DC WRAP: Are You The One? S3 - The Premiere

BY DC CUEVA                           
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome back once again to DCBLOG as we recap the premiere of Are You The One? Season 3. Again as mentioned in our last post, DC WRAP is a new, separate post from this site's signature SocialPulse diaries which were posted over the weekend and designed just for those who are in a hurry and who want just a straight-up recap of the episodes.

   Last week's premiere episode of AYTO 3 had just about everything to kick things all off: a game-changing twist, a ladies man kissing several girls in the first 15 minutes, two girls going at one another at the first matchup ceremony, a Bostonian at the heart of a good old love triangle, and of course everyone's favorite communal game of Spin the Bottle played by an eclectic cast looking for love and money. Quite an opening salvo.

   Coming up here, we'll have the Five Things to Know recap of the night's key moments and Winners of the Night. And then on DC ExtraTime, we'll have the story of one of this season's singles and the connection they have to a fellow MTV show pivotal in AYTO's growth. That's ahead after the jump.

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? S3 - The Premiere

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 
and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome back to DC SocialPulse on DCBLOG. Fall has officially arrived on the calendar as of Wednesday, and that means we are back into covering the MTV Trifecta following the long off-season. After six long months over the spring and summer and me focusing principally on a great Summer of Sports in many retrospects, the shift back to covering the thing this site specializes in covering also means the return of this weekly routine of bringing you the episodes of Are You The One?, The Challenge and Real World as Twitter saw it.

   On Thursday, or Friday for some of you if you got to record the show since it aired for one time only this year in that coveted spot of follow Teen Mom 2, season 3 of Are You The One? kicked off with, as one of my webcast hosts calls it, a whole season crammed into the first episode. And indeed it was, as in addition to the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with our new cast of 20 girls and guys single and ready to mingle, there is also a huge twist that will change the game for sure this time around. As for what goes on in the house, lust at first sight sees hearts on the line as we see the quick formation of couples and love triangles right out of the opening gate, along with all the emotions of reality TV that we come to love as well.
   We'll have all the interaction from the premiere, the lead-up to it and the aftermath covered here in the first of our two-part post covering this wild premiere episode that will now need two blog posts each week to cover it. Plus after all that on DC ExtraTime, we'll catch up with a member of Team MTV who has now made the transition into the world of Hollywood in his post-MTV life. That's all ahead here as we kick off our weekly posts here.

First off, as we begin our fifth cycle covering the MTV Trifecta here on DCBLOG, in case you're a newbie here and checking us out for the first time, as always welcome aboard, it's great to have you with us and get comfortable here. A signature feature unique to DCBLOG, the 'Pulse brings you exclusive, one-of-a-kind running twitter diaries of AYTO and The Challenge/Real World franchise as seen by the people watching the episodes in 140 characters or less - cast and fans alike.
   Social media has changed the game in how people can have the true communal experience of watching TV shows and events, and interacting with cast, fans, friends and everyone. With having grown a strong rapport with Team MTV for three years now, this site strives to bring that interaction to you on these journals, which are also the premise of my secondary DCNOW twitter hub devoted to live tweets. And of course, often times it's the episode interaction that becomes the big show as the cast relives the drama in its edited form with more than just family and friends.
   If you're a fan who wants to relive how your favorite castmates reacted to a hookup, fight, challenge, getaway date, truth booth, matchup or anything else that took place, of course we have everything covered and you can check out all the twitter reaction and hoopla right here. But most particularly, in the case of some of you such as yours truly, those who might have stayed off social media while the episodes aired and didn't get the benefit of having the true TV/Twitter experience of your favorites tweeting along with you either out west or even watched it on your DVR or Over the Top a day or so later to avoid those spoilers, The 'Pulse is your first chance to catch up on the tweets you missed. These diaries are specially designed, curated and pieced together by me in real-time, tweet-by-tweet, uncensored and unfiltered to bring that experience and interaction as a public service to you, the fans, so you don't miss a moment. It's easier than just catching up on tweets one by one.
   With all the time and effort I put in to bring these posts and the reactions of everyone to you on this site, The 'Pulse is only part of the DCBLOG MTV experience, offering a worldwide audience, who are always appreciative of this MTV fan's great work, a unique angle on AYTO and the two other shows in the Trifecta, The Challenge and Real World, which we'll be covering here later. It's fitting that they, along with other MTV shows, are perfectly suited to the kind of great insight, perspective and storytelling that makes MTV reality programming unique, and no channel lays claim to the kind of deeper, more intimate relationship & impact on all those involved.

Enough of that prologue. Let's get now to the reason you are actually here for: the following are the actual tweets of the cast, alumni, fans and me as we got to see the premiere, along with the buildup to, and the aftermath of, premiere day, and of course the first episode.
- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, or if you're an international fan and this episode has yet not aired in your territory, then do not proceed. But don't worry, be sure to bookmark DCBLOG as I will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

So, dust off that name tag, strap yourself in and Join In after the jump as we head off to the Hawaiian islands once again for Season 3 of Are You The One?, SocialPulse style.

