DC WRAP: Double Shot Tuesday - RW Skeletons EP7 & Exes2 EP4 (MEGA)

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From DC SocialPulse: Double Shot Tuesday Week 7

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

theWRAP

So, we saw Tony have to play a game of playing three different women and now having the hand being dealt of all of them living in the same house. Though they do have an issue over the editing putting things out of order, the tension between Violetta and Madison goes violent and and threatens to tear the Chicago house apart. Then we saw a scandalous night out in Panama leading to hook-ups and a love affair . And we had our fourth Power Couple and yet another Dome win for a group who can now lay claim to the name, Dome Destroyers. Those are the Five Things to Know...

> FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

- Tony's Exes: When we saw the synopsis, trailer and bios for this season, we sensed that this would be a huge storyline: ladies man Tony having to juggle not just one, but two of his exes, and that's on top of him becoming close to Madison from the start. We met Alyssa and Elizabeth last week and this week he had to deal with all three of the girls living under the same roof with him. In the space of the hour, we saw Tony kiss Alyssa on the patio, him kissing Elizabeth and of course him hooking up with Maddy, all within 48 hours. And not only that, he also flirted with two local girls in front of them at the same bar. This led to huge drama that's discussed in topic #2, and that led to Elizabeth not hugging him when she leaves in saying she doesn't want any part of him anymore, but gave Alyssa a proper sendoff leading to just him and Madison.

- The Catfight: No Real World/Challenge season would be complete without a fight, and we saw that this week. When the events at the bar happened, Elizabeth, Alyssa and Madison are united, then when Tony and Maddi kissed, Tony gets yelled at and he punches holes in the walls. Violetta then tells Madison to tell her that if she friends with the next Skeleton as she did with the first two, it begins to get ugly. V gets into it with Madison, Maddy jumps off to try and push V off of her, then Sylvia spots them and puts Madison in a headlock and a chokehold. The fight gets broken up and Madison is carried off outside as she ran away from the house in tears with the rest of the group, all the while Jason tells Sylvia his feelings for her but warns him she's violent and not his match.

- The Aftermath: When they get home, Madison wants to leave, but Tony calms her down in her room and doesn't want her to go home. Then, Tony leaves and bumps to Elizabeth, and then they hook up. Alyssa follows him around, spots them leaving the laundry room and then Alyssa screams at him and then flirts with Jason. The next day, EP Jim Johnston rings up the Batphone to let them know how big a deal the fight was. They invite everyone to watch it on the computer, where they see the footage of that is emailed to them. Nicole is rightfully disgusted by the actions, while V sees the evidence and feels terrible about it. Sylvia isn't sorry because she thought Maddy was attacking V and would've done it anyway. Apparently, the no violence rule is in effect but she doesn't get sent home. No serious RW scene would be complete with a disclaimer, but nonetheless they don't grasp fully just how dangerous and unnecessary this fight really was.

- 4th Challenge, 4th PC: To Exes 2 now...the first three weeks this season, we had the three teams we expected to be factors this season be Power Couple. Now, after seeing this week's mission that saw teams rub their bodies against one another with paint and transferring it to a log, trying to complete an entire log with 12 boxes on them. In the end, Zach & Jonna were the only ones to cover the dozen and they became power couple. There was talk of who they were gonna put into the Dome in either the AYTO pair or Jay & Jenna, but after Adam's display that discussed below and Jonna voicing her thoughts, they picked Bradam to go in and not Jay & Jenna because of the fact that he is the current object of Jenna's affection, and so is the case for Jonna being close to Jay too.

- Dome Destroyers: When you win two eliminations in your Challenge career, it means something in your MTV resume. But to win three in one season, that becomes the stuff of legend. That's exactly what Brittany & Adam have achieved in taking on that nickname I'm coining for them, Dome Destroyers. Them working together in taking down two teams with previous Final trips included is definitely a feather in the cap to go along with that $50,000 as part of the AYTO Originals. And they kicked off this week's episode in style in them not only kissing at the bar at the end of last week by
having a racy display on the dance floor, similar to what we saw on the AYTO baby shower reunion. And adding to that, Adam had a striptease with the girls, gaining Bananas' approval as well.

> WINNERS OF THE NIGHT

- Zach & Jonna: Going into week 4, we had the three teams most had as the final 3 win the first 3 missions. Now, that seal has been broken in Zach & Jonna winning this week, and this was a team that could possibly sneak into the cash at the end. Zach has made it to two finals in three seasons (would've been 3 in a row if not for the DQ on Rivals II), and Jonna came close to joining him in the BOTS-2 Final losing the last elimination. Of course, their romance was a huge storyline in Turkey and then for a short time after the season ended, but that ended badly. This week, they were the top team and if both can overcome their past and continue to do well, they could make a run at the final.

