DC ExtraTime: Karamo the Daytime Talk Host and Game Show Contestant

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

Back in the summer of 2019, one of the most hilarious moments involving MTV Reality stars took place on the stage of The Maury Povich Show - and one that foreshadowed what would go down a year later on a Challenge season. It was on the set of the lone survivor of the '90s craze of tabloid talk shows that the former newsman and A Current Affair anchor brought together longtime enemies Johnny Bananas and Wes Bergmann, a year before the unlikely alliance that defined the Total Madness season, part of the first season of the former's other TV gig: host of NBC weekend lifestyle show 1st Look.

There was a time back then that the buzz in the television industry was of talk shows exploring content of a sensational nature, although the genre dates its beginnings to Phil Donohue when his show began in the late '60s. But tabloid talk really took off in the '90s when Geraldo Rivera, Jenny Jones, Ricki Lake and Sally Jesse Raphael all strived to follow in the footsteps of Oprah Winfrey, along with two men a guy named Nelson Thomas knows well: Dr. Phil McGraw and Jerry Springer. The former continues to entertain audiences today in a reduced tabloid talk field (not counting celebrity-based interview shows with Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Clarkson, Wendy Williams and Drew Barrymore), along with Maury.

As February winds down this weekend - and in turn, the so-called "sweeps" ratings period for networks and channels to try & win over your eyeballs, on Challenge Wednesday this week - and in giving a nod to Black History Month, Mr. Povich handed his hosting gig for a day to a friend of his. There, taking over his chair was one of the biggest alumni ever of The Real World and The Challenge, Karamo Brown of the Philadelphia season and of Netflix's Queer Eye.

A key part of what has kept The Maury Show on the air for as long as it has over the past three decades has been it bring to America's consciousness the once private aspects of trying to find out the truth into the open and into the daytime audience. Of course, it is those lie detector tests (like what happened with Bananas and Wes) and those paternity tests to find out the status of who the parents are to adorable young babies. By now, those like you who love your daytime talk know of when Maury announces that those paternity test results and the status of a guy that he doesn't have custody of the kid, the stage of his show almost becomes like a dance club.

In this case, Karamo brought together engaged couple Devin and Christina (pronounced "Chris-tana" than "-tina") where they had been planning together their first pregnancy, but he has been throwing a bit of shade of the mommy-elect. Below, the mom and dad join Mr. Brown to air it all out before he gives them the verdict of the DNA results... sadly due to the show being taped without an audience and the guests joining them via Zoom, we won't have the obligatory dance if he is "...not the father."

DC SocialPulse: Floribama Shore - The Season 4 Premiere in Montanabama

*** Advisory: #DCSocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're viewing this top to bottom... you do need those, after all. ***

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

Hello again everyone, and we have made it not just to the last weekend of February... but if you're an MTV fan - whether you're young or old and if you're a fan of one show or so many like we are around here, then strap yourself in for an incredible next few months that we have coming ahead of us. And this week alone, we had a Teej-bomb drop on The Challenge Double Agents, the Jersey Shore crew checking out of their Vegas hotel, and plenty of baby announcements -- and this doesn't factor in the plenty of goodies on its way on the about-to-launched Paramount+ to launch this coming week.

But this week, all eyes are on the debut of the fourth installment of Floribama Shore, and it's been some time since we've gotten to spend some quality time with our Southern friends. It has just about exactly a year ago this week that we last saw Aimee, Codi,  Candace, Gus, Kirk, Nilsa and Jeremiah on our TV's, along with Kortni and Mattie. Needless to say, they had quite a stay in St. Pete Beach outside of Tampa where they had a lot of fun in a different down than the first two summers: a blowout party with parents, celebrating Pride, and a bunch of other things. But there was also plenty of drama as well... none bigger than the fight that ended the JeriGus bromance, which cast a shadow over the entire season.

