DC ExtraTime: Impersonations with Cara Maria

Following is an excerpt from DCBLOG's WRAP of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros Finale, reposted in the interest of our readers and featuring our subject who was featured in the final of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30, which we will cover here this weekend.

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

The art of impersonating people: it's one of those things that seems to be everywhere these days. We see it a lot on television, at the comedy club, in improv theaters and on the web, especially in light of what has taken place the past six months in Washington, D.C. It's in this spirit that it's the theme of the last short-form ExtraTime of this cycle, and it's fitting that our subject is the girl who we first saw in Vancouver seven years ago and has established herself as one of the most unique personalities in the MTV community, not just in what we call the Trifecta.

We first met Cara Maria on The Challenge: Fresh Meat II as someone who, as her original MTV bio wrote, "dances to the beat of her own drum." Over time, the sweet deposition she has of someone with an excellent GPA, a college degree in psychology and a love affair with her horse has been overtaken at times by a strong temper and having to regret things that come out of her mouth. Since those humble beginnings of being a one-and-done rookie on her first Challenge (with her partner and Champs vs. Pros champ Darrell), fans have seen her entire career and have seen her personality and status skyrocket to becoming a star on this show despite her not appearing on a Real World prior to taking the plunge into the fifth major sport.
   During this time, we have seen her establish an on-again, off-again romance with a fellow Challenge rebel in Abram, become enemies and friends with fellow winter Class of 2010 alum Laurel, and have seen her make friends and rivals with other fellow Challengers both on screen and off. We have seen her get into some questionable behavior at times, and often she has become a central figure in all of the drama in the house and on the field. And she has become a strong competitor where she has established herself as the queen of eliminations: 17 times she has put on the verge of going home, and 12 times she has escaped with a win. And never did all of these scenarios all come together than on Battle of the Bloodlines, where Cara had to overcome Abe's surprise entry, a supposed kiss with Thomas, a big elimination win over rival Bananas, and getting help from cousin Jamie to reign supreme inside Berlin Olympic Stadium. It was her first Challenge title, although it's the road that led up to it that diminished the achievement somewhat.

The first time I got to see Cara Maria on a Challenge season I watched live was the first modern-era Challenge I got to follow: Battle of the Seasons II, where she was part of a Fresh Meat team that was put together at last minute as if they were strangers found somewhere in the airport in Turkey and were told to enter the game on the spot. Obviously, the team of her, Camila, Eric "Big Easy" and Brandon didn't really gel much and were on their way out at the halfway point.
   When she was on that Challenge - the fifth of what would seven straight Challenges for her, Cara went to her YouTube channel to make a video of her role-playing many of her fellow Challenge castmates. Below is that video, which has since garnered over 100,000 views.

And here are some outtakes...

And with it being one of this year's biggest movies and having ruled the box office for the past few weeks, also in 2012 Cara also got a chance to play the role of Wonder Woman as well, and did a couple videos of her being Wonder Woman for a day all around town.

- I AM DC

DCBLOG Look Ahead: 11/8/17

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Okay, just a brief update post of sorts here on this day after the supposed finale of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30... we won't go into more of it for those of you who haven't watched last night's episode, but because of a little wrench in our plans, here's what you can look forward to for this week's posts, which of course will be up over the long Veteran's Day Weekend (and also, #DCBDay weekend as well).

First, something that started last year when two of the three Trifecta shows was airing at the same time, during the week of one show's finale the Things to Know episode recap would be devoted entirely to that finale. The review of the other show's episode that week would simply be carried over into the WRAP for the following week's post, just as we usually do whenever episodes ended resolution and has no doubt caused havoc to our blog coverage and to viewers like yourselves.
   That will be the case again when we will recap this final act of the Dirty 30 finale on next week's WRAP when we cover the last elimination, the final and the reunion... for which we will also have our special Reunion Revealed post to come over the coming Thanksgiving holiday. This week's WRAP post will be devoted entirely to tonight's Are You The One?, with next week's episode to be covered on the following week's WRAP.

Second, as has become a recent tradition whenever a cliffhanger takes place on any episode of the Trifecta, we have traditionally offered a long-form storytelling-based post under the ExtraTime name, which we now call ExtraTime In-Depth. It has been promised the past month or so, but the first one of this cycle will be up early next week to look at Ammo of this Challenge season and the story that he has been going through since we first saw him on his Real World season.
   Because of the amount of blog work this site has going, I have not worked much on this longform but given this time I'll have the chance to work on it here. And in light of the recent allegations of sexual assault that have been all over the place the past month and him also sharing his #MeToo story, we'll be integrating that into that piece here. And as is custom, the rest of this week's blog coverage will be revealed on Twitter after tonight's episode airs on the west coast.

