Monday, July 31, 2017

DC WRAP: The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 - "Shots Fired"

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

On this last day of July, welcome back to DCBLOG as we WRAP last week on The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 and week 2 as you prepare for episode 3 coming up tomorrow. This past week saw Cory expose his hand too early to the veterans after the week's second challenge, which saw tomatoes dominate as did the big name vets too. But this was all foreshadowed by what happened in the Redemption House, which before the big reveal that we'll have tomorrow night, saw two involved in an ugly house fight which wasn't caught on camera being sent home.
   What happened there will be the focal point of the original portion of this week's posts as we'll be looking at that from the standpoint of DC FORUM. Then, just after the final chapter began for one of MTV's most popular shows last night, ExtraTime will catch up with a Real World alum who will, later this fall, make his MTV return in making a cameo on the last season of Teen Wolf.  That's all ahead.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 - "Shots Fired"

*** 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

After an eventful week both in the nation's capital and outside of it, you all can finally breathe a sigh of relief that we've arrived at the weekend. And that means one thing: DCBLOG bringing you our view of the MTV Trifecta, and The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30… already an eventful season and it's only week 2.
   Last week, our group of competitors arrived in Columbia to all of the usual pomp and circumstance and, of course, Johnny Bananas' opening toast. However, the first challenge began with 28 players due to CT being stuck at the airport and Ashley bolting due to her not being fully ready to defend her title. And along with the usual suspects winning safety from elimination, it's the twists that got everyone buzzing: $1 million in prize money, The Purge of multiple players being eliminated in the first week, and those who thought they went home getting moved into the Redemption House.
   This week, the competitors have to deal with an attack from just off shore, as a group of rotten tomatoes aim for the players left in the main house. Meanwhile, a player with a history of playing dirty and who made that move to send a champion packing to that secondary house brings his plans out in the open which may lead to his destruction. That champion finally arrives in the house along with a girl intent on making up for what happened last time out, while in the Redemption House a night of big time drama could spell the end for two housemates before they surprise everyone.

Coming up, all the action, reaction and interaction from Week 2, which also includes Twitter drama and the heartbreaking news of a fan favorite couple splitting up. And after the diary, we'll look back at a romance between two Texans spawned when they, a champion and two current competitors on this Challenge season went through their original show's extreme makeover.
   A champion returns, attack of the killer tomatoes, controversy in Redemption Island, and Exes reunite. It's all ahead on our look at week 2 of The Challenge XXX as DCBLOG goes Inside The MTV Trifecta.


Monday, July 24, 2017

DC WRAP: The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 - The Premiere

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

As you settle into this new week and this last week of July, welcome back to DCBLOG as we wrap up the premiere of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 and get you in the mood for tomorrow's episode after the season's exciting beginning six nights ago.
   Last week kicked off this grand occasion of a season as our group of competitors arrived in Columbia to begin their competition. However, the group was not exactly the total number as advertised as only 28 of the 30 showed up for the first mission, as CT was stuck with passport issues and Ashley had to bolt, which we will discuss more of shortly. And along with TJ Lavin keeping secret the $1 million prize purse, the twists came coming with the Purge sending six people to what they thought was the airport after being eliminated but instead to another house to set up another big twist that only they know anything about. And we saw the big players win safety in week 1.
   Because of time and also plans to finally be able to do our long-promised, long-promoted Reality Debrief in our Week 2 posts, we'll be tabling our usual full-scale episode wrap -- the Things to Know top moments of the episodes and more, for next week when we'll look at the first two episodes. But coming up, we'll have a look at the twists of this season and results of our first Twitter poll related to that unique part of this game. Then, two doses of ExtraTime as we'll head to summer's wildest sporting event and meet up with the man they call "Ochocinco." That's all ahead...


Saturday, July 22, 2017

DC ExtraTime: An AYTO Changing of the Guard

Following is an excerpt from DCBLOG's Pulse for The Challenge XXX Premiere from 
earlier tonight, reposted in the interest of readers who don't want to scroll down.

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

If you were with us for the last Trifecta cycle, at the end of our first Pulse post for the last regular Challenge season - Invasion earlier this year, we went outside the MTV bubble and into the Olympic world. There, we offered an appreciation of longtime NBC Primetime host Bob Costas, who stepped down from that chair after 24 years and 11 Games as anchor of the world's greatest sports event, and passed the torch to fellow Syracuse grad and longtime ESPN broadcaster Mike Tirico, who will take the reins for the first time in Pyeongchang, South Korea this February.
   As we begin this ride around the Trifecta again, there's another passing of the baton, and we here want to take a moment to offer some appreciation in this, the 25th anniversary of the beginning of MTV's realty TV odyssey. More than a week after the finale of Champs vs. Pros when this one month offseason began, there was a big bombshell that was dropped. And while we focus on The Challenge XXX, in the long term it will become more noticeable when the time arrives for us to welcome the twenty or so newest members of Team MTV towards the end of the summer.

