Due to the heavy presence of graphics and video, "Who Are These Newbies?" is best experienced on desktops and fast-performing mobile devices. Some videos embedded contain adult language & situations, parental guidance is suggested.
With the world having just gathered in Tokyo the past fortnight -- and this blogger turning his attention from writing these posts to watching it all unfold as a superfan of sports' biggest event, one thing that we at DCBLOG share a philosophy with the various broadcasters who televise the Olympics to a global audience has been an eight-year tradition of ours whenever we cover a new season of The Challenge. That would be of getting the opportunity for us to get to know the competitors who are joining in on the action for the very first time, and to answer a burning question so many of you have on your minds on the premiere: "Who Are These Newbies?"
Much like what NBC did to introduce athletes from our hometowns and around the world during the Tokyo Games the past three weeks, this site has done the same in focusing our lens on MTV and global reality stars joining America's fifth major pro sport since we began covering this show in 2013. It's in this manner that we've profiled well over 150 Challengers in this series, plus the many reality stars who have appeared on the U.S. version of Ex On The Beach. It's in this manner that we make sure to give these newcomers the proper welcome and respect they deserve to help readers like you know them a bit more in us as we offer background, insight, perspective, context and the visuals on who they are.
As the show continues to go from strength to strength in its global recognition, Spies, Lies & Allies is the third Challenge season to take place under the auspices of ViacomCBS since the parent companies of MTV and CBS got together again under one umbrella a year & a half ago. And as a reflection of their collective & impressive resume when it comes to their portfolio of reality content, the contingent of nineteen rookies competing for the first time on Season 37 of The Challenge will prominently feature those from both domestic and overseas versions of programming that airs on both channels, plus even a few from shows that don't even air on those and even on rivals of the Paramount+ streaming service.
After the jump, we begin our expanded, three-part deep dive at the rookies of The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies, as we focus in on those who a good portion of the reality television community on this side of the Atlantic are familiar with: alumni of Survivor and Love Island, and two guys who come to us from shows that don't even air on either MTV or a ViacomCBS-related TV channel.
SURVIVOR
When War of the Worlds took place two years ago, the man who reigned at season's end was an alum of the show that made reality TV a permanent part of the schedules of American network television... and as it was airing, another MTV show introduced to its audience an alum of the U.S. version of Survivor. As the series prepares to return after a year away due to the pandemic next month, three of those who competed in front of host Jeff Probst on a few of its forty seasons are joining The Challenge for the first time, two of them having the same feeling Turbo had on his season in Turkey: being Sole Survivor.
MICHELE FITZGERALD
● Kaôh Rōng WINNER + Winners at War
Michele Fitzgerald came to Kaôh Rōng on the Cambodian island of Koh Rong in 2015, leaving behind a gig as a 24-year-old bartender in Freehold, N.J., but who loved being outdoors more in rock climbing and traveling. She racked up many frequent flier miles touring the U.S. with Rock the Earth in using the power of music and concert tours to advance awareness of environmental issues... and she even cites Harry Potter as her most inspiration in life for not just his magic but also his character's bravery.
On Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty, Michele established strong relationships on the social end with fellow peers that enabled her to secure a spot in the dominant alliance on the island when the tribes merged at midseason, and which still stayed strong when her top ally was voted out towards season's end, as well as surviving a twist of an extra vote in Tribal Council. She won the last Immunity Challenge to gain the right to take a member of the voting jury out of the last session around Jeff Probst's bonfire. And despite not being as strategically capable of the final three, Michele's social game gave her the money, which she used some of the million to help pay off her new automobile.
In the time between that and Winners at War, Michele dated fellow champ Wendall Holland of Ghost Island and two other contestants before heading out to Fiji for Season 40. There as a recent champ, she began in a good position but then after the switch in tribes she was in both the minority in game power and having to deal with her ex. But as an underdog she made it past the halfway point, took an immunity challenge and aligned with that aforementioned Agent Natalie Anderson upon returning to game via their own redemption house, and eventually into the top three, where they both had to watch the eventual winner Tony Vlachos take all the money and run. And below, some highlights...
MICHELA BRADSHAW
● Millennials vs. Gen X + Game Changers
The Michela of five years ago was a 25-year-old working in the sales office of a travel vacation club company when a call to fly out from Fort Worth to Fiji came into her inbox. Traveling aside, she saw herself as intelligent, competitive and fun... and who rejoiced like any other millennial when she payed off her entire student loan debt of $23,000 after hustling several jobs around going to college and taking the low-cost route of bringing her lunch to the cafeteria and staying to a flip-phone.
Five years ago, Michela helped to break a common stereotype in reality TV casting that proved that women like her can hold their own and be leaders in competition shows like Survivor, being a strong competitor physically in addition to to her personality. Her being honest made her a valued member of the Vanua tribe (her Millennials side) from when they arrived in Fiji until halfway, where her prowess as a competitor got to the heads of Jay and Will Wahl (who we featured competing on a college version of his original show at Ohio State), and in combination with his hidden immunity idol orchestrated a game-changing blindside before the merge.
