Sunday, December 31, 2017

DC FORUM: A Farewell to 2017

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

And so, we've come to the end of an incredible year - that is, 2017 as far as the year at DCBLOG goes. Twelve months ago and some 80 hours into the new year, we posted the first of 231 posts that we have brought you on this very site... it blows away by a mile the previous record of 140 that this site offered you last year. Needless to say, it is no doubt the best year ever for me as a blogger and this site as a whole as we bring you the last of them just before we ring in the new year.
   Outside of a few sports-related posts and a tribute to someone who I was lucky to meet before his untimely death this summer in Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, the lions' share of posts that we have offered you have been of following this site's greatest passion of covering the MTV Trifecta. Sure, there was no Real World season that premiered this year, other than for the season finale of Bad Blood airing just after we rung in 2017... but nonetheless, we were witness to so much exciting television that riveted those like you who were glued to MTV each week all this year.
   With two seasons of The Challenge, two seasons of Are You The One?, three spinoff seasons of both those series, and two new shows that took Real World's place and offered something fresh in Stranded with a Million Dollars and Floribama Shore, we were surely entertained by everything that went down in our living rooms and mobiles. We even did one-off reviews of three other shows outside the Trifecta in 90's House, Rory Kramer's Dare to Live, and MTV's breakout hit and a guilty pleasure of sorts: Siesta Key (don't judge me, sometimes a show everyone seems to hate & you're afraid to tell everyone almost becomes just as addictive).
   In our twelve months of documenting the MTV Trifecta, we have covered seven full seasons and two which are still ongoing that, when you account for actual episodes, reunions and specials, adds up to exactly 100 hours of television. That's about 71 hours sans commercials or almost three full days of binge watching non-stop if you decide to do all-nighters for two days. And when you factor in all of the posts we have done this year almost each week and almost non-stop, with the exception of a few weeks in June and July, we averaged 1.57 posts a day, or every other day over the past year - even though we usually target our posts towards the time where you're just relaxing in the weekend.

Sure, 2017 didn't have the kind of famous or infamous moment that reached the level of the Bananas steal, but still we have been bare witnesses to some of the year's most-talked about moments that can only take place in the MTV Trifecta. This year began with something new: an 11th couple in the Are You The One? house, making 11 for 11 the new magic number for Season 5. And what happened there with couples who were no matches staying together after the fact and poor gameplay led to the show's most infamous moment ever: them being the first cast to lose the game altogether.
   We then went to Thailand where eighteen underdogs who had never won a Challenge title before were given what for a moment appeared to be just a mere cakewalk… only for that to get upstaged by an Invasion of the Champions. What ensued was some really great drama and competition that saw a beast of a competitor experience something she's never had before: go home early, the feeling of playing this game get to their heads, and a couple guys from an old time return one more time. In the end, we had both a Champion and an Underdog satisfy both fan bases in CT winning his second crown, and Ashley M. taking down Camila to become the biggest surprise champion in many years.
   Then came the spinoffs: ten pros and ten stars challenging those two and some Challenge big names to answer who is the strongest. Those like Lolo Jones, Justina Valentine and Gus Kenworthy have excelled and stood up to the onslaught of the big names, while the beneficiaries of their efforts are the charities they competed for... and what we saw with Lolo's great gesture and Bananas' friend from Special Olympics reminded us of a bigger thing than this show. And down in Australia, we saw reaffirmation of a growing legend in Devin who won Second Chances with Rashida, and saw a bad end to a perfect match's relationship and greed putting one's true love over his match.

All of those help set the stage of a dramatic second half of the year that saw this site rise to the occasion offering more than half of this year's output from July to December. We came to Colombia for the landmark 30th season of The Challenge, XXX: Dirty 30. MTV really stepped things up in not only having a bold cast of favorites and newbies, but also upping the ante to $1 million... the richest prize purse in Challenge history. They also brought the entire cast of New York for both a big season launch and then at the end of it all for the reunion, which two of my good friends got to become witnesses to. And while it was, yes, a long season by the standards of what we have seen in the past decade and not every episode had the standard challenge/elimination format we're used to, we saw the kind of season that told you why fans like you love this show.
   We had twists and turns just about as often as summer fireworks with Purges at the beginning and end, the Redemption House, and the Double Cross that turned things upside down in elimination with a couple XX's. We had dirty gameplay all season long, hookups we did not expect, and a lot of intense competition and eliminations, and also confirmed a theory one had in this show's winningest player seemingly cursing himself after what went down on Rivals III. Unfortunately, the most memorable moment of the season saw what is in all likelihood the start to the unfortunate end to a Challenge career in Camila, and her racist tirade vs. Leroy and her epic meltdown on Champs vs. Stars, saw her win in the final being tarnished a bit. However, the won who won for the guys came back from a few seasons' hiatus and dominated the $1 million final as if he was a seasoned vet, and Jordan not only took the W but also scored, what is in many minds, the rookie of the year in Tori - who herself had a stellar 2017 competitively, though not all things came up rosy because of what happened with her & Derrick H., but she will be back and will be a staple.
   And then, there's Are You The One? Season 6. We came to New Orleans a few months ago asking ourselves, "What's next?" after what their direct predecessors did not do in the Caribbean. Another group of 22 singles came there like other casts before them: all with no luck in love and no idea what awaited them. What happened after they moved in was an experience that proved frustrating at times with them not seemingly getting into rhythm in their game, but also tense with the romances that emerged with the Malcolm sweepstakes, Clinton & Uche, and of course Keith & Alexis. The ladder represents how tumultuous a relationship in an AYTO house can get with them being on everyone's mind each week right up to the end, and what later emerged in her proving that love wins in the end as she became the first AYTO castmate to come out. But almost no one except the house expected the biggest surprise of all to take place: the house being tagged as the worst cast ever going on a late surge and setting records in pulling off the series' biggest-ever comeback: 11 for 11 and $1 million.

