Why Do They Call It The Metroplex?

By DC Cueva

With the ladies of Big Tips Texas taking center stage in MTV's 10 Spot tonight with its official premiere and a double-dose of episodes to boot, just a week after being given a sample sneak peek after the Miley Cyrus Movement documentary, DC Blog likes to take a look at the market where the show takes place in, the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and why people refer to it by its nickname, the Metroplex.

While I have not been to Texas (or any other place east of the Pacific time zone except for two trips to New York), I've had some sort of fascination with the Lone Star State. And when out of town'ers travel to Texas, there seems to be something grand about the state. Or course, there's that saying "Everything is bigger in Texas," and rightfully so. It's the largest state in terms of size amongst the 48 continental states in the this country, and is the 3rd largest state in terms of population.

   Already the country's largest land-locked metropolitan area, last year Dallas/Fort Worth surpassed rival Texas city to the south, Houston, to become not just the largest population center in the South, but also the nation's largest combined statistical area (metropolitan areas with one or more cities of significance in population) outside of the Big Three, with a population total of over 6.7 million people, placing it 4th behind the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago metropolitan areas. It is presently the nation's 5th largest TV market, having leap frogged San Francisco and Boston in the past few years into the Top 5. There are 13 counties classified in the DFW area, and 13 cities have at least 100,000 residents, the largest, of course, being Dallas at 1.2 million, followed by Fort Worth at nearly 758,000.

   In the grand scheme of things, one of the world's largest airports is in the DFW area. The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the busiest airport in the country, and is also home base for both American and Southwest Airlines (based at nearby Dallas Love Field). There's a larger concentration of corporate headquarters than any other U.S. city with many other top Fortune 500 companies & 10,000+ companies large & small calling the Metroplex home, including Exxon/Mobil, AT&T, JCPenney, Texas Instruments, GameStop and the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group. American Airlines is the area's largest employer at over 22,000, followed closely behind by Wal-Mart at 21,000.

   In pop culture, there's the prime time soap Dallas, with Southfork Ranch a popular tourist stop. In the sports scheme of things, it's one of 12 U.S. cities with a team in all four major sports: the Rangers, the Stars, and the Mavericks, led by controversial owner Mark Cuban. And of course, there's the Cowboys, whose appeal as America's Team and the NFL franchise that's both the most-loved & hated is undeniable. Their new stadium is now the model sports stadium of the 21st century, and their broad reach helped put a positive stamp on the area in the years after what happened 50 years ago next month. You can ask someone who lived through that November day in 1963 when JFK was assassinated.

Now, comes the question, why do locals refer to the Dallas/Fort Worth as "the Metroplex" instead of North Texas? When you get down to it, the term is a compound word: a combination of Metro as in "metropolitan" or "metropolis", and -Plex as in "complex". And its definition: per Wikipedia, "a contiguous metropolitan area that has more than one principal anchor city of near equal importance."

   The North Texas Commission adopted, and then copyrighted, the term "Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex" in 1972 to replace the term "North Texas", for which studies found that it lacked identifiability outside the state. In fact, nearly 2 out of 5 people in a survey group identified the two cities as part of North Texas, with the Panhandle also receiving a correct answer to those questions, being the northernmost part of the state.

   It's because of the "near equal" term defined in Metroplex that sees cities like New York, LA, Chicago, Houston and others not be considered metroplexes, though secondary anchor cities are generally found there. Other big markets that might also consider themselves metroplexes include the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose), Minneapolis-St. Paul (aka the Twin Cities), Tampa-St. Petersburg, Baltimore/Washington, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

So, that's DC Blog's primer of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, better known as the Metroplex. And if you happen to go and see the BTT ladies at Redneck Heaven, tell me hello on behalf of them, will ya?

Stay tuned here to DCB as we cover sports, entertainment and some other things too. If you're a Real World/Challenge fan, check out my full coverage of Rivals II, with a season wrap up coming up soon, followed by RW Back to San Francisco. For now, thanks for reading and until then, have fun.

- DC

@DC408dxtr

Sources:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas%E2%80%93Fort_Worth_metroplex

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/metroplex

Welcome to Team MTV, Ladies & Nurses

By DC Cueva

So, we're into the month of October and for the first time since last winter, there's no new episode of The Real World or The Challenge to look forward to on Wednesday nights, well at least until early in the new year. Filming of a new Real World continues up the way in San Francisco, with the season 29 cast slated to return to social media world after filming later this fall, and their trailer expected to debut over the holidays, for which I'll be embracing them in the same manner that I did for St. Thomas and Portland. And after a great season of Rivals II that ended with deserving winners & a smack on the live reunion, there's already speculation around the hot stove of who could possibly be on the next Challenge, with that taking sometime in the next month, which means some of my favorites might not be able to wish me happy birthday in less than 45 days from now.

