DC WRAP: Champs/Stars EP 3-4, Floribama Shore EP 2-4 and AYTO6 Reunion Pt1

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As those of you who are working get settled into this work week or for those at home enjoying this holiday break, welcome back again as we take a look back at last week's episodes in the MTV Trifecta before new episodes of Floribama Shore and Champs vs. Stars air tonight, as does Part 2 of the Are You The One? Season 6 Aftermatch on Wednesday. Last week saw yet another bar brawl go down in Florida, but also included more infighting and bonding time with family and, of all people, a parrot. In SoCal, the one who had a stellar 2017 returns to The Challenge stage and pick up right where they left off from the Dirty 30 final. And after they pulled off the comeback of all comebacks in AYTO history, MTV's newest millionaires opened up on what's been happening ever since.

   Owing to having devoted last week's WRAP to that miraculous ten-light 10th matchup to win that money in New Orleans, we'll have the first two shows covered here with recaps of the past few episodes coming up. Plus, more on that romance that was revealed on the reunion involving someone who masterminded that comeback and another who was on the losing end earlier this year; and two other family get-togethers. That's all ahead.

DC ExtraTime Flashback: The Gauntlet III - Ten Years Later

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As this is being posted on this Saturday, December 16, many of you who are in college and high school are now into your fortnight-long winter break, and you're now onto the holiday rush with just ten days left to get that Christmas shopping done after all of those excruciating final exams. The holidays also mean some much needed time with family and friends, and we'll be sharing with you a few of them both here and tomorrow. First, a couple oldies but goodies that took place last weekend, which takes us on a Flashback in time to 2008.


Ten years ago next month, The Challenge went south of the border to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for The Gauntlet III as a stacked team of Veterans with nine present or future champions faced an unheralded group of Rookies who were just lucky to enjoy a free vacation. It was the fifteenth season of the show, and the first to adopt MTV's now-standard one-hour episode format with all of the action, drama and both a challenge and elimination stacked into 60 minutes. But of course, it's best known for what happened at the very end: Big Easy collapsing in the final, costing his deep veterans team a certain win and giving the title and the entire $300,000 purse by default to the rookies. That ordeal inspired his remarkable transformation, which we covered in an In-Depth story earlier this year during Invasion.
   For what will happen with the runners-up who won't receive a cut of the prize money available to those who make the final on Vendettas starting next month, they will suffer the punishing feeling that Kam, Alicia, Eddie and their AYTO5 castmates had earlier this year and of course Sarah last year on Rivals III of going home empty handed. It was the same feeling that the Gauntlet III veterans had in the heat of the Mexican sun, whose efforts they had racked up all season long had all went for not once TJ Lavin gave them the sorrow news that Big Easy was sent to the hospital and since they needed everyone to finish to collect the cash, it of course was a stunning moment to see them lose.

DC ExtraTime: Someone You Should Know - Geordie Shore's Scotty T.

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Fairly often, ExtraTime helps bridge the gap between pop culture and what's happening right now in taking someone making headlines or just trending and linking them to a person or two of the MTV world who they got to meet or have worked with at one time. And if you're checking out this site from Chicago, you might have heard of a segment that aired on local TV news for many years done by Harry Porterfield, a longtime local newsman and a pioneer among African American journalists.

   First intended as a feature to fill airtime during the slow weekend news cycle, "Someone You Should Know" spotlighted unique people in the Chicagoland area who represent the best of what the Second City has to offer. Porterfield did over 2,000 of these profiles during his 40-year career at WBBM-TV and WLS-TV, during a time where the fallout of him being let go from the CBS station and joining its ABC rival crosstown made minority hiring a top priority in broadcast newsrooms.

   In the same manner that this site does to add some additional insight on the people we cover of the seasons that are airing, sometimes we'll take the opportunity here to help introduce those who aren't known now, but those who we feel you'll known soon. Hence, here's Someone You Should Know...

Two weeks ago saw the successful premiere of Floribama Shore, which we're covering as part of our winter cycle of the Trifecta and for which we brought you episode 3 of that earlier tonight. The practical reason why we are spreading our wings in our MTV coverage to the franchise that was the big thing at the turn of the last decade is because of what was revealed on Wednesday with Vendettas welcoming in new blood to The Challenge.

   Those here in the U.S. know who Snooki, The Situation and the Jersey Shore cast are, but overseas it's just as big for the Geordie Shore cast with social followings in the millions - though they're not as well known here. Those who have are household names overseas: original castmates Gaz Beadle, Charlotte Crosby, Holly Hagan and James Tinsdale; the franchise's own Sammi & Ronnie of Vicky Pattison & Ricci Guarnaccio; the series' Challenge representative and five-season veteran Kyle Christie, and the person of our focus here.

Next spring, Scott Timlin will turn 30 years old, but the world refers to this lad simply as Scotty T.  He first walked into the Geordie Shore house on Season 4 in late 2012 when the engagement of Vicky & Ricci took a detour, James breaking Holly's heart with girlfriend news, and a big fight between Vicky and fellow original Sophie Kasaei. In 2016, wide popular support saw Scotty win a season of what will eventually make its way to the U.S. soon of Celebrity Big Brother. Then, he took a break from the Shore to be part of the fourth season of the other MTV UK show to invade Vendettas this coming Challenge season, Ex on the Beach. And this recently, rumors surfaced of him shooting another MTV International series, Just Tattoo of Us, but paparazzi this past week caught him snorting a substance and exposing himself while filming.

   For a sampling of what Scotty T. is all about, below we have embedded below some of his biggest moments and one-liners from his time on Geordie as well as on Ex, with him currently taking another break for the upcoming season of the Shore coming up in the new year overseas. Perhaps if the trends continue and those from outside the MTV Trifecta continue to invade our shores, we might see him on a Challenge in the future and see what those in Europe have been raving about but those in America have yet to see that much yet.  The first video in this set, all of whom come from MTV's international channels abroad, features facts about Scotty.

DC WRAP: Champs vs. Pros WK 1&2, Floribama Shore Premiere, and AYTO6 EP11

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you settle into this first Monday of December, welcome back one more time to our look at the last week of November in the MTV Trifecta, and as they say good things come in threes... at least for now here as we have three shows to cover both for this post and this coming week's blog wave.
   Last week saw Week 2 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars where despite their success winning the first two challenges the Champions team has become some sort of revolving door among their roster. For the Are You The One? singles, there's finally reason to be optimistic with them finally getting their first perfect match despite mixed results all season long in the matchup. And for the eight newest members of Team MTV, there's the fun of being down by the Floribama Shore.

   To prepare you for all new episodes of those shows coming your way these next three nights, coming up we'll recap the first two episodes of two of those three shows, and for the third we'll look at what is ahead of them before the do or die tenth week. Then, we'll show you a car being stolen and being caught on tape. Wait, what? Find out why we are including that here ahead as we WRAP up last week in the MTV Trifecta coming up on DCBLOG.