DC Fan's View: Reality Debrief 2014 with DC & Andrew

The views and opinions expressed in Fan's View are only of its host & guest 

and do not necessarily reflect the views of DCBLOG or affiliated parties.

A DCBLOG Year-End Special

with DC Cueva and Andrew Kirk

@DC408Dxtr / @CSUAKirk

Well on this New Year's Eve, here we are at the end of what has been a memorable year in so many ways. We've had so many great stories, big events and other things that's defined the last 365 days across the whole landscape. But if you're an MTV fan, this has been a fantastic year as well: we've seen a passing in the Teen Wolf cast, the intriguing drama Finding Carter, new additions to Snooki & J-Woww's family, taking trips to Alaska, Virgin Territory and beyond, new comedy Faking It joining Awkward, and of course that never-ending but fascinating saga of Chelsea, Jenelle, Kailyn & Leah.

   But the MTV shows I'm most passionate about are not one, but three: one had a brand new format that totally reinvented TV's longest-running reality franchise here in the Bay Area and its newest season already underway in Chicago, another with an unpredictable season where anything can & did happen, and a third that is a hybrid of those two that became my newest guilty pleasure. And obviously, there was also the untimely passings of both Diem Brown and Ryan Knight last month, and whose appearances on the upcoming Challenge will make this the most emotion packed one yet.

   It's with this backdrop that we bring you this latest edition of DC Fan's View. In previous editions of this post, we've brought you unique perspectives on the reunions & after shows for The Real World, The Challenge and Are You The One? from the eyes of those who watched it in the audience. But for this first installment of this newly-revamped feature, I'm turning the attention now to fellow fanatics, webcast hosts and bloggers to discuss the shows we love right here on this site. And what better way to kick off this new generation of Fan's View than to bring on perhaps my twitter best buddy to discuss the year that was in MTV reality TV. And to explain how post has come about, you gotta go back to when I started here in the twitter-sphere.

The Saturday after Christmas last weekend marked exactly two-and-a-half years since I joined Twitter on June 27, 2012, the same day as the premiere of Real World St. Thomas. During this time, I've become great friends with so many people - both those in the MTV family and fellow fans, and one of them is Andrew Kirk (@CSUAKirk). Although it's been 30 months since I first heard of AK, it feels like we've known each other for way longer than that because so much has happened during this time frame in watching, covering and following this MTV world & beyond.

   As I wrote a couple times on here, Andrew is one of the best in the business in talking to Team MTV, starting in 2011 as a caller to Brandon from The Challenge on his show. AK then became a webcast host himself a year later - first on Blog Talk Radio, then SpreeCast and now on Google+. He's enjoyed the pleasure of talking to 60 cast members from The Real World, The Challenge, Are You The One? and others. And though you might not hear my voice or see me on camera (I don't like listening to myself on playback), I've been a contributor to his shows in asking questions to the cast. And he's also given me a plug on his shows in promoting this very blog as well, and vice versa.

   In all, both of us have watched & covered six full seasons of the RW/Challenge franchise and both seasons of AYTO since he started doing webcasts on a regular basis at the same time I started my thing on Twitter. And of course, with Real World Skeletons now underway and Battle of the Exes 2 to come on its coattails come January 6th, this will be the 9th and 10th MTV seasons that we've covered together. Not to mention, there's also been some other shows on the side and lots of sports as well.

Now to the present. With 2014 to shortly become a thing of the past, Andrew and I will be reviewing the year that was in reality television, with specific focus to the Trifecta: Real World, The Challenge and Are You The One?. We started the year close to home here in our Northern California backyard with RW Ex-Plosion, then went to South America for Challenge: Free Agents. During that time, we saw the first season of Are You The One? in Hawaii, and we recently got done with season 2 over in Puerto Rico. And now, we're into RW Skeletons and the countdown to Exes 2.

   But here's the catch: how about I flip the the script and let this fella talk to Andrew. We'll discuss our thoughts on the four seasons of those shows, plus we'll also discuss other reality TV this year. Plus, since Andrew also has own reality TV blog in addition to doing these webcasts, and me also having some thoughts too in actually answering my own questions as well (LOL), there's sure to be plenty of discussion here to both provoke and fuel conversation in these last hours of 2014.

So, join Andrew and I after the jump as we debrief and discuss the moments, the personalities and the stories of the year in reality television.

