DC ExtraTime: AYTO'ers Turned Challengers, Turned Parents to Be

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

It might be a summer without a season of The Challenge airing this year, but after what we saw with Turbo being a deserved champion of War of the Worlds in a season of redemption of sorts, we can be comfortable a bit to take a few months off from the fifth major pro sport. But if you follow the broader world of MTV Reality, there's nothing to worry about: Real World on Facebook, the return of The Hills, Cheyenne & Cory's ride through parenthood on Teen Mom OG, and the Summer of Love in Ex On The Beach and Are You The One.

The last Challenge-less summer was four years ago in 2015, where the United States also won the Women's World Cup that year, where The Force Awakens ruled the box office and where collabs by Bruno Mars, Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth slayed the charts. But imagine being part of what would turn out to be a legendary MTV Reality cast in having to wait out an entire summer after filming a few months earlier only to wait for the fall to have it premiere. A person on this Ex On The Beach cast knows this very feeling so vividly as he returns to the beach and the world of romantic reality television this summer.
   Of course, we're talking about Devin Walker, and his cast of Are You The One? Season 3, which was revealed to the world a month shy of four years ago this summer's weekend in August 2015, before that season debuted after a Teen Mom season finale and then moving to hump day. While the Season 1 cast has the ultimate Perfect Match, Season 5 with notable figures despite losing $800 grand, and Season 6 having representation on both last and this season's installments of EOTB, as well as a slew of notable castmates, it's the class of Season 3 that has, arguably, the biggest notoriety and staying power.
   Which class of lovebirds can say that that they have appeared on every single Challenge season since they debuted on the first season they were eligible for? Who can say that they've had the chance to cross over into not just that show, but also Real World, TMOG and EOTB? And who can lay claim to being the first alum of this show to win a Challenge final, despite their partner's actions?

These questions have all been answered by this Season 3 cast which has seen them appear on each Challenge since Rivals III... with one of them being part of the winning pair last fall on Final Reckoning but we know what happened there and after finals appearances by his fellow alumni. We've seen two-thirds of the Young Bucks come to Ex On The Beach - Cory Wharton as a single and meeting his perfect match Taylor Selfridge, and Nelson Thomas as an ex to Nurys Mateo... plus "Magic" Mike Crescendo on Real World Seattle: Bad Blood when he dated AYTO 4 alum Tori Deal before she turned to Derrick Henry and then to Jordan Wiseley. And that's just part of the story for a group that pulled the Miracle in the Islands and, until what happened in New Orleans two years later, a monumental AYTO comeback in the 10th and last matchup to win $750,000 and avoid infamy.
   The biggest of those crossovers came when Cheyenne Floyd was brought on to be a replacement mom for Farrah Abraham on Teen Mom OG, bringing the Trifecta fandom to that franchise where an ex of the three originals - Maci Bookout's ex Ryan Edwards - dated Chey's fellow AYTO 3 suitor Kiki Cooper years prior. With Cory's involvement as the dad of their baby Ryder, we've seen those who've been with him on past MTV shows appear on Teen Mom: Tor'i Brooks from his EOTB season, Joss Mooney of The Challenge and Ex UK, the smart & sometimes quirky Bloodlines cousin Mitch Reid, and Nelson too. And if there's someone who can be counted on for advice on how to handle the upcoming task of being a parent, Cory and Cheyenne can look to the third member of the Young Bucks and a fellow AYTO3 castmate who are about to join them in the parents' club.

The haunting memory of what happened to Hunter Barfield when his partner Ashley Mitchell stole his half of the $1 million purse after winning Final Reckoning last year still stings a bit for both him and for viewers alike after the nature of that long season. But making it all the way back to the final on War of the Worlds, and eliminating Ashley in the season's very first elimination earlier on, helped in some way to cure the wounds of what went down last November. Plus, getting to compete on the season with childhood friend & Floribama Shore heartthrob Gus Smyrnios and fellow Southerner Mattie Breaux made the experience easier, as well as becoming good friends with returning vet Wes Bergmann and collaborating with the ginger to open a Tulsa-area gym.
   That is just part of Hunter's journey that saw him debut on Invasion of the Champions two years ago - which included him and Ashley hooking up, then really come of age on Dirty 30 where he plowed his way to the last regular season purge while enduring him breaking up with his girlfriend via phone overseas, and who shattered his wrist while competing in a tough elimination in the first race to $1 million. But Hunter began his time on MTV as that sweet and athletic guy from Perry, FL on Season 3 of AYTO where he scored a first week date with -- and became one of the many guys who went into the Truth Booth with -- the aforementioned Kiki, and who became romantic with some of the other girls in the house. And who can forget his rather revealing moment after that money-losing blackout earlier on when, while the guys were twerking in front of the girls one night, he decided to stuff socks into his boxers and causing his mom to call him out after the episode aired?
   But while the business end of this season was airing back in May, Hunter announced some news that was just as good as regaining $500,000. In an Instagram post @MTVHunter, he posted a picture of a sonogram with the caption, "We are excited to announce Baby Barfield coming soon!!! Ive always wanted to be a Daddy and my dream is finally coming true!! ❤️❤️❤️", followed by a gender reveal video of the young kid being a baby boy. Some of his alumni sent him congrats messages in the comments including Kiki, Georgia, Tony, Mattie and AYTO3's resident comedian & cook Zak Longo: "Shotgun GODFATHER ❤️❤️ Love u Hunt Dawgy congrats." And Paulie pitched in with a wink, "You'll be a great father. If that baby starts kicking around a ball, you make sure you call Uncle Paulie cause Uncle Wes is trash at soccer 😂", while Wes added, "I wouldn't be so quick to assume I'm not the father."

