DC SoCal Stories: Spotting Chris Paul

A DC SPORTS SPECIAL
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

The weekend of June 8-11th was one I'll never forget. There, I had the esteemed opportunity to travel down to Southern California for the first time in 15 years as I went with my kids, my sister and her husband to that magical place known as the Disneyland Resort, and it was for my niece's ninth birthday. This was the first time in 20 years that I've been to the Magic Kingdom, and had my work cut out in not only experiencing the rides and attractions at the Park, California Adventure and Downtown Disney, but also documenting that for my social media crowd. You'll see the results of my adventures and what I captured with my camera in the coming weeks on YouTube, Flickr, Instagram and other social media platforms.

On Friday morning of the four-day weekend came the highlight of this vacation for me, and it came on the same day as Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Of course, that night became remembered for both the offensive onslaught of the Cavs that delayed, for one game at least, the Warriors' crowning moment and Kevin Durant's first title, and also for the laughingstock that was the officiating in Cleveland. As if we were back home watching it in our living room like we always do, we watched that game with great interest during a break from our visit in our hotel room across the street from Disneyland along with my cousin and her kids, who reside in the Los Angeles area with her husband.
   But hours before that game went down in Believe Land, there was the spotting inside California Adventure. We were walking along the Boardwalk going about our usual thing of checking out the park and soaking in the atmosphere of being in the other park of The Happiest Place on Earth when my brother in law hinted something to me. The person was of particular interest to us because our entire family are basketball enthusiasts and not just fans of the Warriors - and us wearing Warriors apparel on what could've been a potential chance to close out the NBA title.
   There, he (It's best for me to to keep him nameless on the sake of anonymity) told me that there was a NBA player standing in front of a carousel... and his name was Chris Paul. Yes, that same CP3 who came to Los Angeles anyway after a trade from New Orleans that would've sent him to the Lakers was nixed by then commissioner David Stern, but instead came to the other team in the City of Angels, the Clippers. And in something that would've been hard to believe some twenty years ago, the team that was the laughingstock of not just the NBA but of the entire LA sports scene back then would ultimately take over their cross-arena and more storied counterparts competitively.

When I saw CP3, I kept my composure of not getting too careless and jumping up for joy but took pictures of him like a member of the infamous paparazzi but making sure to keep my distance. However, a SnapChat post by Chris posted on that site eventually caught my niece's feet while he was having some food. That was part of a day of taking video and photos for his social media sites as he was going about an offseason that -- as we talk to you here on this NBA Awards night of Monday, June 26 -- has become very eventful and could mean the end of his stint in Los Angeles. And this was the second major sports star to head to a theme park down in SoCal: the previous day, soccer megastar Neymar was kicking it at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
   Of course, within about four hours after that went down, I posted that picture of CP3 for all of you to check out on Instagram and on my social networks. But something that bothers me is actually squandering the chance at getting his autograph and/or taking a picture of him. Usually when I'm in Las Vegas or in this case being in the Southland where so many celebrities, athletes and like call home, I would keep an autograph book and a Sharpie in my pocket at all times in the event I get to run into them. The last time something like this took place was in 2010 in Las Vegas when, during the best trip I have ever had in going to Las Vegas with my entire family of cousins, we got to meet former boy band member Joey Fatone. As I was packing for my trip, I forgot to pack Sharpie pens in my suitcase and didn't buy one in the gift store in our hotel lobby.
   So, in seeing some of the photos below of two fans meeting him up, as well as not having a Sharpie pen, I basically squandered a chance at glory of having to take a picture with one of the NBA's biggest stars. Plus, it would have been a bit awkward to have to take that ultimate DC Selfie with an NBA superstar in wearing a shirt bearing the logo of one of the Clippers' great rivals as well. But, it was nonetheless a surreal moment to spot an NBA superstar... a highlight of DC SoCal.