Late on June 26th, a tweet was posted by the man who began on MTV a decade ago hosting Entertainment Tonight's weekend roundup around filming as part of the cast of UPN's Veronica Mars. But, he became a late bloomer of sorts because of him helming the addictive social love experiment known as Are You The One? and all that we've seen there since it debuted more than three years ago. Accompanied by a picture of him and ten beams, this was his announcement…
After five seasons as host of AYTO, Ryan Devlin has decided to step away from that role to focus on the great acting career he's built up over the years as he'll now be pursuing that on a more full-time basis… not to mention his This Bar Has Lives venture. That tweet above garnered a lot of reaction from AYTO fans including myself and some of the 103 girls and guys he presided over during his reign as host. And showing how fan friendly he is, he got to personally reply back to just about everyone as they got to say thank you. That includes one who's been with this show since it all began in Hawaii.

● ME @DC408Dxtr: "@RyanDevlin Good luck w/ what the future has for you, been lucky to follow #AYTO from day 1 & it's been a tremendous ride. Best wishes again."
● BRANDON/Season 2 @Tindel10: "No! Are You The One won't be the same without @RyanDevlin… that freaking sucks."
- Ryan: "Thanks, my man. My hosting and your insane ability to win challenges will live on."
● CHRISTINA/Season 2 @MTV_Christina: "Blessed to know you. Thanks for being an awesome person and an amazing host! Love always, your one and only #Eleven"
● BRIANA/Season 2 @BlaCuesta: "What in tarnation"
● ELLIE/Season 2 @whaattaafoxx: "WTF? What is this bs?! They can't do this! You can't do this?!"
● AMANDA/Season 3 @MTV_AmandaG: "Bye Ryan hopefully I will see you never."
● DEVIN/Season 3 @MTVDevinWalker: "@RyanDevlin @AREUTHE1 cheers to 5 great seasons and 3.5 mil thanks to those suckers on #AYTOSzn5. Job well done my friend. U never gave up on love."
- Ryan: "Never have and never will give up on love! Or foamers."
● CAM/Season 4 @CamBruckman: "Bummed to see this! He's a great guy, go check out what else he does when he isn't hosting. Good luck with things Ryan!"
● NICOLE/Season 4 @Nuhcole11: "But, but, but… NO ONE will be able to say 'This is a blackout!' quite like you… you'll always be our favorite sass master."
● STEPHEN/Season 4 @StephenJohnII: "From the bottoms of our hearts, @JuliaRose_33 and I thank you @RyanDevlin, it was a blast #PerfectMatch"
● TORI/Season 4 @Tori_Deal: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
● GIANNA/Season 5 @GiannaHammer: "Honored to be your last hoorah."
● MICHAEL/Season 5 @MikeHalpern92: "Cheers to this guy, as cool in real life as he is on television."
● TAYLOR/Season 5 @TayloriasSecret: "We were so horrible even Ryan quit."
● OSVALDO/Season 5 @OzRomero_: "@RyanDevlin I will always remember your last words of advice… Thanks for never making a moment awkward."
● KAM/Season 5 @IamKamIam_: "I know what season those 10 beams didn't belong to… wish you the best though Ryan!"

Like those such as me who's watched every episode from when it debuted in January 2014, Ryan has seen the evolution of this show from when it started in Kauai. He was there at the beginning when he welcomed Adam, Shanley and the Season 1 originals, at the end when gave the Season 5 cast their doomed fate last spring, and every single getaway challenge, truth booth and matchup ceremony in between. He's taken a page from TJ Lavin's playbook to be brutally honest when the singles are not playing the game, and he's also had his moments as well. Remember when he got into it with Amanda in Season 3? Or when he told the Season 5 kids to "Shut the f... up?" Or even him dressing up for Halloween as a rapper on the After Show during Season 2? Ryan has been a great host and will be sorely missed when he and us will be watching Season 6 as viewers from our couch this fall.

At the same time, with the always unenviable task of having to replace Ryan and follow in his footsteps, you can't ask for anyone better suited to take over the AYTO host gig than Terrence J.  He hosted Season 5's After Shows as well as its eventful reunion in the aftermath of the shocking 10th round knockout loss that Derrick H. and his cast went through back in March. He's had experience before in romantic reality shows when, last year, Terrence hosted FOX's entry in that genre, Coupled. My Debrief colleague Andrew Kirk enjoyed watching him on that show as well as the After Match and is more than the worthy choice to take over for Ryan on AYTO. Hopefully, the now former host has passed along some advice to the new one on how to berate the newbies… obviously we'll be interested in how gets to scold the singles for not breaking up with their non-matches.
   Terrence has amassed a stellar resume covering TV, movies and other things, with a career that started across the Viacom lines at sibling BET as longtime host of 106 & PARK, among other things. This past week as he prepares to take over that spot on the matchup patio as well as other acting gigs in the pipeline, he will offer viewers a warmup for that as began hosting MTV's SafeWord with celebs joining him each week for a game of words after Nick Cannon's Wild N Out. In fact, to prove how busy he is, Terrence did press for that show in New York while taking a break from filming AYTO Season 6 which, per the grapevine, will take place for the first time stateside down in New Orleans. And having already glanced a little bit at the cast that's been uncovered so far, it should be a really good group who'll look to bounce back after last spring's unprecedented loss.