Now fifty-two weeks later, we begin the fun once again, as the Bam minus the last two people in that aforementioned list are set to reunite after all this time away during quarantine in the midst of a pandemic. But for obvious reasons, they will not be heading to a beachside town this time around, as they will be packing some layers into more heavier luggage than usual for the snow-capped mountains of Montana. And once they arrive there, we will find everyone in a new place: new love interests, different living arrangements than it was a year ago, and some secrets including what happened the last time they were together in public. And of course, there's some surprises including the biggest one yet.

After the break, all the action, reaction and interaction of the first ShoreDay -- Southern style -- since mid-February of last year (and before the world went mad), all as the crew saw it on Thursday after the Jersey fam's finale, and specially curated for all of you to enjoy in its uncensored & raw nature with explicit language included -- and if you're mature enough then read with discretion. Thanks for joining us and welcome... it's so good to have you with us again, and welcome back to the Shore.

Inside MTV Reality: Floribama Shore Heads Out West

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

We have just past the fifty-day mark of 2021, though a lot of you think that we are probably heading into the 420th day of 2020 judging by what has happened in the nearly fifteen months of the second year of the twenty-twenties. But those of you who have been in need of an escape have turned to reality TV to look for exactly that, and now as March awaits we are on the edge of kicking off an exciting spring in the world of reality television as MTV gets to see it.

Right now, Season 36 of The Challenge has entered the 2nd half of its quest to identify the ultimate pair of Double Agents, while Teen Mom OG has begun Year #12 as it follows the second pregnancy of Challenge & Are You The One alum Cheyenne Floyd. Late next week, CBS All Access will evolve into Paramount+, where one of its premiere offerings is a reunion in New York City of the very first cast of The Real World. And out in Las Vegas, the fourth Family Vacation of the Jersey Shore cast is winding up its winter with the impending entry into parenthood for Mike the Situation & wife Lauren.

And as soon as he, Snooki & the gang check out of their bubble, a group of cousins from the South will be waiting there on the tarmac to gladly take the baton from them and continue the tradition of all-out fun on Thirsty Thursday. Floribama Shore will return for Season 4 this week as they will shift their base of operations from the new capital of American sport where they were at last year, to just a few hours' flight away from Sin City.

This time, they'll be heading to the territory of an all-time Challenge badass where they'll exchange some of their beach wear for layers as they will venture up into the mountains of Montana and a cabin that will be a totally new sight to most of them. They'll also venture down to somewhat more familiar conditions of the sunshine, and a past host to some of MTV's Spring Break festivities, Lake Havasu, Arizona, located in between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix in the heart of the desert.

Regardless of the setting, there will be plenty to look forward to as Aimee, Candace, Codi, Gus, Kirk, Nilsa and Jeremiah reunite once again for their fourth season together. As they will be in their own bubble, they will have to face the music of what went down last year and whatever might be coming up when they are all trapped in a house during the midst of this pandemic. But there will be a lot more in store including the fun we know and love about this bunch, and the news of THAT life-changer.

But before we think about what comes up, we have to look back to what went down last year in St. Pete Beach. We'll look back at that and look ahead to the Floribama group heading out west just ahead...

DC ExtraTime: The Barbie Beast & Thor Are Challenge Parents! And So is a Vet, Too...

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Jenna & Zach: A Challenge Love Story

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

Over the past few years, something that has been keeping those who follow MTV's The Challenge talking from Wednesday to Wednesday has been what's been going on with your favorite competitors when the cameras aren't rolling. Just browsing the social media platforms of these players, both regulars of this series or those who've done any of the thirty-six seasons of this, and you are treated to what their lives are like when we're not scrutinizing their moves in the bubble of that Challenge house.

