DC ExtraTime: Someone You Should Know - Steezy, Rohan & DAD

DISCLAIMER: Certain Content Embedded in This Post May Not Be Suitable for a Younger Audience. Parental Guidance is Suggested.

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

From left, Dylan "DAD" Polley, Rohan Kohli
and Steezy Kane (IG @rohankohli55)

When the calendar turns to the month of May this Wednesday, college students across the country will be thinking many things at the end of the academic year. For many, they are dreading those final exams which will see them trade party and friend time for many hours of studying before the big tests that await them. For others, they're looking forward to finally getting this school year done and dusted so that they can have some fun in the sun the next few months. And for those who are nostalgic and have completed the necessary amount of credits, they are counting down the days until any young adult's ultimate coming of age moment: putting on the cap & gown and graduating college.

What happens after students receive their diploma and getting feted by family & friends in this important passage in their lives will vary depending upon what route they want to take: getting a job, starting their own business, and whatever pleases them as they enter, as they say, the "real real world." But for three college students, they are already superstars beyond just their inner circle... something that wasn't even possible at the start of this century. And thanks in part to YouTube and the viral culture we are living in now, they've amassed over a million total social media followers thanks to getting to create content that can make everyone laugh and to brighten their day.

With the help of someone who also gained a fortune by winning a one-time MTV Reality show, we'd like you to meet the latest trio of Someone You Should Know: College YouTube Royalty of Steezy Kane, Rohan Kohli and Dylan Polley.

DC ExtraTime: From Being Stranded to Being Naked and Afraid

DISCLAIMER: Certain Content Embedded in This Post May Not Be Suitable for a Younger Audience. Viewer Discretion is Advised.

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

In early 2017 before everyone began taking notice of the channel once again, MTV experimented with entering something that Turbo of War of the Worlds and Jay of Ex On The Beach 2 are familiar with: survivalist reality competition shows. Their experience on Survivor inspired many of these shows in that genre, including MTV's Stranded with A Million Dollars: ten strangers being marooned on a remote island with a treasure chest of seven figures, and having to decide whether to tough it out over 40 days, or spend a fortune on things we'd get for cheap at the local Walmart. The show might've lasted one season like most other MTV shows nowadays, but Stranded has lived on overseas having been franchised in Europe and other countries.

But those two shows are fairly different compared to the most unique show of its kind in this reality subgenre. Since summer 2013, The Discovery Channel has taken the concept of people having to fend for themselves in the wild to a totally different level that only cable television can be the venue for such endeavors in our living rooms. Naked and Afraid follows a pair of survivalists - a man and woman - who meet each other for the first time when they arrive and like other endurance fests have to find and produce water, food, shelter and everything else in a rugged part of the world. But as the show's title suggests, they have to do those and survive the wild while being naked for 21 days.
   For those who haven't watched it, those who come on Naked and Afraid meet each other only after they have stripped down all of their clothes to the point where their bodies are blurred, and are allowed one useful item on their 3-week trip into the wild, which is featured in one single episode. Like what we saw on Stranded, castaways are allowed to quit at any time, but as it was in that lone season finale a helicopter will await them at an evacuation point if they last the distance. And last summer, a familiar face to MTV fans came to try her luck in Teen Mom OG's Maci Bookout, who quit after only one day in Nicaragua after being chosen in a fan contest. Now, the girl who has a few connections to each of the three main shows we cover here has some company in taking her talents from MTV to Discovery for one night only.

The attention of Stranded centered on the bitter rivalry of Army paratrooper (and now eBay and sports betting expert) Cody Dunlap and local TV news reporter Alex Apple and their respective alliances. One of those who sided with the Texas native was New England native turned Malibu yoga instructor Makani Nalu, whose first name means "the wind" in Hawaiian. Her MTV bio described her as "a free spirit who goes where the wind takes her," and who was excited about going to the island to utilize her survival skills as well as being a vegan.
   Those who watched Stranded saw Makani align with Cody from when they and the rest of the islanders were choppered in to spend those 40 days in total isolation. When the rest of their fellow residents quit, they, Alex and his fellow partner Gina were left in the end... and while it's what happened with Cody spoiling the fresh water and Alex burning a stash of cash in a bonfire, lost in the chaos was how Cody and Makani dominated the handful of challenges that came their way, as well as being fiscally conservative compared to their counterparts. The last four shared in the $500,000+ final payday once they survived all 40 days of that trip out to sea.
   Last night, Makani returned to TV when she was part of the series' first-ever threesome that came to the Amazon rainforest deep in the wild of Ecuador for this week's episode of Naked and Afraid, which once again departed from its usual format of having only two cast members per episode to now have an additional survivalist. Makani joined two other partners, taxi driver Sarah and Air Force veteran David as they tried their luck at going three weeks in the wild in having to survive not only the animals that call the rainforest home, but also tension and jealousy with three people instead of two being in the same camp.