And Third and lastly, I am also working on a number of other posts which I plan to have on in the coming month that will look into two members of the AYTO cast - one who have done a great thing for one of their fans and the other having a knack for being there at the right time at Hollywood's biggest events. There's also the two preview posts I got planned to cover The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars and Floribama Shore that'll be up over Thanksgiving, as will the Reunion Revealed post I got on the docket covering next week's Dirty 30 reunion. And that's all on top of the Pulse diaries I do to kick off each weekend's blog wave... yes, it's a stacked lineup, but someone's gotta do it.

Again, thanks to everyone who continues to support and enjoy this site, including Jordan and Tori for helping this fan out in helping spread the word of this site and of the two ExtraTime bits I did on them before last night's finale. Enjoy tonight's AYTO, and as always, see you here this weekend.

- I AM DC

DC ExtraTime: From Portland to The Challenge to Perry's Place

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Tonight as we now reach the final act of an drama and competition-filled thirtieth season of MTV's The Challenge, this Dirty 30 season is ready to reach its climax in a familiar setting of the mountains of Argentina. This was where the first-ever location change for the fifth major pro sport took place when a season many regard as the best ever, Rivals, had its final that saw Johnny Bananas, Tyler, Evelyn and Paula come away victorious. Last year, this was also where the show's most talked about and controversial moment ever took place: Johnny stealing all the $375,000 in prize money from Sarah after the Rivals III final.

   And now, this show has arrived again to determine a champion in its first-ever $1 million final challenge. It's the first time that this venerable show has given away this much money, and it comes at the end of a season that has included just about everything: a great cast, compelling competition, big time drama off of the field, and twists and turns just about as often as a see-saw soccer match. And for the final challenge, we have a stacked field that is about as good as you can have for this last act in a stellar rookie we featured after Part 1 of the final in Tori, and five previous champions: Cara Maria, Camila, CT, Derrick and the subject of this dedicated ExtraTime.

It was five years ago at this time that Jordan Wiseley had traveled back to Oklahoma for some rest and relaxation after filming his Real World season in Portland, Oregon - the last in its original, pure twist-free format. This came just after one of the most jaw-dropping moments we had ever seen on that show: a fight between two girls that made you think that you were watching an episode of Bad Girls Club than the OG of reality TV. That season, we saw him get into heated words with Marlon, pulled a Tom Cruise on Jessica, and was the object of attention of Hurricane Nia.
   That feeling of being unlikable and almost hard to watch set the tone for his career on a show that was made for him considering his strong competitive drive and brash persona before he headed to the Pacific Northwest. His time on The Challenge has seen him make finals in all but one of his seasons -- that one being him challenging champion Bananas where him flipping the cards proved to be his downfall. His first final came by way of a strong rookie showing, his second resulted in him winning the final, and his third is now ongoing -- if only barely. And along the way, in every house we have seen him call home, we have seen Jordan being Jordan... from hookups with three Challenge veterans to most recently a rap battle gone bad in Colombia.
   This unique personality helps to epitomize the spirit of being a rebel and one who loves to do things his way, even if it can rub people the wrong way on occasion. And he's accomplished what he's done on his bucket list with just one whole hand... something he has had since he was born, and he's overcome that lifelong disadvantage to earn the respect of his fellow competitors to now make his third final in four Challenge seasons. When he stood on top of that Norwegian mountain with Sarah after they won Battle of the Exes II two years ago on his last appearance before this year, his reputation had improved considerably. And he stated at the time that this was gonna be the swan song after just three seasons, which came as a surprise to many.
   But in between that and this return on Dirty 30, Jordan has been pursuing modeling and acting, and just this summer launched his own motorcycle line & lifestyle brand, Strapped MFG. And in this ExtraTime, we'll revisit a story we did back in September 2015 when he became... of all people, a police officer under the guidance of one of the most-powerful people in entertainment.