As for this site, I and DCBLOG have stepped up to the challenge and risen to the occasion to offer all of you what I personally consider to be the gold standard in this industry of covering the MTV reality TV world, and those of you who loyally check out this site regularly share this feeling too. So many times in the past twelve months, I've logged in long hours working late into the night after episodes air and often all day on my off days from work to compile together all the things that make this site so great. Sure, there are all the episode recaps, the analysis, occasional opinions and all else that you'd expect sites like ours to do, and we offer them here. But this site allows you to go beyond those and offer you a distinctively different angle on this MTV world through our lens.
   For loyal fans who watch the episodes live each week and the increasing number of you who are cord-cutters, who can't watch episodes of The Challenge or AYTO until they're posted on over-the-top methods and have to go into a social media blackout of sorts until you watch it later... DC SocialPulse has been your savior and has allowed all of you the opportunity to experience or relive the moments that have made everyone talking through the tweets of the casts who saw those 100 episodes go down through the eyes of Twitter. From the AYTO5 loss and the Season 6 comeback to Camila's meltdown, big time moments and all else in between and after, the 'Pulse has brought you a front row seat to all the action, reaction and interaction as the cast, alums and all of us.
   And for those of you who wanted more than just episode coverage, ExtraTime has allowed you to go beyond the screen to offer you the stories behind the story through the prism of the shows you love. That's where the gist of much of this site's very best work of the year lies in: the story of a rock band who hung up the mic after 20 years and whose journey began with them getting their big break in an early Challenge season. There's the oral history of The Challenge's biggest rivalry and, despite the spinoff season's unique nature it diminished the glow of having a banana and a ginger in the same room in that intense environment. Who can forget our story on a homemade Challenge by a devoted superfan of the show who met the cast in New York this summer? And there's the portraits we've offered on so many personalities, past and present, that have offered you a different view of them in our unique style of storytelling.

Not everything about this site is perfect and often times it has been frustrating: many times behind the scenes, I've had to reshuffle my blog schedule when those I've wanted to talk to had to blow me off because of things that go beyond my control, posts which were promoted on social media turn out to not see the light of day due to the complexity of the stories which are being covered, and even having to put a fellow Twitter user on blast through subtweets not once, but twice for not promoting this site on their platforms so that this site can be sampled to the largest possible audience it deserves.
   But all of this is part of the blood, the sweat, the tears and the hustle that comes with being perhaps the single hardest-working person who covers this MTV world on a week-in, week-out basis as I do. There is perhaps no one blogger in this business who works just as hard as anyone to get out the very best content to all of you out there, all fueled by a love of the shows that, while they air just a couple nights a week, it has now become my biggest passion. And this site regular churns out some of the most unique, insightful and engaging coverage anywhere, and coverage of the highest caliber that has become the calling card of this site. The support you have given to me has more than driven me to exceed and make all of this tiring work seem all worth it in the end.
   And while we are not ready to put 2017 to bed just yet with a three-part Reality Debrief to come in this early part of the new year, there is a lot to look forward starting as soon as we all return to work and school in a couple days. Just as soon as we ring in 2018, there is already a new Challenge season coming up with both fan favorites and a bunch of newbies with unresolved issues ready to duke it out in Vendettas. There is the new U.S. adaptation of the British series Ex on the Beach which promises to bring the brand of MTV reality TV we're used to to a new level of crazy. And there's a lot on the plate that's hard to judge at this point as we ready to say farewell to this year, but all points will lead us to another phenomenal year of big moments, bright stars and so much more in offering this regular escape from reality for real life drama found nowhere else. And it will once again be our duty to bring all of that to you each week, and it all begins tomorrow on New Year's Day when we get to introduce the newbies of the new Challenge season and reintroduce a Challenge veteran.

Of all the years that I have had the passions of writing for a living and watching and following the MTV universe which go back well before I launched this site, 2017 has been the most exciting year ever. It's in no small part due to the hundred or so castmates, competitors and hosts who entertained us this year and brought us so many memorable moments, and the support you the fans have showed them and those like you who supported me this year. We offer them nothing but our thanks for the memories they brought us the past twelve months, and the lyrics of the musical epilogue at the end of this bit seems to represent the shared experience they all went through: "I did it all... I saw so many places, The things that I did... I swear I lived."  They surely have done exactly that.
   It's been our pleasure and our privilege to once again bring you this look at this world of ours from this spot on the World Wide Web. This year has, no doubt, been an unbelievable and incredible ride, and we hope you enjoyed every moment of it... and let's hope that 2018 will be just as good, perhaps even better. And to all of you, thanks for your continued support... and may I, DC Cueva, wish all of you a very safe, peaceful and a Happy New Year. May the coming year bring you the very best ahead.




- I AM DC

Saturday, December 30, 2017

DC SocialPulse: Champs vs. Stars - "Flag Poles and False Hopes"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

As we enjoy these last hours of the year that will soon be history, we're into the last DC SocialPulse of 2017, as we have for you this week's Challenge: Champs vs. Stars with seemingly all calm in the world ahead of this Tuesday's premiere.
   Johnny Bananas found himself at the heart of last week's events as, first, an inspirational friend of his representative from his charity, Special Olympics, came by to offer support for the Champs team and him as they squeaked by the Stars team in a foosball match. But just as it was earlier this year, the rivalry between the six-time champion and his greatest nemesis, Wes, once again resurfaced as team disunity emerged again in Wes being named MVP and Bananas going into elimination, and him dominating Riff Raff in the arena.
   This week with the money looming, the attention turns to something old school: a lake, a pole and swimming for everyone. In a sneak preview of what's coming up, the vendetta of one player leads to a surprising MVP choice, plus as one alliance tries to keep themselves afloat, another makes a big gamble to try and take out one of the strong competitors remaining. And if you thought the tense vote that took place a week or so before was something, wait until you find out what happens at deliberations: a blindside and a surprise.