- Adam & Brittany: Whether you like it or not, Team Bradam are now for real after their 3rd win in the Dome. And though some would think that the end for them is near as both rookies and them being out of the RW/Challenge bubble, the fact that they have followed in Emily & Ty from the first Exes in going 3-3 in elimination is an achievement in itself. They've already outpaced not just their AYTO castmates Simone & JJ (who are doing well themselves in the Exile), but also took out teams who have Finals experience: Dustin & Jessica in week 1, and Jemmye & Knight this week. Although they now have a target on their backs, this has already been a strong rookie performance that if and when the time comes for them to leave, you should applaud them for what they've done this season.
- RW Skeletons Cast: What we saw this week in a catfight in Chicago taking place in the house is something that both grabs Twitter's attention and reels viewers in. But something lost in the madness of what happened to Violetta, Madison and Sylvia is what happened after it. Of course when they saw the video that they don't normally see until they see it with all of us, the girls realized that what happened with the fight was totally unnecessary. V would apologize to Madison, and when they went to an Oyster festival, Madison and Sylvia buy each other a cold one and forgive one another. Being able to realize your mistake and then forgive one another is worthy to make you a winner of the night. And that's the case this week.

#DCExtraTime

> REAL WORLD BACK TO NOLA: 5 YEARS LATER

When the events of what happened 13 days apart last November took place, it felt like a gut check to those who love watching this thing known as The Real World/Challenge franchise. The emotions of this tight-knit community mourning the losses of Diem Brown and Ryan Knight in such a short period of time were unprecedented, and this came after the celebrated my birthday with them and before the launch of this Exes 2 season - a bit early than at first thought.
   The person who has steered the ship of this magna de cum of MTV reality shows since the start, co-creator and executive producer Jon Murray, didn't even think at one moment about going down the route that scratched off the 2013 hit Buckwild in shunning this season altogether. But rather, not only did MTV and BMP keep this season alive in dedicating Exes 2 in their memories, but took great care and consideration of editing Diem and Knight to let them go out in an appropriate manner. And they succeeded: no huge drama, no fights between them and other castmates, and showing nothing but the positive side of both in the short time they were with us this season.

As someone who always has love and respect for all the MTV casts I've followed over the course of the last decade & a half even before I joined twitter two-plus years ago, no single group has been as united as of late than The Real World Back to New Orleans cast. At the top of our tweets, we brought you the remembrances of the group as they reflected both on the five-year anniversary of them moving into the house on Dufossat St. on the outskirts of downtown, and them mourning their fallen comrade two months after Knight left us too soon. And there was more tributes to him after making his last MTV appearance in losing the Dome with Jemmye by his side.

   Season 24 in Summer 2010 had a mix of everything for a great Real World season: great cast, big drama among the group, and one of America's great cities serving as their home. For a town that is home to one of the world's biggest parties, Team NOLA had a front-row seat to experiencing the madness that is Mardi Gras. The perfect timing of the Saints making it to - and winning - the Super Bowl added more to the allure of their season. Of course, there was the romance with Jemmye and Knight that grabbed our attention the moment they first laid eyes on one another, and a classic rivalry emerging between Preston and Ryan, which even saw the cops make a visit to the door.
   A favorite RW24 moment for me was the many times the group took time to help out in the New Orleans community in a city that was still recovering from a hurricane that struck the city to its core. They worked at a mission to help the homeless displaced from their homes by Katrina, and teamed with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a family whose house was also destroyed in the wake of the worst disaster the Gulf Coast had ever been through. It was the subject of one of my first MTV-related posts here when I told a heartwarming story of a fan from Canada's Maritimes and with a rough childhood who was inspired from watching the cast's volunteer work and inspired her to go on a life-changing trip down to the Bayou and receiving love from Preston and Ashlee.
   As you also saw from one of Reality Radio's tweets, while many weren't feeling it at the time we can all be thankful and fortunate now that we had a Battle of the Seasons II in the first place. Sure, Fall 2012 was the first time I was fully engaged in a Challenge season and the cast was more familiar to me than other fans, but that was also where the Back to NOLA group finally made their Challenge debut. Knight, Jemmye and Preston were able to go onto the spinoff for the first time two years after the fact, and they were able to carry on to Rivals II, Free Agents and finally to Exes 2. We know that Jemmye has stated that she is retiring from these shows, but I can see Preston and possibly a few i RW24 being part of its future in carrying their memories going forward.
   And then, it comes to Knight. Just as it was for Diem, I will let the write-up I did on him at the end of my DC SocialPulse Special on Knight posted after his untimely death. But this season, they took great care in showcasing what he best known for to the castmates: someone who lived his live recklessly and might rub people the wrong way but also having the ability to make everyone around him enjoy a laugh. The After Show included a tribute to Knight, and Jemmye was joined by castmate Preston & Subtitles teammate Camila to remember their castmate along with Nany, Bananas, Adam, Brittany and host Zuri Hall.
   Their exit interviews saw them state that while they didn't work together well much on these shows, they had formed a friendship, and of course the last few months has seen unprecedented support for her. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when we saw that tribute video with everyone on set shedding a tear. Jem feels they had a true connection and chemistry in spite of him pushing her buttons a lot, while in spite his first impressions of him, Presto not only squashed tension with Knight but gave credit to him for making him a stronger competitor on these shows; take his surprise clutch performance in the soccer mission last year as proof.
   And obviously, he had one more memorable quote for all of us to remember: "I’m Ryan Knight — the man, the myth, the legend. Often imitated, never duplicated." Knight has left behind a legacy that will be hard to replace.