   But for me, no worries. I've always been a big Real World fan and have become a new Challenge enthusiast as of late, but I'm also an overall MTV fan too. Earlier this year, I got a good warmup for RWPDX with the folks in the NYC neighborhood of Washington Heights, while I also had some fun & laughs in West Virginia with the Buckwild crew. And thanks to buying that Season 1 DVD & all the buzz it generated, I'm starting to get into Catfish. Being used to RW's way of doing storytelling in documenting young adults in a mostly laid-back atmosphere (which I actually prefer compared to The Challenge's cutthroat nature), I'm actually one of those who appreciates great television and is open to whatever format or show that's out there. And I wouldn't mind watching an episode or two of Teen Mom, that's just the way it is for me. I'm a storytelling junkie.

   With those thoughts in mind, I have already extended the welcome mat to two new docu-series that premiere this month that, per an MTV presser, "focus on the lives of two diverse and dynamic groups of young people working hard to pursue their dreams," and I always like shows that follow in that mantra, reminiscent of old-school RW. And I've already given a twitter follow - and my customary "Welcome to Team MTV" greeting - to all of the cast members from those two shows below, some have gave me a follow back too, so thanks, much appreciated. For those who might bemoan having no RW/Challenge until 2014 but also have a good eye for the same balance of storytelling & fun that we've become used to on the legacy series, than you might be able to give these two a try.

BIG TIPS TEXAS

First up on Wednesday, October 9th - or check that, later tonight with a special sneak peek to come our way after the Miley Cyrus: The Movement doc - it's Big Tips Texas. From first glance at the trailer, fans might look at it as a mixture of Jersey Shore, The Hills and Buckwild, or a real-life Coyote Ugly. But it also looks to be a very good show documenting a close-knit clique of girls who work at a bar in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or as locals call it, the Metroplex. Big Tips Texas will follow the lives of four veterans and six new girls serving it up at Redneck Heaven in Lewisville, 25 miles north of Dallas, while also hoping to realize their own dreams, and having some fun along the way as only Texans know how. One of a number of RW/Challenge people who follow me on twitter, Jasmine from RW Cancun & the last four Challenges, can relate to these ladies as she has also worked in a bar down in Houston.

   Taking a page out of one of The Challenge's formats of The Gauntlet (something fans are desperately wanting to see on a future season btw), there's veterans and rookies. For the vets, there's Taphani, the boss lady; Claire, the bar's top bartender; Sabrina, a well-rounded student working to build her college fund & eventually go to Harvard Law School; and Amber, who knows how to do her thing but can also cause some tension with the staff. For the newcomers, we got Kristyn - a waitress with her ambitions set on climbing her way up the RH corporate ladder & launching her own clothing line; rodeo princess Morgan (a barrel racer); Mimi, someone who might also get into an argument, Chicago girl Jillian; the so-called "biggest little Texan of all" Macy, and southern server Mercedez.

   There will be laughs, there will be drama, there will be heart, and there will be a whole lot of sisterhood & friendship, all as they work towards adulthood one day at a time, or "one crazy shift at a time" as the presser likes to call it. We'll find them spending free time at the nearby lake, mapping out their future, having fun at the ranch and everything else Texas style. And there'll even be some fighting & making up as well, just as any tight-knit group of girls have to go through. If you're one of those who'd wish there would be a 2nd season of Buckwild by now, Big Tips Texas should be able to suffice for that and you'll all be in good hands with these ladies. And tonight it begins with a special sneak preview, if can stay up long enough after watching what's been going on with Miley.

SCRUBBING IN

And then on Thursday, October 24th, it's Scrubbing In. As Congress continues to debate over the future of healthcare and whether or not to take the President's way of controlling how families get their medical insurance, it's surprising to think that working in hospitals & healthcare facilities has become a rapidly growing occupation among young people. A recent National Society of High School Scholars survey of MTV's demographic concluded that 8 of the top 25 preferred employers were hospitals & health service companies, and St. Jude's Hospital was the top choice. And Millennials have figured out that working in this field gives them financial security & benefits while also giving them a good work-life balance too. One of my FB friends, Ace (the same one who met the Lakers' Steve Nash in one of my IG pics), works in this field.