When she announced her participation in the series, Makani wrote on Instagram: "I don't have a television, but I suppose people are beginning to tell me they see me there again. When I disappeared last summer for a while, it was to film another survival show. I am more proud of this one. It was real in every sense of the word. There was no opportunity as there was in Stranded or as there is in Survivor to 'win' rewards or food to merit your way out of a true survival experience. For this reason, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to film with @discovery network on the 10th season of their show which pushes all boundaries, @nakedandafraidtv . See you on March 17th, 2019. ♥️🌿"

   And Makani further added on IG before last night's episode, "Although this challenge was shorter, it was more real & powerful to me in every sense of those words. I’m interested to see on Sunday how much I have grown from one to the other...the nature of the challenges themselves were worlds apart in the best of ways. I can say no matter how the edit goes, I am proud of me♥️🌿"  And after the episode aired, Cody tweeted @CodyThrive, "Congrats to @makanime on completing her 21 day challenge. I’m ready to see how she does on a season of N&A XL. She’s done 40 days and she’s done 21 days naked. Now she’s gotta do 40 days naked! #NakedAndAfraid #MTVstranded #MakaniOnChallenge @NakedAndAfraid"

Below, a sneak peek of last night's episode and some of Makani's posts relating to Naked & Afraid... because of the nature of the material embedded below, this content is intended for an adult audience.

DC ExtraTime: Worlds Collide - Stranded Meets Survivor

Following is an excerpt from a DCBLOG post during Champs vs. Pros and following the Survivor: Game Changers earlier this year, reposted in the interest of our readers in the aftermath of the most recent season of Survivor: Heroes, Healers & Hustlers earlier this week.

#DCBLOG's BEST OF 2017
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

The Stranded Final Four:
Alex, Makani, Cody & Gina
(IG/@AlexApple7)

And here, we have a follow-up to one of the big stories of these last nine months in the MTV world: nearly two months ago was the finale of one of the many series outside The Challenge & Real World system, and Are You The One?, that I have gotten to befriend with in this large MTV melting pot. And this past week, two of the key figures from the 21st series outside the Trifecta that I have either followed, watched and/or live tweeted got a chance to mingle with a member or two of the show that helped to inspire their show.
   Season 1 of Stranded with a Million Dollars saw ten adventurers being marooned in an island in Fiji with the assignment of having to spend 40 days in order to collect a potential seven-figure final payday with that pot being split among those who would go the distance. During this time, six players were not able to make it to the end when they flared up to announce their surrender, and in between we saw a lot of drama and interesting gameplay. In the end, those who watched and lived this experience left satisfied in the final result of the four players who left with a nearly $500,000 payday split four ways, though it's what happened with the two guys at the heart of this that might be the lasting image of this inaugural season of MTV's entry into survivalist reality competition shows.

First, there's Mr. Thrive, Cody. He was that Army Paratrooper who came onto this show in realizing a dream he had to making it onto an MTV reality show being a Real World/Challenge fan for over a decade. He developed a solid bond with New England beauty Makani and, after a couple of their alliance members departed, the two combined to dominate and sweep all the reward challenges that took place on that season and were worthy winners in the minds of many. And yes, there was what we saw from him in having to go pee, and then poo, in the water to try and take out his adversary and his partner which became one of the most intriguing and, shall we say, revealing things we've ever seen on an MTV show. No wonder why in its premiere episode wrap, MTV.com had Cody as the one fans would likely hate on the show and he lived up to that persona there in the islands... and last week, he got to meet a fellow reality TV villain who knows very well the feeling of being hated.

