DC ExtraTime: A Challenge Life - Abram Boise

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

The game has changed considerably on The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines as we have a Double Shot of back-to-back episodes coming our way tonight to end 2015. By way of both an elimination and two injuries, THREE teams were eliminated last Wednesday including two veterans with finals experience and a third who made his mark this year on MTV. And in place of one of them comes a popular Challenge veteran who's also the boyfriend of a top contender in Turkey. That provides the context for this dedicated edition of DC ExtraTime, as DCBLOG once again takes you beyond the screens for a unique look at the MTV Trifecta and its people.

Now, a Challenge tradition here is that if there's a rookie competing for the first time or if there's someone returning to the show after a long hiatus, then we provide a capsule of them in an early-season feature we call, "Who Are These Newbies?". Every new competitor since Rivals II has been profiled there, and if you were with us for our Bloodlines preview, we introduced passionate Challenge fans to Christina, Cory, Dario and Tony, and newcomers to veteran KellyAnne.
   This time, with this season turned completely upside down and a new castmate & bloodline coming to Turkey to replace an injured Tony & brother Shane and returning to this world, we thought that we would introduce the newbie/returnee to you in a much different manner than we usually do here. For some inspiration, I had to look beyond this world and to my other primary passion of the sports world.
   If you're a football fan who watches NFL Network, a staple of the channel's schedule is the documentary series A Football Life, which profiles various figures in the league - players, coaches, owners & the like - with stories told by them and interviews with everyone associated with the subject. That provides the inspiration for a post I like to refer to as, A Challenge Life, and with so many great Challenge veterans out there, simply doing a simple, brief write-up wasn't sufficient enough.

The addition of Abram to this Bloodlines season is the perfect subject for this special edition of DC ExtraTime that will look at his career on the MTV airwaves. And instead of doing an entirely original write-up on him, this will be a combination of both an original portion written by me - which will be provided later in the post, and a portion in letting the man himself do some of the talking as well.
   We went into the MTV.com archives to dust off some nostalgia from when he first made his MTV debut on what was then part of the original MTV Trifecta - Road Rules South Pacific all the way back in 2003. Here starting after the jump, we'll share you a bio written - and some of 20 Questions answered - by the fearless veteran back from when he first earned his MTV stripes. Then, we'll offer some reflection on The Challenge Life of Abram Boise.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Bloodlines - Episodes 3 & 4

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome back again to DCBLOG as we review the past two episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. As we mentioned on our SocialPulse posts, rules here state that if there's a TBC on an episode, then the original recap for that week is carried over into the post for the next week's episode. Hence, this extended recap of sorts.

   The past two weeks, we've had a gigantic shift in the game in the revealing of two key twists: one in the remaining competitors being split into two teams, and the other of the bloodlines twist still being in play. Amidst all this, we've also had two teams being sent home early due to medical issues, a third team with a popular challenger being eliminated early, and a new replacement pair who is a veteran and a boyfriend. And there's been no shortage of drama when it comes to both house politics and hookups as well.

   We've got a lot to bring you in an extended edition of our Things to Know recap with key moments from Episodes 3 & 4, plus Winners of the Night and a 'Pulse Extra with more fan reaction to this week's events. Plus in a continuation of our Debrief from the holiday weekend, Andrew Kirk will rejoin me to discuss this Bloodlines season through four weeks as well as added thoughts on Survivor Second Chance. And on DC ExtraTime, two life-changers for Team MTV - one becomes a mom, while the other is engaged. Find out who and more after the jump.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Bloodlines - #Corneesa

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

It's Christmas weekend (and Boxing Day weekend too if you're joining us from overseas) as we bring you the Week 4 edition of DC SocialPulse for The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. On Christmas Day, we brought you our DC FORUM Reality Debrief of 2015 as Andrew Kirk and myself recapped the year that was in the reality TV world. And that is just the start to a year-end flourish of posts to wrap up 2015 right here on DCBLOG.
   As we turn our focus from the year in RTV to the current Challenge season, this game has certainly turned on its head in so many ways. Last week, TJ Lavin dropped a bombshell of splitting the remaining castmates into two teams, but still having the bloodlines concept in play. A dangerous mission above water saw two players go to the hospital, while the voting for the players turns heated. And in the end, one player's condition gets so weak, he collapses unexpectedly en route to the Pit.
   And that's where we begin this week's activities, as we learn the fate of that player, plus the most volatile episode in many years as far as players leaving & entering this Challenge. That includes a familiar face who also happens to be the significant other of one of the top contenders and threatens to be the biggest wild card. Plus, a scorned veteran gets a chance to go after her rookie hookup when she eavesdrops on some sketchy confessions. And of course, there's our favorite game: trivia.