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? S3 - Road to the Premiere

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language and objectionable 
content for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome back to DC SocialPulse on DCBLOG and to the first of our weekly posts covering the social interaction of the MTV Trifecta for this new cycle, which begins today with Season 3 of Are You The One?.

Typically, we present the tweets of cast members before, during and after they watch episodes of AYTO as well as The Challenge and Real World. But today, to help kick off our weekly posts here in the first of what will be three DCBLOG posts to be posted here in the coming days, we're doing something rather different in presenting not the episode tweets as twitter saw it, but to bring you the vibe and anticipation of the cast as they counted down to last Thursday's premiere.
   We'll be covering that spicy first episode coming up a bit later on today, as this is being posted on Sunday, September 27th, with all the episode reaction from our new group of Alec, Amanda, Austin, Britni, Chuck, Chelsey, Cheyenne, Connor, Devin, Hannah, Hunter, Kayla, Kiki, Melanie, Mike, Nelson, Rashida, Stacey, Tyler & Zak, as well as fans like myself. But to whet your appetite for that 'Pulse post here later, we'll bring you the twitter interaction in the days leading up to the big day. This is also necessary to separate this group from the tweets of premiere week and the episode itself to help conserve as much space as possible on these posts too.
   In reading the conversations between cast members from the three shows in the Trifecta, you can get a sense of what the vibe is like among the casts as they await their time in the sun. I always would think of the days leading up to an MTV premiere as the grown-up millennial version of the lead-up to Christmas, with kids everywhere feeling the anticipation of what it's gonna be like when the big day arrives and seeing what the man with the red suit might leave them under the tree. I also compare it to the anticipation for a sports season or a big fight in that premiere week is the culmination of weeks of hype, talk and everything else that precedes the big day, and the moment the opening titles air it brings that great feeling to the cast that they now have the spotlight. That's the feeling every MTV cast member goes through as they count down the days to premiere night of their show or season.

- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but I am keeping it uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)

So, following the jump, join us for the countdown to the premiere of season 3 of Are You The One?, SocialPulse style.

DC FORUM: Are You The One? Season 3 Preview

The views and opinions expressed in DC FORUM are only of its hosts

and do not necessarily reflect the views of DCBLOG or affiliated parties.

A DCBLOG Trifecta Preview

WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK

> @DC408Dxtr / @CSUGradAKirk

Well, after a six-month offseason, the day all of us who follow the MTV Trifecta have waited for all summer will at long last arrive with the premiere tomorrow night of Season 3 of Are You The One?. And even as the weather here in California has soared the 90's & 100's this week, it will sure feel like Christmas as the brand new season will begin with a new cast and a new twist that will sure make things interesting as we follow our new cast of 20 singles in their quest for love and $1 million.
   AYTO will kick off a new season in over 24 hours from now as our third set of girls & guys unlucky in love will arrive on the Big Island of Hawaii with lofty expectations in following the show's first two casts who both scooped up the $1 million by going 10 for 10 in getting their perfect match. Anything is possible here, from its only perfect match becoming man & wife with a baby, to a late comeback to winning last year, to what could possibly happen this time around with a big twist looming over this season's new kids on the block.

On this edition of DC FORUM - my fan discussion series I do here occasionally and plan on doing more often this time around, again I'm joined by the one & only Andrew Kirk, great social friend and fellow MTV insider & host. As you know, the both of us have followed this world on a full-blown basis since summer 2012 and are about to begin our fourth year and fifth cycle covering the MTV Trifecta on both his webcasts and our blogs. Obviously, a lot's happened in the course of nearly 40 months that it feels like we've been at this for 10 years now, though in actuality we're about to cover our 11th season of a RW/AYTO season or a Challenge. And of course, Andrew, along with fellow podcast hosts Brian Cohen & Ali Lasher, is among the best in the business in talking this great franchise of ours and interviewing an endless amount of people from around the MTV community.

As for the present, with hours until Are You The One? Season 3 debuts, there's enough time for Andrew and I to discuss what will be going down this season and, of course, to look at the new cast. And in this post that's again more of a discussion-based thing than is usually the case here, we'll be dissecting the new cast, the big twist that's been put on the new kids and of course giving our predictions of how things will play out. With the both of us having our opinions of what's about to go down, there's sure to be a good deal of discussion to help fire you up for the premiere.

   So, join your friends, DC and Andrew, after the jump as we discuss Are You The One? Season 3 as we count down to the premiere in only a matter of hours from now.

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? S2 - Aftermatch Reunion (Backtracked)

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A Salute to Our Armed Forces

BY DC CUEVA

> @DC408dxtr

A brief, spur of the moment post to share with you here and the first one in a while outside the sports and MTV realms too. As you know, I'm into those worlds very extensively here on this site and on my public social media platforms, but I'm also someone who doesn't really like to discuss things that relate to me or to that great support system known as my family & friends as I prefer to keep those things to myself. Today, I'm making one of those rare exceptions here since this is something that also relates to a lot of you, particularly as this article is being posted on the 14th anniversary of a tragic day that defined our generation and united this country.

