The MTV Love WRAP: Are You The One? Global - Heaven, Hell, Triangles & a Match

BY DC CUEVA 

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Hello there again... it's the second weekend of February, and you still got some time to make your plans for the abundance of Valentine's Day activities that are on offer in a few days -- from dinner dates at the local restaurant to classroom candy giveaways. We're also in the midst of a juicy time in love TV as we're a few weeks into MTV's Are You The One?, and the Paramount+ Global Season... and if you're in Australia don't even bare to read below though you will have the pleasure of getting to see this debut on the magic day of this Tuesday (Monday for us Americans).

The first two weeks of our first AYTO since 2019 have certainly offered a whole lot: first night hookups, a first-ever first matchup blackout, and as of last time out: awkwardness. Leo's choice to pick CC on his getaway date backfired on the former basketballer and Holey Moley contestant, as the house tried to pick up the pieces from losing $250,000 right out of the gate and trying desperately to perform some damage control as a result of that. But despite that misstep, it appears that the house has righted the ship to finally get on the board with their first two light beams in week two.

If you're a longtime fan of MTV love, then you know that partying is something else in this world -- and it makes those opening night orientations on The Bachelor feel like they're intimate social gatherings.

We can think of the white party that the Season 1 originals had back then, Nelson dressing up as a lobster in the Ex On The Beach villa, or that crazy time in Vegas on Double Shot at Love. And, there is also the matter of what is a no-no in this game... after the break, we have the latest addition to that list of fun after dark and a non-match not separating as Weeks 3 & 4 of Are You The One? Global throw a Love & Lust Party and a dose of good news from the Suites on our Love WRAP.

Inside MTV Reality: It's Ex On The Beach... Couples Style

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

As we enter this second week of February, we are now in the homestretch of what is known popularly around the world as "cuffing season." Just in case you aren't in the know of what that is about: it's that time during the fall and winter where single people search for their companions to keep them warm and cuddly during the colder months... from the pumpkin spice lattes of October through the merry time of the Christmas holidays and that New Year's kiss. And of course, it reaches its climax on the global holiday of love on this planet, Valentine's Day -- and that's over a week from now on Tuesday, February 14th, two days after the Super Bowl.

For those who are into the world of love, there's no shortage of that in the world of reality TV: we are two weeks into 2023 in Bachelor Nation as Zach Shallcross looks to land his love on The Bachelor -- where one of the worthy suitors is Kimberly Gutierrez, podcast colleague of Are You The One? alumnus & Challenger Amber Martinez. We're sure that Amber gave some advice to Kim on how to handle the heat of a reality dating show, the same way she got to experience that back in 2019 on Season 8, and for which her successors are a few weeks into the MTV show's return engagement on Paramount+. And in Britain, the focus there reality-wise is on an winter series of summer favorite Love Island.

It is the jolly folks there in the United Kingdom that also gave the world MTV's other romantic reality entry Ex On The Beach... and this year marks five years since it made its American debut with Cory, Taylor, Paulie, Angela and that original batch of reality all-stars. Each cast of the U.S. show since then has had a similar makeup: a who's who of familiar faces that we and the broader reality fandom know from AYTO, The Challenge and any global reality franchise you can think of -- and that includes that land of roses -- has had to endure that dreaded moment of them seeing their exes invade the dreaded Beach of Doom as answers to the question, "Whose Ex is Next?" We've seen plenty go down.

Like AYTO, the EOTB villa and the sands on the beach were getting rusted up by the pandemic... but last year Ex USA returned as Big Brother and Challenge queen Da'Vonne headlined the Season 5 cast, joined by Double Shot at Love suitor Derynn and a competitor on that season's CBS Challenge Kyra... along with a slew of other reality alumni from both within and outside the Paramount corporate fold from Love Island to Too Hot to Handle. But the spotlight was stolen by the up and down romance of a VIP of the Lindsay Lohan Beach Club in Mike and his trans supermodel ex Arisce.