   We'll have all the action, reaction and interaction from this week's episode here plus in the leadup to Wednesday: life changers to two Challenge vets, a Road Rules OG heads to a night at the fights, a sorely-missed Challenger takes a stand, and of course reaction to Miss Universe. And after that on DC ExtraTime, we'll join with a few familiar faces as they mark the holiday season and entering the traditional winter break with a walk on the graduation stage.

- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept 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, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG 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.

Join In after the jump for twists and turns from this week's Challenge: Bloodlines...SocialPulse style.

DC FORUM: Reality Debrief 2015 with DC & Andrew - Part 2

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 Holiday Special

WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK

> @DC408Dxtr / @CSUGradAKirk

Merry Christmas to all of you out there, and welcome to part two of DC FORUM's Reality Debrief of 2015 with me, DC Cueva and fellow MTV insider & webcast host Andrew Kirk. This year for reality TV fans has been full of big moments and more, and doing only one post on it would not suffice...so, we've split this year's review into two parts. Earlier this month, Andrew & I previewed The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines with a look at the teams, the format and of course our predictions, as well as looked back at the last Challenge, Exes 2 from earlier this year.

   On this Christmas night, part 2 will focus on the rest of the year in reality TV, including the crazy 3rd season of Are You The One?, season 31 of Survivor which wrapped up last week, the emotional rollercoaster in Chicago called Real World Skeletons and other shows this year which he follows more than me. Also like other sites do at this time with less than a week left in the year, we'll also hand out our year-end awards as well.

   So after the jump, indulge yourself in gifts, family, eggnog and more and Join In as The Cueva/Kirk Report continues with Part 2 of DCBLOG's Reality Debrief of 2015.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Bloodlines - Camilanator: Judgement Day

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

It's the Holiday Break and welcome back to DCBLOG's on-going coverage of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines with this mini DC WRAP of this week's Episode 3. A half-hour ago on my DC SocialPulse diary of this very episode, my original plans were that I was going to cram all my coverage of this episode into one post for just this week. But into taking about those who want just the original, write-up part of our coverage or if you're accessing this site on your smartphone, I thought twice and is doing this 2nd post just for you all there. So, here we go...

So what do we make of this week in Challenge land? Our remaining competitors were no doubt given a big surprise once TJ announced a split down party lines between red and blue for the two teams being chosen by Cara Maria & Jamie that will have everlasting effects the rest of the way. Later, another scare when he told them that the competitors' & bloodlines fates will still be at stake as well, which will sure make this a whole new game. We had a big first team challenge that saw our teams go above water, saw a surprise of sorts in Red winning Blue and saw previews of diving at next year's Rio Olympics. Speaking of Brazil, our favorite member of Team MTV from that country added more to her fiery resume with yet another explosion when she finds out of sister Larissa being voted in. And after Jenna was voted in again, Tony was left lying on the ground just after he got back from the hospital to cure that bad fall.

WINNERS OF THE NIGHT

Well, because this fan was so hungry and actually hopped over to the kitchen to make a late night sandwich, I actually missed those last few minutes where Tony collapsed. But anyway, the rules here are is that if there's a big cliffhanger in any episode of the Trifecta, then that week's episode write-up is tabled over to the post covering the next episode. Thus, we're doing only one & a half-posts for this week - the 'Pulse article just posted and this mini DC WRAP. The Five Things to Know recap of Wednesday's most-notable moments will be moved to next week as an expanded Ten Things to Know recap as we'll look into Episode's 3 and 4 for you here next week as part of an expanded DC WRAP, and it's for good reason as well that we'll explain below.

   But we do a couple a few Winners of The Night to share with you here in this one post for Week 3, so here they are...