You'll find out what goes down as, one more time this year, we'll have all the action, reaction and interaction of Episode 6 coming your way, plus Team MTV celebrates Christmas and we'll share with you some of last weekend's holiday vibes. And afterwards, we'll have yet more baby news as one of MTV's most-beloved couples reveals a special holiday gift from under the tree.
   All of that is ahead on the 'Pulse of Week 6 of Champs vs. Stars... and thanks for staying up for us tonight.


Friday, December 29, 2017

MTV Trifecta: Floribama Shore - "Princess Goddess Mermaid"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse below contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

We are now some 50 hours away from entering the new year, and welcome along to closing weekend of 2017 on DCBLOG... a record year for this site as ahead, we'll finally begin our year-end review of the Reality TV year and other things before we proceed into a new season of The Challenge. First, we begin with Episode 6 of Floribama Shore.
   Last week down in Panama City Beach - where winter has certainly arrived as it'll barely reach 50 this coming week, the cast dealt with some heat from their second straight bar brawl as they once again came together to show support for one another. For Candace and Nilsa, they went on their own love quest which included Jeremiah's brother Josh, and for a third girl in Aimee, she continued to struggle to cope with life after her ex.
   As she continues to grapple with this very reality, the one they call "Princess Goddess Mermaid" is this week's focal point as after she spirals deeper into some despair the house will do whatever they can to help her recognize who she is. But then as another night at the bar rolls along -- luckily no fight, all focus turns to what might be stooping low: a friendly bet between the bromance of the house about a visitor to the house may again split the house into taking sides again.

In a moment, our look at Episode 6 of Floribama Shore as the final weekend of 2017 begins.


DC ExtraTime: Ashley the Masterchef?

 #DCBLOG's BEST OF 2017 
From Week 7 of The Challenge XXX


 Updated 8/25/18 to Include Video; person sitting next to Ashley is comedian & Las Vegas personality Gig Schmidt, not Gordon Ramsey as first reported.

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

With all that we've seen in these first six episodes, it seems as if it was only last week that we saw Ashley M. bolt from Dirty 30 when she had lost all hope to defend her title after her luggage got lost in the airport and had yet another one of those meltdowns. And unlike other instances when someone had to quit and then get bearded by TJ Lavin and trolls on social media, this one was needed both emotionally and physically after her Invasion win and that emotional battle on Champs vs. Pros against Lolo Jones, where she also sprained her ankle… not to mention this past week, the untimely passing of her father.
   Obviously, so much has happened for Ashley in the course of an entire year, and we discussed this at length in our premiere WRAP, in case you haven't checked that out yet. But for those who needed their Ashley fix, they got it in the most unusual of settings and across the TV dial on the broadcast networks.

If you're into a fan of the broader reality TV spectrum beyond just the MTV world, then you likely have heard of MasterChef. It is the king of reality-based cooking shows whose roots date back to 1990 in England, but it was only during the age of reality TV becoming commonplace many years later that it would begin to flourish. The show's format has been franchised in over forty countries, airs in over 200 of them and has seen novices, professional working chefs, celebrities and even kids take to the kitchen to put together the very best dishes in the quest to become winner, gain a cash prize and a cookbook in their name.
   The most successful iteration of the MasterChef franchise came down under where it became one of the highest rated series in Australian television history. In 2010, the U.S. version began on FOX and has become popular in its own right, due in no small part to the presence of chief judge Gordon Ramsey. He has become renowned to fans of this sub-genre for having a fiery temper, being a strict in his demeanor in the stiff upper lip persona Englishman are known for, and dropping expletives much more often than what we saw Ryan Devlin do on the AYTO 5 kids… all in the name of trying to get all that food not only right, but also as perfect as if every last detail is magnified.
   Forbes magazine has Gordon as one of the world's highest paid celebrities thanks to a line of his self-named restaurants located in Europe (chiefly in London), North America and elsewhere, as well as other shows he hosts outside of his MasterChef duties. Four of the ten American-based restaurants that bear his name are, in fact, located in what was once an oasis for all-you-can-eat buffets but has turned into a capital of quality dining - the Las Vegas Strip: a Burger joint inside Planet Hollywood, a recently opened Fish & Chips place at The LINQ near the High Roller Ferris wheel, a Steak House at the Paris hotel, and a Pub & Grill inside Caesars Palace… and that's where this story takes us to.

The midweek episode of MasterChef Season 8 that aired two weeks ago, the night after Episode 5 of Challenge Dirty 30, saw the top 12 chefs take on a big task at the first of its kind themed resort in this heaven for tourists: the 50th anniversary party for Caesars Palace. The dozen who made it to this stage of the game did their two-team challenge not in a big kitchen inside the hotel far from the casinos, but outdoors under the stars and in the pool area of the famed Roman resort in the same spot where many of boxing's greatest fights during the '80s and early '90s (i.e. Hagler vs. Hearns and the "Fan Man" fight at Bowe--Holyfield II) took place.
   In this challenge, the goal of teams lead by aspiring cooks Dino and Daniel, who won the previous challenge on the episode proceeding, were to create a dish to satisfy VIP's from entertainment and hospitality in Las Vegas. During the challenge itself, Daniel's blue team began well as he distributed their task around his entire team, while Dino's red team started slowly and earned Gordon's wrath which, certainly, makes TJ Lavin feel like just another reality competition host. Dino's squad hastily prepared their dish first but after it prepared too quickly, they turn it around and complete first. When dinner time comes around, the party guests chose Dino and his team who had the best dish and won.