Now as we are just a few days out from V-Day '23, things are about to be switched up big time by the Beach: this time for the first time anywhere in this global franchise, it's couples who are about to go through the ringer. In time for Valentine's Day, welcome to Ex On The Beach, Couples Style.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Ride or Dies - Twisted by Balls, Buses, Knots and Terror

 ADVISORY:  #DCSocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're viewing this top to bottom. Enjoy...

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

It's the first Sunday in February, where in past years this has meant Super Bowl Sunday... but with the NFL's change to a 17-game regular season that is next week as Kansas City and Philadelphia will duke it out in the Arizonan desert. But for those hungry for some actual competition outside of that new format for the Pro Bowl, there's LeBron's quest to become the NBA's newest scoring king, the NHL All-Star Game yesterday, NASCAR tonight at the LA Coliseum, golf at Pebble Beach, plenty of college hoops, and the network debut of Bellator. And then, there's The Challenge: Ride or Dies...

We are into the stretch run that will take the teams that are left in Argentina to the start line of the final challenge... but in the calendar of this DCBLOG site we are at the Week 14 mark. When we last left at the end of Episode 13 -- right at the two-thirds marker, there was a bit of concern for two couples: Nany & Kaycee on different teams, and Amber & Chauncey as during the week's daily he faced having to play for his team or playing it safe just to keep her out of elimination. At week's end, it was Fessy who had to face the music and have karma come back to him and Moriah for their burned vote gone bad as she went into elimination and fell to Nany.

Now, things are about to get crazy as we return down under: you, our readers, will get two for the price of one this week on here: a rare daily challenge taking place at night will come to terrify the pairs as they try to dance their way atop a skyscraper... followed by them taking on a sight synonymous with morning fun: riding a school bus while trying to solve a puzzle. We also have the latest saga to take place in the #Jori soap opera which may reach a potentially big breaking point... but that will pale in comparison with what the teams will have to endure: another Teej-bomb that may change the game again.

After the break, DCBLOG brings you a Double Shot of the Challenge Pulse: an expanded edition covering Episodes 14 & 15 of Ride or Dies. And thank you for joining on in on this Sunday Funday...

The MTV Love WRAP: Are You The One? Global - Week 2

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

It's the first weekend of the second month of 2023... and if you're reading this post while in the mood for some lovin', you now officially have 10 days (and this 2/3/23 Friday) to prepare yourself for the Super Bowl of Love that comes two days after the actual Super Bowl: that would, of course, be Valentine's Day. And in scaring you with trying to figure out how you'll be spending that Tuesday night in a fortnight, we got this edition of the DCBLOG MTV Love WRAP to share with you as we cover Are You The One? Global... and we sure have missed being around the Truth Booth.

The big show known simply as AYTO has returned into our hearts for the first time since September 2019 and before this world lost its collective mind... but it was as if things picked up right where the Come One, Come All season 8 left off. That would be of all the debauchery that takes place whenever you have some hot girls and guys sharing quarters on a reality dating show... and in this case, we had your favorite icebreaker game of Never Have I Ever spark plenty of hookups -- as well as identify candidates for this year's "F-Boy"... none other than the DJ with the blond hair, Brandan. But all the fun that the house had to begin this return engagement did not prepare them for the rude awakening they got.

That would be an unprecedented first in series history of a week 1 blackout -- no lights in the first matchup ceremony in forty months... which cost them $250,000. It has certainly rattled the house the same way that a 4.1 earthquake & a 3.2 aftershock shook Los Angeles just as those who stayed up for the midnight episode release here out west. But as we return to the house, there may be nerves rattled but always plenty of optimism that comes with a fresh start... and after the break & later than billed, the MTV Love WRAP brings you week 2 of AYTO Season 9. And welcome to the weekend, lovebirds...

The Look: The Caucus Challenge - "Worlds Collide"

 CAUTION:  Videos Embedded Below Contain Adult Language and Content Intended for a Mature Audience. Viewer Discretion is Advised.

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

NOTE: This story had been planned to go up on this site back in the fall of 2022 prior to the start of the Ride or Dies season; however due to the various things going on in this blogger's life outside of this site, this story has been pushed back by quite a bit to just before the newest season of the media franchise we have covered more than any other outside of the MTV world begins in one week from tonight.

