Tuesday, April 10, 2018

DCBLOG Look Ahead: 4/10/18

A Word from the Editor
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

Well, after what we saw tonight with Part 1 of The Challenge Vendettas reunion, just as it was last year - the bad news is, we have to wait one more excruciating week to find out who wins all of the half-million on offer for this season. Yes, it is a frustrating feeling that a lot of you have been venting a bit, but as Mike the Miz got to say at the end of it, "It will be worth the wait." And it will be the beginning of a big two out of three nights for those of you who watch and follow the MTV Trifecta,
   But, the good news is: anytime episodes like that end without resolution, it historically has meant that we at DCBLOG would alter our plans on how we get to do our weekly posts. And this week is no exception, as we have a busy slate coming up ahead as we now head into the spring cycle of the MTV schedule. And man, do we have a lot planned for now and during this entire month with next week's launch of two new series... all coming on the heels of last week's record-setting return of Jersey Shore. So, here's the plan...

● First -- storytelling, as always, is both a cornerstone and a distinctive element of this site's MTV coverage, and tomorrow ExtraTime will be featuring one of those stories that, I'm sure, you will be touched by. And as we head back into watching romantic reality TV a week from tomorrow, someone who was featured the last time MTV had one of those shows from that subgenre on their air will be featured, but it's not for what he did in the AYTO house - but for him meeting someone one who is extraordinary. You'll want to check that out in its own post here, and as always ExtraTime has a bunch of great stories still to come that this site is working on and should have up soon, and those like that which may come up out of nowhere.

● On either Thursday or Friday, we'll post the first of two preview posts of this spring's MTV slate as we'll be looking ahead at Ex on the Beach USA, a show which I'm looking forward to watching so much, it will actually take precedent in this cycle over the other one that debuts at this time next week. For that other show, we'll have our preview of Champs vs. Stars III later over the weekend, and both will feature our capsules of the cast, look at how the show works for the former and analyze what to expect in the ladder.
   We'll even take a cue from our preseason Challenge coverage to do a special EOTB installment of "Who Are These Newbies?" to introduce the five reality TV veterans from outside the MTV universe who are coming to Hawaii next week. As I teased about on Twitter the other night, wait until you find out what's inside this ultimate bachelor/bachelorette pad, which famous megastar & entourage once rented that treasure by the Hawaiian coast, and why one of those coming to this vacation from hell isn't the only link between his original show and this new series.

● After the Ex preview post goes to air -- and if you're one of those who prefers not to wait until next week to watch tonight's first part before next week before the double shot that follows, the Pulse will cover tonight's Vendettas Reunion... all after we give everyone who didn't watch it live to get caught up on tonight's drama. Depending upon how long this preview process goes, it will either be posted this weekend as usual, or just before the real finale airs next Tuesday. But, as we told you last week, our recap of this season's final won't appear until after the reunion next week. And that will have implications on how I will be handling the original portions of my weekly episode coverage.
   With that in mind - and as is tradition for a season finale, the WRAP for next week will be devoted entirely to The Challenge Vendettas final, with a review of the final, one more visit to the Strategy Room for final analysis, parting shots from the cast and much more. The week after that, we'll begin recapping the episodes of this spring's MTV schedule with a recap of the first two episodes of Ex on the Beach. The following week, we'll begin our reviews of Champs vs. Stars with a review of the first three episodes, and starting with Episode 4 of both shows we'll commence our Double Shot WRAP posts in combining our weekly write-ups on both shows into one post... our custom for when two shows that we cover air at the same time. Also for Week 4, it will coincide with the 5th Anniversary of DCBLOG, and we plan to have great stuff planned to mark that milestone here around the time.

● Then, there's what else is going on this month. Going into this spring, the plan was that I would not be covering Jersey Shore Family Vacation because of the fact that that show gets so much coverage all to fit how big that show is about, and that it would've been pointless to give a show that already gets plenty of buzz a decent amount of coverage on this site. But in a change of heart, I have decided that I would be covering that spinoff on the provision that posts covering that show would be bi-weekly, and that the diary we do would feature just the episode interaction and not the leadup and aftermath of it. I am also working on one or two posts covering that show's rise to saving MTV then, and continuing this channel's renaissance with their record-breaking return last week.
   And for the show that served, at least for a brief time, as a prelude of sorts to the madness that will be going down in Miami, there's Winter Break Hunter Mountain. Yes, everything's been going on all over the place with that show and we've covered the first few episodes of that, but even with all of that we won't stop covering that. All the tweets from the season marathon, or a Binge-Fest as I call it, have been archived from March 31st, and there will be a series of back-tracked posts covering that later this month to coincide with ski resorts closing up for the summer.

