DC ExtraTime: "Come On Be My Baby Tonight"

*** CAUTION: This Post Contains Spoilers for Those Who Haven't Caught Up with Watching This Season So Far, Please Read with Caution Below. ***

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

The story of MTV Reality represents the history of the non-scripted genre as it is recognized by fans and the industry, encompassing three decades of some of TV's most unique programming. As MTV's reality programming celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, DCBLOG's ExtraTime series will offer timely Flashback posts as we reflect on some of the most memorable moments, greatest shows, incredible personalities and unique backstories that has shaped this entire genre.

Last month, MTV marked three decades since the start of a new phase in its long life as a cable powerhouse: expanding beyond music videos into creating youth-oriented original programming and low-budget shows. Arguably the most notable of those was a series that mixed a documentary with aspects of daytime soap operas, and The Real World was the result of that mashup... and it began the channel's long and proud legacy as the undisputed pioneer of the reality genre.

Both MTV and Real World enjoyed an eight-year headstart on the competition in the genre in the U.S. -- which also included Road Rules and the first iterations of The Challenge, and the year 2000 marked the beginning of the modern era of reality TV... the first season of Survivor dominated the summer TV landscape, while Big Brother also began during what was traditionally a time for summer reruns... and it singlehandedly turned around CBS. That same year, the then 3rd place network was absorbed into the Viacom corporate umbrella for the first time with MTV, which was led by the mayhem that took over Times Square on a daily basis for Total Request Live.

After trips to California, Miami, Boston, Seattle and out of the continental United States to London and Hawaii, the summer of 2000 saw The Real World enter the new century with its first trip into the mid-South. And after a season in the fiftieth state that saw an unprecedented romance, a future Challenger battle alcohol abuse and plenty of blurred naked people, the Season 9 cast that invaded New Orleans made a lasting impact in many ways.

DC ExtraTime: "This is the True Story" Inside The Sands of The Hourglass...

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

If there is a bright spot to what has been a dark year of 2020, it has been that more & more of us have been spending our time at home at all hours of the day, working and getting educated virtually in addition to the usual routines we have to start our day and then when we would usually get home from work and school until it's time for lights out. It has seen internet usage skyrocket to new heights thanks to technology keeping us all connected, and viewing in television dayparts have increased also.

If you are one of those who are obsessed with reality television like we are here, then you know that part of the genre we love is influenced by daytime soap operas and the experience that Mary-Ellis Bunim had producing them before joining documentary producer Jon Murray to create their production arm that has brought us The Real World, The Challenge, Keeping Up with The Kardashians and other iconic reality shows. Much of what you see on those shows and everything else in the reality genre are influenced by daytime soaps: the arcs, the characters and the pacing of episodes are all influenced by that genre.

The soap opera genre is officially known as "serial drama" in having storylines that continue from episode to episode every weekday... and of course, the moniker comes from these shows being sponsored & produced by companies that market popular soap brands. It may not have the kind of large appeal and ratings that it once had as talk shows, courtroom-based series and other program genres have taken over the late-morning and afternoon time periods. But watching the soaps remains a favorite for the at-home housewives after all these years, with a few of them still on air decades after they began airing during the golden age of television.

Something that's been as much a decades-long staple of NBC as Today, The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Dateline and its Olympic coverage has been Days of Our Lives, which began airing on the Peacock back in November 1965, and is into its 56th year as its longest-running scripted series. Days has documented generations of the Horton, Brady and DiMera families in the fictional town of Salem with the many twists and turns that have gone down there. And every soap opera fan has grown up with the little-changed title sequence voiced by the series' patriarch MacDonald Carey: "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives."

DC ExtraTime: A Challenge Boss Goes Bowling Undercover

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Last week in the latest episode of the rapidly-popular spinoff series The Challenge: Invasion of Other Networks, DCBLOG took a trip back in time to when six-season alum Tyrie Ballard was part of the bartending staff in his native Nebraska's first-ever hookah bar Oasis when it was put under the microscope of Paramount Network's Bar Rescue. Because of the reputation forged by the bar that was exposed by host Jon Taffer, the bar's owner would later admit that asking the show for help actually hurt his business, and after continued troubles Oasis shut its doors for good a few years later.

Twitter @ColieEdison/ViacomCBS

Tyrie is part of the alumni class of The Real World Denver, which recently had it & many other seasons of that show that started MTV's reality story join The Challenge and other MTV shows on CBS All Access, soon to be the Paramount+ streaming service. His fellow Season 18 cast also includes Davis Mallory, who got in a heated argument with Ty that winter, and where as being a musician post-MTV also became one of the first people in America to befriend a then emerging and now superstar British pop singer named Ellie Goulding. And recently another six-season vet, Jenn Grijalva became one of the many Challenge alumni this year to ascend into parenthood as she awaits her first child.