DC WRAP: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: The Finale

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you go about your Monday, we at DCBLOG have one last WRAP post of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta to share with you to cheer you up. Last week saw the last of the six seasons of MTV reality TV we've covered here which saw two worthy champions win The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros who gained some redemption for their shortcomings the first time they were teamed up on Fresh Meat II back seven years ago. But the true winners are the causes that Cara Maria, Darrell, and the eighteen other participants of this season competed for: the charities they chose to donate all of their winnings to, all after some grueling competition under the Southern California sun.

   Ahead on the WRAP, our Things to Know will count down the top 5 moments of this season, which range from Team USA hopefuls to much-anticipated elimination battles... plus one more trip into the Strategy Room. And afterwards, you'll meet a new side of the girl who has had so much happen over her time on The Challenge and chose the right time to finally get back at everyone else she's competed with. That's all ahead.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: The Finale

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

& 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  @ TW / IG / YT

Instagram @WestonBergmann

We're at the end of the first weekend of summer according to the calendar, and this is the last 'Pulse diary of a run of covering the MTV Trifecta that began all the way back in October up in Seattle, brought us overseas to four foreign countries, and has brought us back to California for this look at the finale of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

   Last week, the Pros got a first-hand look at what it takes to get through a Challenge: endurance, which saw the Champs take the win. Of course, no Challenge season is complete without a twist, which saw eliminations for both the men and the women take place, and to no one's surprise Wes added to his stellar elimination mark winning for the guys. And at the end of that grueling battle for the women which saw Lolo Jones sweep away all the season's female eliminations, she does a gesture worthy of a champion when she donates money to the charity of the lady she beat, Ashley M.
   For this week and the finale, it's the last regular challenge - contrast to what we thought would be last week, and no Challenge season would be complete without food.  All the players are put to the test to consume food as well as making baskets in order to claim a spot in the final, with strategy, guts and endurance being tested. As one player tries to keep everything down, another is left with a choice that will either make or break the season. And it all comes down to the final challenge to determine who is the Ultimate Challenge Champion and who wins $50,000 for their charities.

   Ahead, the action, reaction and interaction from this Finale, plus the latest Challenge Countdown pays homage to past champions of the show. And after the diary, we'll take a moment to say thank you to dads everywhere with the help of Team MTV.

• 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.

One last battle in the SoCal sun... it's all ahead on the finale Pulse of Champs vs. Pros.

DC WRAP: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - Week 5

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you go about the beginning to this week, time for us here to WRAP up Week 5 of The Challenge Champs vs. Pros ahead of tonight's finale. This past week saw endurance being tested on the part of the players left here, which saw the Champs prevail. And after a grueling elimination involving the same rope-style challenge which saw the seemingly invincible Laurel meet her match, Wes and Lolo win but saw her steal the show in making a generous gesture to the one she beat, Ashley.

   Coming up - in a departure from what we were planning to do at first, we'll head inside the Strategy Room to look at where this season stands going into its last act, the final coming up tonight. And afterwards, we'll join a Real World original as she takes up her spot alongside Rob Dyrdek and friends. That's all next.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros: Week 5

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

& 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  @ TW / IG / YT

Happy Father's Day to all of you, as we are now in the longest days of the year and the hottest days yet on the calendar, and that means summer is in red-hot mode. In fact, as this is being posted here on this late Sunday night, in my Bay Area home base it reached 100 degrees. And we here at DCBLOG are approaching the end of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta as we bring you Week 5 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

   Last week in Southern California - where I was last weekend, the teams' brains, skills and endurance were put to the test as they had to solve a complicated puzzle. This prompted some to use dirty tactics to get an edge, which led Lolo Jones to ask Wes for how to handle the politics of this game. But the winner of last week was Gus Kenworthy: he opened up to Cara Maria about his much publicized decision to come out, then with his boyfriend watching won his elimination battle.
   This week, it's the last regular challenge as the pros get a taste of what the champs have gone through on their way to their titles in their endurance being tested. Also, no Challenge season would be complete without a twist, and it catches them all by surprise. And at the end of yet another grueling elimination comes perhaps the most notable moment of the season: one that reminds us of who the true winners of this season are.

   Coming up, all the action, reaction and interaction from this past Challenge Tuesday, plus the latest Challenge countdown as the show's leading ladies get a chance to shine. And on ExtraTime after the Pulse, we'll catch up with one of Wes' fellow Austin roommates as he gets the chance to work with some of hip hop's biggest names.