Being host of a show in and outside the Trifecta bubble takes on greater responsibility, and that includes having to police the cast, school them if they are not being honest, be great to them if they do something really awesome, and in this social media age to also be as fan friendly as the cast. Just a select handful of people have taken on that role since this ride began two decades ago, and out of all of them Terrence might be the most well known: proof being nearly 2 million Twitter followers, an Instagram following near that number and his resume.
   Are You The One? has been the guilty pleasure for many MTV fans for a few years now, and probably the one show that's emerged in the post-Jersey Shore era that's had the biggest success along with another series which debuted in the post-Teen Mom slot, Catfish. Those like me who've been there every step of the way have seen a lot of big moments, memorable hookups, dramatic breakups and so much more, and there'll be more in the seasons ahead. This show will no doubt be in good hands going forward with Terrence J. at the helm and the twenty or so singles as its stars.

- I AM DC

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 - The Premiere (MEGA)

*** 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 is a busy weekend in the world of athletics: major championship golf in Britain, stock cars at the Brickyard, the final weekend of cycling's toughest test, and soccer featuring club & country in stadiums across America. And this week is also a big week in the start of another highly-anticipated competition, as it's also the kickoff of a landmark season in the fifth major pro sport, as we at DCBLOG officially kick off a new cycle of which this site calls, the MTV Trifecta with this season-opening installment of SocialPulse.
   The season that's kicking it all off is The Challenge XXX, as the show celebrates its 30th season on MTV with a cast known as The Dirty 30. From a man whose sixth title came by way of the dirtiest move we've ever seen to another who we saw become an emotional train wreck and then become stun all of us in Asia, and everyone in between from all of the shows and iterations of the Trifecta, they have engaged in behavior and game play deemed questionable and in many ways, dirty. And they've all gathered in Columbia to join host TJ Lavin for the biggest season yet for The Challenge, as for the first time ever a total prize purse of $1 million is in the line, and with it comes the chance for them to win at all costs in order to get to the jackpot.
   First things first, it's the premiere with all of the usual fanfare of the competitors moving in to begin this summer-long journey and the now-customary toast given by that all-time champion. Right off the top, there's already drama swirling around the two who enter this season as reigning champions after their victories just a few short months ago. The competitors then engage in their first challenge taking place inside a fort and doing everything the soldiers got to do in protecting their great land. And if that isn't enough: there are twists right off the bat in something we saw towards the end of Invasion, as well another which we saw a couple years ago on Exes 2.
   Coming up, DCBLOG will have all the Action, Reaction, and Interaction from this opening episode of Challenge XXX and its leadup and aftermath. We'll also join the entire cast as they gather in New York for a big premiere week including them working out with fellow fans, a New York premiere and their adventures around the Big Apple. And after the 'Pulse, we'll look at the transition of power at the social dating experiment as there's a change of hosts for Are You The One?.

First, as we commence this new Challenge and cycle… if you seemed to have found us here for the first time - then welcome in and get yourself comfortable. If you're a fan of The Challenge, its feeder shows AYTO and Real World, or all three of them, then DCBLOG is the place for those who want more from the MTV Trifecta. The 'Pulse is an signature feature presenting the other show that takes place concurrent to the madness of what we're seeing on TV each week: social interaction between castmates, alumni and fans from Twitter as part of the unique, communal viewing experience.
   Presented each weekend to kick off our weekly posts, these exclusive running diaries are specially designed, curated and pieced together tweet-by-tweet by yours truly in real-time and unfiltered to bring the hookups, drama, action and all else to you here. This is a service to all fans -- both those who just want to relive the action, reaction and interaction, and others who didn't experience the buzz at the time of its original airing and are here to catch up for the first time, posted to you here after it airs on TV and carefully compiled while you're catching up on it all between then and now.
   The Pulse is only part of DCBLOG's all-encompassing and top-class Trifecta coverage: with Wraps of all the episodes, thoughtful & in-depth analysis, and our other important element of original stories called ExtraTime, we take you beyond the hype, the headlines, the hookups and the drama to focus on the people and stories of TV's most fascinating reality ecosystem and the fifth major pro sport. And this longtime MTV fan who loves The Challenge as much as you do and who's good friends with a lot of the castmates, proudly brings you unique, insightful and distinctive coverage right here.