And then, there was what happened just a couple weeks ago: someone who Ty, Davis and Jenn lived with in the Rocky Mountains and then competed alongside with on The Challenge reemerged onto our national television screens... but this time in a totally different scenario than what we featured here days ago. In this case, Colie Edison wasn't just working for the company she works at now, but also in a top level position... and being told to dress up in disguise to see what her fellow employees are up to, in that ultimate of family fun places in the cities & towns you call home: a bowling alley.

DC ExtraTime: Catching Up with Real World Hollywood's Will

A Repost from during The Challenge XXX in Summer 2017... ExtraTime will look at an MTV Reality alum competing on this week's premiere of The Voice later this week.

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

It was ten years ago this week that Season 19 of The Real World premiered when Sydney welcomed Cohutta, Kelly-Anne, Dunbar and the rest of that cast down under to Australia. At the end of that month of August 2007, filming for Season 20 began over in Hollywood, CA as the show marked that milestone by expanding its episodes to one hour. There, we saw the roommates pursue their dreams in the entertainment world, like a girl who auditioned for American Idol pursuing music and another, Joey Kovar, who has eyes on acting but would deal with alcohol which would later take his life. And a comedian by the name of Andy Dick also made a memorable cameo.

One of those who flew out to SoCal for Real World XX was Will Gill, who came there from Detroit and, like that girl Brianna, had ambitions of working as a music producer. There, we saw him not only make connections there and eventually become a party DJ, he also got to become close buddies in the house with roommate Dave and Nick Brown after the ladder moved in late in the season... thus, the title "Tres Amigos" was thrust upon them. And Will and Dave also found themselves in a foursome with two girls on the finale, just after the ladder got jumped in a street fight.
   Also, there was an odd aligning of the planets on season 20 where, because a lot of people in the Trifecta move out to the Los Angeles area after their time on MTV, the Hollywood cast got to hang out with some Real World and Challenge alums... including one night where the likes of Evan, Ace and those from the fifth major sport came into their house on Sunset Boulevard (the former West Coast headquarters for CBS and now where Viacom calls its L.A. headquarters home). It was in a bar in Hollywood that Will meet Real World Key West's Janelle, and after exchanging numbers they got a chance to get close to the point that they were going to be official. That is, until she found out that he was cheating on her... and who can forget her walking out on stage at the season-end reunion to go all in on him for this ways?

IG/@DJWillGill

It's been a long while since we have seen any of the Hollywood cast on a Challenge - last time was Nick on The Duel II, and likely that will remain the case. But Will does have a nice gig that takes him from some of the most demanding challenges you'll find in your neighborhood to the stage of one of TV's most-popular shows... one which we gave a mention a couple weeks ago here.
   If you go to the taping of a late night talk show, a sitcom or reality competition shows, then one thing that takes place before the cameras start rolling is called an "audience warm-up." This is where a person not on camera come out on stage to entertain those waiting patiently for the show to begin. For the past year, Will has served as crowd host for NBC's The Voice, tasked with revving up the audience inside the studio before Carson Daly and the panel of judges co. take over along with the many singers who try to get the "I Want You!" call from Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and friends.

   In the caption of an Instagram post he posted last month @DJWillGill, he summed up the unique atmosphere of The Voice and how it's the audience that inspires the singers to do their best under the bright lights: "There are no Applause Signs on set here because we trust the audience knows how to laugh, shout, clap, and cry...but sometimes even audiences get stage fright. But after a couple performances, they quickly realize they are the motivation, the inspiration, the support systems for these brave singers putting everything out there."

   Around that prized gig on the Universal Studios lot, Will has also traveled outside the Southland and across the country to perform similar hosting duties, this time at the start line for Tough Mudder, one of the many endurance obstacle courses featuring the same demanding stuff we see on The Challenge, and for which my brother in law has done a few of these. Along with emceeing, Will himself has also tried these challenges too and got a glimpse of what Bananas and friends have been doing for years tackling these difficult courses the way Challengers have done for years.

IG/@DJWillGill

And what would the Hollywood life be without meeting someone famous? There have been many times that Will has been able to do that, and earlier this summer he was invited to the album release party for Calvin Harris' Funk Wave Bounces Vol. I album put on by Jay-Z's TIDAL music site, where he got to meet the Scottish DJ. Calvin has had quite a career in becoming the richest DJ on earth in collaborating with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, the girls of Haim, and on that latest album with Pharrell, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Future and Frank Ocean... not to mention dating Taylor Swift and Rita Ora.
   And at that same party, Will also got to hang out with Calvin's fellow RCA label-mate, Khalid. The El Paso resident's love of music dates back to when he was recruited to perform with the Army Band while his mom was working in the military. Last year when he graduated high school, Khalid spent his summer vacation reaching Top 5 on many music sites' Artists to Watch list, and his debut single "Location" reaching Top 20 by year's end as well as 35 million Spotify and 6 million YouTube hits, and working alongside Kendrick Lamar and The Roots.