> #TreyDay: A HEARTTHROB'S ADVICE TO THE NEWBIES

We wrap this week up on a lighter note with a word to the wise from a Real World heartthrob. A group of people who's very much missed this season is one who, for me, will always the ones who will lay claim to being the first Real World cast I ever got to directly interact with: the St. Thomas cast. If you saw their season three years ago, everyone in the house, except for lonely Brandon, were paired off from the beginning: Trey & Laura, Marie & Robb, and Latoya & Swift. All three couples were good candidates to be on Exes 2, but perhaps because they might've worked a little more easily than some pairs on this season, all three were passed over. And as much as I was excited to see Team AYTO and the Ex-Plosion group, at the same time I was bummed Team STT couldn't make a go.

    As we told you here back where we started our Exes 2 coverage, Trey (aka Mr. 11:11) had a strong relationship with Laura on Hassel Island that, as Challenge vet Derrick Kosinski coined on his UCR podcast "It felt like I was watching a scene from a soap opera and couldn't wait to see the next episode." That relationship was a key storyline that continued into their first Challenge, BOTSeasons II, that saw them progress midway, but didn't work out after they left our cameras. But as it turned out, their snub brought them closer and they didn't need Exes 2 to become friends once again, and over the holidays she invited him, Robb and Swift for her housewarming weekend in Omaha, NE.

   Knowing very well the experience he went through in those first two seasons and then on Rivals II plus a Super Bowl title and a Price is Right appearance mixed in (under his actual first name Walter), Trey took to his Facebook fan page on Wednesday to provide advice to the new RW Skeletons cast. Realizing they had been given some flack from twitter, he gave words of encouragement to them about what to expect from this experience, both as the season is airing now and after it all ends. Taken from Facebook.com/MTVTrey, here's Trey's words for the newbies...

"If I could offer one piece of advice to the new cast members, it would be this:
   One day, you will look back upon this experience and smile. You will laugh. You were chosen against extreme odds to make a large company millions of dollars, which means they saw something within you that they felt could ultimately be an asset to their company and their reputation. That's amazing! (Don't ever forget that.)
   When this is done, you won't so much remember the bad times, or the episodes that made you look bad, but rather you'll remember all of the fun times that you shared with your new family and reminisce about all the things that didn't even end up on television. We all have personal pictures and memories from the house that no one will ever see or understand, and trust me, those are the things that stick with you the most in the end. (To this day, Robb remains one of my closest friends, and there's no price you could put on a genuine friendship.)
   I remember quite a few of my episodes where editing wasn't particularly in my favor, or where I acted like a fool and later shuttered watching myself in third person - it happens to all of us. And nowadays, social media has become a direct bridge of contact where ANYONE can reach us and tell us how they feel. It's really overwhelming when you think about it, and sometimes it can be a really vivid reminder of how harsh judgment from afar can be.
   Eventually, what will happen is that you will lose popularity once you're off the air - it's just the way it works. Even if you're blessed enough to do a couple 'Challenges', people will stop caring when you're not on their television every week, and regardless of what you do afterwards, you will lose followers on both Instagram and Twitter, and people will stop messaging you as often as they did before. The love, the hate, and everything in between will all slow down, and you'll be left with just a few diehard supporters and the the crappy versions of the DVD's they sent to our house after filming.
   Bunim-Murray and MTV do not teach us is how to adapt to life after the show - that is up to each of us individually to figure out on our own. As your relevance dwindles in the end, you will begin to see the real impact you've made during your time in the spotlight, and it will humble you beyond words. Every time you're asked for a picture or recognized in public, it will remind you of what you've done. Embrace that.
   Just to sum it all up: remember that this experience will flash before your eyes and be gone before you know it, so don't let the 'keyboard warriors of the internet' get under your skin - you don't owe an explanation to them. Even when you're feeling attacked, just know you're not alone. There have been 29 seasons before you (dating back to the '90's), and we have all spent those couple of months in your shoes in one form or another - you will survive.
   I wish you good luck on the rest of your season, welcome to the family, and I hope to see you on a future Challenge.
   God bless."

(Courtesy: facebook.com/MTVtrey)

Trey was ridiculed by fans twice for receiving what appeared to be an unfortunate bad edit in MTV depicting a bad guy side of him - both in the Virgin Islands for juggling not just Laura but also his girl back home in Baltimore - Chelsea, and then in Turkey for his gameplay which frustrated most of the house. But for an all-around good guy who's become social friends with loyal fans like yours truly, the words he gave to the Skeletons cast shows a mature side of him that's emerged since he first graced our screens the same day I joined Twitter that June 27, 2012 day. That's definitely a great piece of advice from someone who knows what it's like to be on this show, go through the ups and downs that comes with being a member of Team MTV, and learning from this experience to become a better person outside of it. Trey, much more respect to you bud.