- Camila: There's a reason why she is one of the most-popular figures on this show: it's her fiery persona that's been prevalent on every Challenge she's been on. This week was no exception as her going off on everyone once word got out that her sister Larissa was up for elimination, and went on a bargaining spree to free her from there. Though her efforts would come up just short, it only adds to why she's so popular on this show. But not everything from Camila is all amped up...she does have a softer side - more on that in a future DC ExtraTime.

- Candice: The brilliance of any Challenger is to be able to gut it out when something bad happens in any mission or elimination. While most everyone else has made news in the house, Candice has certainly made her mark at challenges much in the same manner that Leroy prefers to do the work out there, and this week she was able to still have a strong showing despite getting her lip busted when she collided with the platform 30 feet above water. Combine that with last week and she's an early front-runner for Rookie of the Season.

Credit: @madiwadi2by4
& @t_raines33

An additional side note to what we saw this week: of course, a story that will be touched upon here in the 2015 Debrief here will be of the Real World romance between Tony & Madison and her entry into motherhood. The status of both him & Shane on this Challenge is in jeopardy by way of both his fall in this week's mission and his collapse at episode's end. And of course, this comes on the heels of the hook-up he had with Christina in the first minutes of this season's premiere and the fight he had with Shane later on, which triggered hate in the direction of Tony & Team Eleven and support Madison's way. But before news of that surfaced to her and what would happen to them afterwards, a picture was tweeted during the episode of her kissing him in the hospital bed over there in Turkey. She flew from the South to be with him at his side, which reaffirms how popular they were in Chicago...it was a year ago this week that RW Skeletons premiered. Even with what's transpired, it's still good that there's still feelings for both as this saga continues.

 #DCExtraTime 

REAL WORLD MEETS STAR TREK

Two pieces of DC ExtraTime this week. First, last year here, we kicked off the countdown to Real World Skeletons with Bruno's brother meeting Angelina & Deena from Jersey Shore. Now, we've got another notable celebrity meeting to showcase for you here: this one - both a Real World original and an member of a pop culture phenomenon about to mark a golden milestone.
   As the newest installment of Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters this weekend, fans of Sci-Fi and action movies are pumped for not only this movie but also several big things coming in 2016. Last weekend, the first glimpse of Independence Day: Resurgence was released as the '90s epic returns for its sequel, while slated for next summer's blockbuster season include X-Men: Apocalypse. And a friendly reminder: Memorial Day Weekend 2016 is just over 150 days away.

   For fans of Star Trek, those who follow the voyages of the Starship Enterprise can look forward to two things to mark the iconic franchise's 50th anniversary. First, there's the release of the movie Star Trek Beyond next July with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto & Zoe Saldana - the 13th movie in its history. And second sees the return six months later of Star Trek to the small screen in the franchise's sixth TV series, which will have its home on CBS All Access, the Tiffany Network's OTT offering.
   When The Challenge last made it to Turkey for Battle of the Seasons II, and similar to what we have with KellyAnne on Bloodlines this season, we had another veteran return following a long hiatus in Trishelle. The Vegas OG teamed with Alton from Season 12, along with Nany and Dustin from Back to Vegas, and despite plenty of drama that occurred within the team, she & Dustin made it to the final and finished 2nd. There was what happened on Rivals II when a fight with other 1st generation Challenger Aneesa saw her quit and led to Sarah being sent home too. And of course, memories of her in the hot tub with Steven and Brynn in the Palms is an indelible moment in Real World & MTV history. We also can't forget about her and The Miz on the Inferno as well.

Courtesy: IG @TrishelleC

   With all of this Sci-Fi frenzy taking place, Trishelle picked the ideal time to post a TBT picture on Instagram from 2008 of her meeting George Takai from the original Star Trek from when they starred in the low-budget comedy flick Ninja Cheerleaders. She played one of the cheerleaders/stripper students of a ninja sensei being played by the man who's best known to fans as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman on the TV show and the franchise's first six movies. Outside of his journey with Captain Kirk, Spock & the crew and numerous appearances on TV & movies over the years, Takei has become a social media icon with millions of followers on the social nets, as well as a social activist too as a proud gay man.
   Trishelle's caption reads, "That time George Takai and I were besties #tbtuesday #tbt #ninjacheerleaders #onset #filming #startrek". You might not have won $125,000 in Turkey, but you certainly have a friendship with a pop culture icon that is certainly priceless. Thanks for sharing that pic girl and hope all's well with you.