Emboldened by finishing as the sixth castaway sent home from Millennials vs. Gen X, Michela was offered a second chance when she was cast on its very next season, Game Changers in spring 2017. Given the quick turnaround, none of her contemporaries watched her season and, as a result, found herself as the outsider looking in among the entire cast of former past contestants, save for aligning with 2-time champ Sandra Diaz-Twine and 4-time castaway Cirie Fields. But Michela held her own despite her demeanor turning off most everyone else before getting blindsided towards seasons end.
TOMMY SHEEHAN
● Island of the Idols WINNER
Tommy Sheehan came to Survivor's most recent season of featuring fresh faces, Island of the Idols in fall 2019, from Long Beach, NY. On Long Island, he's a 4th grade elementary school teacher who takes pride in having changed so many kids' lives and even boasts a collection of Disney coffee mugs, while also describing himself as being goofy in asking those questions to the magic 8 ball, as well as being outgoing and competitive. His parents are his biggest inspiration, loves his sports, and prefers people who brighten up a room.
Had the chips fallen his way, Tom would've been the FIFTH member of the Big Brother 20 cast to come onto The Challenge. He applied for the same season that gave us Fessy, Kaycee and Swayleigh as part of what he saw as a "dry run" for applying to Survivor. CBS' casting department had other plans for the 24-year-old in ultimately casting him for the 39-day excursion to paradise as he came to the Island to not only win the $1 million, but also hope that viewers escape for an hour a week to make them smile.
In Fiji, he took a page out of Michele's playbook and relied more on creating more of a social game in forming bonds with those in his Vokai tribe and then with the Lumuwaku group after the merge midway through. Getting to align himself with those other tribemates, getting information from them and being Switzerland saw him stave off elimination many times on the island, but he never gained an advantage or won any individual immunity challenge to save himself. Tom did, though, convince a fellow castaway to bring him to the decisive tribal council where, thanks to having that social game and manipulating techniques was more than enough for him to gain an early $1 million Christmas present... and he came home to a hero's welcome wearing, of course, a Santa outfit.
🏝️ 🏝️ 🏝️
love island USA
As things have returned to normal in America and Europe, so has the world of reality dating TV and with it, the global phenomenon Love Island. After last summer off, Series 7 of the UK version rages on in Marbella, Spain, while in the U.S. Season 3 has taken over the same house where Cory's Ex On The Beach season was filmed in Hawaii. And after seeing several of the Brits on both The Challenge and EOTB USA, the first two islanders of our Love Island join Team MTV -- both from last year in Vegas.
JEREMIAH WHITE
● Season 2: Las Vegas 2020
The first two seasons of Are You The One? seven years ago saw Mississippi be represented in Kayla on Season 1 and Layton on Season 2... and it was the turn of De Kalb's Jeremiah White to go on Love Island on the Strip. His bio described him as, "...a country boy who's looking for that special someone he can bring home to his mom." With his Southern hospitality, he loves working out, fishing and hunting after growing up on the farm, and looks to Bey & Jay as relationship goals and Keri Hilson as his celebrity crush. In his own dating profile he wrote, "I'm 22 years old, pretty laid back, but very outgoing. I like personality and good vibes. Anything that brings a good time."
And in the Cromwell, Jeremiah came to town looking to find that girl he'd want to bring home to mom - one who would be more than just a best friend but also be both lighthearted and let him be just himself. He got coupled up with eventual winner Justine and with Rachel in week 1 before not being chosen at the week 2 coupling ceremony. And on day 9, this 22-year-old retail sales associate was on his way back to his day job in his small town of just over 1,100. But as the clips below show, he did have a moment to shed those man tears.
And as we told you here in March, The Challenge's Twitter account lost its mind when they found that Rihanna and Drake were watching this show thanks to then following some of its competitors on Instagram. Apparently, Canada's national treasure to most millennials also got to catch Love Island when he reposted a scene of Jeremiah's 1st day in town and him catching a tune with fellow OG Johnny... and Drizzy wrote in his IG story, "Lightskins doing what we do..." He now has someone to root for here.
LAUREN COOGAN
🇬🇧 Season 2: Las Vegas 2020
And when Jeremiah flew away from Vegas, Lauren Coogan was among the next wave of singles to enter the hotel just after he left. She was a 27-year-old family assistant when she took up residency in the villa last year, coming to America from Oxford, England after being born in Brussels, Belgium. Not much was made public by CBS about her personal life outside of that (though she shares a November 13th birthday with this guy), but something is public knowledge thanks to Instagram is that she is friends of musicians MAX and JHart and is an ex of fellow musician Enesse, who collaborated with Rick Ross and who Lauren dated off and on until a few years ago.
