DC ExtraTime: Two Pros, a Two-Time Champ, and a Surf Stop

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

A few weeks ago marked the one-year-to-go marker until 2020's biggest summer blockbuster: the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan, as the world's largest populated city and metropolis will next host the biggest event in all of sports. A number of events will be making their debuts on the Olympic program in skateboarding, surfing, 3-on-3 basketball, sport climbing and karate, while two other sports return to the program after they were removed from the Games the last time it visited Asia, in baseball and softball - two strengths of the host nation in the former being a national sport and the ladder having won the last gold medal contested in 2008 in Beijing.

In 2017, and in the first year of any Olympic quadrennium that comes after a Summer Olympics take place and before a Winter Games, MTV brought together ten past champions of The Challenge for a special miniseries version of the fifth major pro sport to answer the question of who is the best - Challenge vets or professional athletes? The group of sporting pros included WWE & UFC star C.M. Punk, NFL linemen Shawn Merriman and Kamerion Wimbley, and WNBA star Candice Wiggins. But key in that season were the inclusion of several Olympians: out & proud freeskier Gus Kenworthy, two-sport Olympic veteran and future Celeb Big Brother favorite Lolo Jones and a British decathlete whose stint on two spin-offs predated the Brits' invasion of the regular Challenge show, Louise Hazel.

There were two other members of that first class of Champs vs. Pros/Stars who competed on the spinoff series, which gave everyone reason to compete in the name of charity, and whose get-together in the Southern California sun not long ago with one of those who they competed with two years ago that prompted this site to take a second look.

DC GAMES '18: Gus Kenworthy - A Pro's Profile

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As this is being posted this long President's Day weekend, two things are going on that have been taking over the attention of this very blogger - two things that also happens to be two of my biggest passions. One is the current season of the fifth major pro sport, otherwise known as The Challenge, which is at the heart of what this site refers to as the MTV Trifecta, and for which this site covers wall-to-wall here. The other is the one event I look forward to most: the Olympics, and for which the Pyeongchang Winter Games are taking place half a world away.
   Usually, I would be spending much of my free time working on posts related to the MTV beat for this very DCBLOG site, which is then posted on weekends like these after you catch up on the episodes. But this month, I've been leveling off on that to spend virtually most of this month doing something a lot of you love but I don't do much: binge-watching the Olympics and live tweeting the competition every night. This offers the setting to this latest In-Depth longform, which is usually branded as DC ExtraTime and for which it takes its inspiration from the "Up Close and Personal" storytelling synonymous with Olympic TV coverage. And this story combines these two passions for something that took place last year and for which the moment of truth takes place tonight for our subject.

Last year, The Challenge launched a spinoff series pitting Champs – or at best, the show's most well-known competitors – against a group of Joe's from the sports and entertainment worlds to determine who is strongest, all in the name of charity. We saw several NFL stars, a U.K. celeb competition veteran who set the stage for the British invasion to Vendettas currently airing this season, a Wild 'N Out girl who showed that there was more to her than just looks and rhymes, and fighters from the WWE and UFC.
   Three weeks ago, the biggest event in American sports crowned the champion of this country's biggest sports league - Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. And as soon as the Lombardi Trophy was given to the Eagles in a high-scoring affair over the Patriots, the sports world's attention, as well as that of the game's host network NBC, turned instantly across the Pacific Ocean to Pyeongchang, South Korea where four days later, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games begun competition a day before the Opening Ceremony.

   On Champs vs. Pros and on Champs vs. Stars, Team USA was well represented: snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis and Louie Vito, hurdler turned bobsledder Lolo Jones, fellow 2008 Olympian and Des Moines native Shawn Johnson, Tokyo 2020 surfing hopeful Tia Blanco, and the man who had the most fascinating backstory of those who competed on either season. And as he goes for gold this coming weekend, we'd thought we like to bring you a post that was supposed to be posted during Champs vs. Pros but has been backtracked to this week as he competes in Korea.
   This story was slated to be posted during Champs vs. Pros last summer, but was put on the back-burner because of season 30 of the regular show which debuted shortly after the finale. But given the timeliness of him competing tonight in the U.S. and this morning in Asia, as well as making plenty of headlines both on the snow and in the lead-up to these Games, we thought that this was the perfect time to share with you this back-tracked post. This is our Pro's Profile of Olympian, proud LGBT athlete and Champs vs. Pros competitor Gus Kenworthy.