By the way, this week filming of Real World Season 31 wrapped up in Las Vegas, where I was when the roomies' stay began the first weekend in October, but I didn't spot cameras or the cast while I was in town. It is the show's 3rd trip to America's pleasure capital (and hometown to TJ Lavin, two Brandon's from AYTO2 & FM 2 and of course Leroy), and as we told you during AYTO3, it's taking place in Downtown near the Fremont Street Experience, inside city limits. And like the past two seasons there will be a twist, but word is that there's a competition element implemented for the first time, following the lead of its MTV Trifecta cousins and CBS' Big Brother as well.
   Will there be another hot tub threesome? Will someone wreck the beautiful suite? And what crazy will await us when TV's reality icon returns to America's pleasure capital? If the strong attention from both public interest and viewership the past two trips are any indication, we should be in for a doozy in the new year. And of course, DCBLOG will be covering Real World 31 as well as Challenge 28 and AYTO IV, among other things here in 2016.

ANOTHER LIFE CHANGER: EVAN'S TAKEN

Finally, though was lost a little bit amidst the holiday ferver and the early stretch of this Challenge, DCBLOG wants to extend well wishes to yet another MTV Trifecta castmate on a life-changing moment. If you know your Challenge well, you know about Evan Starkman: we saw him debut on Fresh Meat with Kenny 10 years ago this winter, forged that lifelong bond with Mr. Beautiful and Johnny Bananas, and won a couple Challenges as well.

   We haven't seen him on a Challenge since the first Rivals, but now it's about certain that we won't see Evan again donning that uniform, and it's for good reason. Two weeks ago while they were on a trip overseas, he went on a beach with his girlfriend Rachel, went on two knees and proposed. Yes, she did say "I Do" right there on the sand, and just after Jessica from AYTO Season 1 & her man exchanged vows last month, now Evan joins those who are about to get married in the new year.

   Evan's IG caption reads: "'If you have someone you think is the one,don't just sort of think "okay, let's make a date, let's plan this and make a party and get married". No - take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for two and travel to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. When you you come back to JFK if you are still in love with that person, get married!' @rachaelkari we didn't quite make it back to JFK but thank you for being my travel buddy and making me the luckiest guy in the world!" Congrats to the both of them on their engagement.
   In addition, Evan has become a businessman in working for a New York-based company called The Bait Shoppe, which is a full-service boutique experiential agency that conceives marketing campaigns, experiences and product launches with big-name companies. The firm has worked with Rihanna at this year's NY Fashion Week, Old Navy's 20th Anniversary, launching Pop Chips with Katy Perry and XBOX on Modern Warfare. He has gone on to bigger and better things.

And that will bring to an close this week's posts for Episode 3 of The Challenge - Battle of the Bloodlines. Again because of this week's TBC, a more-detailed review of this week's episode will be carried over to an expanded Ten Things to Know recap for next week's Episode 4 edition of DC WRAP. So with that and this bite-sized WRAP out of the way, this does give me all the time I need to work on something very special here on DCBLOG just in time for Christmas.
   It's part 2 of DC FORUM's Reality Debrief 2015 with Andrew Kirk and me. The both of us waited for just after this week's finales of both Survivor: Second Chance and The Voice to bring you this year-end recap. We'll review those shows and their final outcomes, but our principal focus is on Are You The One? Season 3, Tony's Real World Skeletons season and everything else that occurred this year in the shows both of us get to cover. We'll discuss all of them plus hand out our year-end awards and more, so watch for that early next week or during the Christmas holiday.
   And in case you missed it, on Tuesday I posted a DC ExtraTime feature on the epic Challenge elimination battle between Zach & CJ from Battle of the Seasons II, so check that out. So while you wait for the latest edition of The Cueva/Kirk Report to come your way here, there's plenty of discussion among fellow webcast hosts & bloggers, and here's your road-map for all of them...
● Before he joins me again for the Debrief, check out Andrew (@CSUGradAKirk) and all of his Trifecta coverage on YouTube, SpreeCast, BlogTalkRadio and the BTRTV blog. On the ladder, he gave his predictions on who would be on teams Red and Blue before the episode, so check that out and all of his must-listen interviews with Team MTV throughout this run on those sites (it's now been four years since his first podcast when Challenger Brandon was his 1st guest).
● Check out the MTV RHAP on Rob Has A Podcast with two of the best in the business: Brian Cohen (@BusDriversRoute) and Ali Lasher (@LashsTweets). As this is being posted, due to other things they've delayed doing this week's podcast 'til later this weekend, but do check out previous shows here & YouTube before that show is posted there, plus find out who scored the most points and who leads the leaderboard in the fantasy point totals at Brian's Bus Drivers Route blog.
● There's Ace Nichols (@AceNichols33) and her recaps, and it's a must to check out her recap of this week's episode here. And check out who does the intro to most every one of her video blogs as well. Also view all of her other recaps on her YouTube channel as well too.
● AfterBuzz TV (@AfterBuzzTV) is again covering The Challenge with hosts Jesse Janedy & Roxy Striar discussing Bloodlines. And as co-host Nicolette Gaona is taking time away from the ABTV mic, this week the hosts are joined by special guest Kingsley. Hear what they have to say here, plus all other after-shows from past seasons of the Trifecta, at www.afterbuzztv.com.