And then there's the other AYTO single turned Challenger turned parent-to-be, which turns out to be someone who was at odds with Hunter on the last Challenge season. Compared to what we've seen with him, Amanda Garcia has had quite an eventful run on MTV that also began on AYTO Season 3. Everyone knows the one with the freckles from Denver as that girl who had the romance with Mike in the AYTO house that saw it reach its boiling point when a controversial fight between them in the finale saw the ladder leave the house before that epic comeback. The Popoff Queen then went onto The Challenge in joining Nelson as a replacement team on Rivals III when one of the original teams had to drop out because of injuries, and in the same season where Devin & Cheyenne were gifted a second chance thanks to another team's withdrawal.
   It wasn't before long that Amanda would find herself in the heart of the drama when she and Camila had it out in Mexico, which then continued on Invasion once the Brazilian arrived as part of the Champions team. Amanda showed what she had competitively in Thailand in what was her best showing in making it all the way to the last Purge. But after a short stint on Dirty 30 when she was eliminated in the first Redemption elimination and by a vendetta of hers in Jenna Compono came her most turbulent season: being paired with Barbie's man Zach Nichols on Final Reckoning was brutal in every single way, including being eliminated when they were the top team in one week. And then there was what happened on War of the Worlds: though she and partner Josh Martinez made it mid-way, it's an unaired prank of her getting sexually assaulted by a few others that put the show into the spotlight for the wrong reasons and had everyone talking, likely fueling strong ratings this season.
   It's safe to say that Amanda has had quite a run, but now we can be sure that she will be taking a break for a much bigger challenge that lies ahead. Yesterday, she posted on IG @MTV_Amanda a black-and-white photo of her and her boyfriend, as they kissed and showed a sonogram of their new baby and with a simple caption: "Arriving soon.... February 2020 💕." Over 1,000 comments have been left in the comments, with just about everyone in Team MTV sending nothing but their heartfelt congrats, from Cheyenne ("I just rolled over and died. SISTERRRRRR!!!!!!!!!! I love you can't wait to spoil this baby") to Sylvia ("Omgosh!!!! My heart is soooo incredibly happy right now") to Kayleigh ("OMGGGGGGGGGGGG BABE, IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU"). Brad added, "OMG CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm so excited to see your baby!! He or she is going to be beautiful," while her AYTO3 castmate Stacey wrote, "I cannot wait to see and spoil this beautiful child!! You're the most selfless, loving person I know and you are going to be the most amazing mom."

And considering how War of the Worlds came just after The Steal #2, there was some bad blood between the Lavender Ladies of Amanda, Ashley, Sylvia and Shane after they bonded on Invasion, and the Young Bucks of Cory, Nelson and Hunter after they aligned on Final Reckoning, and the scenes of them being reunited all in one place after they were the second team of mercenaries to come into the game and eventually go on and win. Those who saw one of the Tribunal sessions can remember an intense staredown in the courtroom with Amanda and Hunter, considering her being close to Ashley and him still feeling bitter about having last half a million for his actions towards Ash the previous season. When Amanda announced her pregnancy, Hunter left a simple "Congrats!!!!!!!"     They've gone through trying to look for love as part of a renowned draft class, then being chosen to join TJ and friends as part of a bold new generation of Challengers. Now, Hunter and Amanda now have something else in common: joining the increasing number of those in the MTV Reality family who are, or about to, take on life's ultimate challenge: being a parent and everything that comes along with it. Understandably, they are taking some seasons off and will have plenty of time of get used to having an additional title to their names of being a dad and a mom... but if they do decide to return to this show again, they will have a purpose in having people they will be competing for. For now, we can send our congrats as they start this journey to parenthood... adding more to the argument that the Are You The One? Season 3 cast has as one of MTV's most memorable casts.


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