Cody with Russell Hantz.
Credit: IG/@CodyThrive

   While we covered Stranded on here (it aired after Invasion this season), we briefly profiled here one of the most famous and notorious players in the history of Survivor who also became an interested viewer of the show thanks to him joining me and others in live tweeting the episodes. Russell Hantz is arguably one of the show's biggest stars and greatest villains, having appeared on three of those seasons. And though he did not achieve the ultimate goal of winning $1,000,000, the way he played the game caught everyone's attention, going to two final tribal councils and earning a place in the show's Hall of Fame. It's helped to further propel a Hantz reality TV family tradition, which has seen him and other members of his family appear on Survivor, Big Brother and A&E, all the while maintaining an oil business outside of Houston and a bar next door in Louisiana.
   With both him and Cody sharing the same home state, it was inevitable that they would cross paths, and this past week that happened. In the caption for the picture above, Cody wrote, "There are a lot of fakes in reality tv. What keeps these shows thriving are real ass dudes like us. Keep hope alive. 🐐🐐 #MTVstranded #Survivor"

And second, there's Alex... the newsman. He came all the way from Vermont and took a leave from covering Sen. Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail to spend 40 days in Fiji and for the first half of the season controlled the financial part of a game where things we could buy at the local Wal-Mart for $5 or $40 cost $1,000 or even $30,000 in a tent. He led a group called the Core Four which also included San Diego bartender Gina, close friend Alonzo and now new mom Eilish… but after the ladder two flared, Alex & Gina were forced to have to deal with Cody & Makani until Day 40. And yes, they also had to put up with that Watergate situation which they survived somehow, as did them propelling down a waterfall to reach the final evacuation point in the finale. But we also can't forget what Alex did in Week 9 when he decided to take the money they have accumulated up to that point and put some of those bills into a campfire and tore some others.

IG/@AlexApple7

   With him having worked at WCAX-TV, Vermont's CBS affiliate, he used his contacts within the family of what's referred to in the business as The Tiffany Network to gain equal footing with his Texas nemesis, and perhaps making him even more jealous, by flying out to California to attend last week's live reunion for Survivor Game Changers. There, he sat near the front row on the CBS lot in Studio City watching the rest of the cast join Jeff Probst to crown the ultimate survivor last week and discuss everything that went down in Fiji - which also hosted that first season of Stranded.

   And he got to meet the queen of that season, Sarah Lacina, who was the last one standing on Season 34 of the Eye network's flagship reality show where she and 19 other fan favorites got a second chance at the million and was the worthy winner. Alex wrote of his fellow fan of the show, "I think I've got a new favorite survivor since @sarahlacina is also a Stranded fan. Congrats on a near perfect season of #Survivor #GameChangers! 🏝🎉"  Alex also got to meet fellow alum of the show, John Cochran and had his own starstruck moment in seeing pop royalty, for which he tweeted, "Found out today that I chatted up the singer Sia at the Survivor finale for 5-10 minutes and had no idea who she was sans wig."  Not only is CBS' Studio City facilities host to the Survivor finale, it is also home base for Entertainment Tonight, and Sia was one of the guests who made their way that day to that landmark of syndication and a staple of prime access (the term for the hour or half-hour before network primetime).

To put this into a financial perspective, in making the 40 days in Fiji, Cody, Alex, Makani and Gina all collected final paychecks of just around $125,000, which actually makes each of them the richest individuals of this Trifecta cycle, just getting by Ashley M. who had $121,250 for winning Invasion, and CT who won $112,500 on the guys' side. And if you're wondering about the ones who won AYTO Second Chances last week, Devin & Rashida won $170,000 and each get to split $85,000. Just behind those two is Hayden, who stole from Carolina $60,000 - making up for that collapse in the Caribbean back in March and no doubt will be enough for him & Gianna to buy themselves a boat for the summertime in the Midwest. And obviously, $50,000 is at stake each week on Fear Factor.
   Well, being able to pocket six figures is one thing to get through what we saw on the past few Challenges and on the AYTO spinoff, but pales in comparison to what we saw on Stranded with Team Makody and Team Algina both getting a cut of the cash in being able to get through the ultimate challenge: having to survive over a month in the wilderness on an island, being able to dominate as the first two did, and being able to get through the last week as the other two, makes this one of the big stories in the Trifecta that will sure be discussed on the Debrief later this month.