From a Twitter user
To the average viewer of MasterChef, they might not know a lot about MTV reality shows and don't usually see the kind of big time drama and sometimes raunchy and risque behavior young adults go through. But for, perhaps, the handful those who were watching that night who also are Challenge fans, they spotted someone familiar at the dinner table and actually had the money spot of sitting next to Gordon Ramsey. One suspecting viewer on Twitter (because the user name contains an explicit word, we won't publish that on here) was watching that episode of MasterChef and tweeted the following to Ashley: "When you're watching MasterChef and spot a VERY unexpected surprise. @MTVASHLEYBROOKE what!?! 🤣🤣 #thechallenge meets #masterchef"
   Ashley then went to her Instagram @MTVAshleyBrooke to then tell everyone that, though she had just won $125,000 for being an unlikely Challenge champion, the chance to help out on a show with one of the richest men in the world was too good to pass up: "It wasn't a challenge (😂) judging these two teams. I am such a @gordongram fan this was a dream come true. #masterchef #thechallenge #fox #mtv #gordonramsay #foodie" Ashley K. commented, "Wait what?! How fun!", while Amanda added, "Hahaha I love that face I'm dead."  
   For a moment, those who watched didn't get to see Ashley go into all-out Smashley mode or cry, or as she told an Instagram user, "usually at the same time." But after what she went through after her surprise finals win, that grueling experience on Champs vs. Pros and everything that took place during this time including a move to Las Vegas and her budding modeling career, she really did need this time to reenergize in preparation for returning to a Challenge. Getting a chance to sit alongside Gordon Ramsey surely adds to her glowing star.






- I AM DC

DC ExtraTime: Team MTV Meets Dateline

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

As this is being posted on this Friday night, we at DCBLOG happen to share not only the same time of week that these posts covering a thing this site calls the MTV Trifecta usually begin as your weekend is just starting, but also something that also shares this philosophy of offering compelling storytelling... that would be of TV newsmagazines. This art form is one I'm fascinated with and watch frequently both on TV and YouTube, which along with Olympic-style "up close and personal" storytelling which was explained here before Dirty 30 began, helped to inspire this site's unique philosophy of going beyond just recapping the episodes and offering an immense blog experience that we offer here. That brings us to this...

The year of 1992 was one of transition at the National Broadcasting Company: The Cosby Show aired its last episode, followed shortly by Johnny Carson hosting his last Tonight Show and Jay Leno taking over afterwards. That summer, Bob Costas began his long run as primetime host of NBC's Olympic coverage, which also also saw NBA players play at the Games for the first time. And earlier that year, NBC News took on the daunting task of entering the final frontier in network news after helping pioneer morning television in Today, and Tim Russert taking over moderator of Meet the Press as it eventually became Sunday morning appointment TV in Washington.
   March came the Peacock's 18th attempt to create a successful primetime newsmagazine, Dateline NBC. The network had failed in previous tries to conquer nighttime with Connie Chung, David Brinkley and others, but Dateline was ambitious in pairing beloved longtime Today host Jane Pauley with a former Atlanta waiter turned reporter Stone Phillips. It took time but it was a controversy and negative headlines of all things that brought Dateline to prominence: an exposé on gas tank safety on GM pickup trucks were presumed to have design defects that caused fuel tanks to explode. The story included footage of crash demonstrations involving dramatic explosions using "sparklers" below the car, but NBC did not disclose about the footage that was shown.
   Similar to the fallout that later surrounded Brian Williams and Matt Lauer, the results of the ensuing investigation were immense: GM brought NBC to court with a lawsuit that was settled after NBC owned up to its mistake on air. The division's president, producers and reporter involved in the story were ousted, and news executives Neal Shapiro and Andrew Lack were brought in to revive not only the show but the news division. Both felt that newsmagazines were the future of TV, and Dateline expanded to as many as five nights a week in the '90s, pioneering the multi-night franchise that's now standard for network reality series.
   For a network that's been through a lot since March 31, 1992, Dateline has become one of the constants of NBC's schedule in the past 25 years. Think, it began during the age of Seinfeld, Fresh Prince and Saved by the Bell and when Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric were anchoring Today, then in the eras of ER, Friends, Will & Grace and The Office, and today in a slate that includes The Voice, This is Us and Jimmy Fallon hosting The Tonight Show.

One of the hooks for many viewers to newsmagazines - and one that's given them reason to stay in Friday night such as these - has been of true crime stories, which after the massive public interest given to the O.J. Simpson trial and the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey, has seen stories of murder and mystery of all kinds eventually take prominence over celebrity interviews, investigative reports and features at not only Dateline, but another Friday night staple at ABC's 20/20 and CBS' 48 Hours on Saturdays. If you see the massive interest given to American Horror Story and ESPN's 30 for 30 films giving focus to the O.J. trial, that is proof of how we are all fascinated by high-profile celebrity cases.
   Someone who's been part of Dateline almost since the beginning has been Keith Morrison, a Canadian who began his career in the '60s working at both the CBC and CTV, hosting The Journal (the show that aired after the pubcaster's newscast The National moved to primetime in the '80s) at the former and Canada AM (CTV's long-running morning show) at the ladder.  In 1986, he headed south of the border to NBC and pulled double duty: Los Angeles correspondent on the national level including covering the Tienanmen Square massacre, and at local level anchored at KNBC alongside Kelly Lange and longtime sports and weather anchors Fred Roggin and Fritz Coleman. But it's his role reporting stories as varied as major national stories and narrating those murder mysteries at Dateline that has created his legend, and perhaps there's no soothing voice of listening to all those bedside tales than that of him like that the grandpa our families all have.
   While Rivals III was debuting last year, another TV original - multiple-time Challenger and one who went on that RV on the first season of Road Rules - Mark Long - spotted Morrison on the streets in Los Angeles and captioned on Instagram, "@justinbieber is no longer taking pics with fans....but Keith Morrison is!" Bananas' bloodline Vince commented, "Toss up between him and Morgan Freeman for best speaking voice", and Mark responded, "He is the best!" He definitely is... if only he can narrate some of my DCBLOG stories like he did giving those traffic directions on Waze.