DC WRAP: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: The Finale

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

As you go about your Monday, we at DCBLOG have one last WRAP post of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta to share with you to cheer you up. Last week saw the last of the six seasons of MTV reality TV we've covered here which saw two worthy champions win The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros who gained some redemption for their shortcomings the first time they were teamed up on Fresh Meat II back seven years ago. But the true winners are the causes that Cara Maria, Darrell, and the eighteen other participants of this season competed for: the charities they chose to donate all of their winnings to, all after some grueling competition under the Southern California sun.

   Ahead on the WRAP, our Things to Know will count down the top 5 moments of this season, which range from Team USA hopefuls to much-anticipated elimination battles... plus one more trip into the Strategy Room. And afterwards, you'll meet a new side of the girl who has had so much happen over her time on The Challenge and chose the right time to finally get back at everyone else she's competed with. That's all ahead.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: The Finale

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

& spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Instagram @WestonBergmann

We're at the end of the first weekend of summer according to the calendar, and this is the last 'Pulse diary of a run of covering the MTV Trifecta that began all the way back in October up in Seattle, brought us overseas to four foreign countries, and has brought us back to California for this look at the finale of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

   Last week, the Pros got a first-hand look at what it takes to get through a Challenge: endurance, which saw the Champs take the win. Of course, no Challenge season is complete without a twist, which saw eliminations for both the men and the women take place, and to no one's surprise Wes added to his stellar elimination mark winning for the guys. And at the end of that grueling battle for the women which saw Lolo Jones sweep away all the season's female eliminations, she does a gesture worthy of a champion when she donates money to the charity of the lady she beat, Ashley M.
   For this week and the finale, it's the last regular challenge - contrast to what we thought would be last week, and no Challenge season would be complete without food.  All the players are put to the test to consume food as well as making baskets in order to claim a spot in the final, with strategy, guts and endurance being tested. As one player tries to keep everything down, another is left with a choice that will either make or break the season. And it all comes down to the final challenge to determine who is the Ultimate Challenge Champion and who wins $50,000 for their charities.

   Ahead, the action, reaction and interaction from this Finale, plus the latest Challenge Countdown pays homage to past champions of the show. And after the diary, we'll take a moment to say thank you to dads everywhere with the help of Team MTV.

• As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
• Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

One last battle in the SoCal sun... it's all ahead on the finale Pulse of Champs vs. Pros.

DC WRAP: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - Week 5

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you go about the beginning to this week, time for us here to WRAP up Week 5 of The Challenge Champs vs. Pros ahead of tonight's finale. This past week saw endurance being tested on the part of the players left here, which saw the Champs prevail. And after a grueling elimination involving the same rope-style challenge which saw the seemingly invincible Laurel meet her match, Wes and Lolo win but saw her steal the show in making a generous gesture to the one she beat, Ashley.

   Coming up - in a departure from what we were planning to do at first, we'll head inside the Strategy Room to look at where this season stands going into its last act, the final coming up tonight. And afterwards, we'll join a Real World original as she takes up her spot alongside Rob Dyrdek and friends. That's all next.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: Week 5

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

& spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Happy Father's Day to all of you, as we are now in the longest days of the year and the hottest days yet on the calendar, and that means summer is in red-hot mode. In fact, as this is being posted here on this late Sunday night, in my Bay Area home base it reached 100 degrees. And we here at DCBLOG are approaching the end of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta as we bring you Week 5 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

   Last week in Southern California - where I was last weekend, the teams' brains, skills and endurance were put to the test as they had to solve a complicated puzzle. This prompted some to use dirty tactics to get an edge, which led Lolo Jones to ask Wes for how to handle the politics of this game. But the winner of last week was Gus Kenworthy: he opened up to Cara Maria about his much publicized decision to come out, then with his boyfriend watching won his elimination battle.
   This week, it's the last regular challenge as the pros get a taste of what the champs have gone through on their way to their titles in their endurance being tested. Also, no Challenge season would be complete without a twist, and it catches them all by surprise. And at the end of yet another grueling elimination comes perhaps the most notable moment of the season: one that reminds us of who the true winners of this season are.