- I AM DC

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - The Finale

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you wrap up your weekend and this month of April, welcome back to our view Inside the MTV Trifecta on DCBLOG. And after bringing you through a light week ahead of the final on The Challenge Invasion, and a big twist on AYTO Second Chances, it's time to bring you the main event of sorts of this week's wave of posts: the finale of Stranded with a Million Dollars in Fiji.
   Last week, the two rival camps of Team Makody and Team Algina took their war to another level when Mr. Thrive decided to take a take care of his business in the main source of water on this island: the lake, with the hope his rivals will flare out...which they did not. Watergate no doubt was the big story of this season in the wake of the other camp deciding to burn the money. And to add extra intrigue to last week, the group forgot their flare case which cost the group $100,000.
   This week, it's the finale as the game comes to an end with the intriguing mindset of the players approaching the finish line and Day 40. In a season that's seen so many twists and turns, Alex & Gina again find themselves struggling with hunger and being dehydrated, and once again that happens with his arch rival as Cody & Makani do whatever they can to force them off the island before the day they've been waiting for arrives. And of course, who of the final four will make it to the final evacuation point and claim the cash?

Coming up, we'll have the 'Pulse with action, reaction and interaction from this season finale. And after the diary, we'll take a final trip into the Strategy Room and look at the game's outcome. It's all ahead as DCBLOG presents the final chapter of Season 1 of Stranded with a Million Dollars.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Week 9

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

The weekend has arrived, and if you're on the West Coast, then summer weather has arrived a month before the unofficial start of summer in 80- and 90-degree weather in Las Vegas. And we're here to go Inside the MTV Trifecta, where coming up, we have a Challenge elimination shocker ahead of the final, Barbie & Ken and friends go mudding in Australia, and a look at the many sides of everyone's favorite Israeli. But first, we start with the penultimate episode of Stranded with a Million Dollars.
   Last week, the rivalry that has been brewing all season long between the two sides began to take shape after power of the game was seized by Cody & Makani as they decided to not buy food at the group buy the rest of the way, which left Alex and Gina on the edge in trying to stay. And feeling the need to get food, the journalist turns to something both shocking and radical: ripping apart the money they've achieved along the way and putting them in a campfire leaving them in the flames.
   This week, the final days of their journey are upon them, and once again it's the two rivals who take center stage as one of them decides to declare an way on the other camp, as they decide it's time to try and get their enemies to flare up...only for them to forget something very crucial which may cost them money. And to add more to all this, there's a plan so jaw-dropping, it might be one of the most intriguing things you've ever seen on reality TV.

Ahead, our look at week 9 of the adventurers' stay in Fiji, plus Endgame looks at what might be the most intriguing moment of this inaugural season of Stranded.  See you after the jump.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Week 8

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Happy Easter weekend to all of you from all of us at DCBLOG. And as this holiday weekend begins, we have another packed weekend of posts to bring you from an eventful week in the MTV Trifecta.. Ahead, the Underdogs are on the edge in Thailand, more drama takes shape down under, and a look at where it all stands in Thailand. But first, Week 8 of Stranded with a Million Dollars, which has seen so much take place before it reaches its climax.

   Last week in Fiji was also the first week of this game being two-on-two thanks to Eilish and Alonzo heading home, and as the number of players lessened so did the tensions. With the game's control having shifted, Cody & Makani came up with a plan to take out Gina and make it 2 on 1, though Alex's only other alliance member decided to stay for at least one more week.
   This week, the lines that were drawn last week begin to take shape as the rivalry between the two camps heats up, along with the journey they all have to take to the next camp site. For here, both sides decide to take power moves in one taking away a characteristic of the other camp, and in response they counter with something as shocking as any we've seen on the Trifecta.

