Monday, February 18, 2019

The Look: MTV's Game of Clones

BY DC CUEVA                      
■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

A quarter-century ago, MTV entered the world of romantic reality television when Chris Hardwick, Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra brought together 100 girls and guys, a bachelor and a bachelorette for Singled Out. In 2006, the channel, Sally-Ann Salsano and her 495 Productions got together for the first time when they produced several seasons of A Shot At Love. Eight years later, Are You The One? debuted at the same time the first of four twisted Real World seasons saw the exes of the seven strangers cause an Ex-Plosion in the Bay Area. And also debuting in 2014 was MTV's global franchise based on the idea of what happened in San Francisco, Ex On The Beach, which last year debuted in America after four alums of its original UK version competed on The Challenge Vendettas.

Of late, romantic reality TV has become a hot commodity in the TV business in every network pitching in to join MTV and ABC's longstanding Bachelor Nation franchise... shows like Temptation Island, 90 Day Fiance, Married at First Sight and beyond have everyone glued to their sets the same way musical talent showcases and competition shows have done for an entire reality genre in general. The newly-premiered season of The Challenge is also helping introduce to America the global reality sensation Love Island, where two alums of its original British version are on War of the Worlds prior to it coming to America. And just when you think we've run out of ideas in this buzzworthy subgenre, in comes a most unique concept that -- just as EOTB has done in America, Britain and thirteen other countries overseas -- promises to again turn romantic reality TV upside down.

This time, the idea is fresh yet twisted, wild and unpredictable, best suiting MTV's way of offering the most talked about programming in the genre. The first peeks at the show has been turning heads in making exactly no sense at what the series could possibly be. But there is always a sense of magic when attractive people and some of MTV's most familiar faces come together in one room, especially when the suitors look just exactly alike some of your favorite celebrities and not one of those everyday joes who come onto these shows in the first place. It may as well as be the wildest romantic reality experiment of all... say hello to Game of Clones.


Two years ago, British multichannel network E4 -- the same spot on the dial where MTV UK veteran Bear of this current Challenge season got his start in reality TV -- launched an out of this world concept called Game of Clones. MTV describes the show as "...the most radical dating experiment to ever hit television. In each episode, MTV stars will date seven clones of their celebrity crush -- who may look the same but are totally different people -- and when they look beyond those pretty (identical) faces, each dater will discover which of these famous doppelgangers melts their heart and which just makes their skin crawl."

Series creator Younger Media, a company formed by former executives of reality powerhouse Endemol, writes in its show's description, "Imagine walking into a house to find endless clones of your perfect type… In Game of Clones, singletons are doing just that as we test whether there’s more to attraction than looks alone. Singletons are using the latest tech to create an avatar of their perfect date, before we move them into a house with the clone army of dreams. But when everyone looks the same, how do you decide who’s as good as they look? With the power to set revealing date challenges, they’ll dump their clones until just one remains – but will they find The One?"

Each episode features one bachelor/bachelorette and several suitors who feel that they look exactly or almost exactly like the celebrity crush of the person they're meeting, with the celeb bring picked in advance. They'll have the opportunity to spend some quality time with each of the candidates, which like other series is handpicked by MTV to try and find the perfect celebrity lookalikes. Not much do we know about the show other than these scarce details, perhaps as a way for the channel to keep everyone tuned after Ex On The Beach.

Like EOTB and other reality formats that originated outside the United States, it has caused a sensation overseas in Britain, France, Germany and even in China... and now becomes the first non-MTV originated international format to come to America's MTV. And just as it was last year when EOTB came to the States last spring, familiar names to the MTV community will help to ease the transition to America and to make it friendly to those have been used to seeing them on the likes of the Trifecta of The Challenge/Real World franchise, Are You The One and Ex On The Beach, as well as Jersey Shore and Teen Mom. 

For the easiest call that was given to the seven MTV Reality alumni chosen for Game of Clones, it begins with two of those who started their MTV journeys on the only season of Are You The One whose cast who went home broke. Kam and Derrick H. came to Season 5 two years ago, where she was in a love triangle with a male exotic dancer and a snake, and he infamously gave a girl part of his necklace prior to that infamous last matchup. Killa Kam, of course, has become a Challenge force with her unblemished elimination mark, while Derrick has dated an AYTO stud turned Challenger in Tori and a Bad Girl in Angela that brought Mr. Chocolate to Ex On The Beach. And if you've seen the first two weeks of War of the Worlds, there's also been swirling rumors surrounding Kam and Leroy.

Those who have watched The Challenge in the past year know about the love triangle that included Cara Maria and Nicole. For Nicole, she was involved in a well documented romance with a fiesty Challenge vet during Invasion of the Champions and who is the only MTV'er here who's attracted to those of the same sex. Of course, you might know what has happened to Cara in the past few months with a love affair that has made numerous tabloid headlines and one that is still ongoing as of now. But while we know what has been happening with her and Paulie since they became official during Final Reckoning, who can forget that long love affair she had with Challenge badass Abram?

And there's the two people who will bring their big followings to Game of Clones: those of you who watch Teen Mom know what Kailyn has gone through romantically. She married and broke up with Jo Rivera, then did the same thing with Javi Marroquin (who Trifecta fans know for having a one night stand with Tony Raines' Real World ex Madisson and who sent an audition tape to AYTO), and has had other notable romances in her decade on TV. And everyone knows that DJ Pauly D. is perhaps the biggest name of all to come to Game of Clones... and it's the first of two dating shows he will be on this year, as A Double Shot at Love starring him and Vinny will bow later this year.

Pauly, Kail, Cara, Nicole, Kam, Derrick and Leroy will all have the same assignment: date seven clones of their celebrity crush. They'll have to go beyond the pretty faces of the identical clones to do something that Kam and Derrick are familiar with in finding their perfect match. Just as it is with AYTO, compatibility tests, dates and other things will help to create the process of this decidedly different dating experience, but each of the clones who do whatever they can to try and stand out from the rest for the chance to go on a date with these eligible stars. And in order to land their one, they'll have to pick and choose from those who look like J'Lo, Megan Fox, Quavo and the like... proof of what this show has to offer is below.










- I AM DC
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