● Lastly, there's the thing yours truly has been promising over the course of the past half-year or so. As you know, I have been touting on social media and on here that I would be having my Reality Debrief review of what we have seen on The Challenge the past year since after Dirty 30 ended. But because of some hurdles that I, and my longtime cohort covering this beat Andrew Kirk, have been encountering a bit, we did not post our review of 2017 on that show in time to beat the early deadline of a month into Vendettas. But as always, we would never mislead you or give up on it because so much happened there, and so much has happened here... along with what else has been going on during the traditional September-to-May TV season that also had AYTO, Celebrity Big Brother, Survivor and much more... and of course, Ex on the Beach begins next week.
   With all of that in mind, Andrew and I are once again making a try to get our Debrief in as we inch towards the end of the TV industry's regular season. As always, you can tweet us your questions on all of those shows or whatever reality series you're interested in (please, no questions on Teen Mom or anything on Bravo) to us at @DC408Dxtr & @CSUGradAKirk and include the #AskDCBLOG hashtag in your posts. Any question you fire at us on there or via our DM's, and we'll be sure to include them in our two-part recap that should start as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience and invite you to join the conversation there... hopefully, the end is near to finally putting 2017 in bed with that much-anticipated Debrief, and look forward to a good summer of 2018 ahead of us.

Along with that, during this week in between for the reunion finale of Vendettas, I will be going on various Facebook groups devoted to The Challenge to promote selected posts from my DCBLOG MTV coverage as a way to help drive fans from a platform that's been in the news a bit today, to this site and to provide an introduction to the outstanding content this site provides. As always, your feedback is welcome and your support is always appreciated. And you can always tweet to me, respond on this site and offer your thoughts... I'm always here to hear what you have on your mind.

So, there we go. Hope you enjoy your Hump Day... we'll see you here then.

- I AM DC

Saturday, April 7, 2018

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Vendettas - The Final: "Vendettas Never Die"

*** 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 indulge yourself in this weekend -- or just back from your Saturday night activities on this National Beer Day, time for us at DCBLOG to take you Inside the MTV Trifecta. Buoyed by this week's much-anticipated and record-setting return of Jersey Shore and the OG's going on a Family Vacation to Florida, this week marks the beginning of MTV's spring programming slate, and we'll look ahead to two of those shows that will share center stage coming up. But first, the final of The Challenge Vendettas.
   Last week, the field of ten semifinalists were set as they all made the three-hour plane ride northeast from Spain to the country of Czech Republic. They set off in the season's last regular challenge as they took a page out of Fear Factor for adrenaline on 18 wheels. A big rig truck, an airport runway and a slalom course greeted the players and in the end, the entire girl field of Cara, Kailah, Nicole and Kam were off to the final, and so were Tony, Zach and Kyle. But it's Mr. Two Kids who made the biggest noise in him making another power move, and gaining another Vendetta in the process.
   Leroy won over Brad to join the rest of the field in the final, and this week it all unfolds as they all compete for their share of the big money: $500,000 on the line. And it's as if we have made our way from the shore to the Excalibur Hotel in TJ's town: it's a trip to a castle for a one-day final. However, two mercenaries will make one more trip back to make the road to this payday feel that much more harder. Who can endure the always excruciating part of any Challenge season? And what happens when they find out that there are no silver or bronze medals this time around?

With all the action, reaction and interaction, you will experience the 31st season of the fifth major pro sport heading into this final phase. And after the Pulse, we'll have the results of our latest Twitter poll. All of that is ahead, and thanks for staying with us tonight... settle in.


Wednesday, April 4, 2018

DC ExtraTime: Babies and Remembrance

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


 THE MIZ, MARYSE & MONROE 

A week from now, a man who's had one of the most successful careers after starting off on The Real World will be all over our MTV screens. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin from RW Back to New York, four Challenge seasons and two-time champion of the fifth major pro sport will host installment #2 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars as well as next week's reunion for The Challenge Vendettas... all as he also films a reality show at the same time as all of this. But before he proceeds into taking on a leading role of this spring cycle of the MTV schedule, there is the biggest news to occur in a life that's seen him become WWE Champion long after his MTV days have ended. And all of this takes place during the week of the biggest week in pro wrestling -- WrestleMania, and him presently holding the Intercontinental Championship belt.
   Last fall, the news was revealed on Monday Night Raw that he and his wife, fellow wrestler and star of E!'s Total Divas Maryse, revealed that they are expecting their first child, and at a birthday party that also doubled as the gender reveal event, it was announced in a cake that they would be having a baby girl. And he captioned on Instagram, "The #ItBaby is a GIRL!!!!! As soon as I saw pink I saw red for any guy wanting to take her out. Lol. If this little girl gets half the brains, beauty, confidence, and strength of her mother @marysemizanin then she’s gonna grow up to be a powerful woman. Sorry Maryse but you just became the second most important woman in my life. I love you. ❤️"