   After the break, it's perhaps the most intense episode yet of Stranded with a Million Dollars, as well as the results of our first Twitter poll on that show, as we go Inside the MTV Trifecta on DCBLOG.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Week 7

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

We have reached the end of this first week of April, and that means one thing here: it's time to go Inside the MTV Trifecta with DCBLOG. Ahead: two epic champions eliminations and a Challenge super twist, animal selfies and a theft in Australia, and the story of a pop punk band's breakthrough. But first on the docket, we kick off with Week 7 of Stranded with a Million Dollars.
   Last week, the pendulum of this game changed quite considerably when not one, but two players fired their flare gun when their health was in jeopardy and had to take their leave: Eilish and Alonzo split the Core Four in half to just Alex and Gina. This comes as Cody and Makani, not surprisingly, take control of the game in what has clearly been dominated from a money standpoint by the Core Four, and as they say, what a difference a week makes.
   This week, it's week 7 in Fiji as the game now turns into a two-on-two affair, and as the number of players lessens, the tensions only mount among the among the four remaining players. True to what we've seen a plenty over the years, a challenge forces the group to suck it up and work together as one unit. And the game takes a big, sudden turn as two decide to make a bold gamble in an attempt to get the others out for good.

After the jump, we look at Episode 7 of Stranded with a Million Dollars, plus we'll meet the show's biggest celebrity fan - as we begin our weekend look at the MTV Trifecta on DCBLOG.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Week 6

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's the last night of March and as you all prepare to turn that page to April, it's time for us at DCBLOG to take you on our weekly journey through the MTV Trifecta. Coming up in the next few days, the Camilinator returns to The Challenge, the doctor is in the house on AYTO Second Chances, and two compelling In-Depth stories. But first, we begin this weekend with Stranded with a Million Dollars, and the beginning of the business half of the season.
   Last week, alliances were tested as a deal was proposed that would've changed the game further. There was a demanding journey from one camp site to the next that did nothing but deepen the divide between the alliance of two and the alliance of four. And it's the ladder who then decide to do what they've been doing most of this time: spend more of the money and leaving the two-person tribe to worry that the cash could be limited.
   This week, it's week 6 and it's that Core Four who are in control going into the journey to Camp Six, and just as they have done all season line they continue to keep the food for themselves and refuse to share it with Team Makody. But when sickness comes to the island, two players may be forced to make life-changing decisions that could not only lose them their cuts of the cash, but also their camp control of the game.

Ahead, the second half of Stranded with a Million Dollars begins, as we commence our weekend look at the Trifecta on DCBLOG.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Week 5

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's a Sunday and the first weekend of Spring, and back we are at DCBLOG as we roll along with our look at the MTV Trifecta. And this also happens to be the halfway point of the social experiment known as Stranded with a Million Dollars.
   Last week, six remained on the island after Chris decided to take off, and Alonzo nearly became the fifth to take his leave when he struggled to keep himself on the island. This forced Alex to do whatever he can to keep his alliance together as the gap between alliances increased. And when a $30,000 tent became the key point of interest in the control for power, Cody finds a new ally to join him as he tried to regain power.

   This week as the game reaches its fifth week, alliances are being tested as an attractive deal gets proposed that could change the game further. A grueling journey from one camp site to the next does nothing but to widen the divide between the alliance of two and the alliance of four. And when the attention turns to one of those two, the Campers decide to do more binge-spending and leaving the leader of that two-person tribe to worry that the winnings could be limited when it's all over.

   After the jump, week 5 of our stay in Fiji, plus after the diary a trip into the Strategy Room to see where this game all stands at the halfway point.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Episode 4

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you all recover from the St. Patrick's Day madness of yesterday, last night and earlier this morning, we at DCBLOG have the perfect cure for your Saturday hangover: our posts on the MTV Trifecta. In case you missed it, last night we posted our preview of Are You The One? Second Chances, and ahead we'll look at The Challenge: Invasion and the finale of Are You The One? Season 5. First, start in the islands of Fiji for Week 4 of Stranded with a Million Dollars.
   Last week, seven people remained on the island after the double-elimination of Michael and Ashley, and tensions began to to rise. As stormy weather arrived onshore, Makani decided to go against her former friends, while the rest of the group began to struggle against the elements. Another temptation awaited Alonzo when he found a nice bed & bathroom setup in addition to food, but refused to give in, but the rest of the group began to again binge-buy. But it became too much for Chris, and at episode's end yet another flare gun goes off in him heading home.
   This week, six people remain on the island, and the gulf between a now two-person alliance and a strong Core Four person alliance only increases. With Alonzo struggling to keep himself afloat and threatening to make this a 5-person island, Alex does whatever he cant to keep his fragile alliance together. An item worth $30,000 becomes the key item of interest in the battle for power of the game, and the man who "thrives" on this game finds someone new who's joined his side.
   Join us after the jump for our look at Week 4 of Stranded with a Million Dollars, plus the musical side of one of the adventurers, as we bring you our weekend look at the MTV Trifecta on DCBLOG.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - Episode 3

