come rolling in like an avalanche.

   And when these friends, strangers, frenemies and newbies all get to move into their two-floor Airbnb house, this is what unfolds next in the nine episodes of The Life We Live: Colorado Springs...  and we caution that the TLWL series contains adult language & situations and advise viewer discretion.

And after a season that included wild house nights, The Caucus Challenge coming to the TLWL series itself, two houseguests get evicted and so much more in between and around, most of the cast got to join a friend of Dre's, Tobias Keith, for the first TLWL postseason reunion which, like it was for a lot of MTV shows in the past year among others, was one that took place via Zoom.

When it was finally time to put pack things up and head back home to Jersey, New York, Florida and Lance's home of Chicago after such a whirlwind week in Colorado Springs -- and after so much going down in this totally different locale than they've been to, Christina reminded us that they're a family when it's all over. But she also saved some praise for the one who not only the creator, producer and editor of the TLWL series but also its star: "If there is anyone I wanna work with, it's Dre. He is working 24/7. He's in it, he's genuine. He's a cool person, very kindhearted. But he's an extremely hard worker. He devotes his heart & soul into Dre Media & TLWL. So I really give it out to Dre."

   And the person who is the heart and the soul of the two shows that he does -- and for which we can take a good deal of credit in helping boost his profile, Dre summed this trip up this way: "This was definitely one of my favorite seasons. This time I got to expand my friend group and see a new state. This is something we're gonna keep with us forever."  Bud, we can't wait for what you got for us next.

- I AM DC

#DCBLOG

UPDATE: 3/13/21 - on advice of show's creator, bios section updated to include Ava after it was mistakenly excluded.