IG @MikeTheMiz
The couple brought the social media crowd into their pink-themed baby shower on Valentine's Day which, if you saw the pics and video on their Instagrams resembled those lavish parties we see on My Super Sweet 16. their family, friends, Avril Lavigne, Ryan Cabrera, fellow Total Divas star Rose Mendes and WWE star Dolph Zigler all got to do all the usual things to fete the coming new addition to the Mazanin family... that includes chugging. And during the last month of this 9-month journey to parenthood, Maryse kept a blog diary for People Magazine during the pregnancy process to provide a firsthand view of the always excruciating last few weeks before water is broken and a new era begins.
   The process of the last month of the third trimester is always the toughest part of any pregnancy, and those women who read Maryse's diary know exactly what it feels like -- and there's no need to explain that. But in addition, the family has had to juggle filming a reality docu-series, Mr. and Mrs., for WWE rights-holder USA Network, with the process of moving from Los Angeles to making the 1,500-mile, 2-day drive along I-10 to Austin, TX -- where they'll have good company with other MTV parents: Are You The One royal couple Amber & Ethan, and Madison of Real World 30.
   And one week ago at 20 minutes to midnight on Tuesday, March 27, Monroe Sky Mizanin was welcomed by mommy and daddy to everyone and was announced to the world just afterwards. The caption of a photo of them clasping around the hand of their newborn read, "Of course our little girl arrived early. Welcome to the world Monroe Sky Mizanin 3/27/18 11:40pm."
   And a further Insta photo from The Miz, which has been posted above, offered another moment of he & Maryse's first day as new parents, which he captioned: "Thank you to all of our friends, family and fans for the continued love and support. We love you. Welcome to the world, Monroe Sky. We can’t wait to be your guides through life. You will be one spoiled baby. ❤️"  Our congrats go out to Mike and Maryse and look forward to him taking over Challenge Tuesdays starting next week.




Tuesday, April 3, 2018

DC WRAP: The Challenge Vendettas - The Final Countdown

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

With a season of one sport having just wrapped up last night in Villanova emerging victorious in dominant fashion in an eventful March Madness, tonight sees the beginning of the end for another sporting season: the final challenge on The Challenge Vendettas, and the start of perhaps the most wide open marathon to the cash in quite a while for the fifth major pro sport. A season that began some 40 hours into the new year will begin to identify which of the eight players who've made it out of Spain and into the Czech Republic will have what it takes to survive the always compelling drama of what starts tonight: a multi-day ordeal that will test everyone that will reward those who make it to the end with a six-figure payday to those who finish. Our field has two previous champions looking to add title #2 to their trophy case, two rookies who relied on elimination mastery and hard luck to get here, two who came up short in the last Purge last season to finally make it into their first final, and two others who have been to a final before and are looking to punch it in for their first championship.
   We'll have our evaluations of the Elite Eight who've made it here to the final ahead on this edition of the Vendettas WRAP, along with our Things to Know review of Episodes 12 and 13, all to get you in the mood for tonight's first part of the season finale... that's all ahead as we begin a busy month of April in the MTV Trifecta.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Vendettas - The Semifinals: "Czechmate"

*** 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

If you're just relaxing on this Saturday night of Easter weekend -- and if you have just gotten done watching the Final Four or today's binge-athon of Winter Break: Hunter Mountain, come step inside to our house as we bring you the Pulse of The Challenge Vendettas, and the semifinal... the last regular challenge before the big final.
   Last week, the competition in Spain came to a conclusion with the last two challenges in Malaga: the first saw the players dive into the water, and strategy played in a role in that as those who were better swimmers than those who aren't took out the win. Queen Kam joined that illustrious list of those winning three eliminations in one season in staking her claim to potentially being Outstanding Rookie of Vendettas. And then the final regular mission: a demanding time trial to test everyone who wants to make the journey to a new location and whether they are tough enough to make it to the marathon for the cash.
   Zach and Nicole were the top finishers for the men and women, respectively, and gained their ticket to the Czech Republic where the final will take place, and this week we'll find out who else will join them in the quest for the six-figure payday that will take place just around the corner. But before that comes one more challenge that takes the ten semifinalists to what one of them did on Fear Factor: high-octane which will determine who will be the Elite Eight gunning for the cash. And just as you thought that dirtiness of what's made this and last season so compelling is something, wait until you find out who the latest player to get blindsided is.