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's the weekend - which means if you're anxious for some sun you'll rejoice to where you will get to spring forward one hour ahead later tonight...and it also means it's time for us at DCBLOG to bring you the week in the MTV Trifecta. Coming up, that Challenge sweetheart known as Barbie Beast rekindles her love affair with Thor, and it's crunch time in the Caribbean for AYTO's Team 22. But we kick things off with week 3 of Stranded with A Million Dollars.

   Last week, the group was forced to race to their second camp site for $100,000 and lost not only one person in Bria, but two others in Ashley and Michael when both announced their exit. After opting to save the cash in week 1, exhaustion, hunger and rain started to take their toll on the remaining adventurers, and when the chance finally comes for them to refuel, alliances began forming. And the campers finally found out about Gina's temptation that cost them $15,000 without notice.
   This week, with only seven people left in Fiji, tensions among the group begin to rise. As a dangerous storm bears down on their camp, Makani decides to take a stand against her former friends, meanwhile Chris and Alonzo struggle against the elements. There's another temptation awaiting one of the remaining adventurers, while the group is also offered incentive to buy as much food and supplies at half off. But will another one bit the dust too?

   After the jump, our diary and review of Week 3 of Stranded with a Million Dollars as we take flight on our weekend look at all things MTV Trifecta.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with A Million Dollars - Episode 2

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's the first weekend of March, which means if you're in South Padre, Texas like a few of our MTV friends are, then you're about to begin the madness of Spring Break. And it means that we're here to bring you the week that was in the MTV Trifecta, where ahead - the Champions arrive on The Challenge as the Underdogs feel the pressure of the veterans, while Team AYTO finally shows some progress in their quest for love & money, among other things. But first, things are heating up down in Fiji for those adventurers Stranded with A Million Dollars.

Last week, our group of Alex, Alonzo, Ashley, Bria, Chris, Cody, Eilish, Gina, Michael and Makani arrived in the South Pacific with just their clothes and with money in hand. Along with the usual first impressions that come with any premiere of an MTV reality TV show, they also learn about the items on offer if they decide to use them, but ultimately decide to keep the cash and the elements get the best of them. Cody emerges as villain of the group, and then one of them decides to call it quits.

   This week, the group is faced with a $100,000 race to the second camp site and along the way, they encounter a major loss en route to the site. After opting to save the cash last week, hunger, exhaustion and rain begin to take their toll on the adventurers. When the opportunity comes to finally get a much-needed refuel, alliances begin to fracture, and the rest of the campers finally find out about the temptation Gina had that cost them some of their fortunes and may have her look from the outside in.

After the jump, we look at Episode 2 of Stranded with A Million Dollars as we kick off our weekend look at the MTV Trifecta.

MTV Trifecta: Stranded with a Million Dollars - The Premiere

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's the last Friday of February, which means cyclists are riding tonight through the streets of big cities at rush hour. In Hollywood, preparation is in full swing for Sunday's Oscars extravaganza, while in New Orleans it's Mardi Gras Weekend as the Big Easy's biggest party goes into overdrive. And down in Arizona and Florida, Spring Training baseball is now underway.
   And for us here at DCBLOG, it's time to take you on our ride through a busy week in the MTV Trifecta. Coming up, Challenge underdogs look to make one last impression before the champions come to town, while the Are You The One? hotties are getting down & dirty. But first, something new to kick off your weekend.

A few weeks ago, we took a Look at what could be MTV's next big thing in Stranded with A Million Dollars, the channel's push into the survivalist form of reality competition shows as they will put 10 strangers on an island for 40 days, with $1 million in hand and plenty of obstacles awaiting them. Well, with their tie-in to The Challenge - including airing after the the big show and a poll of who viewers think could make the jump to that show, we've decided the give them the unique treatment we offer here at DCBLOG: our signature Pulse diary of the episodes as the cast sees them, and a mini-Wrap of the episode's key moments.