- I AM DC

Thursday, December 28, 2017

MTV Trifecta: Countdown to The Challenge - Vendettas

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

Hi, hello, what's up, and welcome to the final 100 hours of 2017, as we prepare to enter year six of DCBLOG's never-ending journey Inside the MTV Trifecta. We hope you've been enjoying this Christmas break with all of the warmth, magic and excitement that comes with the holiday season and looking back on the year that was. As a record year for DCBLOG comes to a close with plenty of posts to come your way in the next few days, 2018 is now 4 days away. And we're ready to again tackle the daunting task of bringing you our signature coverage of our strongest passion in TV's most unique, dynamic, fascinating and exciting reality ecosystem of the MTV Trifecta.
   This year began with Season 5 of Are You The One?, where the shocking end result there saw the first time that a cast has left without the money, and ended just over a week ago with Season 6 and a furious, record-setting comeback. In between, we had two regular seasons of The Challenge that saw controversy, drama and competition all intersect, plus two new Challenge spinoffs which have seen Pros and Stars take on the Champs. Also, we've had drama on an island, down under, and by the Shore, and we have devoted well over 200 posts this year to MTV coverage... a record outfit combining the large quantity of covering all of these shows with the high-quality, best-in-class content you expect from this site.

Now, as we continue to enjoy Champs vs. Stars and Floribama Shore - for which our look at this week's episodes comes up tomorrow, the main event of this winter is fast approaching just a month after the finale of XXX: Dirty 30, and that would be Season 31 of The Challenge. Of course, we'll be covering that and the shows of the Trifecta wall-to-wall from every angle and every step of the way from this preseason preview right on through to the last act, both on-air and outside the episodes too. Also during this cycle, we'll also have a new American take on a popular MTV UK series that's meshed together the love of AYTO and the first twist Real World season of Explosion and given it a unique new brand of reality TV. Plus, there's a new show whose first glimpse came when they faced the Champs on Fear Factor and will soon take the spotlight themselves, among other things too.
   Of course, our principal focus is on "fifth major pro sport" and after what we saw on that long season we had this past summer and fall, and if what we saw there is proof of why you and I enjoy this show, then we shall expect the same thing for Season 31, Vendettas. MTV is bringing together some of the MTV Trifecta's most dynamic characters to the continent of Europe, and for the first time ever, The Challenge is looking beyond the boundaries of the shows we cover on that, Are You The One? and Real World to bring castmates from outside the MTV U.S. system to join the fan favorites. And just as it was on Dirty 30, they will do what they can to win at any cost, compete against one another in the kind of crazy, extreme and daring competitions we've come to expect from this show, along with all the love, politics and drama that makes this show so great.
   And the thing that brings the 28 competitors of this season all together are something that they have been holding in for some time that it takes for a new theme and format for all of this to finally play itself out not in social media, but on the place where it matters most: the playing field and the house they will call home this winter. And that offers the definition of the word that flat out means, "a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone."

The Challenge: Vendettas is the twenty-third MTV Trifecta season that we have dedicated full blog coverage to on here, and coming up in the first of our two-part preseason preview, we'll offer you a look at what this season is all about, and a look at people who were chosen to take on this big season that awaits us. And this is just the beginning: later this weekend, we'll have our usual introduction to this season's crop of Challenge newbies, plus Andrew Kirk and I will discuss this new season as part of our two-part Reality Debrief that commences tomorrow.
   So, get yourself warmed up, put on your Under Armour uniform and Join In with us after the jump as DCBLOG kicks off the 2018 MTV Trifecta year, with our Countdown to The Challenge - Vendettas, coming up after the jump. See you there.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

DC WRAP: The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars - "Playing Me For The Foos"

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

On this Tuesday after Christmas, tonight marks one more week until yet another new season of The Challenge debuts. But before we proceed into Vendettas, there's this mini-season of Champs vs. Stars to contend with, where last week the Champs again took out the win over the Stars in a soccer match just before Real Madrid rolled over FC Barcelona in El Clasico. But all eyes were on the renewal of the long-standing rivalry of Bananas and Wes, just as it did on Champs vs. Pros earlier this year.
   With the busy blog week ahead to conclude 2017, we're gonna be saving our recaps of the rest of Champs vs. Stars for next month after the finale, and our AYTO reunion WRAP will come your way here in a couple days. But coming up, we'll have more on the latest chapter of that rivalry, plus our first installment in our Power Rankings, and a flashback to when a SoCal icon made his way to The Challenge before he ascended into pure NBA greatness. That's all ahead.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? Season 6 - The Reunion Pt. 2

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

It's Christmas Eve 2017, and Merry Christmas to all of you enjoying the warmth of the magical night that's ahead. And welcome back to our look at the MTV Trifecta, where a season that began while the weather was at the top end of the thermometer in the summer now comes to a close in the first days of winter as we wrap up Season 6 of Are You The One? with part 2 of the Reunion.
   In Part 1 of this season-ending get-together, the entire cast joined Terrence J. to dish on the big stories that went down in New Orleans, including a pregnancy scare for Keyana while she was in her relationship with Michael. We also saw what really went down with the love triangle of Malcolm, Nurys and Diandra, and there was the relationship of Keith and Alexis which did not turn out well after the season, and saw him cuddle up with Carolina from Season 5.
   For Part 2, there are still more questions on our minds: is Clinton and Uche still together? Is the guy who was percieved as the bad boy of the house, Kareem, and his girl Alivia still an item? What's the deal with the girl once voted hottest college girl on campus in Zoe? Is it possible that Keith is not alone in dating one of the girls who did not win the money earlier this year? And who else from this season is seeing fellow alumni of this great guilty pleasure?