Now, let's get down to the business at hand: the following are the actual tweets of the cast, alumni and fans as we got to see the premiere, along with the buildup to, and the aftermath of, 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.

Thirty players, $1 million and all sorts of big time drama and competition... it's all ahead on the Pulse of the Premiere of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30.  See you after the jump.

A Goodbye to Chester Bennington

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

Thursday, July 20, 2017 is now the most recent day that I join those which I remember vividly in my memory bank for something memorable. Sure, it was a usual Thursday for me where my workday won't end until after 8 o'clock at night, though because of me having an aching back was one that didn't start at sunrise and had to call in and not go to work.
   Yes, this day was looked forward in one way for most by O.J. Simpson having his date with the Nevada Parole Department and being granted his release in the fall after his stint in jail and just after the Trial of the Century was brought back into the public spotlight by two high-profile TV series. And for me, there's all the blog work I look forward to covering the premiere of Season 30 of MTV's The Challenge, which will up here later today for those who are fans of that show.

It was when I woke up around 10AM PT from my long rest to browse my phone on what happened while I was asleep. There, a tweet from the celebrity gossip site TMZ, and then notifications from various news operations, came up. And it was there that the news broke of something that caught me totally off-guard and almost shook me: "Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington has died of a reported suicide. He was 41." For someone who rarely cries, for a moment I shed some tears as this news that no one saw coming had been reported as true, and this was no nightmare.
   My inner family circle don't have these moments of experiencing this kind of profound grief often, but three years ago both of our family dogs were put down, and my grandma passed away back in the Philippines after a long illness. It was also in 2014 that two members of The Challenge and Real World family and who had competed on Battle of the Exes 2 died: in thirteen days, Challenge legend Diem Brown lost her fight with cancer on the day after my birthday, and then on Thanksgiving morning Ryan Knight was found dead from an overdose.
   It's understandable that I have been working on this week's MTV Challenge posts with a heavy heart but have been able to press on in spite of this tragedy. Still, I've had a chance to reflect

It was thirteen years ago that I felt very privileged beyond anything else to be given a once in a lifetime opportunity: meet the band you call your favorite, have been a big fan of for a long time and for you love their unique style of music very much. I first discovered Linkin Park back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with their unique hybrid of rock, hip-hop and electronica with a group of guys who might have show a lot of angst in their lyrics and music, but off-stage felt like the group friends you go to high school and have fun with. And also, two of the guys - Mike and Joe - were of Asian descent and I can take pride in them and I sharing that heritage too.
   I have physical copies of all of their official and supplemental album releases and most of their music on my iPod. And even as I have branched to embrace the whole musical spectrum, my passion for LP hasn't wavered despite turning much of my attention to covering what I call the MTV Trifecta and the sports world. And after news broke of Chester's death, I went into my backyard's storage house, opened up one of the suitcases I've used for my trips and dusted off a rarely worn Linkin Park shirt I bought many years earlier and wore it with pride on what was, obviously, a tough day for LP fans.

Although it is painful that I'll never fulfill the ambition of going to a Linkin Park concert and seeing Chester perform live, the crowning moment of this fifteen-year journey with LP came on December 9, 2004, something I called in my DCBLOG post on it, my Ultimate Fandom Moment. That was when I got the chance to head up to a Best Buy store in Dublin, CA west of Oakland for a signing event just after they released their mash-up collaboration with Jay-Z, Collision Course. The day before the meet & greet, that album debuting at #1 on the Billboard charts, but the reason for them coming up to the Bay was for a brief national tour for a photo book on their world tour in support of their sophomore album, From The Inside: Linkin Park's Meteora.
   If you got to read that blog post, which I shared on Twitter and to my other inner circle of friends over on Facebook (don't ask, I keep that to invitation only), it was on a day off in between finals at community college, and things like babysitting had to be rearranged to allow all of this to happen since I first got word of this event more than a week beforehand. And this was one of those occasions where an opportunity to meet LP was open to the general public and not just to those who were part of the band's LP Underground fan club who usually get a chance to met the guys before each of their concerts worldwide.
   I arrived there after lunch and joined with other LP fans in hanging out and waiting all day for the meet & greet just after 5 o'clock. This was also after my 21st birthday, so this was also a belated birthday gift to myself and with that money I bought got a few CD's and picked up my copy of the From The Inside book and a wristband guaranteeing my spot in line. The day remains as vivid as any experience I've had in remembering what T-shirt I wore, what it was like outside with cars blaring LP songs as if I was at Shoreline, and the exact song that was played in the background the very moment I stood for my turn to walk up: "My Band" by Eminem's posse D12, and whose track "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile which I had in my earphones earlier epitomized this golden opportunity.
   Then, Linkin Park arrived, and the noise from fellow fans around me was deafening, which was the last time that when I came home from something like that was when my ears was hurt from all of that. As you'd expect, I was feeling the goosebumps and the nerves of what was awaiting me, and told myself of making sure to keep calm and not foul this one up but reminding that this is not a dream but something that is happening in front of me. And also, when you were one of those who got to meet the band, on stage they are a dynamic force who can let everyone go off with their burst of angst, but off stage they are nice, friendly, down-to-earth and very appreciative of their fans.
   When my shot finally came, I had my book signed and told them my name... my actual first name being Dexter and it rhyming with the lead singer. It caught on with Chester and then with Phoenix and that moment of them uttering out my name as if they're my high school buddies still remains burned in my head as this my ultimate starstruck moment. It was just after that trip at the table that had to take a moment to reflect on that tremendous moment before my sister picked me up and headed back home.