DC SocialPulse: Real World Skeletons - "Love & Other Drugs" + Holiday Special

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language and
spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi again and Happy Holidays, welcome back to DC SocialPulse and Episode 2 of Real World Skeletons. Things are starting to get heated in Chicago to warm our senses during this cold and dark of this first official week of winter and the festive mood of Christmas. Last week, we began Season 30 of this franchise as we welcomed Bruno, Jason, Madison, Nicole, Sylvia, Tony and Violetta and the usual pomp and circumstance of them moving into their new city & house. We saw two romances right out of the starting gate Tony & Madison and Bruno & Sylvia, plus we relived the bar tip situation that happened on Free Agents earlier this year, and had some fighting as well. And this all comes before the twist of the skeletons coming in to cause havoc.
   This week, the group gets to know their Chicago surroundings, including a trip to Wrigleyville and the Second City. And the attention turns to one of those budding romances suddenly gets threatened by the heated tempers of the two. The housemates clash with Madison eventually leads to a haunting secret being revealed from her past that opens their minds behind the voice and persona. And the group finds out about what is about to go down, along with learning more about the others' pasts.
   After twitter's view of the episode, we'll be sharing how Team MTV celebrated the merry holiday known as Christmas. And when that is done, we'll again reflect on a simple thing that separates The Real World from other reality TV.

- As we begin, 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 if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)

- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then don't proceed. But don't worry, bookmark DCBLOG as I 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.

So join us after the jump for Episode 2 from Chicago and Christmas, Team MTV style.

DC SocialPulse: Real World Skeletons - The Premiere

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language and
spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome to the first edition of DC SocialPulse for Real World Skeletons. With an incredible 2nd season of Are You The One? now in our rear view mirror (and with two last posts coming up here shortly), our focus now turns towards what will ultimately be an ultra-busy Tuesday for MTV fans. And eventually, there will be two reasons to look forward to this night, as there will be episodes of not just The Real World, but also The Challenge airing back to back.
   On Tuesday, the 30th season of the iconic reality franchise kicked off in Chicago as the new class of seven strangers made their move to their new city for an experience they will never forget. Right off the bat, a romance starts up with two of the castmates. Plus it's déjà vu all over again as something that happened on Free Agents earlier this year happens again in Chi-Town. And this all comes before any of the skeletons of the seven strangers walk into the door of their house in the West Loop. We'll have the premiere covered here, along with the release of the trailer for The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 as we reach four weeks before its debut, hence the new name Double Shot Tuesdays.

But first off as we begin covering the 7th & 8th MTV series that we've provided full coverage of here, if you're checking out DCBLOG for the first time, as always welcome...it's great to have you with us and make yourself comfortable. An DCBLOG exclusive, DC SocialPulse is our signature feature, offering one-of-a-kind running tweet diaries of the MTV shows you love and the big events as they happen, straight from the people watching them in the twitter world, including myself.
   Social media has definitely been the game-changer for the TV industry in how people can have the true communal experience of watching TV and interacting with castmates, fans, friends and everyone else. Having grown a strong rapport with so many of Team MTV since the summer of 2012, both inside & outside of the RW/Challenge community, this site strives to bring that interaction to you on these journals. It's also the premise of my secondary DCNOW twitter hub devoted to live tweets.

   If you're a fan who wants to relive how your favorite castmates reacted to a hookup, a fight, a mission or anything else that took place, of course we will have everything covered. Or, in the case of some of you such as yours truly, those who might have stayed off social media while the episodes aired and didn't get the benefit of having the true TV/Twitter experience of your favorites tweeting along with you out west - or even watched it on your DVR or OTT service a day or so later to avoid those spoilers, DCSP is your first opportunity to catch up on the tweets you missed.
   These posts are designed & curated just for you so you don't have to browse through them all afterwards. And they're all carefully pieced together by me to replicate that experience in real-time, tweet-by-tweet, uncensored and unfiltered into these diaries, so you won't miss a thing. These posts serve as a public service so that all fans, regardless of where you live or when you watch it, can catch up on the social interaction, plus I add in wraps, thoughts and perspective when necessary. And it's recommended to have a two-screen experience to watch these shows, and have an internet device handy to follow the simultaneous, spontaneous interaction among cast, fans and all of us.

   It's because of these SocialPulse posts I've done since Rivals II that made up for what will soon be 20,000 views of this blog. Yes, it's a really long process of compiling all these tweets for you here, but the reward is a worldwide audience that reads this site, and receiving acclaim from fans and castmates. And the work I do to put this together, along with all the other posts that I do in covering these shows, have certainly made it worth it too. After all, no shows can lend themselves more perfectly to this kind of great insight, perspective and storytelling like MTV shows, and no channel has a deeper, more intimate relationship with & impact on both its personalities and its viewers.