• 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.

Ahead, the penultimate Pulse of Champs vs. Pros on DCBLOG.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - "A Cold Day In Hell"

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

& 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  @ TW / IG / YT

As you all are enjoying your Hump Day, we at DCBLOG are back on here to bring you the week in the MTV Trifecta, and this one post this week for Week 4 for The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros. And if you're wondering, yes - this is a special rare, day-after post as we're taking care of matters a little earlier than usual ahead of the big trip I'm taking to Southern California, being posted here at mid-week instead of our traditional time of over the weekend.

   Last week down in the Southland, there was another throwback challenge in one featured on The Gauntlet III and saw the Champs and Pros go up head-to-head, one-on-one with a pole and a pit to prove themselves, and the Pros took away the win. But all the focus was on Lolo Jones, who once again became the center of attention for the athletes, who was also put on the spot in an unexpected twist that would put a fellow Olympian in the elimination or to face a surfer who was voted in.
   This week - or better yet, last night, we begin with that very battle, with pride on the line, survival in the game and money at stake for charity. Brains are put into the minds of the teams as the Champs and Pros take on each other to see who has the endurance, the skills and communication needed to solve a complex puzzle. This even causes both teams to use dirty tactics to get an edge, which even sees a Pro turn to a Champ for advice to handle the politics of this game. And for one competitor, him going onto this Challenge brings about his own personal struggles that has seen him come to quips with who he really is.

   Coming up on this week's single post, an abbreviated version of our usual Pulse diary, covering just Challenge Tuesday with the lead-in to last night's episode, the latest Challenge countdown taking a look at memorable elimination battles, and the after hours aftermath. And after the 'Pulse, what does a Real World ex, a Challenge finalist, and an AYTO original, a newbie and a perfect match all have in common? We'll tell you what gave them all reason to come together, plus heartbreaking news from the broader MTV community.

• 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.

Lolo's latest shot to shut down the doubters, love wins, and a birthday party... it's all ahead on the 'Pulse of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros on DCBLOG.

DC ExtraTime: Is That AYTO Girl The One Who Dated That Teen Mom Boyfriend?

An Excerpt from Week 1 of Are You The One? Season 3 back in Fall 2015,

updated to feature additional photos not posted in its original post and 

reposted due to recent news of the subject being admitted to rehab.

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As those of you fans probably know, AYTO Season 1 aired in that coveted 11PM slot of following Teen Mom 2, and it along with Catfish can thank one of MTV's two most-publicized foursomes for giving them the huge ratings bump and big buzz that saw succeeding seasons air one hour earlier. As mentioned here before, I began watching TM back in March when the OG original girls made their MTV return, influenced mainly by the additions of new kids to my inner circle in the course of the past 7 years - three of them this year alone, as well as provide some insight into that ultimate life challenge of raising a kid amidst the soap opera lives of the franchise's two casts. Obviously, me and some of the MTV Trifecta family can relate to them in going through this life-changing phase right now.

   Of course, Jemmye is the Trifecta's biggest TM fan with her always hilarious and honest live tweets which are a must for fans of the show. Besides that, the TM girls and their inner circles have support for Team MTV: Kailyn Lowry & husband Javi showing support for Jem and fellow Challenge vet Nany wanting to spend time with their adorable son Isaac; back-from-rehab Leah Messer being friends with fellow WV'ers of the Buckwild bunch with one of them, Katie, being at next week's reunion; and Adam from Real World Back to Vegas hanging out with the ex of OG Amber Portwood, Gary Shirley. Adam also became friends with fellow OG Maci Bookout some time back (both her and Gary wore his clothing line on the show), and that's where this latest story of being part of this small world of Team MTV takes us to.