DC WRAP Double Shot: Challenge XXX Final Pt. 1 and AYTO6 Episode 7

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you all settle into this short work week, welcome back again to our DCBLOG look Inside the MTV Trifecta as we look back at last week in the world of The Challenge and Are You The One? before things get down to business tomorrow night. Last week, we saw the final two spots determined for the unprecedented $1 million final of Dirty 30 in a new location on the former, while on the ladder we saw one power couple break up and more start to sizzle as they try to reverse their fortunes in Louisiana.
   Coming up, we'll delve into the Strategy Room to reveal our Power Rankings for The Challenge XXX final with less than 24 hours before we decide champions. Plus, we'll also recap last week's Are You The One? with our matchup chart and analysis, and the results of our three polls where we once again recorded double-digits for our cumulative polling. And then on ExtraTime, we'll show you some of the best from Halloween with the MTV family... so stay here with us, will you?

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? Season 6 - "Sinking Relation-ships"

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DC SocialPulse: The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 - The Finale Part 1

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

This is the first weekend of November, and as you relax and indulge in these next few days with leaves falling outside your window -- or even snow in some places, welcome again to DCBLOG's trip Inside the MTV Trifecta where $1 million is at stake on both shows of our biggest interest. And for a season that started back in the summer heat, now The Challenge XXX is approaching its climax just as another fall tradition, the World Series, has just crowned the Astros as baseball's king.
   Last week in Colombia, a deep field with 13 titles among them were given one more chance at revenge as the Redemption House competed for a chance to regain their spot in the game. In the end, Cara Maria, CT and Jordan outlasted Bananas, Veronica and a host of others to join the main house for the final daily challenge. There, TJ Lavin revealed the twist of them going for $1 million -- The Challenge's biggest ever prize pool, then a second Purge that'll whittle down the field to six players.
   CT, Cara, Jordan & Tori won those spots there, and two more spots remain for the final field of six to contend for that unprecedented purse, and this week sees the battle among the six left for those final slots into the dash for the cash. Then comes the first act of what should be an epic final which harkens back to something that took place the first time I got to watch a modern Challenge and the last non-Bananas season: and what happens there could put their chance at glory in jeopardy.
   All the action, reaction and interaction of this penultimate episode of this landmark season of the fifth major pro sport is ahead... and as this aired, it was October 31st - watch for some Halloween posts in our diary. And after that, we'll offer a hello to the newest members of Team MTV as we will take our first look ahead at what may be the next new hit on MTV's hands: Floribama Shore.

The final elimination, the final challenge, $1 million at stake, and the next Shore thing... it's all ahead on The Pulse of The Challenge XXX. And welcome to the weekend.

DC ExtraTime: Before They Were MTV Stars: On The Red Carpet with Tori Deal

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Happy November and welcome again to our view Inside the MTV Trifecta at DCBLOG. In a few days, we'll be offering our usual weekend look at The Challenge XXX and Are You The One? as the former heads into its final act and the ladder enters its second half... and both having $1 million on the line. But to tide you over until then here at midweek - and as you all recover from the madness of Halloween and indulge in all of that candy, first we present another dedicated bit from our unique storytelling franchise called DC ExtraTime, featuring an alum of both of those shows.

Instagram @Tori_Deal

As she's on her third MTV show in the span of 18 months, Tori Deal has already made a strong impact on fans and on viewers, charming us with her smart gameplay and awesome personality and humor. She was part of the Season 4 cast of Are You The One? last year, where she made quite a mark… none more so than when she and fellow rapper Giovanni engaged in a rap battle on the season finale and left the poor guy they call the Wolf lying on the floor with the help of her fellow girls in the house and something called the "third eye."
   Ever since, we have seen Tori on two additional MTV shows, and in this latest chapter she has been proven to be both a great cast member and an equally greater competitor competing on The Challenge XXX as a rookie competing for the very first time. She has also had romances with not one, but four AYTO alumni: it began in that Hawaii house with a smooch on Season 4 charmer Asaf, then her perfect match and runner-up on Second Chances - Morgan. Later came her brief and much publicized fling with Mike from not only AYTO Season 3 but also Real World Bad Blood, followed by another short romance we just saw her and Derrick H. from Season 5 earlier this year.
   Okay, so she may not exactly be the very best when it comes to the dating game, but she's now looking to cash in her third straight MTV show in making it to the $1 million final of Dirty 30 after clinching her spot last week. But you may not know that Tori has already racked up a stellar career even before she became more of a household name across America than just in the Big Apple. And on this latest installment of Before They Were MTV Stars, we'll share with you some of what she did before she made the name "Tori Deal" more well known, including making a few friends on a valuable piece of carpet of all things.