A popular item for all of us to buzz about over the years -- and also give us plenty to send our congrats to them for -- has been of when the people we know and love either get engaged or married, or when they celebrate the impending and eventual arrival of the newest member of their family: a baby. And despite having to go through an ordeal of having to go through so much bad news in what will soon be a full year since the announcement of COVID becoming a pandemic - and it coming shortly after the cast was revealed for the fittingly titled Total Madness, there has been a lot of positive stories involving pregnancies and engagements with those who we know and love in the fifth major pro sport.

And last Sunday on Valentine's Day as we are in the midst of the ongoing lockdown as well as the current season of Double Agents airing, we had the biggest profile reveal of an all-Challenge baby as not one, but two new parents to be made it official on top of them planning to get married. We also can't forget that there is someone else in Challenge Nation also expecting, and one who also knows what it's like to be part of a high-profile couple in the public limelight of this show we love. And two of them competed on the very same (and last rare non-Bananas) season on Battle of the Seasons II.

DC ExtraTime Funny File: Swimming and Snowballs in a Snowpocalypse

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

Texas State Capital in Austin

This week, something that has happened quite a bit in the past dozen or so years shut down most of the country: a punishing winter storm called Uri crippling the Midwest and the South, and snow also falling in the Northeast and other parts of the U.S. - you're lucky if you live in California, Florida, Vegas or Hawaii.  But this latest episode of an American Snowpocalypse has been most felt in a place notorious for its sky-high temperatures during the summer and its frequent bouts with severe storms.

The ravages of this latest bout with the snow and the cold has been most felt in the state of Texas, where every county in the country's largest state by terms of size was put under various winter storm warnings. It has led to most residents having to spend considerable time in the dark without electricity or have clean water, put local power authorities on blast for its lack of access to the national power grid, and placed its most prominent Senator in the firing line for bolting away on a vacation to Mexico.

But whenever the white stuff comes down from the skies, it no doubt has seen the kid of us come out of our shell to enjoy the sights, sounds and smell of it, despite this taking place a year out from when things got out of control. And that gave reason for two now-departed players from MTV's The Challenge: Double Agents and someone else who calls their town home to take advantage of this Snowmageddon out in the outdoors: one in the epicenter of the storm; the other in the big city to the east.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Double Agents - "Amber Alert"

*** Advisory: #DCSocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're viewing this top to bottom... you do need those, after all. ***

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

As we welcome you back here - unless you live in California, Florida or in Vegas, the chances are good that you're being snowed in on this third weekend of February. It's alright anyway considering what's still going on right now, but you have us at DCBLOG to keep you company as we amp up for a big spring ahead in the world of MTV Reality... and in the bubble of Season 36 of The Challenge, the game has crossed its halfway point as the Double Agents now begin to plot their plans at the cash in Iceland.

Last week, TJ Lavin turned from Challenge host to becoming a mixture of Dr. Hyde and Alex Trebek molded into one for his annual unleashing of trivia on the set of competitors, as Darrell and Amber B. took over status of agents in charge in the game. But the Itty Bitty Committee found themselves at the heart of the drama in trying to balance the fine line of alliances and members in their rookie crew, all as someone who has been described as a snooze in this reality world, Kaycee, took out Theresa for the third women's skull and making a certain former CBS head's wife grin from ear to ear watching at home.

In proof of its midseason trailer airing at the end of that 9th episode, this week sees the season's second half tee off with one other Big Brother alum finding himself in the spotlight again: this time with an IBC member than his gameplay. There may be a reckoning to come for the most volatile partnership in the Arctic as the newly minted world champion in women's bobsled is intent on moving on. And totem poles are the order in the day in the week's daily challenge, which may expose not just who how to not put a puzzle together, but also how to properly play this game especially when you're a rookie at this.

So, grab some hot chocolate, a warm blanket and join us after the jump for the Pulse of Week 10 of The Challenge: Double Agents, plus there's news of that new baby, an Agent deciding to treat his valentine to an ideal Sunday of relaxation, and we'll meet MTV Reality's newest engaged couple. Thanks for joining us, and welcome to the weekend...