Finally, something we forgot to mention in our EP 2 posts here last week was a link to a podcast of interest to both Challenge and sports fans. A big story in sports media this year was Bill Simmons' much-publicized exit from ESPN and the cash-strapped Bristol Big Wigs' shutdown of his magnum opus, the Grantland sports & pop culture site. Last week, The Bill Simmons Podcast looked at The Challenge and reality TV with GL export Juliet Litman & co-host Chris Ryan, which you can listen here. Of course, the boss man himself covers all things sports there, which includes a chat with the USWNT's Abby Wambach just before her final match earlier this week on SoundCloud.


Again, be sure to follow DCBLOG and all my social platforms for full MTV Trifecta coverage: Pulse diaries, Wraps, dedicated ExtraTime posts and all. This site is home to "The Blogosphere's Most Unique and Insightful MTV Show Coverage," providing you a unique angle of this Challenge season and the MTV world like no other site can with the quality & comprehensiveness you expect.
   In addition to being where you can experience my live tweets of Bloodlines every Wednesday at #DCChallenge, my live tweet hub DCNOW @DC408DxNow has a good holiday stretch ahead. Tonight, I've got live boxing to tweet with action in New York, plus UFC in Orlando too. Next Thursday, we'll have a special Christmas edition of DC Playlist with hits & holiday music for your gatherings, followed the next day by a big, all-day NBA Christmas Day extravaganza. Follow my DC Instagram for holiday pics and of course on Twitter - both at @DC408Dxtr, plus Tumblr.
   For now, thanks for reading and until we talk to you here in a few days, have a safe & great weekend and of course, Happy Holidays.

- I AM DC

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Bloodlines - Camilanator: Judgement Day

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome to the fortnight-long holiday break for many of you as we present the Week 3 edition of DC SocialPulse for The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. We are in the midst of a busy month of posts here to wrap up 2015, with a year in review to come your way early next week in time for Christmas. 
   But first, we have a huge game-changer coming to Turkey, which has seen this game get a whole lot interesting. Last week, we saw a supposed hookup which was claimed to be one of our favorite childhood games. We had a twin tennis player have his best Challenge moment yet. There were bugs and snakes aplenty to scare the competitors, while another team got into a bakery fight.
   This week, we see TJ Lavin deliver a stunning twist that changes the entire game and will hang a dark cloud over the rest of this game. A dangerous challenge above the water lands two of the players in the hospital, while one's condition becomes so weak they collapse unexpectedly. And how does the twist affect how the players vote who to put into elimination? It gets as hot as the Turkish heat.

   We've got all the action, reaction and interaction from this week's episode here plus in the leadup to Wednesday, reaction to Conor McGregor's 14-second KO of Jose Aldo last week, among others.

- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept 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, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG 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.

Join In after the jump for twists and turns from this week's Challenge: Bloodlines...SocialPulse style.