   This week, it's the premiere as Alex, Alonzo, Ashley, Bria, Chris, Coy, Eilish, Gina, Michael and Makani all move into that remote island in Fiji with nothing but their clothes and all that cash. In addition to the usual first impressions and "get to know you" vibe of any premiere, the group finds temptations all around their surroundings as any purchase of items crucial to surviving a month & a half will cut into their winnings should they go the distance. And after what we've seen in recent seasons of the Trifecta, could just this premise of being on this island for all this time lead one of the competitors to give in?

After the jump, it's week one of Stranded with A Million Dollars to kick off the weekend look at the week in the MTV Trifecta at DCBLOG.

The Look: Stranded with a Million Dollars

Excerpt from a DC BLOG post from earlier today, reposted in the interest of reality TV fans;
features updated material on two of the cast members of this season

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

The Trifecta remains my first love and top priority in the MTV world, but as you all know I have a long history of embracing other shows outside the ecosystem. Over 18 years, I've been watching a whole slew of shows spanning the whole spectrum of what it means to be young, and in my time in social land I've watched, followed and live tweeted some 20 shows south of my biggest passion. And though my primary dealings within the MTV community is with the Trifecta, I've also formed social friendships with those from other shows as well - proof of the welcoming nature I have with a channel I've watched for a long time.

   As we begin 2017 and as the channel and its parent company Viacom have been going through some changes of late, you can add to this list MTV's latest reality TV endeavor, which is actually the reason why there won't be After Shows for this upcoming Challenge season. But if you're someone who loves the competition shows of the Trifecta and other programs with a competitive feel on other networks, then the show that's the subject of this installment of The Look will be right up your alley. And in this instance, this may change the game of survival-style reality competition shows, just as The Challenge and AYTO have done with both reality competition and reality romance shows. It's called Stranded with A Million Dollars.

Imagine being dropped off on an island far away from civilization with just the clothes on your back and having to fend for yourself for 40 days, with challenges and journeys featured and where $1 million is on your mind. It's a familiar refrain for those of you who also watch Survivor, but MTV's newest series is taking it a step further as 10 young adventurers will go through this very premise, and unlike its 32-season counterparts - those who emerge out of this experience will share in the prize money that goes to them when they've outlasted this journey and will change their lives.

   But there is a catch to all of this: the players can buy all of the survival supplies and creature comforts they so desire to help them survive in the wilderness, provided that they sacrifice a good deal of the $1 million total to get something way more expensive than we can find in our department store, such as spending $30,000 for a tent. All decisions to make a purchase will need a simple majority of the group and the cost will take a cut out of the cash. And participants can leave the island at any time by shooting a flare gun to announce their surrender and leave pride and cash behind. So, it's up to everyone to toughen up and work together as they're all pushed to the limit, both physically and mentally, in this new series.
   Ten castmates from coast to coast: Alex, Alonzo, Ashley, Bria, Chris, Cody, Eilish, Gina, Michael and Makani -- will take to a remote island in Fiji and will be forced to endure a month-plus on this stranded oasis. Behind the scenes - and with the show's executive producer a Real World veteran, Stranded promises to also break ground from a production standpoint: retrofitted drones, robotic cameras and ultra-long lenses will be deployed to film this real-life Hunger Games without impeding on the cast's every move. It's as isolated as the cameras can be, just as you reality TV fans are familiar with watching Big Brother.

   It's so buzzed about a show among those in the media, that Stranded will earn the post-Challenge timeslot on Tuesdays starting in mid-February. But because of the Trifecta taking top priority, I won't actually live tweet episodes at the same time as it airs on TV as after Challenge episodes wrap, I'll go into compiling these Pulse diaries. But no worries, I'll be fitting time in my blog duties to buy episodes on iTunes and live tweet them on DCNOW on Fridays, around the time I post the first of the two Pulse diaries on here. Nonetheless, I do look forward to watching this show and perhaps, there is something fresh to find in this epic new series that could be MTV's next big hit.