   Coming up, all the action, reaction and interaction from this past Challenge Tuesday, plus the latest Challenge countdown as the show's leading ladies get a chance to shine. And on ExtraTime after the Pulse, we'll catch up with one of Wes' fellow Austin roommates as he gets the chance to work with some of hip hop's biggest names.

• As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
• Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

Ahead, the penultimate Pulse of Champs vs. Pros on DCBLOG.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - "A Cold Day In Hell"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

& spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you all are enjoying your Hump Day, we at DCBLOG are back on here to bring you the week in the MTV Trifecta, and this one post this week for Week 4 for The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros. And if you're wondering, yes - this is a special rare, day-after post as we're taking care of matters a little earlier than usual ahead of the big trip I'm taking to Southern California, being posted here at mid-week instead of our traditional time of over the weekend.

   Last week down in the Southland, there was another throwback challenge in one featured on The Gauntlet III and saw the Champs and Pros go up head-to-head, one-on-one with a pole and a pit to prove themselves, and the Pros took away the win. But all the focus was on Lolo Jones, who once again became the center of attention for the athletes, who was also put on the spot in an unexpected twist that would put a fellow Olympian in the elimination or to face a surfer who was voted in.
   This week - or better yet, last night, we begin with that very battle, with pride on the line, survival in the game and money at stake for charity. Brains are put into the minds of the teams as the Champs and Pros take on each other to see who has the endurance, the skills and communication needed to solve a complex puzzle. This even causes both teams to use dirty tactics to get an edge, which even sees a Pro turn to a Champ for advice to handle the politics of this game. And for one competitor, him going onto this Challenge brings about his own personal struggles that has seen him come to quips with who he really is.

   Coming up on this week's single post, an abbreviated version of our usual Pulse diary, covering just Challenge Tuesday with the lead-in to last night's episode, the latest Challenge countdown taking a look at memorable elimination battles, and the after hours aftermath. And after the 'Pulse, what does a Real World ex, a Challenge finalist, and an AYTO original, a newbie and a perfect match all have in common? We'll tell you what gave them all reason to come together, plus heartbreaking news from the broader MTV community.

• As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
• Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

Lolo's latest shot to shut down the doubters, love wins, and a birthday party... it's all ahead on the 'Pulse of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros on DCBLOG.

DC WRAP: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - Week 3

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you begin this week (and for myself, the countdown to SoCal), time for this brief WRAP of Week 3 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros before a new episode tomorrow. Last week saw the challengers and athletes go one-on-one for the first time in that week's mission and saw the Pros take back control of the game. The week also saw Lolo Jones take to the forefront once again, as did Ashley M. in winning that week's Champs elimination, plus a proposal comes up which may change the game.
   Ahead, we'll be taking our first trip of this summer into the Strategy Room to see where this game stands as we head into the season's second half (it's just a six-week mini-season, remember). Then, we'll scan Instagram to feature someone becoming that dragon from Pete's Dragon, a champion meet a challenger, and news about a new baby. That's next.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - "Watch Out for the Wolfpack"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

& spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

It's now the month of June, and summer has arrived for just about everyone. And we here at DCBLOG are speeding towards the end of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta, as there's now just one show left to cover before this run ends: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros.
   Last week down in Southern California, the teams celebrated the unofficial summer kickoff by bringing together chips, mustard, ketchup and saran wrap as they raced around a track just as we saw on Free Agents a few years ago. A game of pick-up football in the park turns into big drama involving Lolo Jones and Lindsey Jacobellis, while CM Punk got into words with one Johnny Bananas. And in the latest, and likely last, chapter of their epic rivalry which we covered here on Memorial Day, Wes got the best of Bananas in their first-ever elimination battle, and winning the rubber match of their eight-year tussle.
   This week, it's Week 3 in the SoCal sun, and this time the focus as far as challenges go turn from agility to brawn as the show again revisits a past challenge, and one from the first season with hour-long weekly episodes - Gauntlet III. Here, the players are given the choice to choose their own matchups when, for the first time this season, the Champs and the Pros go one-on-one. Once again, that girl becomes the center of attention for the newbies, and another champ is given another chance to prove why she's become made for a Challenge in just two seasons. And what happens when a last minute proposal comes up? A pro is put to the test yet again.