Enough of this prologue. Let's get now to the reason you are actually here for: the following are the actual tweets of the cast, alumni, fans and me as we got to see the premiere, along with the Monday buildup to the premiere, the Exes 2 trailer being released and the day after the first episode.

- As we begin, 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 if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)

- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then don't proceed. But don't worry, bookmark DCBLOG as I 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.

So without further delay, join us after the jump as we say hello to Bruno, Jason, Madison, Nicole, Sylvia, Tony and Violetta as they enter Chicago for The Real World; and our first footage of Exes 2.

DC SocialPulse: 2014 World Series Game 7

By DC Cueva

@DC408Dxtr/@DC408DxNow

Welcome everyone to this Special Edition of DC SocialPulse powered by DCNOW, and to our 100th post of this year on this site in what has been a landmark 2014. Normally, the 'Pulse brings you the play-by-play of MTV shows and big events as seen by the twitter world. But as we are in the last two weeks of what's been an eventful year for sports fans, DCBLOG is proud to bring you this special diary documenting something's that near to me as a devoted Bay Area sports fanatic as, for the very first time, we present a twitter diary of a sporting event. And what better way to kick off the Sports SocialPulse than with the latest milestone in Bay Area sports history.

   It seems in the past several years, sports fans here in Northern California have been living the good life. There's been a resurgence in one of sports' greatest franchises as Jim Harbaugh taking over the head coaching position of the Niners have seen the team make it to three straight NFC title games, a Super Bowl appearance and hope for the 49ers Faithful. The Warriors have once again become a force in the NBA thanks to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and arguably the NBA's most-rabid fan base who've seen a record start for the team. Fans of the Oakland A's have also been enjoying their run as consistent contenders in the AL West against all odds perhaps best portrayed by the money Moneyball. And there's also the Raiders, Sharks, Cal, Stanford and more.

   But one team has stood above all others not just in Bay Area sports, but also in all of Major League Baseball. And what happened the night of Wednesday, October 29 helped bring back a word that was last used two decades ago in Bay Area sports lore by a team it once shared the same stadium with: "dynasty." In 2010 by way of their 5-game triumph over the Texas Rangers, the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series title in the Bay Area and their fifth overall, first since their 1954 surprise sweep of the Cleveland Indians as the New York Giants. In 2012, they dominated the heavily-favored Detroit Tigers in a stunning 4-game sweep, led by Pablo Sandoval's heroics. And in 2014, the Giants became the first team since the Yankees to win 3 World Series titles in a 5-year span.

This special edition of DC SocialPulse will look back at Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, where the Giants and the team of destiny, the Kansas City Royals, faced off in the 36th Game 7 in the 111-year history of the Fall Classic. This will include real-time tweets from the @MLB and @SFGiants accounts, media & more and of course myself, covering the events as they unfolded. From the build-up and the early part of the game, to Madison Baumgartner being put in to protect the Giants' lead in the 5th inning on only a few days rest in an MVP performance, to of course the celebration that took place in both America's heartland and in the Bay Area.

   And after twitter's view of Game 7, the celebrations and the parade that followed, I'll offer some perspective on the team, its glorious history, their run to the trifecta and what it means to fans. This five-year have made all of us here in the Bay Area feel like kids all over again.
   Join DCBLOG after the jump and relive the game that turned a team into sports' newest dynasty.

Real World Memories: First Time

The following post, and DCBLOG's coverage of Real World 

Season 30, is dedicated in memory of Ryan Knight (1986-2014).

By DC Cueva
@DC408dxtr

Tonight, we kick off a brand new season of The Real World as this groundbreaking series will reach a major milestone, as will be premiering its 30th season on MTV. In a landscape where many programs have come and gone, The Real World is the longest-running primetime entertainment series on basic cable, MTV's longest-running show, and is the one that pioneered the now-ubiquitous genre of reality television. Every reality-based series that has come on the scene since May 21, 1992 can all say thank you to these pioneers for paving the way for this new form of entertainment. And tonight, the show returns to the city where we first saw Challenge veteran Aneesa: Chicago, IL.

   Here on DCBLOG as part of my wall-to-wall coverage of All Things MTV, I've been taking advantage of my broad knowledge of this show having watched at least part of every one of these 29 seasons to write and blog about certain aspects of it on here. Being someone who has been following it since the beginning and has been watching it for a very long time on a continuous basis dating back to high school (15 years if you're counting), it has provided me with a vault full of memories of watching all these people ewho I've now become very good friends with in the social world and everything that we've seen over the years.