That season in Hollywood, did serve its purpose of giving opportunity to everyone in the house to pursue their passions in the entertainment world: Nick has branched out to a music career as a result of what Will and Brianna did there, and outside of it Kim and Sarah have become moms. Yes, we remember Dave for quitting The Island but that hasn't stopped him from doing all those CrossFit events. And I still remember Season XX well in watching those dailies clips being posted each day while it was airing. And for Will, that experience in that house has helped get his foot in the door in pursuing not only music, but also hosting too.

- I AM DC

#DCBLOG

DC ExtraTime: A Real World'er "Says Yes to the Dress"

 FOLLOW-UP  Triplets, Dresses & A Situation
BY DC CUEVA                             

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

As most of us who planned on having an elaborate wedding this year now are revising those plans to have it take place once COVID finally leaves the room, a lot of you have been looking to a popular program on cable for a way to think about what to war on the big day. And it's 99% likely that you have more than enough time to make those choices as everything has been getting out of control in our world, with the hope that things get back to normal once COVID finally leaves the building.

Back in March during Ex On The Beach: Peak of Love, we focused on two MTV family members - one of the singles from that winter-themed season and a member of the Jersey Shore cast as they got to walk into the New York home base of TLC's hit series Say Yes to the Dress. For Real World & Challenge alum Nicole Zanatta, she joined with her triplet sisters Ashley and Samantha as they and their mom helped the ladder choose her outfit for the big day. And for Mike The Situation, he and the Sorrentino crew joined sister Melissa as they, too, also went wedding dress shopping a year before he tied the knot with his fiance Lauren prior to his prison sentence.

And as it stands now, there will be not one, but two instances this summer & fall where more MTV alumni will be making a trip into Kleinfeld Bridal's wedding dress saloon along West 20th Street in Manhattan. The second one features a married Total Madness rookie couple where one-half of them is back where it all began for her, and we'll be featuring the couple known as Swayleigh - Chris "Swaggy C" Williams & Bayleigh Dayton when they walk into Kleinfeld's then. This takes place while she's again taking up residency in the BB All Stars house with fellow 2-time houseguest & Challenger Da'Vonne Rogers.

The first aired last Saturday night on the lucky date of 8/8, and where someone who is now a radio host and who helps those get their day started in one of America's great cities make the trek down from New England to help out with her wedding dress planning. But a decade ago this summer, she was living down in The Real World right by the Bayou.

DC ExtraTime Flashback: The Real World Takes Over Beantown

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

    Estimated Reading Time: 25 MINS.

In the nearly 30 years that MTV has been gracing us with the most talked-about reality television programming there is, there has been one constant throughout this long and proud journey. And that would be the presence of cast members who come to The Challenge, The Real World and beyond from the six northernmost states on the East Coast, and its biggest city, that has had an incredible impact on the channel.

See any of his twenty overall appearances on The Challenge or the first time he landed onto your screens as that fiesty 22-year-old on The Real World Paris, and the intimidating presence of 3-time champ Chris "C.T." Tamburello has always commanded your attention. The fact that you, the fans, chose him as the biggest reality star ever by Bill Simmons' site The Ringer -- and who smashed his opponent from their famed Cutthroat elimination, Johnny Bananas, in the final no less -- is testament to that legacy. And he is the most visible member of a long & proud tradition of those who come to us from New England and Boston, starting in Real World's early days, and stretching its wings to not only The Challenge, but also Are You The One and other shows along the way.

All Photos Courtesy MTV

Whether they'd be from Boston, from elsewhere in Massachusetts or from Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut or elsewhere, there's no denying that those from this region have made an enormous impact on MTV. It all began when Soviet-born Boston resident Flora Alekseyeun became the first castmate from this part of the country to be cast on Real World twenty-four years ago on Season 5 in Miami, while the first native New Englander came two years later in 1998 when David Burns went onto the Seattle season and found himself in a forbidden love affair with the lady who cast him on the show but who left him heartbroken in the streets of the Emerald City.

In between those two seasons, the big show brought its talents to New England itself, where they exchanged the first season to take place with swimsuits and bikinis for a whole different locale: a hard-working town rich in tradition and a season that began with snow on the ground. True to the nature of this blue-collar city, a converted firehouse familiar to '80s TV fans was where Season 6 of The Real World took place that year of 1997, and where we had just about everything take place that kept true to the show's uniquely old-school values that defined the show's 30+ season run.