   With that in mind, cameras will follow the lives of nine traveling nurses who've relocated from across the country to Orange County, CA for the summer...but this is not necessarily your typical SoCal vacation. They're working a 12-week stint at a hospital in the O.C., leaving behind their hometown lives for short-term hospital jobs and exploring a new city too, as in The Real World. For Tyrice, Chris & Fernando, this experience isn't new to them, they've been at this before and they're now experts at it. But for newcomers transplanted in from Pittsburgh, Chelsey, Michelle, Crystal, Nikki & Heather will all go on this new endeavor together, having worked as nurses in the Steel City. Also joining those ladies for his first go at this is Adrian from down the way in nearby San Diego.

   This group will all be having a monumental task ahead of them in dealing with the responsibilities & challenges of the always-intense nature of nursing. Outside the emergency room, they'll have to make new friends, maintain friendships already in place, dive into the local dating scene and, most importantly, continuously prove what they're made of to the staff at their new hospital. But it isn't just work 24/7 for them, they'll still have plenty of downtime to relax in the glamourous SoCal locale. In all, this is a big three months ahead for this group of young nurses. But, as the MTV presser states, "this energetic, fearless and outgoing group of young nurses are determined to have it all, including a rewarding career and personal life." The O.C. will be producing another fine show from there.

So, that's that. And if you're a cast member of Big Tips Texas or Scrubbing In who might happen to be reading this post, if I haven't greeted you with my salutation yet, Welcome to Team MTV. It's also been really cool to see members from both shows interacting with each other on twitter in the last few days as BTT's premiere has been moved up one week to tonight & the Scrubbing In trailer debuting during last night's Catfish, and realizing that they're part of the same great family as the Jersey Shore, Teen Mom and RW/Challenge folks (both shows also happen to share the same executive producer, Shannon Fitzgerald, who also EP'd Washington Heights, which also followed along the lines of both shows in documenting cast members' aspirations). 

   And as what I'll be telling the Real World Back to San Francisco cast in a few weeks' time, you are all about to go on a ride you will never forget. To you all, enjoy his ride, and can't wait to watch all of you starting this month. And for the ladies in the Metroplex, it all begins tonight. 

- DC

@DC408dxtr

For more - MTV Press Release:

http://mtvpress.com/press/release/mtv_to_debut_two_new_docu_series_big_tips_texas_and_scrubbing_in_this_octob

RIVALS II - The Live Reunion Revealed: Drew's View

* Views expressed in Fan's View are only those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of DC Cueva or DCBLOG.

*** This post contains brief adult language. Please read with discretion. ***

By DC Cueva, with Drew Consolo

> @DC408dxtr, @DrewConsolo

Nearly one week has past since the season finale & reunion of The Challenge: Rivals II, and it's only now that many of us Challenge fans have fully recovered from the euphoria of a foursome of our favorite veterans deservedly winning the Final Challenge and the spontaneity of the first-ever LIVE Challenge reunion show, highlighted by a smack to the face that got the twitter-verse buzzing. And the buzz begins yet again already for another Challenge that, presumably, will start taking place later this month, and a new Real World season continuing filming in San Francisco which will premiere early in the new year, with a trailer to likely come during the holidays.

   As everyone knows, an end of season tradition for every RW/Challenge season, as well as some other MTV shows, is the reunion, where the castmates get together to discuss and look back on everything that went on from the premiere right up to the finale. And it's almost certain that there's gonna be some or more so the same drama that we saw during the season, along with some things that your didn't see or hear unless you were one of those lucky people in the studio with a front row seat to the fireworks.

In our first Reunion Revealed article that we posted a few days prior to Rivals II, we uncovered the wraps of the Real World Portland reunion with my fellow followers Kevin & Kaitlyn, from covering the conflict that took longer than it was on TV to talking about everything else of that chaotic season in Oregon which I enjoyed so much earlier this year. This time around, we'll look at the first-ever live Challenge reunion with a unique firsthand perspective of being the audience, watching that drama unfold, and covering everything that took place in Thailand in a tighter timeframe of one hour instead of a longer, five-hour session (like the RWPDX one) which is then paired down to 43 minutes to air a few weeks later after the finale & sometimes with certain items being left on the cutting room floor.