Lauren came to the house on Day 10 and her looks instantly garnered a bit of attention from the Islanders including Kierstan and week 1 coupling partner Carrington. That led to him eventually getting interested in the Brit before Lauren got dumped, but also led to a rare BFF sort of friendship with the two girls who fought over the same guy... think, MTV love alums Nurys and Diandra after fighting over Malcolm with bananas included on both their seasons of AYTO and EOTB.
And as this post goes to press before the premiere, there's this story to add: reality dating fans have been engaged with HBO Max's entry into this genre, F-Boy Island... and it has links to this Challenge rookie. When she left Hotel Love Island and flew down to Los Angeles, she had struggled with finding her luggage at baggage claim when a good-looking man came up to her to help single her bags out: Garrett Morosky, who is on F-Boy Island, as seen in the below clips.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Paramount+ Competitors
And speaking of streaming: last year as ViacomCBS prepared to transform CBS All-Access into Paramount+, it sublicensed to Netflix Kayla and Layton's Are You The One? seasons, Survivor, Teen Mom, and two seasons of The Challenge including Queer Eye host Karamo Brown on The Inferno II. It is only part of the streaming wars that's seen NBC, Discovery Channel and others join Hulu, Disney+ and others for the battle for our eyeballs when it has been the thing in TV land during the pandemic... so has HBO, which expanded its existing over-the-top platform into HBO MAX. And the last two guys in this part of our rookies preview comes from competitors of Paramount+.
KELZ DYKE
🇬🇧 Too Hot to Handle
During the Double Agents finale back in April, MTV and Pepsi offered the premiere of YouTube dating show Match Me If You Can, which saw Ashley going on a horseback date with Eric Bigger from Ghosted host Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette. Also on that series was Harry Jowsey, who came to us from the first season of Netflix's steamy entry into the genre, Too Hot to Handle.
While the New Zealander & Francesca Farago were the most-talked about duo in the Mexican villa, there were others living with them too as they were tempted whatever they can to make a connection without resorting to hooking up. There was one man in the entire resort who had to take on the task of being the "accountant" of the season: 27-year-old Kelechi "Kelz" Dyke, a London-based senior recruitment consultant by day, and American football player by weekend for the London Warriors -- plus some modeling work and working out in the gym around those.
His job working a 9-5 in an office chair during the workweek would eventually serve him well on Too Hot to Handle: Kelz rightfully earned his title of keeping an eye at all times on the $100,000 prize money that the group was staked with to begin their summer of love. Of course, any incident of them having sex or getting caught kissing would cause personal assistant Lara to gather them around to announce a deduction in the cash... for which he would be part of that group that stayed at season's end and forged a relationship with Emily Ratajkowski - and for which highlights are below.
But one extra interested viewer of Kelz making his Challenge debut when it begins airing in Britain shortly after us is one who fell in love on reality TV also: he got to take a pic with Amber Gill, who won the 2019 season of Love Island, for which a member of her cast will be profiled here next.
COREY LAY
● 12 Dates of Christmas
Corey Lay is a developer of video game & mobile apps and a personal trainer who currently resides in Seattle, but who has also taken on becoming an activist for the LGBTQ and Black communities. He came out as gay to his family at age 14, but unlike what might be the case for most everyone else he was accepted by his family. This came after many difficult years trying to figure out himself for who he is, which given him being a high school athlete while keeping Corey's personal life a guarded secret made things hard. But it was after he met a freshman who was out and proud that things changed for him, and he could finally take a breath and be able to be himself.
For his reality TV experience, last year Corey took part in a yuletide-themed reality dating show for HBO Max over the holidays entitled 12 Dates of Christmas: sets of daters coming together in Austria looking to find love, and to see if romance would last past the New Year's Eve midnight kiss. He was one of several suitors looking to win over series co-lead Garrett... but things didn't pan out as much as they had hoped and Corey left the house without him by his side. But he learned a lot about himself while filming 12 Dates which, as he wrote on Reality Blurred, "...the most important part of this journey was that I did not lose sight of myself and that I was as open and honest as possible."
And... Corey also has something in common with a fellow MTV alum: when Marlon joined Jemmye, Nicole and Laurel in (ironically enough) the winter-themed Season 4 of Ex On The Beach last year, one of those they lived with down in New Zealand was Adore Delano, that American Idol contestant turned icon of RuPaul's Drag Race. And he got to hang out a little bit with Corey just after returning from filming Peak of Love.
📺 📺 📺
Ahead on Part 2 of Who Are These Newbies? of The Challenge 37: we head across the Atlantic to meet our first set of international rookies, including two more of Jeremiah and Lauren's fellow Love Island alumni, and we'll meet the lady who competed alongside the king of War of the Worlds. Join us then when our introduction to the Rookies of Spies, Lies and Allies continues...
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
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).