Welcome to Team MTV, Ladies & Nurses

By DC Cueva

So, we're into the month of October and for the first time since last winter, there's no new episode of The Real World or The Challenge to look forward to on Wednesday nights, well at least until early in the new year. Filming of a new Real World continues up the way in San Francisco, with the season 29 cast slated to return to social media world after filming later this fall, and their trailer expected to debut over the holidays, for which I'll be embracing them in the same manner that I did for St. Thomas and Portland. And after a great season of Rivals II that ended with deserving winners & a smack on the live reunion, there's already speculation around the hot stove of who could possibly be on the next Challenge, with that taking sometime in the next month, which means some of my favorites might not be able to wish me happy birthday in less than 45 days from now.

   But for me, no worries. I've always been a big Real World fan and have become a new Challenge enthusiast as of late, but I'm also an overall MTV fan too. Earlier this year, I got a good warmup for RWPDX with the folks in the NYC neighborhood of Washington Heights, while I also had some fun & laughs in West Virginia with the Buckwild crew. And thanks to buying that Season 1 DVD & all the buzz it generated, I'm starting to get into Catfish. Being used to RW's way of doing storytelling in documenting young adults in a mostly laid-back atmosphere (which I actually prefer compared to The Challenge's cutthroat nature), I'm actually one of those who appreciates great television and is open to whatever format or show that's out there. And I wouldn't mind watching an episode or two of Teen Mom, that's just the way it is for me. I'm a storytelling junkie.

   With those thoughts in mind, I have already extended the welcome mat to two new docu-series that premiere this month that, per an MTV presser, "focus on the lives of two diverse and dynamic groups of young people working hard to pursue their dreams," and I always like shows that follow in that mantra, reminiscent of old-school RW. And I've already given a twitter follow - and my customary "Welcome to Team MTV" greeting - to all of the cast members from those two shows below, some have gave me a follow back too, so thanks, much appreciated. For those who might bemoan having no RW/Challenge until 2014 but also have a good eye for the same balance of storytelling & fun that we've become used to on the legacy series, than you might be able to give these two a try.

BIG TIPS TEXAS

First up on Wednesday, October 9th - or check that, later tonight with a special sneak peek to come our way after the Miley Cyrus: The Movement doc - it's Big Tips Texas. From first glance at the trailer, fans might look at it as a mixture of Jersey Shore, The Hills and Buckwild, or a real-life Coyote Ugly. But it also looks to be a very good show documenting a close-knit clique of girls who work at a bar in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or as locals call it, the Metroplex. Big Tips Texas will follow the lives of four veterans and six new girls serving it up at Redneck Heaven in Lewisville, 25 miles north of Dallas, while also hoping to realize their own dreams, and having some fun along the way as only Texans know how. One of a number of RW/Challenge people who follow me on twitter, Jasmine from RW Cancun & the last four Challenges, can relate to these ladies as she has also worked in a bar down in Houston.

   Taking a page out of one of The Challenge's formats of The Gauntlet (something fans are desperately wanting to see on a future season btw), there's veterans and rookies. For the vets, there's Taphani, the boss lady; Claire, the bar's top bartender; Sabrina, a well-rounded student working to build her college fund & eventually go to Harvard Law School; and Amber, who knows how to do her thing but can also cause some tension with the staff. For the newcomers, we got Kristyn - a waitress with her ambitions set on climbing her way up the RH corporate ladder & launching her own clothing line; rodeo princess Morgan (a barrel racer); Mimi, someone who might also get into an argument, Chicago girl Jillian; the so-called "biggest little Texan of all" Macy, and southern server Mercedez.

   There will be laughs, there will be drama, there will be heart, and there will be a whole lot of sisterhood & friendship, all as they work towards adulthood one day at a time, or "one crazy shift at a time" as the presser likes to call it. We'll find them spending free time at the nearby lake, mapping out their future, having fun at the ranch and everything else Texas style. And there'll even be some fighting & making up as well, just as any tight-knit group of girls have to go through. If you're one of those who'd wish there would be a 2nd season of Buckwild by now, Big Tips Texas should be able to suffice for that and you'll all be in good hands with these ladies. And tonight it begins with a special sneak preview, if can stay up long enough after watching what's been going on with Miley.

SCRUBBING IN

And then on Thursday, October 24th, it's Scrubbing In. As Congress continues to debate over the future of healthcare and whether or not to take the President's way of controlling how families get their medical insurance, it's surprising to think that working in hospitals & healthcare facilities has become a rapidly growing occupation among young people. A recent National Society of High School Scholars survey of MTV's demographic concluded that 8 of the top 25 preferred employers were hospitals & health service companies, and St. Jude's Hospital was the top choice. And Millennials have figured out that working in this field gives them financial security & benefits while also giving them a good work-life balance too. One of my FB friends, Ace (the same one who met the Lakers' Steve Nash in one of my IG pics), works in this field.

   With that in mind, cameras will follow the lives of nine traveling nurses who've relocated from across the country to Orange County, CA for the summer...but this is not necessarily your typical SoCal vacation. They're working a 12-week stint at a hospital in the O.C., leaving behind their hometown lives for short-term hospital jobs and exploring a new city too, as in The Real World. For Tyrice, Chris & Fernando, this experience isn't new to them, they've been at this before and they're now experts at it. But for newcomers transplanted in from Pittsburgh, Chelsey, Michelle, Crystal, Nikki & Heather will all go on this new endeavor together, having worked as nurses in the Steel City. Also joining those ladies for his first go at this is Adrian from down the way in nearby San Diego.

   This group will all be having a monumental task ahead of them in dealing with the responsibilities & challenges of the always-intense nature of nursing. Outside the emergency room, they'll have to make new friends, maintain friendships already in place, dive into the local dating scene and, most importantly, continuously prove what they're made of to the staff at their new hospital. But it isn't just work 24/7 for them, they'll still have plenty of downtime to relax in the glamourous SoCal locale. In all, this is a big three months ahead for this group of young nurses. But, as the MTV presser states, "this energetic, fearless and outgoing group of young nurses are determined to have it all, including a rewarding career and personal life." The O.C. will be producing another fine show from there.

So, that's that. And if you're a cast member of Big Tips Texas or Scrubbing In who might happen to be reading this post, if I haven't greeted you with my salutation yet, Welcome to Team MTV. It's also been really cool to see members from both shows interacting with each other on twitter in the last few days as BTT's premiere has been moved up one week to tonight & the Scrubbing In trailer debuting during last night's Catfish, and realizing that they're part of the same great family as the Jersey Shore, Teen Mom and RW/Challenge folks (both shows also happen to share the same executive producer, Shannon Fitzgerald, who also EP'd Washington Heights, which also followed along the lines of both shows in documenting cast members' aspirations). 

   And as what I'll be telling the Real World Back to San Francisco cast in a few weeks' time, you are all about to go on a ride you will never forget. To you all, enjoy his ride, and can't wait to watch all of you starting this month. And for the ladies in the Metroplex, it all begins tonight. 

- DC

@DC408dxtr

For more - MTV Press Release:

http://mtvpress.com/press/release/mtv_to_debut_two_new_docu_series_big_tips_texas_and_scrubbing_in_this_octob