   As neither Kevin nor Kaitlyn could make the trek to Times Square this time around, I had to scour Twitter & Instagram to find new Challenge fans to get their two cents on this. The fan I found was Drew Consolo, a Brooklynite who's a huge RW/Challenge fan and also was in the audience for The Challenge BOTS reunion with Kevin, along with America's Got Talent & other NY-based reality shows. 

As for RWPDX, this post will add more to the account of a blogger & great twitter friend who was also there last Wednesday night, more on that & his stellar year in RW/Challenge land at the end of this post. For now, here's what you've here for, let's cut right to the chase. Here's Drew's View...

DC SocialPulse - RIVALS II: As They Saw It - The Finale & Reunion

*** Reader Advisory: The Following Post Contains

Adult Language. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

So, the last weekend of September is here, and a couple days have passed since the season finale & reunion of The Challenge: Rivals II, and boy, was it a spectacular season & reunion to say the least. The question of whether or not it matched the audacity of the first Rivals season is up to anyone's opinion, but it was definitely so much better then when I got to sample a Challenge for the first time last year, and we get one of the best Challenge seasons ever. As stated by me in previous SP posts, we just about had it all this season: all-star cast, exciting action, huge fights, house drama, shocking hookups, big twists and an epic final. And in the end, we get, for the first time in a little while, a foursome of deserving winners. And as stated by both TJ Lavin and Johnny Bananas, the right teams won on this season; not to mention a indelible Challenge moment that took place on the first-ever live reunion show.

On our last DC SocialPulse post on Monday, we showed you the tweets of the cast as they watched episodes 8, 9 & 10, which included CT & Diem's enduring love affair, Wes, Johnny & CT getting into words after going into the final, Camila's latest in a slew of Challenge breakdowns, Frank's politics rearing its ugly head again and the last regular mission that saw Cooke & Cara Maria gain an automatic berth into the final, causing a bit of chaos among the veteran teams. In this final installment, The Pulse will be covering the final jungle between Diem/Aneesa & Camila/Jemmye, the intense drama of the final challenge from Dream & Nightmare Islands, and of course, the first-ever live Challenge reunion that became the talk of the twitter town, not to mention even some fun with the always-entertaining Clip Show (it's what I like to call it as an alternative name).

   As we begin, be advised there's explicit language in many of the tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. Please read with discretion if you are mature enough. :-) So, here we go, beginning with Episode 11 and starting off with the final jungle. And prior to the last jungle, those who won the last elimination on the last four Challenges eventually carried that momentum into the final winners circle...wouldn't be the case this time.

RIVALS II - The Live Reunion... As YOU Saw It

So, after the drama of both the finale of The Challenge: Rivals II and the first-ever live reunion show - for which I'm still trying to catch my breath after all the events of last night, I have a mission for those of you who were the lucky many to be in that audience in the MTV Times Square studio.

This season of The Challenge had it all and it capped off last night with another grueling final producing two worthy & great champions, followed by a reunion that made twitter headlines. Typically, reunions are some or more so feature the same type of drama that we see during the entire season. But since this time around, the Rivals II reunion was live & unedited - which means we get to see everything in an hour rather than most things, with a few getting left on the cutting room floor in a longer, taped session that's aired two weeks later. And with that, DC Blog is giving you a opportunity to talk about all the events of last night and of this season. This is the only time during the season where I actually interview people for my blog, and it's about the reunion; I leave the interviews with cast members to podcast & SpreeCast hosts like Brian Cohen at @BusDriversRoute, Andrew Kirk @CSUKirk, Reality Radio and Alex Govere @AlexGovere, though I do ask some questions on the SpreeCasts for which I make every effort to be in every cast chat.

The article I wrote on the Real World Portland reunion that two of my followers went to, Kevin & Kaitlyn, one which, compared with Rivals II, was pre-taped in advance two weeks before the finale aired earlier this summer - and posted just before the Rivals II premiere, is one of my favorite articles from my blog, receiving great reviews from both of them and has had over 100 page views. As they didn't go to this Rivals II reunion, this time around I'll be relying on fresh, new people to get your insight into the reunion process, bring us some scoop on what went on in the studio, and most importantly, giving you a chance to tell us what you thought, maybe vent a little bit too. From the punch seen on live TV to the never ending saga of CT & Diem and beyond, everything will be covered.