During the course of our ten years of this DCBLOG odyssey, we have covered dozens of seasons, hundreds of episodes and just as many people across many different shows, and countless numbers of stories from around the MTV Reality world. But there has been one item that we have covered more than any other outside of our primary beat... and it's something inspired by this site's biggest draw. And just as it has been for a few shows that we've seen through over this past decade, it's something that we have followed every step of the way on here.

By now, those who've visited this site quite a bit and have seen what he's been able to do know the story: a 2017 trip to a New York City studio space saw Andres Rodriguez & his friends spend a day of their high school summer vacation getting to work out alongside the Season 30 Challenge cast. But we were drawn to them because of the fact that they had done a homemade, made for YouTube version of the big show that they got to do for fun at his house over the summer and on spring break. It's unique, original and one-of-a-kind that would make you think that what they do might be just as good as the show we cover on here the most and he obsesses over just as much as you and I.

We at DCBLOG have been able to follow not only every season of The Caucus Challenge on here, but also the various subsets of what is now the passion project that is the Dre.Media world. It has seen Dre and co. branch out of that Secaucus, NJ backyard for trips across America for multiple seasons of Real World-like docuseries The Life We Live, and spending a summer with his friend clique on Seven Mutual Friends. It's a remarkable feat of getting to produce over twenty seasons of addictive YouTube content that has entertained those wanting something else to watch in between Challenge Wednesdays and everything else on the television dial and streaming apps -- much of which during this pandemic.

But for everything this awesome kid has been able to do over the past eight years, all things revert back to the show that started it all... and last fall came the latest chapter: the thirteenth installment of The Caucus Challenge, and a season that brought different worlds to his house.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Ride or Dies - "Blind Faith"

 ADVISORY:  #DCSocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're viewing this top to bottom. Enjoy...

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

It's the last Sunday of this month of January... and we welcome you back to our DCBLOG coverage of The Challenge: Ride or Dies. Bear with us as we take all the time we need to get ourselves back into the groove of covering this season as we're in the midst of this busy first month of 2023 - and our tenth anniversary going MTV Reality... but for the sake of those who are just catching up on all this, we'll keep true of not spoiling all else until we get up to date on this site. But in any case, off we go...

When we last left Argentina -- and that is, Week 12 which we covered back on January 20th, TJ Lavin played the role of trivia master and Amber B. had taken out Nurys in elimination... and that caused Nelson to go into a state of panic knowing that his biggest ally had taken the flight back to La La Land. He and the rest of the challengers were feeling the heat as they went on a thrill ride aboard a chopper above the water... but his team did not take the win and they had to put someone in elimination. That would go to him... and the opposition chose Fessy -- thus, a rematch of that tense battle on Double Agents, but the result was the same: Nelly was en route back to Texas. But it was what happened before that which caused everyone to discuss the latest chapter in the #Jori soap opera.

Another couple came into this season with a title under her belt and her girl being one of the best to not win it all... as we return, the reality of Kaycee and Nany being on different teams means that, potentially, they may not make this season's final together as they did on Double Agents. The one lady who did reign on that season could be in a big spot of being saved by her boyfriend (and, as of this past week, a daddy to be) or playing for his team... just as one-half of the aforementioned people above could have karma get back to him -- and so does one of his rivals. Yes, it's quite a twisted puzzle we're trying to solve here... and there's also the matter of teams gambling in a game of Blind Faith too.

It's just under an hour from kickoff of Championship Sunday on the gridiron... but why not take some time out of your pregame festivities to join us for the Week 13 edition of the DCBLOG Challenge 'Pulse as the Ride or Dies enter the last two-third's of this season. It's all coming up after the break...

DC ExtraTime: The Challenge Goes Onto The Bachelor?

 REPOST   From October 2022

from during filming of the new Bachelor 

season, which debuts this Monday

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

Instagram @ambaaa_

There is a possible thing to look forward to for those in the know in the world of reality TV and links to Challenge Nation -- something we'll be delving into next on here before we cover the Ride or Dies premiere. But here at the end of this appetizer: a little look ahead.