   From that very first season almost 23 years ago in the SoHo district of New York City, to the most recent one in my Bay Area backyard that rejuvenated this pioneer in explosive fashion, there's no denying the show's impact on TV and on its viewers. And with tonight being the season premiere, I'd thought it would be good to take a step back in time to when it all begins for the seven strangers.

For me, something that's always one of my favorite parts of any Real World season is the one that takes place right at the very beginning: the premiere episode and the first day or so in the house and in their new city. While I've become a new Challenge enthusiast and many roommates have gone on to do numerous Challenges, there's nothing like when they make their first impressions on everyone on the show that's closest to my heart. It's a common thread in every season: the roommates meeting one another for the very first time, checking out their new digs, sampling what their new city has in store for them and seeing if those first impressions of what they think of each other are true.

   As someone who's also an Olympic fan and enjoyed the Sochi Winter Games earlier this year, I like to compare the premiere & finale episodes of any Real World and Challenge season to the Games' Opening & Closing Ceremonies. The Opening has that sense of anticipation and excitement that comes at the very beginning of it, while the Closing has that touch of sadness that it's ending but with a lot to look back & be proud of. I get the same feeling of both in the first & last episodes of not just the Real World and Challenge, but also any MTV season as well, just as I do during the Olympics.

   When this experience begins, just about all of the roommates are anxious, wide-eyed and ready to see what the next few months have in store for them. When they fly home once their stay wraps up, they'll be changed people, and it'll be a matter of whether their lives will have changed for the better or for worse, and whether they're friends with some or all of the roommates or not. And of course, it's not until the trailer or related material is released beforehand pre-premiere that the real show begins, where how these people are edited play a factor in the likability of the cast. And now with social media playing a fundamental role, how friendly and interactive the roommates are to their fans will play into it too.

I recently bought on iTunes the opening episode of every season that they offer for fans to buy legally (sorry, YouTube doesn't count, wanna make sure I support the Viacom folks). And having watched those episodes, along with the DVD's of the original NY, both Vegas and the Ex-Plosion seasons, and taking notes from those as well, DCB would like to share with you some quotes and highlights from the premieres (note not all seasons will be covered, just those above listed). Where necessary, we also included quotes from some of the cast members' audition tapes which were also posted by them on YouTube, or from clips on the old Real World Dailies of their casting interviews.

   Note all of the cast's quotes are in order from when they made their first appearance on camera during the episode, and includes their twitter handles where available. And after the jump, we'll start with one of those seasons that stand out to me as an all-time favorite for myself: the first Las Vegas season in 2002.

Double Shot Tuesdays: Countdown to Real World Skeletons & Exes 2

DCBLOG's coverage of Real World Skeletons and Battle of the Exes II
are dedicated in the memories of Ryan Knight and Diem Brown.

By DC Cueva
@DC408Dxtr

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome to DCBLOG's coverage of both Real World Skeletons and The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2. This will represent the sixth and seventh seasons of an MTV series that we've covered extensively on here, shows which I love so much and something that represent sort of a religion to me as a longtime MTV fan. And now the best time of year is coming up.
   With only 2 days until we head to Chicago this Tuesday for a new season of TV's longest-running reality franchise, I was thrown a curveball last week and now there's something to look forward to Tuesdays, times two. And perhaps, my schedule of working, babysitting the kids and spending spare time covering this show on this blog and following it on my social platforms will have to be adjusted accordingly for what's about to be announced on here. Here comes Double Shot Tuesdays.
   Yes, things are about to get a bit complicated as two of the shows I follow the most in the television world will not only be on at the same time, but also on the same night. For the first time in several years, seasons of MTV shows produced by reality TV pioneers Bunim-Murray Productions will air simultaneously, as its magnum opus, The Real World, will have its landmark 30th season in the Windy City, premiering this Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 10PM. Aside from everything we expect from this great show, RW Skeletons will see the roommates tackle people from their pasts head-on.
   Just after we usher in the new year, on January 6th at 11PM, the 26th season of the show that Bill Simmons' Grantland site calls, "the 5th major pro sport," will start up as The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 takes shape from Panama. In addition to all of what we can expect in great competition, all the drama, a cast full of names familiar & fresh and lots of twists, there will be a sense of poignancy to this season as Diem Brown and Ryan Knight take part in what will turn out to be their last Challenge as their untimely passings last month will make this season an emotion-packed one.

Coming up here, we'll have a preview of the seasons of both shows coming your way here, including a look at all of the roommates in Chicago and all the teams competing in Panama, as well as their back stories. Join us after the jump as we preview Real World Skeletons and Battle of the Exes 2.