A few weeks ago in this time where being together means going onto videoconferencing and endless hours of FaceTime, there was a special reunion among that group of seven strangers who called that Boston firehouse their home, and where they have had an impact that's been felt from The Challenge and the college called "The Harvard of the West," down to The Hills and even to the most well-known hill in this country: Capitol Hill.

DC ExtraTime: A Trifecta of Real World Flashbacks

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

As MTV continues its current resurgence in ratings, recognition and regard, a series that helped to kick start the channel as we know it now, as well as inventing an entire television genre in the process, is among the next series to receive its closeup. The Real World began the story of MTV Reality twenty-seven years ago next month when the first season in New York with Eric Nies, Heather B. and the rest of the original cast of seven strangers first moved into a loft in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood and created a new form of entertainment that's everywhere now. Everything from the family in the White House and the Kardashians to the YouTube culture of making ordinary people stars can be attributed to this groundbreaking show.

The Real World documented several generations of MTV'ers becoming stars of their own show, tackled real life head on and taught everyone in the business how to do reality TV, and will very soon will be moving to a new home on Facebook Watch. Last week - along with announcing RealityCon that will bring everyone in the genre together this fall and next year, MTV confirmed Atlanta as one of the host cities of The Real World's arrival at the world's most-interactive online community, with Mexico City and Bangkok, Thailand hosting the other two seasons to air this summer on the fledgling but rapidly growing free video platform.

So many seasons, roommates and moments stand out in the thirty-two seasons it aired on MTV prior to its upcoming worldwide journey to Zuckerberg-ville, taking it from America's big cities to global destinations outside our borders. And thanks to something that were only dreams at the turn of the century in social media and advanced mobile phones, the pre-Easter weekend saw memories of three memorable seasons come flashing back to those who remember the show's good old days. For one alum, she traveled to where she spent a summer in paradise that became iconic for her being part of the show's first intra-cast romance, while another posted his memories of when he began his ride fifteen years ago. And for a few others, they gathered in the same suite that helped to turn the series upside down in the town where being wild & free is par for the course.

The Look Ahead: Who Wants To Be on The Real World?

Caution: Contains Potential Spoilers Below

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Right about now, the year in MTV Reality is heading into full steam: we're a month into Season 33 of The Challenge, and War of the Worlds has already offered the kind of season that the trilogy will only envy, and it continues in less than 24 hours. Ex On The Beach is heading towards the end of its sophomore with a notable ex to return into the life of the U.S. show's first two-time castaway... so is Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club. And if you've seen their two cover stories on the magazine shelves, then this year's big reboot is not that far off in the return of The Hills, as Miesha Barton joins the original cast.

As our focus is on what's going on right at this minute, soon enough the focus will shift to the show that begat the entire history of MTV singlehandedly creating an entire TV genre. This month sees filming begin of another show entering its 33rd season, and the one that launched the modern-day reality TV genre and changed the game for the whole industry: The Real World. This time, the show shifts from a longtime linear television spot on the MTV dial to the world of digital land, and in the most ideal and fitting of all social media platforms out there: Facebook Watch, the video offering of the world's largest digital community, Facebook.

Last week here, DCBLOG looked at where the revival of this ultimate OG of MTV Reality will take place... but you can't have a reality show without a cast. Who will be part of television & social media history as a big question will soon be answered: "Who Wants To Be On The Real World?" After the jump, we'll meet the three candidates vying for a spot in the most coveted entry-level spot into one of the most exclusive -- albeit rapidly-growing -- clubs in all of television.

The Look Ahead: The Real World's Next Host City is...

Disclaimer: Contains Potential Spoilers Below

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

As you enjoy this Sunday Funday, for a moment let's take a detour from what's happening now -- and what's to come with the Pulse of this week's episodes straight ahead -- to what's happening next. As we do on occasion here, DCBLOG will take a break from our usual weekly coverage of the episodes to offer a peek into the crystal ball at coming attractions in the MTV Reality world.

When this fan signed onto social media and eventually into a hobby of blogging on the shows he loves, there was one show right at the outset back in summer 2012: The Real World. While I have branched out into many other shows since then including the show that supplanted that as the one of most interest in The Challenge, the show that started it all still takes on being my first love in reality television: the show that recognizes my passion for storytelling, MTV's commitment to social activism, and launched a genre along the way.

For the past couple years, The Real World has taken a back seat to all of what's gone down during The Challenge's trilogy... but now with all the rage in TV land being shows that are being rebooted and revived, the show that started the journey of MTV mastering a genre is about to not only return, but land at a whole new place: Facebook, and its FB Watch platform. And before it begins filming a season that will see the show return to its roots, we now have an idea of where it will go down. After the jump, we'll tell you where it will all go down. Gather around...