Well, here we are just thirteen years later, and that surreal experience is coming back to me in the most unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances that now, as I wrote in my Instagram caption that it's still so hard to even comprehend that this would happen and of having to write this in the aftermath. The music world has lost, much too soon, a very awesome man who I had the fortunate chance to meet along with Phoenix, Mike, Brad, Rob and Joe on that winter's day. Every time I heard Linkin Park on my radio or on my iPod, those precious few moments I had there in Dublin still brought those chills I had. I still remember this past February watching their live performance on Facebook of the lead single off of One More Light, "Heavy" with pop singer Kiiara and that feeling was rekindled.
   Chester delighted us with his talent that was extraordinary and with lots of charisma, entertained us with his voice and broad vocal range, and charmed us with being someone who had a heart as big as anything and someone who was also caring too. For proof of that last characteristic, he flew across to Asia to help out and volunteer the victims of the devastating tsunami that took place just shortly after he and I met each other, all part of the Music For Relief charity project formed by the band in the aftermath of that tragedy across the Pacific. And obviously, he was a family man also, who saw him raise six children who will now spend the rest of their lives without Chester around.

Just after I posted my tributes to Chester on my social media platforms, a cousin of mine who lives down in the Los Angeles area where the Linkin Park guys call home wrote this to me: "You are the biggest Linkin Park fan I know. I heard of the news late today on my way home from work. I immediately thought of you. My heart goes out to you. I felt crushed and my heart sank when Prince died. I can only imagine how your feeling bec you actually had the opportunity to meet Chester. The world lost another talented musician. I got chills watching this 😔 so sorry for your loss ♥️"
   This was the second time in a few months that the rock world has had to deal with one of their own being taken to us too soon, and Wednesday was what would've been the 53rd birthday for a close friend of Chester's, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and later Audioslave. He performed at his funeral earlier this year, and this came a few years after the untimely death of someone Chester idolized and shared a stage with many times, longtime Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland.
   Those in the MTV community who I have become great friends with the past five years felt the same feeling as me when Diem and then Knight died, and you can't put into words the kind of enormous grief and emptyness that they went through back in November 2014, as it is this weekend for those who've spent their childhood or adolescence listening to Chester and the guys perform. Every time now that I listen to a Linkin Park song from here on out, there will be an emptiness that the man who I've grown up with and had met won't be with us anymore.
   But this also brings about how this untimely passing happened, and what should we do: if you know of anyone, either a family member or a close friend, who is thinking of taking their own life, please do whatever you can to get them help immediately. Something as simple as giving a phone call to a hotline for suicide prevention can make a world of difference and can save their life and realize that there are people who love you and do whatever they can to help you too.

The thoughts and prayers of me and those who follow this band are with his five fellow bandmates and best friends, his great family led by his loving widow Talinda and their kids, those who were lucky to call him friends and those who had a chance to cross paths with him... I was obviously one of them who was so fortunate. I get to join with fellow LP fans who are grieving right now and celebrating his life, his spirit and his music in getting to say this on behalf of all of them:

Chester, a big thank you for what you have brought us and giving us a chance to enjoy your music and, for a moment, to let your emotions out through this universal language called "music." We love you, and we will miss you very deeply and forever. Thank you.