The answers to those pressing questions and all the action, reaction and interaction of this last week of AYTO 6 is straight ahead, plus an AYTO alum opens up about something near and dear to her. And after the Pulse, ExtraTime will have a visit from AYTO's first family as the only perfect match to still be together after the show mark an important milestone for their baby girl.
   All of that is ahead on the final installment of the Pulse of Are You The One? New Orleans.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

MTV Trifecta: Floribama Shore - "Love You Like a Brother"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse below contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

Late on this Saturday of Christmas weekend, welcome back to our look at the 51st week of 2017 in the MTV Trifecta. Earlier, we brought you the Bananas & Wes rivalry being renewed on Champs vs. Stars, and now we turn to Week 4 of Floribama Shore as things are again heating up as we enter the winter.
   Last week, the cloud that is Kayla Jo continued to hover over them, but the group had bigger things on their minds. First, they found themselves in the middle of a massive bar fight that spread out into the streets of Panama City Beach, and it seems as if they became closer as a family on the heels of that rough night. But what happens when another bar brawl threatens to pull them apart?
   They will be dealing with that this week in the wake of bystanders shouting obscenities at them, and once again they have to come together to show support for one another and prove that their strength in numbers is strong. For two of the girls, they go on their own love quest to find guys they might enjoy in the future, but for another one, she continues to struggle in coping with trying to revisit the wounds of her past. And what happens when a close friend of one of the guys arrives at the house? As they say, anything is possible.

After the jump, it's Episode 5 of Floribama Shore plus more baby news, as we roll along on this holiday weekend look Inside the MTV Trifecta.


DC ExtraTime: J-Deezy

 #DCBLOG's BEST OF 2017 
From Week 12 of The Challenge Invasion

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

For a third of the Invasion final six, they have achieved something that's been historically difficult to do but has happened many times over the years on The Challenge. That would be of being a rookie competing on this show for the very first time, survive not only the first week where they would usually go into elimination and be the first ones out, and making it all the way to the end, to the final and the race for the cash.
   Nicole is competing on a Challenge for the first time and has made it to the end in her first go, and Cory made it to the final as a rookie on Bloodlines last year after a late charge at season's end to finish second. It has been a recent trend in the past few years -- Jenna, Zach, Devyn and Devin to name a few who've been in this spot before, and that offers the backdrop for this latest installment of "Catching Up With…".

Four years ago at this time, Season 28 of The Real World was airing, which took place in Portland, OR. It turned out to be the last RW season in its original format of just seven strangers living in a house with no surprise to worry about. Just like the St. Thomas cast before them, I gained a solid rapport with all the cast on social media, and a couple fellow MTV insiders, Andrew Kirk talked to all of them on his podcast, and Brian Cohen got his podcast start interviewing some of them and went to the reunion -- which was also one of the first Trifecta posts we got to do here at DCBLOG.
   As it also turned out, from a Challenge standpoint all but one of that group of eight would appear on at least one Challenge after encountering romance, drama and yes, the now-infamous fight we saw in the finale: Jordan competed on three of them and won his most recent - Exes 2 with Sarah; Johnny rode a wave of luck in the Draw to make it to the Free Agents final and finish second to Bananas, and four of the five girls -- Jessica, Averey, Nia and Anastasia -- have all appeared on The Challenge too (only the one who left early, Joi, hasn't appeared yet).

And then, there's Marlon Williams. In Oregon, he made a stunning admission to the housemates on the patio that while he had a depression a few years earlier, he told them that he had actually engaged in casual sex with a guy. He also reluctantly hooked up with local girls in the club, which caught the ire of his dad, which then forced him to go to church to confess his sins. He also got confrontational as well when he had become tired and despised of the actions, personality, brash behavior and insecurity of Jordan and got into a fight in the house kitchen. That got them paired up on that Challenge, and in allowing everyone else to take over the spotlight in Thailand, the guys flew under the radar and won two jungle eliminations. In the first in a double Hall Brawl matchup, they knocked off Leroy and Ty; and in the second they defeated Knight and Preston to make the final. In that final, their boat capsized in the Thailand sea in the first part of the final and did not make it the second half and got a $10,000 3rd place consolation prize.

As a young Texan, Marlon got to do what others aspire to do here in this land of Friday Night Lights: play high school football, and in the same Austin-area stadium in Pflugerville High School which served as the site for that renowned football film's TV series adaptation. He went on to Texas Tech University and became a nationally-ranked linebacker, making it to the All-Big XII team two times as well as celebrity status in Lubbock. You can check out a YouTube highlights reel of him here.
   Through having done some research on him, we happened to stumble upon the team picture from Marlon's 2009 senior year at Texas Tech. Marlon is kneeling down in about left center in the front row, right below head coach Mike Leach, who after becoming the school's winningest coach, was suspended and then fired for his role in inappropriate treatment of former football player and analyst Craig James' son Adam after he had suffered a concussion during practices for Tech's appearance in the 2010 Alamo Bowl.


Post-football and post-MTV, Marlon has become better known as "J-Deezy" -- a hip-hop artist who we saw him do his work in the recording studio during that season in Portland, which included inviting his Portland roommates to do cameo spots on a couple of his tracks. One of them is located below in "Lay Down" with Nia and Anastasia.




After his two MTV shows, J-Deezy has furthered his musical resume in releasing several tracks, mixtapes and albums... around a slate that also has his own clothing line and fitness program, in case he happens to get that call.  Below are some of his tracks, and at the end is his latest album, The Rebirth, which you can also get on iTunes.














- I AM DC

DC SocialPulse: Champs vs. Stars - "Playing Me For The Foos"

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

We've arrived at the merriest time of all as it's now officially Christmas weekend, and welcome to the penultimate weekend of 2017 and DCBLOG's ride Inside the MTV Trifecta. Coming up, revelations for the comeback kids of Are You The One?, and swimming with sharks with the Floribama Shore bunch. But in a slight change of pace -- and to begin a packed end of year stretch for this site, we start with Week 5 of The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars.
   Last week, a Champions team cursed with three of its female players leaving without actually being eliminated finally got a replacement in Dirty 30 standout Tori joining the competition and picking up where she left off with an elimination win... so did Wes. But for a Stars team who just can't seem to get a break, they also got a taste of just how hard it is having to play a game which can be easy at first, but when alliances and politics take over it becomes as difficult as they thought at first.
   And as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona contest El Clasico today, the world's most popular sport not only took center stage in last week's challenge but will also do in this week's one too, with soccer and foosball heading to the fifth major sport. The series's most epic rivalry once again resurfaces, as a team is torn apart by their elimination vote as the kind of dirty play that defined this summer and fall returns. But above all, we're reminded of the true winners of this season when a representative of one player's charity stops by for a visit.