As documented during the early part of their MTV stint, Maci had a relationship with boyfriend and later fiance Ryan Edwards until that all came crashing down. Along with having to share joint custody of adorable son Bentley, after the split Ryan began looking to rebound with other girls, and one of them is on this AYTO Season 3 cast. Proof came in this tweet he sent out to one of the castmates: "@KikiMTV now that you think your famous tell ppl I wasn't your bf....thanks!"
   Per a story from The Ashley's Reality Roundup, Kiki dated Ryan back in 2013 while production of the original Teen Mom was on hiatus due to Amber's jail sentence. He dated her after breaking up with on-air girlfriend Dalis and before he shacked up with current girlfriend Shelby. The story is that after they met Bentley in his native Tennessee, Ryan would ditch Kiki for a weekend and she was forced to have a spend it with his parents, and that heartbreak eventually saw them head down to Splitsville, and leading her to look for a second chance at love, this time with MTV cameras in tow.

Twitter @IAmAdamKuhn

   But then again, it isn't just Ryan that Kiki has been spotted with a member of Team MTV before making her way to our screens. As we told you in our AYTO 3 preview last month after the buzz for the season began, she has been longtime friends with Adam from Season 1 (and for you Challenge fans, Exes 2 with his ex Brittany) going back to when they were in school together in Virginia; that's the picture right there with him at her viewing party back on Thursday, per Adam's Twitter hub. It was one of many viewing parties held around the AYTO family: the show's first couple and Adam's fellow castmates, Amber & Ethan, hosted her fellow Texan Nelson down in Austin, TX; while three-fourths of the Goon Squad - Briana, Jessica and Ellie hosted Zak, Austin and others down in SoCal when they welcomed them to Team MTV officially. That only adds to the number of AYTO castmates, both from Season 2 and the preceding and succeeding seasons who've hung out with them and Christina in what is the show's most-popular friendship.

- I AM DC

DC WRAP: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - Week 3

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

As you begin this week (and for myself, the countdown to SoCal), time for this brief WRAP of Week 3 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros before a new episode tomorrow. Last week saw the challengers and athletes go one-on-one for the first time in that week's mission and saw the Pros take back control of the game. The week also saw Lolo Jones take to the forefront once again, as did Ashley M. in winning that week's Champs elimination, plus a proposal comes up which may change the game.
   Ahead, we'll be taking our first trip of this summer into the Strategy Room to see where this game stands as we head into the season's second half (it's just a six-week mini-season, remember). Then, we'll scan Instagram to feature someone becoming that dragon from Pete's Dragon, a champion meet a challenger, and news about a new baby. That's next.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros - "Watch Out for the Wolfpack"

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

& 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  @ TW / IG / YT

It's now the month of June, and summer has arrived for just about everyone. And we here at DCBLOG are speeding towards the end of this cycle of the MTV Trifecta, as there's now just one show left to cover before this run ends: The Challenge - Champs vs. Pros.
   Last week down in Southern California, the teams celebrated the unofficial summer kickoff by bringing together chips, mustard, ketchup and saran wrap as they raced around a track just as we saw on Free Agents a few years ago. A game of pick-up football in the park turns into big drama involving Lolo Jones and Lindsey Jacobellis, while CM Punk got into words with one Johnny Bananas. And in the latest, and likely last, chapter of their epic rivalry which we covered here on Memorial Day, Wes got the best of Bananas in their first-ever elimination battle, and winning the rubber match of their eight-year tussle.
   This week, it's Week 3 in the SoCal sun, and this time the focus as far as challenges go turn from agility to brawn as the show again revisits a past challenge, and one from the first season with hour-long weekly episodes - Gauntlet III. Here, the players are given the choice to choose their own matchups when, for the first time this season, the Champs and the Pros go one-on-one. Once again, that girl becomes the center of attention for the newbies, and another champ is given another chance to prove why she's become made for a Challenge in just two seasons. And what happens when a last minute proposal comes up? A pro is put to the test yet again.

We have all the action, reaction and interaction ahead from this week in The Challenge, plus another countdown of The Challenge's most memorable moments in famous meltdowns. And afterwards, ExtraTime will catch up with the two main combatants of one of this year's breakthrough shows as they meet the show that jump-started reality TV's rise and inspired their own show earlier this year.

• 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.

After the jump, the 'Pulse of Week 3 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.