DC ExtraTime: The Battle That Turned Me Into A Challenge Fan

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

We are two weeks into a brand new season of The Challenge, as the Battle of the Bloodlines is about to be turned on its head with a huge, game-changing twist will that change everything and will arrive onshore in Turkey tomorrow. And we are also approaching the end of an eventful year in reality TV for which we'll be dissecting it here with part 2 of DC FORUM's Reality Debrief of 2015 next week. But before we move into that dynamic change of pace where a draft will turn partners into opponents and will have a domino effect on this season, the tough elimination we saw last week provides the context for this dedicated edition of DC ExtraTime.

   The philosophy DCBLOG brings to covering the Trifecta is that this is a complement to all the other sites that do recaps, rankings, drafts, interviews & the like that cover The Challenge, Are You The One? and Real World. We offer an addendum to those sites by bringing you the social interaction and stories that go beyond the hookups, the hype & the highlights for a unique look at this MTV world like no other site can. Whether it's the personal hardships the castmates have endured that makes them relatable or the intimate impact it's had on fans, or great moments & people, there's a whole other side of this Trifecta world that this site strives to bring you. No wonder why MTV reality shows are best suited to thoughtful insight, analysis, reflection, perspective and storytelling.

   As you prepare for Challenge Wednesday, we'll be looking back at the last time The Challenge went to Turkey three years ago, and the standout moment that turned this longtime Real World fan into a fan of its competitive brother. Whenever there's an elimination battle on The Challenge that literally turns into a heavyweight championship fight, it becomes great television and personifies why they call it "the fifth major pro sport." And for two former football players who fought tooth & nail, it was an epic 5-round battle that put me on the edge on my seat and got me permanently hooked on watching The Challenge.

   In most every edition of our episode posts, we bring you stories, long & short, told from within this MTV world told through the prism of the Trifecta as it relates to the people and this franchise. But given how important it is in how this single elimination round turned me from just a viewer into a full-fledged fan of the show, it deserves to stand on its own merit in this one post. After the jump, DC ExtraTime looks back at The Battle that turned me into a fan of The Challenge.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Bloodlines - Bad Blood

BY DC CUEVA                           
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome again to DCBLOG as we wrap-up last week's episode 2 of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. Through two episodes, we've been entertained by some huge drama in the house and some interesting competition as well. And this is all ahead of a game-changer coming ahead.
   Last Wednesday, we saw the competitors literally face their fears in snakes and bugs aplenty. We also saw a game of rock-paper-scissors get caught on camera into becoming something more, which has an inadvertent impact on the week's elimination result. And after what happened to them last week, the elimination winners from last week begins to crack under pressure by way of personal attacks and a meltdown.
   We'll have the Five Things to Know recap of the key moments from Episode 2, and our Winners of the Night, for which there are several of them. And on DC ExtraTime, we'll show you pictures from two different kinds of reality TV gatherings among our Team MTV friends. Join In after the jump for our WRAP of Episode 2.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Bloodlines - Bad Blood

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

It's the second weekend of December, and welcome to week 2 of The Challenge: Bloodlines on DCBLOG, and to this DC SocialPulse diary. This is the first of what will be several posts to be posted here in the next week, with a dedicated edition of ExtraTime and more of the Reality Debrief year-in-review to come your way as the holidays approach.
   Last week, the group of this season's competitors and their bloodlines arrived in Bodrum, Turkey with no idea of what they were getting into. At the opening bell, we saw Tony hook up with Christina and got into words with both Nicole and his brother Shane, which added to his resume of bad behavior and ended his relationship with Madison. We also saw plenty of other hookups between both the original competitors and some of their bloodlines, and we had a wet opening mission & tough elimination battle.
   This week, we go into Fear Factor mode as players must face their fears head-on when bugs and snakes get a bit too close for comfort. After an impressive statement win in the first Pit elimination, one team begins to feel the pressure when personal attacks on one another lead to an emotional meltdown. And yet another supposed hook-up leads the eventual power team to make a bold move and would see it come back to haunt them. And that is all ahead of a move that will potentially change everything.
   We'll have all the interaction from this week's Challenge Wednesday, the aftermath and the lead-up. Why did I switch up the order? We'll be meeting the new Challenge baby that was born last weekend, plus three members from Team Ohana, aka the AYTO Season 3 cast, reunite in Hawaii. And then on DC ExtraTime, we'll remember a member of Team MTV outside of the Trifecta whose life was taken too soon last weekend.

- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept 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, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG 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, Join In after the jump for creepy crawlers, meltdowns and more from episode 2 of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines...SocialPulse style.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Battle of the Bloodlines - The Premiere

BY DC CUEVA                           
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome back once again to DCBLOG as we recap last week's premiere of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. Again as mentioned in our last post, DC WRAP is now the home to my write-up's on the episodes, which were previously featured on my SocialPulse diaries which were posted over the weekend, but were introduced during AYTO3 for those who are in a hurry and who want just a straight-up episode recap. We're making things more easy for all of you in bringing you this recap in cliff notes form.

   The premiere episode of Bloodlines had just about everything: a stunning opening-act hookup, a fight between brothers, more hookups between the originals & bloodlines, and of course some good competition to begin this week's season. And oh, we also gotma good cast that, though it is essentially a Fresh Meat III with newcomers aplenty, there is nonetheless our favorites and those hungry to grab the spotlight in Turkey.

   Ahead, we'll have the usual suspects of the Five Things to Know of the night's key moments and Winners of the Night. Plus, we'll have a 'Pulse Extra with more fan reaction to that episode, carried over from its usual spot at the main 'Pulse post back on Saturday. And on DC ExtraTime, the girl whose actions grabbed everyone's attention is my subject, but before you go off on her for breaking up Tadison, you might want to think twice before sending that hate tweet... proof lies in a video. And on a lighter note as this is posted on the birthday of host TJ Lavin, you'll also meet Team MTV's newest baby as well.  That's ahead after the jump.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Battle of the Bloodlines - The Premiere

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome one & all to DC SocialPulse and our continuing coverage of the MTV Trifecta; and welcome to the first 'Pulse diary for Season 27 of The Challenge. After taking the holiday week off following a most-eventful season 3 of Are You The One?, we transitioned right into the fifth major pro sport. This time, it is a totally different game: Battle of the Bloodlines.
   For the second straight season, and as many as 13 castmates have announced their parenthood this year alone, The Challenge is expanding its talent pool to include those outside the Real World & Challenge Eco-system. And this time, it's the siblings and cousins of the competitors as a popular Survivor concept in Blood vs. Water makes its way across former Viacom corporate lines to the MTV world. More than anyone, the competitors' Bloodlines know exactly what their strengths, weaknesses and fears are and this season should be something else.
   This week as they arrive in Bodrum, Turkey - site of BOTS 2 where I got my start following this Challenge world regularly, we begin with all the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with the cast arriving, but also learning that they'll be competing alongside family members. The first night leads to a scandalous hookup that may have enormous repercussions back home, while a physical clash between brothers could send them packing before the opening horn. And we have our first action on the competition field as well, as well as plenty of other hookups as well.
   We'll have all the interaction from the first Challenge Wednesday, the premiere episode itself and the aftermath covered here in the first of our posts covering this wild opening act that will, just as it was with show 1 of the Trifecta cycle, need two blog posts each week to cover it. Plus after all that on DC ExtraTime, one of the key figures from AYTO 3 opens up on the late night drunken fight that led to a first for the show. That's all ahead as we kick off our in-season coverage right here.

As we lead off our ninth Trifecta season we've covered here at the 'Blog, in case you're joining us for the first time, as always a warm welcome, it's great you've came and get comfortable. The signature feature of DCBLOG, SocialPulse brings you unique, exclusive running twitter diaries of the MTV Trifecta as seen by the people watching the episodes in 140 characters or less - cast and fans alike.
   Social media has brought the true communal experience of watching TV shows and events to the digital age, along with interacting with cast, fans, friends and everyone. With my strong rapport with Team MTV, this site brings that interaction to you on these journals, which are also the premise of my secondary DCNOW twitter hub devoted to live event coverage. And of course, often times it's the twitter interaction during the episodes that becomes the big show as the cast relives the drama in its edited form with more than just family and friends.
   If you wanna relive how you, the castmates and fellow fans reacted to a hookup, fight, mission, elimination or anything else that takes place, of course you're covered and the action, reaction and interaction is below. 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 the first place you go to 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 & 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 after the fact.
   With me devoting more of my energies & free-time to this site and these posts covering the shows I love, The 'Pulse is only part of the DCBLOG MTV experience, as we take you beyond the headlines, the hookups and the hype to cover the Trifecta like no other site can and offer a unique angle you won't find anywhere else. The Challenge, AYTO and Real World all have a palette of stories, great people and jaw-dropping drama, which makes it best suited to receiving this kind of coverage with great insight, storytelling & perspective, fitting for a channel with its intimate relationship & impact. This acclaimed site brings the interaction, the stories and more all together right here, brought to you by one of its biggest fans.