In the next few days, I'll be doing my best to reach out to as many of the audience members as I can to get their input. If you were in that studio being a bare witness to all the events, all you have to do is to either tweet, follow or send me a direct message to my twitter account @DC408dxtr, or for those who don't have a twitter, just shoot me an email to dc408dxtr@icloud.com and we'll set up things. All I just need to do is to watch the reunion at least one or two times over the weekend to put together the right questions to ask, and then I'll send you a questionnaire for you to fill out. You'll then have a week to answer as many of the questions in the form as you can, and you should preferably reply back to my email within a week of when you receive it in your inbox. Remember, the quicker you reply, the faster I'll be in posting it.

So, that is your mission. If you're a regular visitor to my blog, keep an eye out in the next few days for the final Rivals II edition of DC SocialPulse which will cover the last jungle, the final challenge and of course the reunion & the day or so after. I'll also write a review of this fantastic season, a sampling of the best tweets posted to me from the RW/Challenge family, and a thank you note to the entire RW/Challenge family on this great year that I've had in talking to them during RW Portland and this Challenge. Very soon, I'll start to build toward The Real World Back to San Francisco, and during the  months leading up to it, I'll be covering the sports & broader entertainment worlds on DC Blog.

For now, thanks for reading, have fun, and hope you enjoyed Rivals II as much as I did. Can't wait for what happens next. And see you here in the City.

- DC

DC SocialPulse - RIVALS II: As They Saw It - Part 3

*** Reader Advisory: The Following Post Contains

Adult Language. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

So, fall has officially arrived, and we are just two days away from the finale of The Challenge: Rivals II. This will then be followed up by a live reunion show, a first for The Challenge. And this is also worth giving one of our fans in my Real World/Challenge fan clique a shout out.

   Brian Cohen of @BusDriversRoute, another one of those RW/Challenge fans who I've become good twitter friends with, will be attending that reunion on Wednesday, just as he and two of my followers Kevin & Kaitlyn did for Real World Portland (as seen in one of my previous posts). As TJ Lavin would say, Brian has killed it with the interviews he has had with many of the biggest names in the Challenge world, from those on this season - Johnny, Frank, Marlon, Jordan, Zach, Leroy & Knight - to those serving as armchair analysts in the screening room in Kenny & Laurel, to landing the man at the heart of this - yes, TJ. Like what Team Rookies have achieved this year, Brian has had a stellar rookie showing in doing these interviews, having also talked to Averey, Anastasia, Johnny & Nia during RWPDX and Roylee's buddy Mike before this Challenge began. Check them all out at www.busdriversroute.com.

   And it hasn't just been just Brian who's done a great job with these interviews: another RW/Challenge fan who I discovered when I joined twitter last year, Andrew Kirk (who also lives right here in NorCal), has done a tremendous job talking to more than 30 alumni on his podcasts & later on his SpreeCasts for RW St. Thomas & Portland, and both BOTS & Rivals II; follow him at @CSUAKirk. And also Alex Govere from RW Back to San Diego, who's talked to a whole slew to alumni as well on her SpreeCasts, follow Alex at @AlexGovere.

What's the purpose of these DC SocialPulse articles? Well, I've become actively engaged in social media, from talking to my close friends every day to being involved in the things I'm interested in. And as I talked about in my very first SocialPulse post for the premiere back in July, social media has definitely played a huge role in not only drawing people to The Challenge, but also to other shows too. I'm doing this as a service to those who might not be up on the social media interaction of major events or favorite TV shows such as The Challenge, particularly those on the West Coast.

   Of course, the Eastern & Central time zones, where the majority of the U.S. population lives, get to watch it first, so often folks out West stay off social media until it airs here. And when Westerners finally get to watch the shows here, they wouldn't have the benefit of being able to enjoy the great & spontaneous social interaction that cast & fans have each week that they had for the Eastern airing, particularly from their favorite cast members since most of them are likely in bed by the time we watch it here.

   That's why I retweet the cast's tweets when the episodes air out East at 7pm PT on my twitter (yes, flooded TL's) so then when I can go into my archives, I'll be able to compile all of their tweets into posts like these, so that everyone coast to coast can check out the comments of the cast & fans as the drama unfolded in real time on television, so you get a good sense of what it's like to watch this show & see how everyone reacted to every moment as it takes place.