- I AM DC

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Look: Siesta Key

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

We at DCBLOG hope you are enjoying this mid-summer's day as we're now into a new cycle of going Inside the MTV Trifecta. In a few days, we'll be covering last night's exciting premiere of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30 in our unique and insightful way as we focus in on the first act from South America... a most interesting one, in fact. But first, if you were with me last night on Twitter after that episode aired on the West Coast, this fellow MTV fan revealed what's next in the near future.
   As those of you who follow me know, I'm obviously a super fan of the Trifecta and who makes the ecosystem of The Challenge and the shows that feed cast members to there - Are You The One and Real World - the primary focus of this very site. But in the 18 years that I have tuned into that channel on a routine basis, those aren't the only shows that I watch on a spot on a dial I have watched since I was back in childhood and whose first memories was of watching that game show Remote Control.
   There are over 20 shows that I have watched, live tweeted or followed since I joined Twitter five years ago, and have become friends with a lot of castmates from many of those shows. Without taking that long while of mentioning each and every single one of them, these people range from those willing to get down and dirty in West Virginia and the Dallas Metroplex and dreamers in the Big Apple, to traveling nurses, virgins, and a family whose patriarch found himself at the heart of a music festival that never really got off the ground. And the list goes on, all the way to MTV reviving a 2000's reality TV favorite for a new generation in Fear Factor.
   Now, that number of MTV shows which I have gotten to live tweet, follow and or watch is about to increase by two, and that second one we will have a look at when their time arrives soon. As noted a few times before, if you think the first one is that summer guilty pleasure everyone seems to be watching in Big Brother or the one that had its season premiere last weekend in Game of Thrones, guess again - it's neither of those. The one I chose is something that might be a surprise to you at first, but when you get into what it's all about, you'll know why it was an easy choice to make it non-Trifecta show #23. That is the subject of this installment of The Look.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

MTV Trifecta: Countdown to The Challenge XXX - Dirty 30

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

Hi, hello, what's up, and welcome to our fifth year of Inside the MTV Trifecta on DCBLOG. We hope you all are enjoying your summer as well as us in taking advantage of the warm weather to enjoy the barbecue, relax on the sand-clad beaches and everything else synonymous with the year's hottest season. And after an offseason lasting just a few weeks, as well as the mid-summer's holiday week that's just past us, here in the heat of the summer we're ready to begin another cycle of covering this site's strongest passion: television's most unique, dynamic and fascinating reality ecosystem.
   There's one thing this site covers like no other site in the blogosphere: one of TV's longest running franchises of The Challenge and Real World, and the new kid on the block - Are You The One?. To best brand this threesome, this best-in-class site and its webmaster fan refers to this as the MTV Trifecta. And once again DCBLOG will offer you wall-to-wall coverage of these shows from every angle and every step of the way from the preseason buildup right until when we crown champions once the leaves fall in a few months from now. Before you know it, we'll be into Season 6 of AYTO as a new group of twenty-something singles will take the stage as well as a brand new host. And also, there are two new MTV shows on the horizon that might as well become TV's next big thing, and we will discuss them here in due course.
   The most recent cycle of the Trifecta, which began last October, ended last June and in between went to four countries before and returning to the West Coast, saw so much go down. First, we saw a group of Bad Blood ride up to Seattle invade a Real World house featuring an ex-boyfriend of one of this season's competitors, then saw the AYTO Season 5 cast go in the books as the first cast ever to lose the money, and Season 29 of The Challenge crown a two-time champion in CT and a surprise first-time winner in Ashley M. We also saw Devin add to his resume in joining Rashida to win AYTO Second Chances, watched ten pros take on ten champions for charity where Cara Maria & Darrell won Champs vs. Pros and Olympian Lolo Jones steal the spotlight, and witnessed a group of ten adventurists endure 40 days in Fiji being Stranded with a Million Dollars.

Now, after some vacation time lasting all of four weeks from the end of the last cycle and the start of this one, we return with our focus turning to what's ahead and what awaits us in the latest chapter of the show regarded by many as the "fifth major pro sport." And with it premiering in a week from now, this is also the first time that a new season of The Challenge will lead off a new cycle of our coverage. If what we've seen in this show's first 29 seasons is any indication of why viewers such as you and I love watching this franchise, then we are in for something epic. And fitting for a season that will celebrate a milestone this summer - in this the 25th anniversary of the start of MTV's reality TV odyssey, Season 30 promises to be the biggest one yet.
   It's The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30, as MTV is bringing thirty of the show's most unpredictable and dirtiest players to the South American nation of Columbia for this milestone. This group of devious players will do whatever they can to win at every cost and compete against each other in some of the craziest, extreme and most daring challenges we're gonna see on this season. The reward for those who make it all the way to the winners circle will be something very handsome: for the first time in the history of The Challenge, $1 Million will be on the line. Of course, with seven figures at stake, fan favorites ranging from multiple champions to newcomers will be in for intense competition, and with this assortment of players here, there will sure be plenty of backstabbing and masterminding ahead both in the heat of competition and off of it too. We can expect that along with love, drama and everything else we expect from what makes the MTV Trifecta so good to watch.

This is the nineteenth MTV season we'll be devoting blog coverage to here on this site, and we'll be covering all the episodes, offer the stories behind the story of the franchise and its people, and of course being you all the social reaction in our unique style. And ahead in this first post of this new cycle, we'll give you an idea of what awaits us in the format, have a look at the entire cast, and our traditional introduction to this season's crop of Challenge newbies. And this is just the beginning: this weekend Andrew Kirk and I will discuss Dirty XXX as part of our two-part midyear Reality Debrief just before premiere day next week, and we'll afford you a chance to get involved in that at post's end.
   So, get yourself warmed up, put on your Under Armour uniform and Join In with us after the jump as DCBLOG kicks off a new cycle of the MTV Trifecta, with our Countdown to The Challenge XXX - Dirty 30 from Latin America, coming up. See you there.