With that, now let's get to the reason you've come 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 they are kept 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, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG 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 Turkey for act 1 of Season 27 of The Challenge, and the Battle of the Bloodlines, SocialPulse MEGA style.

DC SocialPulse Extra: Road to Bloodlines and a Thanksgiving Special

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

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome to this special DC SocialPulse Extra, a prelude edition for The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. As we enjoy this first weekend of December, we've had a bonanza of posts to mark Bloodlines premiere week: we began on Monday with a season preview, then on Tuesday Andrew Kirk & I discussed it and looked back on Exes 2. And coming up ahead are the actual posts with the social interaction of the episodes as it unfolded on the social media world.
   But first before that delicious main course and the eventual dessert of the premiere DC WRAP to come up afterwards, we'll be bringing you this special appetizer with the vibe and anticipation before the big day on Wednesday, and the excitement and joy that is Thanksgiving with Team MTV from the week before. This includes, among others, the final countdown with the newbies, phone talk between AYTO2 & AYTO3, a night in bed with RW Back to SD and Thanksgiving celebrated by the entire MTV community - including those outside the Trifecta.

   Extra posts like these are necessary so that space is conserved in our main posts and to make it easier for those who read it top to bottom, and from those anticipatory tweets from the cast, there's nothing like the countdown to an MTV season and all that comes with it. And following the diary, we'll have info on you can get involved in the conversation here as DC FORUM will be expanding to more frequent appearances here this 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 Bloodlines and Thanksgiving with Team MTV, SocialPulse style.

DC FORUM: Reality Debrief 2015 with DC & Andrew - Part 1

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 MTV Trifecta Discussion

WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK

> @DC408Dxtr / @CSUGradAKirk

Well, this is the first day of December and the start of the 2015 holiday season...and this is DCBLOG's holiday treat for all of you: DC FORUM's Reality Debrief of 2015. This is a two-part post that will be spread out over today and this week as you enjoy those holiday deals, cherish time with loved ones, reflect on the year that was, and if you're an MTV fan - prepare for tomorrow's premiere of Battle of the Bloodlines. We have had another eventful and great year of watching the whole gamut of this form of entertainment, and covering wall-to-wall the Trifecta of Are You The One?, The Challenge and Real World right here.

For this 2nd annual review, I'm joined once again, as it was last year on New Year's Eve, by fellow MTV insider, webcast host and twitter follower Andrew Kirk as the both of us will provide our thoughts on what we have witnessed in the past twelve months spanning three whole seasons of the Trifecta and other things too. As he's putting more emphasis on things going on outside this world (as I always say... family, career & school take precedent, and the webcasts are after all hobbies on the side), the best place you can hear from him talk all things MTV - aside from his shows - is right here on the 'Blog. As ever, we have our own opinions on what's transpired this year with some good old discussion and more to help fuel the discussion as we near the premiere in 30 hours from now.
   Starting today, we'll take the opportunity to take stock of 2015 in reality TV and look ahead to Battle of the Bloodlines. Today, we'll be previewing that new Challenge season and look back at Battle of the Exes 2 from earlier this year. And later on in part two, we'll discuss season 3 of AYTO that wrapped up two weeks ago tomorrow in dramatic fashion, look back at the most-recent Real World and other reality shows outside the MTV world, give out our awards & predictions, and even give out a lump of coal known simply as a Reality Check.

So, after the jump, it's the latest edition of, what I like to now call these discussions, The Cueva/Kirk Report as we begin our two-part recap of the year that was in reality TV, DCBLOG style.