We'll have all the action, reaction and interaction of this week's show for you ahead, plus that Super Saturday of the baby news that broke the internet, and a meeting of past, present and future in Chicago. And afterwards, they call him the King of Crunk… ExtraTime will focus in on a hip-hop heavyweight and him getting to meet three members of Team Real World.
   An epic rivalry, the world's game, a Super Saturday and Lil' Jon... all of that is ahead on the 'Pulse of Champs vs. Stars as we begin this week's ride through the MTV Trifecta at DCBLOG. And welcome to the Christmas weekend.


Friday, December 22, 2017

DC ExtraTime: Worlds Collide - Stranded Meets Survivor

Following is an excerpt from a DCBLOG post during Champs vs. Pros and following the Survivor: Game Changers earlier this year, reposted in the interest of our readers in the aftermath of the most recent season of Survivor: Heroes, Healers & Hustlers earlier this week.

#DCBLOG's BEST OF 2017
BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

The Stranded Final Four:
Alex, Makani, Cody & Gina

(IG/@AlexApple7)
And here, we have a follow-up to one of the big stories of these last nine months in the MTV world: nearly two months ago was the finale of one of the many series outside The Challenge & Real World system, and Are You The One?, that I have gotten to befriend with in this large MTV melting pot. And this past week, two of the key figures from the 21st series outside the Trifecta that I have either followed, watched and/or live tweeted got a chance to mingle with a member or two of the show that helped to inspire their show.
   Season 1 of Stranded with a Million Dollars saw ten adventurers being marooned in an island in Fiji with the assignment of having to spend 40 days in order to collect a potential seven-figure final payday with that pot being split among those who would go the distance. During this time, six players were not able to make it to the end when they flared up to announce their surrender, and in between we saw a lot of drama and interesting gameplay. In the end, those who watched and lived this experience left satisfied in the final result of the four players who left with a nearly $500,000 payday split four ways, though it's what happened with the two guys at the heart of this that might be the lasting image of this inaugural season of MTV's entry into survivalist reality competition shows.

First, there's Mr. Thrive, Cody. He was that Army Paratrooper who came onto this show in realizing a dream he had to making it onto an MTV reality show being a Real World/Challenge fan for over a decade. He developed a solid bond with New England beauty Makani and, after a couple of their alliance members departed, the two combined to dominate and sweep all the reward challenges that took place on that season and were worthy winners in the minds of many. And yes, there was what we saw from him in having to go pee, and then poo, in the water to try and take out his adversary and his partner which became one of the most intriguing and, shall we say, revealing things we've ever seen on an MTV show. No wonder why in its premiere episode wrap, MTV.com had Cody as the one fans would likely hate on the show and he lived up to that persona there in the islands... and last week, he got to meet a fellow reality TV villain who knows very well the feeling of being hated.
Cody with Russell Hantz.
Credit: IG/@CodyThrive
   While we covered Stranded on here (it aired after Invasion this season), we briefly profiled here one of the most famous and notorious players in the history of Survivor who also became an interested viewer of the show thanks to him joining me and others in live tweeting the episodes. Russell Hantz is arguably one of the show's biggest stars and greatest villains, having appeared on three of those seasons. And though he did not achieve the ultimate goal of winning $1,000,000, the way he played the game caught everyone's attention, going to two final tribal councils and earning a place in the show's Hall of Fame. It's helped to further propel a Hantz reality TV family tradition, which has seen him and other members of his family appear on SurvivorBig Brother and A&E, all the while maintaining an oil business outside of Houston and a bar next door in Louisiana.
   With both him and Cody sharing the same home state, it was inevitable that they would cross paths, and this past week that happened. In the caption for the picture above, Cody wrote, "There are a lot of fakes in reality tv. What keeps these shows thriving are real ass dudes like us. Keep hope alive. 🐐🐐 #MTVstranded #Survivor"

And second, there's Alex... the newsman. He came all the way from Vermont and took a leave from covering Sen. Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail to spend 40 days in Fiji and for the first half of the season controlled the financial part of a game where things we could buy at the local Wal-Mart for $5 or $40 cost $1,000 or even $30,000 in a tent. He led a group called the Core Four which also included San Diego bartender Gina, close friend Alonzo and now new mom Eilish… but after the ladder two flared, Alex & Gina were forced to have to deal with Cody & Makani until Day 40. And yes, they also had to put up with that Watergate situation which they survived somehow, as did them propelling down a waterfall to reach the final evacuation point in the finale. But we also can't forget what Alex did in Week 9 when he decided to take the money they have accumulated up to that point and put some of those bills into a campfire and tore some others.
IG/@AlexApple7
   With him having worked at WCAX-TV, Vermont's CBS affiliate, he used his contacts within the family of what's referred to in the business as The Tiffany Network to gain equal footing with his Texas nemesis, and perhaps making him even more jealous, by flying out to California to attend last week's live reunion for Survivor Game Changers. There, he sat near the front row on the CBS lot in Studio City watching the rest of the cast join Jeff Probst to crown the ultimate survivor last week and discuss everything that went down in Fiji - which also hosted that first season of Stranded.
   And he got to meet the queen of that season, Sarah Lacina, who was the last one standing on Season 34 of the Eye network's flagship reality show where she and 19 other fan favorites got a second chance at the million and was the worthy winner. Alex wrote of his fellow fan of the show, "I think I've got a new favorite survivor since @sarahlacina is also a Stranded fan. Congrats on a near perfect season of #Survivor #GameChangers! 🏝🎉"  Alex also got to meet fellow alum of the show, John Cochran and had his own starstruck moment in seeing pop royalty, for which he tweeted, "Found out today that I chatted up the singer Sia at the Survivor finale for 5-10 minutes and had no idea who she was sans wig."  Not only is CBS' Studio City facilities host to the Survivor finale, it is also home base for Entertainment Tonight, and Sia was one of the guests who made their way that day to that landmark of syndication and a staple of prime access (the term for the hour or half-hour before network primetime).