You'll find out that and so much more with all the action, reaction and interaction of Episode 13 of Vendettas coming up, plus March Madness and the March for Our Lives. And afterwards, with the disappointing news of the company announcing it will soon become a part of history, ExtraTime will join a man who we featured here just a couple days ago as he gets to become a Toys "R" Us kid.
   A trip to the Czech Republic, a trip on eighteen wheelers, a blindside, and Toys R Us... all of that is ahead on the Pulse of The Challenge Vendettas.

Friday, March 30, 2018

MTV Trifecta: Winter Break Hunter Mountain - "It's Complicated"

*** Advisory: Pulse Diary below 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

We have arrived at the last weekend of March, and as you begin this holiday weekend with this Passover Friday, we're about to take you Inside the MTV Trifecta. Coming up, The Challenge Vendettas reaches its Elite Eight, but we start things off with some winter fun with our friends at Winter Break: Hunter Mountain.
   On Episode 2 two weeks ago, two more visits by the cops for welfare checks being initiated by her mom saw the already brewing tension between JBrew and Alessandra reach new levels. For Jillian, she received the news that she has a broken arm, but decides to not leave the house this early into her trip. But on a lighter note, we saw our first hookup in the house, as was our first prank in ranch being put into Marc's lotion, as well as the mesmerizing sport of pink pong meeting Jack@$$.
   On Episode 3 last week, JBrew and Alessandra's feud continues to hang over the house over whether it was the right thing to have the parents get into this thing in the first place. However, matters turn for a few to the most important people these people have back home, including one of them who might find themselves in a precarious spot when a call from home comes up. And for two of them who have been flirting a bit since they moved in, will they finally hook up?

Find out the answers to all of that after the jump as we bring you our look at Episode 3 of Winter Break: Hunter Mountain, as we welcome you to the weekend with DCBLOG.


Thursday, March 29, 2018

DC ExtraTime: Postcards from Spring Break '18

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

Twitter @MTVCoryWharton
As we speak to you at the end of this month of March, if you're checking us out from the East Coast, chances are you got snowed in last week. There, a fourth major Nor'easter in a month barreled across the East Coast as Winter Storm Toby caused headaches from D.C. to Boston, with New York City having as much as 3/4th of a foot of snow just as the seasonal calendar turned the page to the season of Spring. This even gave original Are You The One? host Ryan Devlin reason to go outside to celebrate spring and do his own Gene Autry imitation by dancing in the snow in the freezing cold in Kentucky… all while wearing boxers in his Instagram story last Tuesday on that first day of Spring.

For those college kids who've been inching to escape that cold, they've been given reason the course of the past month to do just that by either of two words. One has been of following the teams they follow or despise the most with March Madness, and an NCAA Basketball Tournament that's been anything but ordinary this time around, with teams going down like fall leaves including the first #16 over #1 upset in men's tournament history.
   The other is defined by two simple words: Spring Break. There was a time for many years when MTV jettisoned its entire regular programming schedule for one weekend in March, and from Friday afternoon until the wee hours of Monday morning -- 60 hours in total -- gave America reason to binge-watch all of this wildness from Cancun, Florida and South Padre, TX to living rooms and dorm rooms before the term even actually existed.
   In previous posts posted on here the past two years -- and a compilation of those that was soft-posted here on Sunday, this site has shared with you the times when alumni and current cast members of the Trifecta of The Challenge, Are You The One?, Real World and soon, Ex on the Beach, have flown down to the warmer climate to partake in all the Spring Break madness, and to keep that MTV tradition alive in the social media age. And now as Easter weekend begins tomorrow, we'd like to share with you some Postcards from Spring Break '18.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Strategy Room: The Challenge Vendettas - Road to the Czech Republic

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

For one more time this week, welcome back to our look Inside the MTV Trifecta and the start of the serious business of The Challenge Vendettas. This season began roughly 45 hours into 2018 and a lot has gone down in Malaga, Spain, but at the same time it's also a fairly quick season compared to the long, dragged-out one that was Dirty 30. We started with a collection of names those who follow MTV's domestic offerings are familiar with appealing to both young and old, and those new to this family who came from across a link between former (and perhaps, soon to be reunited) corporate links and from across the pond. And as always, there's the big time drama, great competition and even greater elimination duels that's made this season worthwhile.
   Last week saw the last competition to take place in where this season began in the westernmost part of Continental Europe, and by the time we reach the quarter-hour mark come Tuesday we'll be in the Czech Republic, where the most famous moment in Challenge history took place in CT treating Bananas as his own backpack on Cutthroat. And with Zach and Nicole having already clinched their spots on the 3-hour plane ride northeast, this will allow us to venture into our exclusive hideaway known as the Strategy Room to analyze where we stand right now. Ahead, we'll have capsules of each of the remaining players and break down how they've fared here this close to the location change, our latest power rankings and predictions of who we think will make it to the business end of Season 31. That's all ahead.