Bachelor Nation is now into its traditional year-ender when it comes to the trilogy of series that airs in that love franchise, as Bachelor in Paradise continues with its eighth season down in Mexico. At the same time, filming is in full swing for the 2023 edition of The Bachelor which will begin airing in the new year on ABC, and with Zach Shallcross from the duel Bachelorette season of Gabby & Rachel given the honors to be the leading man for Season 27.

Now when we watched Double Agents two years ago, there were actually two women named Amber: Amber B. who won it all, and Amber Martinez who made her MTV debut on the most-recent season of Are You The One? -- the sexually-fluid Season 8 -- back in 2019. As we hinted in our Who Are These Newbies? intro to her that year, she was a co-host of a YouTube recap show entitled SPILL3 -- and if everything on the wire is right, there may be new episodes of that coming in 2023.

The favorite authority on all things Bachelor Nation to those on Twitter, Reality Steve, served up this latest serving of tea late last month when he reported that Amber's Spill3 co-host and cousin, Kimberly Gutierrez, is among the nearly thirty or so suitors who have been chosen to try and vie for Zach's heart on this winter's edition of The Bachelor. Safe to say, there will be plenty to spill from the Casa come January... but for now, below one of the Spill3 episodes with Kimmie and Amber -- we wonder what kind of advice the MTV'er got to tell her friend before going on her own journey to find love on TV.

  UPDATE   1/21/23

Amidst the craze of reality love taking over with the return of Amber M.'s original show AYTO returning (which we covered the Season 9 premiere on here earlier tonight) as well as her fellow Season 8 single Kariselle Snow getting yet another chance at love in her being part of the cast of Netflix's take on this whole thing Perfect Match debuting next month (she was on the cast of the widely reviled but equally hilarious Sexy Beasts as a panda), Kimberly's quest for love begins on Monday on The Bachelor. And below, her being part of the cast introductions.

Will @Zach_Shallcross meet his perfect match? 🌹 Find out when his journey as #TheBachelor begins Monday at 8/7c on ABC & Stream on Hulu! pic.twitter.com/at46lMornT

— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 20, 2023

- I AM DC

#DCBLOG

The MTV Love WRAP: Are You The One? - The Season 9 Premiere (and Return)

BY DC CUEVA 

■ linktr.ee/dc408dxtr

Twitter/Instagram @AREUTHE1

Nine years ago this weekend, MTV brought those insomniacs who snuck around after that Teen Mom mama drama something totally different: a new take on the world of reality dating shows that combined what the channel does best in all of that over-the-top drama with a whole lot of love and a great deal of high stakes. In a week that saw a fight on Teen Mom, a triple elimination on The Challenge, the probable series finale of Siesta Key, the debut of West Hollywood's newest squad and yet another reality show appearance for one Asaf Goren, one of the many shows he's been on in this world, MTV's Are You The One?, finally returned to our consciousness and into front page status in this third week of 2023.

If you saw his cameo on RuPaul's Drag Race on Friday, Asaf added to a reality resume that includes him being part of the legacy of eight seasons of MTV's first foray into the modern reality dating phenomenon that spans eight seasons, and which have brought us plenty of that along with a slew of memorable girls, guys, couples and countless hookups. But forty months have passed since we last went into the Truth Booth -- the world as it was the past few years had to do something with it after Season 8 brought a new dimension to the theory that love is more than just guys and girls loving one another... the LGBTQ+ community is also deserving of taking part in it too.

But finally, as the world has opened back up after the pandemic so has the social romantic experiment... and Season 9 is not only taking up residency on Paramount+, it's also inviting those from around the world to join in on the fun. Twenty-two singles have traveled from the United States and six other countries to the Canary Islands, where Catfish host Kamie Crawford awaits them for this latest odyssey in finding love through laser beams, Boom Boom Room trips and matchmaking science. And though it's been three & a third years since we last enjoyed the feeling of watching this guilty pleasure, it's as if it's never left us in the amount of drama and fun for its opening stanza -- that includes a triangle, a game of Never Had I Ever and even something many of you had over the holidays.

After the break, DCBLOG brings you all that went down in the first two hours of the Global edition of Are You The One? on this premiere edition of something brand new on here: the MTV Love WRAP. And at last, welcome back lovers...