DC ExtraTime: Trey's Advice to the Newbies

An Excerpt from DC SocialPulse: RW31 EP5 and Exes2 EP4 from Jan. 2015,

re-posted in the interest of MTV Trifecta fans

BY DC CUEVA                     

> @DC408Dxtr / @DC408DxNow

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...

Credit: MTV/Ian Spanier

"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.

- I AM DC

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EDITORS' NOTES

As Trey is one of my favorite MTV castmates, he's been longing to get back on a Challenge, and though I'm a huge AYTO fan I always remain faithful to the first cast I got to become friends with in St. Thomas, and will be certain Trey Day will be back sooner rather than later. While you can, also check out one of my first MTV posts offering an history on those four favorite numbers Trey tweets all the time (which I also do, but now only do on significant days), which you can check out here.

And a reminder that tonight starting at 8PM ET/5PM PT on DCNOW at @DC408DxNow, music's biggest names take center stage for the KIIS-FM Wango Tango Concert live from Los Angeles. Ariana Grande, Zayn, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Fifth Harmony, Iggy Azalea, Gwen Stefani, Alessia Cara, DNCE, Mike Posner, The Chainsmokers, Kygo and Zendaya will all perform, and you'll have a front row seat to it all on my live coverage twitter hub. See you there.