Sunday, July 9, 2017

DC ExtraTime: The Mannequin Challenge

Following are excerpts from posts during DCBLOG's posts on Real World Bad Blood from fall 2016,
reposted in the interest of readers as a subject from this post is on the next Challenge season.

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

With a new season of The Challenge to begin in less than ten days from now, we'd thought of taking you back to the last cycle and to last winter when we took a look at one of the many pop culture trends that emerged during a most eventful year. Enjoy this look at the Mannequin Challenge from during Real World Bad Blood, featuring RW alum Jay from Ex-Plosion and, first up, from the new Challenge, AYTO Season 1 original Simone.


SIMONE
from mid-November 2016

If you've been wanting to take your mind off of what has been happening in the wake of the past two weeks in our country, it's likely you've been provided some relief thanks to the latest Internet craze that's been taking over the web, social media and your smartphone apps. And it involves having to sit and/or stand still for as much as one minute to receive many views and impress your friends.
   The internet has been home to phenomenons that, thanks to the widespread usage of social media we now have these days, have made it bigger than it might be when the web wasn't as big. The past few years, we've seen the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Harlem Shake, Gangnam Style, covers of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," carpoolers performing karaoke and much more. And over the summer, you couldn't go anywhere in town without seeing a youngster and those young at heart use their iPhone or Android to play Pokemon Go and look for Pikachu & friends. The video for Maroon 5's latest single, "Don't Wanna Know" with Kendrick Lamar, brings that game to life in hilarious fashion.
   Now, here late in 2016 in the aftermath of turmoil caused by the outcome of a divisive election and presidential campaign, you can add to that the Mannequin Challenge. It's where people decide to literally stop what they do and become frozen in time like mannequins in the hometown mall while a video on one's smartphone is recording the very moment, then be posted in seconds on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and other social media platforms. It's reported that this phenomenon had its start in Jacksonville, FL when students decided it would be fun to stand still for 30 seconds... And now just about everyone has followed suit since that video was first posted early last month.
   Since this craze began in northeast Florida, many pro and college sports teams both in America and overseas have joined in to pause for a moment in a room and have this scene be posted for everyone to see. This includes the world's most famous soccer player, Christiano Ronaldo, and his European champion Portugal team, as well as England's Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott during their international matches. Even the First Lady got into the act when the Cleveland Cavaliers visited the White House, as well as the U.S. women's gymnastics team on their national victory tour.
   Of course, musicians have joined in this Mannequin Challenge, led by Beyoncé and her Destiny's Child sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and Britney Spears and her dancers in celebrating being named Best Resident Performer in the Best in Vegas Awards. Adele, Garth Brooks, the great Paul McCarthy, the casts of Saturday Night Live and Dancing with the Stars, and even Hilary Clinton and friends have made videos of sitting still for a minute and post their moments on their social hubs.
   It's the backing musical joint that's been used in the background to most of these videos that has brought Mississippi hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd to prominence. "Black Beatles" is that song that accompanies most of these Mannequin Challenge videos, and the popularity of these videos helped bring to an end the glorious 12-week run of "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and Halsey atop the one-track measure of American music's top of the pops, the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

At this time three years ago, Simone Kelly was filming the first season of Are You The One? and made quite a name for herself there in the islands, and then on Exes 2 and Rivals III. The last time we saw her was in the elimination chamber this past summer in street clothes as partner Thomas (paired up by way of their unseen fight on their first Challenge appearance) and her voluntarily giving up their spot in the jungle due to an illness in his family. With her back to doing radio work and also regaining her Twitter account @SimoneJKelly after it was hacked a year ago, Monie's next stop is scripted TV in filming a pilot for a new drama which hopes to come out in the new year.
   Earlier this month, Simone decided to join this latest internet phenomenon and with the help of her friends, they gathered up in their own home theater to film their own Mannequin Challenge video set in the atmosphere of movie night. She also gave love to Team MTV's newest momma-to-be, fellow AYTO alum and Rivals III bronze medalist Cheyenne, in wearing the "#BoyBye" hat from her The RUU clothing line. The result of their work is below.