We have all the action, reaction and interaction ahead from this week in The Challenge, plus another countdown of The Challenge's most memorable moments in famous meltdowns. And afterwards, ExtraTime will catch up with the two main combatants of one of this year's breakthrough shows as they meet the show that jump-started reality TV's rise and inspired their own show earlier this year.

• As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
• Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

After the jump, the 'Pulse of Week 3 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - "Settling the Scores"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

& spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

This is the unofficial start of the summer: Memorial Day Weekend, and wherever you are we hope are enjoying yourselves and taking advantage of this time to have some barbecue, enjoy the fireworks and relax out in the sun this three-day holiday weekend. And we at DCBLOG are here to bring you the week Inside the MTV Trifecta, starting with week 2 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

   Last week down in Southern California - and following a very chaotic Invasion Reunion with host Mike "The Miz," it was the premiere as ten Champions met up with ten Pros to compete to see who is the best in the fifth major pro sport. And as it was on Invasion, the champions lost their first challenge - this time to the pros when they outlasted them in the trek going across rope to rope. But the true breakout star was Lolo Jones, who has been doubted a lot throughout her career on the track and on the ice, but saved her most stellar performance for the elimination, winning it handily.

   This week, it's week 2, and fitting for the weekend we are enjoying the competitors embark on a race involving saran wrap, chips and some ketchup and mustard. Two NFL stars Shawne Merriman and Kamerion Wimbley, lead the group into pick-up football and escalates into big drama for two Olympians. And the attention turns to the guys for their shot at elimination, which leads to a wrestler getting in the face of this show's all-time champ, an NFL player and wrestler deciding to settle the score, and The Challenge's biggest rivalry to finally have things settled one on one.

All the action, reaction and interaction to this week in The Challenge is straight ahead here, along with the latest Challenge countdown in unseen moments. Plus, the diary has an ode to the 25th anniversary of The Real World this past weekend, and the tragedy in Manchester on Monday. And after the Pulse, ExtraTime has a follow-up on a couple who clicked up in Seattle last year, but have now headed down to that town no couple wants to head down to.

• As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
• Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

Gridiron drama, scores settled, a heavyweight elimination and a breakup... it's all ahead on the 'Pulse of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros on DCBLOG.

MTV Trifecta: Countdown to The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As we bring you in on this Tuesday, we have arrived at the final show of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta that began all the way back in October in Seattle and have taken us to three countries and will conclude in June close to home with our fifth series we've covered in the past eight months. And now that we have crowned our champions of Season 29 of The Challenge Invasion in CT and Ashley, we now turn our attention to something new and unique and will offer a fitting crescendo to what we have been able to experience during this journey.

If they say The Challenge is the fifth major pro sport, then a lot of you have wondered to yourself how those who compete in other sports might fare on this revered show? Well, your wish will be granted as this cycle of the MTV Trifecta will reach its crescendo with this special series called, The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros. CT, Ashley and eight other champions who have at least one of these -- seven from Team Champions in Thailand plus the eighth in the new queen of this show, will be coming here just off the plane from Thailand with a stop in New York for the reunion that proceeds the show. Awaiting them are ten top athletes from the entire sports spectrum: nine from the U.S. and a tenth from Great Britain and who have experience in the NFL, the Olympics, UFC, WWE and surfing to create the ultimate grudge match and a true battle to see who is best.

Coming up in this preview, we'll have a look at the pros who will be taking to the field to compete against Team MTV and provide some background and analysis on all of them, including the man who will take over, at least for this season, by the guy who brought the salsa dance to Sundays. We'll also meet the ten champions who'll go into battle on this season, go over the format, and offer a "Who Are These Newbies?" look at one of them making their return after a many years' absence.

So as we always like to say here, get out that Under Armour jersey, get yourself set and join in with us after the jump as DCBLOG previews at The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.