DC ExtraTime: Before They Were MTV Stars - AYTO Presents: A Floribama Shot at Love

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

   ESTIMATED READING TIME: 16 Mins.

The story of MTV Reality represents the history of the non-scripted genre as it is recognized by fans and the industry, encompassing almost three decades of some of TV's most unique programming. As MTV celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, during 2021 DCBLOG's ExtraTime franchise is proud to offer this special Flashback series as we look back at some of the most memorable moments, greatest shows, incredible personalities and unique backstories that has shaped this entire genre.

In a week from tomorrow, those in need for some fun to kick off the weekend will be offered exactly that when Florida's fun bunch, MTV's Floribama Shore, will move out of their home state and into Thursdays for Season 4. When it premieres on February 25th, the cast will be venturing westward for the first time for another year of drama and fun, but will the events of what went down last year in St. Pete Beach also be aboard that plane ride? But before we get the answer to that among other things in Montana and Arizona once Jersey Shore checks out of its Lake Las Vegas bubble hotel in 8 days from tonight, there is something else of special interest to those who love our Southern family.

From when DCBLOG began in 2013 up until now, the MTV channel has been through the depths and back, but it is their reality programming that has always drawn in the viewers. The past few years have seen the channel take advantage of their broad catalog of intellectual property and the retro movement to launch relaunched versions of those shows and new generations of those produced by their production teams. An example of this is Floribama itself, which is only part of the global Shore franchise that stretches to Britain and Mexico, indirectly led to the Jersey Vacation reboot, and is among the latest in the long line of series created by a giant in the non-scripted field, Sally-Ann Salsano's 495 Productions.

The Floribama kids have molded what we love about Snooki, Pauly and the rest of the crew with the kind of fun only those who live in the Southern United States know how, and who aren't afraid to show their touchy side. But for one of those who we will be having the fortune of spending some quality time with once again, him being on this cast of crazies wasn't the first time he was on MTV. And for this latest installment of Before They Were MTV Stars, you'd have to look back to earlier in 2017 for his debut... which comes in a totally different house where love is the order of the day, as this post goes out - fittingly enough - on the heels of the long Valentine's Day weekend in the midst of quarantine.

DC ExtraTime: Lolo's on Top of the World

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

   ESTIMATED READING TIME: 18 Mins. 

Whenever Super Bowl Weekend rolls along on the sporting calendar, it's as if it is the only thing that matters in the sports world on the first weekend in February. It's the most popular sport in the United States, this country's biggest one-day event, one of the world's biggest sports leagues, and the intersection of sports, pop culture and all that represents America all rolled into that first Sunday of the second month of the year. But those who are into the broader world at large in athletic competition know that the NFL Championship Game is just one event in a slew of those that take place around the wide world of sports.

Right now, the NBA and NHL are nearing the halfway points of their shortened seasons as well as European football as the Champions League's knockout stages kick off shortly, while the year's first Grand Slam tennis tournament is taking place down under in Australia - and today saw the biggest race in NASCAR, the Daytona 500, take place in Florida. Soon, NCAA March Madness will be upon us as college sports' biggest event returns, plus golf hitting its stride in the 2021 portion of its "Super Season," Major League Baseball starting up Spring Training, and a number of other big events - most of which didn't take place during last year's unprecedented sporting shutdown, which allowed MTV's The Challenge and Total Madness to take center stage during the quarantine period.

But on the horizon, the focus will turn to two of the world's most important sporting events, for which one member of the cast of the current season of Double Agents knows so very well. And while the focus was on Tom Brady's Buccaneers facing Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs in Tampa, over in Europe that agent achieved something so big that, had it not been for the GOAT winning his seventh Super Bowl, this would've been THE big sports story of last weekend. And if not for the link it has to what's called the fifth major pro sport, than this would not have made a blip on the radar, which channels the general interest outside of the fortnight of the events that make up the world's most famous five-ring circus.