▪   ▪   ▪   ▪   ▪

JAY
From December 2016

Just a few weeks back, we showed you the latest social media craze known as the Mannequin Challenge where everyone from the lady who just lost the Presidential race to the world's greatest soccer player to a worldwide pop icon pausing still for 1 minute for moments frozen in time set to the tune of Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles" as if they're mannequins in a local mall. Millions of these mannequin videos have been made and posted to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube for the viewing public to see for themselves, and after we showcased AYTO original Simone before Thanksgiving, the second Trifecta alum to do one of these is the subject of this short but sweet ExtraTime.
   It was at this time three years ago that we were anticipating the new Real World in many ways: new season, new format, new cast and new everything, all taking place in an old city: San Francisco for Real World Ex-Plosion. One of the exes who had to face the music in the Bay Area were a couple from the Big Apple: Jay was that womanizer who had built up a large social media following and had become close with girls at and outside the club where he was an emcee. Jenna was his ex-girlfriend model, who eventually exposed what he did to her while he was in the city. Of course, we know what happened when they got together again on Exes 2...he'd rather not want us to mention what happened in that last act. And we know what's happened to her in her two succeeding finals appearances too.
   Since then in the aftermath of what happened in the final, Jay has translated that humble experience into a passion for fitness. He has become a CrossFit athlete and has competed in several Spartan Races... he and my brother in law suddenly have something in common there in the ladder. And as he awaits a chance for redemption, he has been taking part in the past two seasons of the internet game show Sequester, where Jay and contestants like him go onto webcam to take apart in competitions to stave off elimination and have a chance to win prizes voted by viewers. He took part in Season 5 and just recently Season 6, the All-Stars edition.
   Just before filming that season, Jay and his family spent his Thanksgiving week not in the cold of New York City but down the coast in good old Florida and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. He got to see some real life Star Wars, and hung out by the pool in the nice 80* and sunny conditions of the vacation paradise, and even found time to do a a couple live Periscope chats. Jay even gave one of his biggest fans and someone who's supported him from the very beginning - yours truly - a shoutout when he spotted me in the chat room.
   During all this, he found time to do his own Mannequin Challenge video being filmed in the Movies portion of Disney's All-Star Resort complex located right next to the Animal Kingdom park of the mega-resort. Many of the most-beloved characters from Disney's great animated films of years past -- Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Rex from the Toy Story movies as well as Donald and Daisy Duck make an appearance in a mannequin challenge that the kids will enjoy. Check it out below.




- I AM DC

DC ExtraTime: The Stories Behind The Story

A Word From The Editor
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

As we here at DCBLOG embark on covering another cycle of the MTV Trifecta starting in a day or so with our preview of The Challenge XXX: Dirty 30, we'd like to take a moment to talk about ourselves before we get this started all over again just over a week from now. As you loyal readers know, there are a few things that distinguishes our site from others in covering TV's most unique reality ecosystem. Sure, we recap and analyze episodes like other sites do, but we also provide unique, additional angles to the shows we cover that you can't find anywhere else. And then, there's the two cornerstones to our Trifecta coverage.
   First, our SocialPulse diaries have served as the classified record of all the social play-by-play to every episode of The Challenge and Real World since Rivals II and the entire run of Are You The One?, plus Season 1 of Stranded with a Million Dollars and the two spin-offs we've had this spring. When you add up all the episodes and reunions from those 18 seasons we have covered wire-to-wire on this site, it amounts to over 210 episodes, 150+ hours of television, and hundreds of thousands of tweets from castmates and fans compiled into more than half of the posts we have done on the Trifecta.
   The second and other singular element to how DCBLOG covers the most dynamic and exciting shows of a genre MTV pioneered 25 years ago is something that this site has owned since we began covering this world towards the end of the last non-twist Real World season in summer 2013. And it has to do with something I thrive on: the great talent I have for original writing, a passion for being able to tell great stories, and translating a fandom I have for this world into being able to offer a unique look at the people and the stories of the Trifecta. And this brings us to another passion that I have.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

DC ExtraTime In-Depth: The Many Sides of Asaf

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

Happy Fourth of July from all of us at DCBLOG, and as we are now in between cycles of the MTV Trifecta, we're taking the opportunity to bring you stories from the community of The Challenge & Real World franchise, and Are You The One? before we kick off another cycle of television's most unique reality ecosystem with a new season of the former - Dirty XXX coming up in mid-July, and for which a preview of that season will come your way then… along with our Reality Debrief mid-year review of the first six months of 2017 in reality TV. And as you all enjoy the barbecue and fireworks on this holiday, we begin the countdown to the premiere of that Challenge in two weeks from now with something a bit fun and fresh.

One of the most unique people we've had the opportunity to meet in recent years on MTV is Asaf Goren from Season 4 of Are You The One?, and who we also saw just recently on AYTO Second Chances. In two seasons, we have seen him fall in love with a fellow musician, become one of the ladies men on his season and have a personality all his own. And that came a summer after appearing on a season of one of the staples of the summer television season showcasing what he does best... as well as being spotted just recently with one of the channel's most notable and notorious ladies.

But there is a lot more to this Israeli-born entertainer who we have seen the past two summers and this spring, and in this edition of ExtraTime In-Depth, we'll look at the many facets of this guy who dances, models, even does music and cameos with some of music's best, and the most important fans in his life.