So with that, to the business at hand...On our last DC SocialPulse post on Sunday, we covered the tweets of the cast as they saw episodes 5, 6 & 7, where we featured Zach & Trey's heartbreaking jungle DQ, the new voting method rearing its ugly head in more ways than one, and Marlon & Jordan's stunning jungle win over Leroy & Ty. In part 3 of our season in review, we'll look at episodes 8, 9 & 10, where the Challenge's most well-known couple renew their love affair, a fight among three of the Challenge's biggest names in the last guys' elimination vote, the latest meltdown for our favorite Brazilian Challenger, and much more as the competition intensifies.

   As we begin, note there's explicit language in many tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. Please read with discretion if you are mature enough. :-) So, here we go, beginning with Episode 8 and it's déjà vu all over for a couple competitors.

DC SocialPulse - RIVALS II: As They Saw It - Part 2

*** Reader Advisory: The Following Post Contains

Adult Language. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

It's the weekend and the countdown to The Challenge: Rivals II finale continues. But for a moment, a chance to send well wishes to two relatively recent members of the Real World/Challenge family on big news they both revealed on the same day as the last full day of summer, September 21. First, Mike Ross from RW: Back to Las Vegas & finalist on the first Rivals Challenge, announced that he is now engaged to his girlfriend, Taylor, with the successful proposal taking place last night in their new home of San Diego. And just moments later across the country, Brandon Kane, the resident rock star from RW St. Thomas, announced that he is a new father, posting a pic of his companion's new baby, Charlotte, who gave birth in Boston. So, much congratulations to you two.

   Now to Rivals II: we've had just about everything you could want in a great Challenge season: all-star cast, exciting action, huge fights & house drama, big twists out of left field, and an epic final that could crown deserving champions when we finally finish on Wednesday. It's been so exciting, that for the first time in the history of everdom (taking Dustin Zito's word for it), a Challenge season will be officially released on DVD at the MTV Shop at http://shop.mtv.com and preorders are starting to be taken. And while we're officially transitioning into fall this weekend and Halloween decorations are already up in your nearest supermarket, it's not too early to say that this will be at the very top of the wish list of every Challenge/RW fan this holiday season.

   In our last DC SocialPulse post on Saturday, we covered the tweets of the cast as they saw episodes 2, 3 & 4, which saw Cara Maria arrive, Sarah getting screwed yet again after her partner leaves following one of two house fights, a girl's fear of ketchup, and Team Rookies' takeover. Today, we'll look at episodes 5, 6 & 7, where we see a mere technicality become responsible for the season's most heartbreaking moment, the cruel reality of backstabbing making its way into Thailand, and one of the best elimination battles in Challenge history as the Portlanders earn credibility in their rookie campaign.

   As we start, note there is explicit language in many tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. Please read with discretion if you are mature enough. :-) So, here we go, beginning with the eventful Episode 5, which also includes my tweet chat with one of the parties involved as I watched the drama of what happened at the end unfold.

DC SocialPulse - RIVALS II: As They Saw It - Part 1

*** Reader Advisory: The Following Post Contains

Adult Language. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

With an hour's worth of episode time left until we reach the conclusion of The Challenge: Rivals II, for which the season finale & live reunion comes our way on Wednesday, it's safe to say it has been a spectacular and successful season. From everything that took place in the premiere, to the fights & competition, the numerous twists that got us talking and all the way to Diem & Aneesa's heartbreaking jungle loss and the beginning of what promises to be another epic final, this season has had just about everything. And the questions we have are many, but four stand out: Who's the team whose boat got capsized at the end of last week's episode? Will the best ladies team all season get their much deserved handsome reward? And will New England's most famous member of the MTV family win his first Challenge? Or will teams featuring three rookies continue the rookie revolution from last season? Those questions and more will be answered in a few days from now.

   Over the course of this weekend & early next week as we get closer to finals night, DC Blog will reach into the archives and bring you the actual tweets of the cast & fellow alumni of key moments from Rivals II as they, fans and America got to witness this season throughout the summer and into September. Our very first SocialPulse, which was posted just a few days after the season premiere on July 10th, brought you the uncensored tweets of all the cast & alumni from opening night. And in this edition, the first of four parts which will cover the rest of the season, we'll cover episodes 2, 3 & 4, including the arrival of replacement teammate Cara Maria, the two house fights that eventually led to one team's demise, the season's oddest moment with ketchup being involved, and the start of a successful campaign for a rookie group just off the plane from Portland.

   Just before we begin, as we did for the premiere, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So, please read with discretion if you are mature enough. :-) So without further ado, lets get it started, beginning with Episode 2.