   I remember September 11, 2001 vividly as I went through my first year of going to community college when I woke up to the scenes in New York City. I then went to school for class, but it was cut short for obvious reasons and went home for the day. And I do remember going about my usual business of going through the normal daily routine I have while the country was in panic mode. And over in New York, my uncle, who lives across the river in New Jersey, worked in a hospital in Queens no doubt tending, like so many of those in the City, to those who were hurt to those on that day. All in all, it was quite a day in our history.

Since I joined Twitter three years ago, as well as to those in my inner circle on Facebook for 7 years, it's been a customary tradition for me on the four patriotic holidays we have each year - Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day and this day Patriots Day on this 9/11 Remembrance Day - to post a YouTube link to the same music video on those days. It's more than just a simple routine and more than just a mere video - one of a handful that I share publicly, it's also something that touches deeply to me as someone who knows of a friend who serves, or have served, in America's Armed Forces.

   The video that I always tweet or post socially on those four days are of a soldier leaving home, his wife and his family back home to serve overseas. They're all interspersed with a younger self who saw his parents squabble in his eyes but has grown up to become a stronger man who's thankful of serving his country. The band who performed that song and the guy who's the subject of the video have something in common: they've served in the Navy and call home one of America's great military cities - Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach, VA.

The Look: What New Shows I'm Into

BY DC CUEVA

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Well, fall has arrived, which of course is Christmas for those who love television. The returns of our favorite network programming plus many cable shows are as much a rite of autumn as football season starting up, kids going back to school and the leaves falling outside our windows.

   Now, you all know me as a huge MTV fan since I was in high school - 16 years if you're counting. And both my attention and the focus on this site is on the Trifecta known as Are You The One? - season 3 premieres two weeks from tonight on Thursday September 24th as this is being posted, The Challenge and Real World. Of course, DCBLOG will be covering those three shows extensively here over the course of the next several months.

   But again, it's worth mentioning that as someone who's more receptive to the TV world around me than others, I've been more aware of the broad range of programming out there that satisfies my curiosity. In the nearly 40 months that I've been here covering and following this world in social land, I've befriended many of those from Team MTV from just about every corner of the world, covering all aspects of the millennial generation too many to mention.

   When I began watching the Teen Mom franchise for the first time (life events of me becoming uncle many times the last several years was the reason), it became the 17th new MTV show that I've tweeted/followed since joining the broader social media world. Last winter, I added my first network show to the slate with CBS' iconic Survivor, and there's some other ones out there that I might not live tweet but do watch loyally.

Now, my live tweet schedule is so jam packed that now, for the very first time, there's something for me to live tweet on a regular basis on several straight days & nights, both sports and TV wise. And we haven't gotten into the mouth-watering prospects of that MTV Trifecta. So, I'm about to head into the busiest time I've had of regularly using my DCNOW hub as much as my primary DC408Dxtr home.

   After the jump, a look at four shows that are providing me (or have provided me) with a good warm-up with the busy time I'll be having this fall. But for big overall TV fans, just a reminder before you head there - neither of those shows are called Big Brother or the recently-premiered Fear The Walking Dead (that spinoff of that AMC mega-hit my family doesn't even know about), but don't be surprised to find out which ones I chose. But do check it out anyway and you'll understand why I've gone this route.

DC Sports: Soccer Transfer Madness

BY DC CUEVA

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

If you're a sports fan, and especially one of a particular team sport, there's nothing like the boredom of an offseason with no games scheduled in that league on a given night. But there's solstice that comes either during the winter around the hotstove in baseball or the summer in the NFL, NBA and NHL. That would be the buzz and speculation of never-ending rumors and happenings in player movement: free agency, trades, re-signings, contract negotiations and beyond. No doubt, this brings a sense of relief to fans with something to talk about as they await training camp, preseason and the regular season.

If you follow the sport the world calls football that we here in America call soccer, this world of player comings and goings is known as the transfer market, and the prizes that go to those clubs lucky to receive them are "transfers." This topic of transactions in the world's most popular sport is as buzzed about to football fans worldwide as blockbuster trades are to sports fans here, and with good reason. Not a day or week goes by, most particularly during the offseason of the European leagues in the summer and later for one month during the winter, that talk of a player being transferred to another club becomes big story news.

   International media keep their eye out all season for anything that can happen to top players going from a big league in one country to another, while social media has made these stories even bigger. And as much as trade deadline day and day 1 of free agency is a huge deal here, it's the same thing when you witness the final days of the transfer windows at summer's end and later in January: activity being abuzz between clubs before the period is closed and clubs must deal with who they have.

   Yes, it's transfer madness in the world of association football, and just recently on September 1st saw the close of the latest transfer window that saw both last-minute deals and never ending speculation taking place around the soccer world. And if you thought that the hot stove leagues that dominate the baseball offseason, or the always interesting NBA summer of transactions is something, then wait until you see what it's like for those who follow the world game.