By DC Cueva
As soon as Rivals II wraps up, during this 3-month or so break between the end of this Challenge and the earliest possible starting date for RW Back to San Francisco this winter (I'll be alright with it, will be following sports anyway), I'll be following the progress of them filming the season, although I will keep calm in not overblowing things compared with other RW fans. But the key difference between the last two seasons that I became engaged with and this one here is, because it's taking place in the Bay Area, I'll be following it much earlier that normal, where I would generally join a little bit before taping ends. I'm always excited for every RW season, but when you have a season that takes place in a city that you know very well more than others - and it's just a drive up the 101 from where I am situated here in Silicon Valley, it takes on an even deeper meaning too.
And just as I did for Portland, once the roommates fly home later this fall & return to social media after the freeze on their accounts are lifted, I'll have the opportunity to establish a rapport with the seven strangers by tweeting with them & learning more about who they are so when the trailer debuts sometime this winter, I'll be ready for it more than others. And of course, I'll be doing my part to help promote & support the show, communicate with the cast when it airs and drive people to the webcasts of those who I follow on twitter, as well as any interviews & articles covering the cast.
As for that cast, while I'm not naming names (and won't be until just before filming ends, and when I tweeted my now following alert, I kept them in the dark), six of them have been revealed in the fan forums. There's the first person - a fella from Dallas, another guy from Michigan and a 3rd fella from the Bronx whose last name is Gotti. And for the ladies, after we saw Joi last season and team rookies being excited about someone who posed for Playboy, there's gonna be three models - one from Houston, another from Kansas City and a 3rd transplanted in from Buckwild country--West Virginia. All that's left is the 7th roommate to complete that puzzle, can't wait to talk to all of them later on.
As for The Challenge, rumors are that, just shortly after Rivals II concludes on TV, a lucky group of 30 or so people will be flying to the next Challenge, seems already they're doing this just after it airs. And because their twitter accounts will be frozen during this time, it also means some of my favorites won't be tweeting "happy birthday" to me on my 30th birthday in November. But there's been a drumbeat among many fans that this 25th edition of the show should be a Duel III or a large team affair. While I've really been enjoying watching my first two live Challenges in a while, plus the first Rivals that I watched before this, there's many passionate tweeters who aren't really into Challenges with 2- or 4-person teams as has been the case since they went to Costa Rica for what many call the best Challenge season ever.
While I'm still new to this, I didn't really follow the two previous Duels that took place (or any pre-BOTS challenge), and for many, it's the most ideal Challenge format. The premise is simple: everyone for themselves, no permanent teams, different politicking than in a pair/team Challenge, and everyone competes individually to be that one guy or girl winner who is on top at the end. The first Duel saw the CT/Wes rivalry beginning where the KC'ean beat the Bostonian on his way to his only Challenge win.
And fans can't rule out the possibility of another large-team season as well, another preferred option for those fans. There's the Gauntlet, where it's 2 teams of veterans & rookies and they vote their own players into elimination except for a player on those teams who won immunity. The last time there was a Gauntlet, the final was marred by Eric/Big EZ quitting & turning an apparent Veterans win into an upset for the Rookies, and leading to his inspiring weight loss story.
There's Ruins, essentially a Gauntlet but the teams are comprised of a team of Champions who have won previous Challenges, and Challengers of both vets & rookies who haven't won a Challenge. And the selection process for an elimination takes place before a mission where teams pick 6 players for possible elimination, and then afterwards players from each side compete in elimination. The Champions won the first Ruins comfortably back in 2009.
And there's Cutthroat, a fresh format with 3 teams set by 3 team members picked either as the top 3 or finish in the bottom 3 in a race at the beginning, and that trio drafts members on the spot. All three teams compete, with the winning team gaining immunity and leading the two losing teams to pick the players facing each other in the gulag elimination. First time out in 2010, this was responsible for an epic Challenge moment where CT took out Johnny in 17 seconds.
For myself, I've always believed that the true fan of these shows are those who watch every episode to one or both of these shows (even if they might not like it much), that are welcoming & respectful to every member of the alumni & current class regardless of whether they like them or not, and are able to handle the format that every Challenge season has & what the vibe of a particular Real World season will be about. I'm able to handle what the next Challenge will be, regardless of whether its that Duel III that everybody is clamoring for or another format BMP has up their sleeve that we don't know. And of course, I am very comfortable with the legacy series since, because I'm someone who has an eye for great storytelling and also likes to have some fun too, this is my preferred reality TV show.
Most importantly, when you take away the drama, the setting and everything else, in the end, these shows are simply about the people. In these 14 months since I joined twitter last fall, I've been fortunate enough to have a great virtual relationship with this great family of Real World, Challenge & Road Rules alumni, it feels like they're that group of friends you'd wish you had in high school but it feels like you know them as well as your actual friends. And of that team, over 100 have either replied back to me, retweeted or favored one of my tweets, have liked a pic on my Instagram, and/or have answered a question in a SpreeCast chat. And there's a good handful that follow me in social media, which in most cases I didn't expect but really appreciate. And they know that I'm that great fan who is appreciative of everyone, doesn't talk negatively towards anyone, and is someone who everyone likes to talk to. So, regardless of who is on this upcoming Challenge cast, as well as for RW SFO, I'll be watching these shows for everyone.
So, that's this my look on what's coming up in the world of The Real World & The Challenge. Coming in the next few days, I'll be giving my predictions of what's coming up in Wednesday's episode of Rivals II. It'll be the last regular mission and the last women's jungle, which will determine which of the four remaining ladies pairs of Paula/Emily, Aneesa/Diem, Camila/Jemmye & Cooke/Cara Maria who will join CT/Wes, Johnny/Frank & Jordan/Marlon in the quest for the $350,000 jackpot. See ya then.
- DC
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