DC ExtraTime: AYTO Meets The Bachelor

Following are excerpts from DCBLOG posts during Are You The One? Second Chances earlier this year, reposted in the interest of readers and fans of The Bachelor following events that happened with our subject during Bachelor in Paradise this past summer.

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

ORIGINAL POST: Following Week 3 of Second Chances

WORLDS COLLIDE: AYTO MEETS THE BACHELOR

And from a group of AYTO originals to a group of AYTO losers -- of course, we're talking about the Season 5 cast, and two of them meeting one of those Bachelors... if you know someone who also loves watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette like my mom, then it's likely they know about Robby Hayes, who came on last summer's installment of The Bachelorette as one of those 24 guys who went to Thailand for a chance to land the woman of their dreams: former Bachelor contestant JoJo Fletcher.
   The former competitive swimmer described himself in his cast bio as a hopeless romantic like Ryan from season 1 because, as he added, "...there is nothing more satisfying than a genuine, big smile from the girl you would give the world to." Robby made it all the way to the end and to the final two last summer before JoJo chose Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers' brother Jordan Rodgers to not only be the last one standing, but also shortly after get engaged and currently have wedding dates planned.
   The runner-up hasn't found love just yet, but he did get to hang out with Season 5's Kathryn and Tyler down in Miami over the weekend. And here's something that links Tyler with the Bachelor, The Challenge and a hip-hop heavyweight: last week, Robby signed with modeling firm Wilhelmina Models, which comes on the heels of Nicki Minaj adding a modeling deal to her broad resume alongside being in the headlines of late in having a public beef with rival rapper Remy Ma. Tyler does modeling work for Wilhelmina, as does CJ from Real World Cancun and two Challenges.

▪   ▪   ▪   ▪   ▪

FOLLOW-UP: During Week 5 of AYTO Second Chances

IS THAT BACHELOR GUY DATING THAT AYTO BLONDE?

A week or so ago, we told you about the night at a club in Miami where two members of the Are You The One? Season 5 cast got to hang out with the man who finished runner-up on The Bachelorette last summer. Well for one of them, this has turned not only from just them hanging out in South Beach into something a little bit more.
   Rumors have been circulating that in the wake of the loss that rocked the MTV Trifecta (at least until Laurel lost this past week's Challenge elimination to Camila), that Kathryn from the most recent AYTO cast has been seeing Robby Hayes from my mom's favorite show. And last weekend, the two posted Instagram pictures from when they went to a zoo in Jacksonville, and sparked some additional talk when in an additional photo with Robby, Kathryn captioned, "They say Florida State has the best looking students.... I agree," referencing to them being fellow Seminoles.
   Kathryn & Robby can thank their parents for bringing them together as as her mom is friends with an acquaintance who knows his sister, who no doubt enjoyed watching them on romantic reality TV. But, Kathryn clarified to E! News that this relationship is, for right now, nothing more than a good friendship:

"We've been talking a little bit over Instagram and then he got my number and then we chatted a little. We went out. He invited me to his event in Fort Lauderdale so we hung out then. We had a great time. We were at the zoo, but we're not taking things too seriously right now because Bachelor in Paradise is an option [for him] so we're just sitting back and seeing what happens. Right now, he's a really great guy and I enjoy hanging out with him. We had a lot of fun."

As for Robby, he talked to US Weekly about this latest romance and echoed Kathryn's word that they're just friends and that he's still on the market, just as he is on the shortlist to be on this summer's Bachelor in Paradise:

"We enjoy getting to know each other and have fun hanging out. She's a super sweet girl, but there’s nothing too serious going on. We’re definitely not dating. We have a mutual knowledge of reality TV, so it’s fun to talk to her about that and share our experiences. We're Florida born and raised, so we have a lot in common."

But, there might be something out there for Robby & Kathryn some 3,000 miles away along I-10: recently he and best friend (and fellow Bachelor contestant) Chase McNary moved in with fellow Bachelor alum Jef Holm out in Venice Beach, and she may make the ride too. Robby adds, "She wants to move out to L.A. and that was something she wanted to do before I met her. She wants to get a house out here with Shannon and Carolina from her show, which I encouraged. I’d love to hang out with her here. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t."
   Whatever the case, once again this small world of reality TV again has produced another crossover romance - this time with a show I love and a show my mom loves. And with a lot in common, Kathryn may have found her true perfect match in Robby. We'll see how this one ends up.

- I AM DC