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? S2 - The Finale

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language,

objectionable content to some readers and spoilers for 
international fans. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva
@DC408Dxtr/@DC408DxNow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome to the season finale edition of DC SocialPulse - Are You The One? Season 2. Back on VMA Night, we kicked off the countdown to the sequel of this great social experiment with the question of, "How will season 2 follow up the great success of season 1?" Now during the holidays, there is now, for sure, three shows that grab my attention more than any other as an MTV fan after an incredibly sophomore season and whose impact will be felt when it makes an unprecedented crossover on one of those shows in the new year.

   All throughout the season in Puerto Rico, there have been numerous romances, as well as two shocking Matchup Ceremonies where the group didn't garner a single beam. And of course, we've had a roller coaster of drama and emotions that matched what we saw in Hawaii. Last week, the group's quest for love and money fell in the hands of Ashley as she had some uncertainty in whether to choose Layton or Dario. Meanwhile, the allure of the 11th girl led to another blowup between two of the guys she's been seeing. And the group notched its best matchup total yet with 8 matches, putting them on the edge of either victory or defeat.

   This week, it's Episode 10 - the finale and, considering what happened to the Originals in them making short work of their goal in 9 tries in Season 1, we have entered uncharted territory for Season 2 as the group enters its 10th and last shot to make it all work. Just as it was in Hawaii, the group is faced with making just one switch to unlock the jackpot and, while the Truth Booth gives them an answer, the question of the 11th girl and who her double match is will be answered. And it will all come down to one last Matchup and one last chance for the group to make what was at times a seemingly impossible task become a reality.

Earlier today in a separate post, we brought you the anticipation in the days leading into the Are You The One? finale, which also included news of the Are You The One? S1 cast's crossover into The Challenge, for which we'll be previewing it and Real World Skeletons this weekend. This post will feature all the interaction from last Monday, the episode tweets and the aftermath, along with the thoughts of me and fellow fans. And after twitter's view of the finale, I'll also offer my view on the tough road the group had to endure to getting to the end. 

- As we begin, 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 if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then don't proceed. But don't worry, bookmark DCBLOG as I 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.

So, join us after the jump for the final week of Season Two of Are You The One? and find out if Team 21 makes the greatest comeback in reality competition history and if, indeed, lightning can strike twice.

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? S2 - Road to the Finale

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, 
objectionable content to some readers and spoilers 
for international fans. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

By DC Cueva
@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome again to DCBLOG and to DC SocialPulse powered by DCNOW...an unusual one here. Usually, DCSP brings you the tweets of cast members before, during and after they watch episodes of MTV shows. But today, in this, the first part of a 2-part DCBLOG doubleheader, we're doing something rather different in that we're not presenting the episode tweets as twitter saw it, but to get a sense of the vibe among cast members heading into a big day.
   In letting you read the conversations between cast members from both shows, you can get a sense of what the vibe is like among the casts as they await a big day, either the season premiere of a show that they're on that they anticipate the same way they do for Christmas, or the finale of a competition show like Are You The One? or The Challenge with money hanging in the balance.
   We've done this post before, both before the season finale of The Challenge: Free Agents with the week-long buildup to the epic finale in South America and with the FIFA World Cup already underway. And just before the season 2 premiere of Are You The One?, we brought you the transition from the great season 1 cast to the season 2 cast that were destined to join that club, which was determined in this week's episode.
   In this special edition of DCSP, we're presenting the week-long buildup to the season 2 AYTO finale and instead of bringing you the tweets as the season 2 cast, their Hawaiian predecessors and fans saw the dramatic, tension-filled finale, which we'll present in part 2 coming up later today (as we talk to you on Thursday, Dec. 11), as well as for the sake of conserving as much space as possible in these posts, we'll bring you the twitter interaction in the days leading up to Monday, December 8, a day that would either change the group's fortunes or live in infamy as a day they would forget.
   Included in the lead-up posts is news of the Are You The One? S1 cast's crossover into The Challenge, where Adam, Brittany, John and Simone, who all took residency in the house in Kauai, will shack up again, this time in Panama with the big names from The Real World and The Challenge, along with fellow rookies for Real World Ex-Plosion. We'll be kicking off our Exes 2 and RW Skeletons coverage here this weekend, if not before Tuesday's premiere from Chicago. And at the end of this post, we'll have more on how you can get involved in our last AYTO post of the season, which we're saving just for the fans.

- As we begin, 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 if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)

So, following the jump, join us for the five-day countdown to the finale of Are You The One? Season 2.