To put this into a financial perspective, in making the 40 days in Fiji, Cody, Alex, Makani and Gina all collected final paychecks of just around $125,000, which actually makes each of them the richest individuals of this Trifecta cycle, just getting by Ashley M. who had $121,250 for winning Invasion, and CT who won $112,500 on the guys' side. And if you're wondering about the ones who won AYTO Second Chances last week, Devin & Rashida won $170,000 and each get to split $85,000. Just behind those two is Hayden, who stole from Carolina $60,000 - making up for that collapse in the Caribbean back in March and no doubt will be enough for him & Gianna to buy themselves a boat for the summertime in the Midwest. And obviously, $50,000 is at stake each week on Fear Factor.
   Well, being able to pocket six figures is one thing to get through what we saw on the past few Challenges and on the AYTO spinoff, but pales in comparison to what we saw on Stranded with Team Makody and Team Algina both getting a cut of the cash in being able to get through the ultimate challenge: having to survive over a month in the wilderness on an island, being able to dominate as the first two did, and being able to get through the last week as the other two, makes this one of the big stories in the Trifecta that will sure be discussed on the Debrief later this month.


- I AM DC

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

DC ExtraTime: Cory, Cheyenne & Baby Ryder K.

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

Twitter @MTVCoryWharton
As we near the end of 2017 amidst the warmth of the holidays, there have been a lot of big moments and unexpected surprises both in and outside the ecosystem this site calls the MTV Trifecta in the course of the past 12 months. We saw anguish and elation for the Seasons 5 and 6 Are You The One? casts, the arrival of the newbies of Floribama Shore, and the survival test of Stranded with a Million Dollars. And of course, there's the move of making The Challenge a year-round happening with not one, not two... but four seasons of the fifth major pro sport airing this year alone. And as a result, DCBLOG has been churning out a record number of posts to more readers than ever, including ExtraTime stories such as these.
   And before we begin our usual year-end review of the reality TV year this Christmas weekend, there's the latest life-changing moment for not one, but two people in this always fascinating world of the people who make this world happen. It's of something very familiar in one who has been on recent Challenges who started like many others on a Real World season, and we've seen so much happen to him since. But this also links all three shows we cover extensively here, as he is also linked to an Are You The One? alum, and for which they were casted together on one season and saw one of the many love affairs he's had in front of MTV cameras. And in the end, the result is two things that take on greater priority: the responsibility of family and raising a young kid at this young adult stage.
   This is the very scenario that, just now, is beginning to play itself out in Real World Ex-Plosion alum and soon-to-be six-time Challenge competitor Cory Wharton and AYTO Season 3 alum and Rivals III finalist Cheyenne Floyd, and where of all things, a baby, has brought them together yet again.


Monday, December 18, 2017

DC WRAP: Champs/Stars EP 3-4, Floribama Shore EP 2-4 and AYTO6 Reunion Pt1

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

As those of you who are working get settled into this work week or for those at home enjoying this holiday break, welcome back again as we take a look back at last week's episodes in the MTV Trifecta before new episodes of Floribama Shore and Champs vs. Stars air tonight, as does Part 2 of the Are You The One? Season 6 Aftermatch on Wednesday. Last week saw yet another bar brawl go down in Florida, but also included more infighting and bonding time with family and, of all people, a parrot. In SoCal, the one who had a stellar 2017 returns to The Challenge stage and pick up right where they left off from the Dirty 30 final. And after they pulled off the comeback of all comebacks in AYTO history, MTV's newest millionaires opened up on what's been happening ever since.
   Owing to having devoted last week's WRAP to that miraculous ten-light 10th matchup to win that money in New Orleans, we'll have the first two shows covered here with recaps of the past few episodes coming up. Plus, more on that romance that was revealed on the reunion involving someone who masterminded that comeback and another who was on the losing end earlier this year; and two other family get-togethers. That's all ahead.


Saturday, December 16, 2017

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? Season 6 - The Reunion Pt. 1

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  TW / IG / YT

On what has been a very exciting Saturday night, welcome back again as DCBLOG now turns the attention to Are You The One? and Part 1 of the Season 6 Reunion. And if you're lucky enough to still be up on Team No Sleep or just be taking a break from your night at the club, thanks for waiting for us to bring you this cup of tea.
   Last week down in New Orleans, our cast of 22 girls and guys who were seemingly out of it and on the verge of being the second cast of lose the game were given a second chance to make a run at the biggest comeback a cast has ever had to win the whole thing. After one more meeting with his crush Alexis which saw her beloved teddy bear feel the heat, Keith got another shot to try his hand at putting together the strategy that would bring them from one beam and one truth booth match to 11 beams and $1 million. And they pulled off that almost improbable comeback.
   This week, it's Part 1 of the two-part Reunion, as the entire cast reunites along with the man who's ably took over as host, Terrence J.  After weeks of trying to love together and win together, the cast will give insider info on the explosive moments that went down in the Big Easy, spill that always nice tea on the unseen drama that's emerging from the cutting room floor, and reveal what's gone down since they left the house.

All the action, reaction and interaction from this penultimate week of this AYTO season is ahead, along with the beef that emerged with a member of the Season 6 cast and a member of the losing Season 5 troupe, Also included, the 22nd and last castmate of this season finally speaks out on Twitter... find out who and the amazing thing they're doing after the surprise win. And after the diary, ExtraTime will feature some musical goodies from an AYTO original.
   All of that is ahead on the 'Pulse of Are You The One? as we continue our ride Inside the MTV Trifecta. And again, thanks for staying up for us tonight.