Saturday, October 26, 2019

DC ExtraTime: Another One for Mr. MTV Baby Daddy

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

Megan Thompson/MTV for Us Weekly
On the pre-Christmas weekend in December 2017 -- in between the first $1 million season of The Challenge and the start of the ensuing invasion by the British and beyond, a tremor jolted the MTV landscape from, fittingly enough, earthquake country in Los Angeles. There on a winter's Saturday night - and while some of his fellow Challengers were partying in Chicago prior to the debut of Vendettas, Cory Wharton returned from a few months' hiatus from social media of filming that Challenge and Season 1 of Ex On The Beach back to back to announce something that happened to him while he was away on his extended fall sojourn.

There, Cory announced in a picture posted on Twitter, Instagram and similarly with someone he met on a past series, that he was the father of the baby of Are You The One? Season 3 alum and Rivals III finalist Cheyenne Floyd, Ryder K., who was six months old when the news was made public for the first time. For someone who started his MTV career on The Real World in 2014, competed on 5 Challenge seasons, appeared on the first EOTB USA season, and for her on what is the most successful alumni class of her original series, they were chosen to replace Farrah Abraham on Teen Mom OG nearly a year after that revelation... in part bringing the rest of the MTV fandom to a new frontier, and also to bring light to a health condition Ryder was diagnosed with upon his birth.

Of everything that went down on his first six MTV shows, Cory becoming a dad became his biggest moment yet - much bigger than being part of the next generation of Challengers and a twist that rocked the Bay Area. But perhaps, no one was expecting the news that emerged last week of the same thing happening once again: Cory meeting a girl on an MTV series and them getting knocked up... though this scenario of him getting a girl pregnant has become old hat - not just with what he's had with Cheyenne, but past instances before and during his time in San Francisco on Ex-Plosion.

For what he has this time around, the girl is not just an AYTO alum: it's the one Cory met on that maiden Ex On The Beach voyage last year: Taylor Selfridge. And now, the man who was minted with a tattoo that Cheyenne dubbed him "Mr. MTV" is about to become a daddy to two kids.

Friday, October 25, 2019

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge War of the Worlds 2 - "The Royal Rumble"

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

It's the last Friday of the month - and this is the pre-Halloween weekend... that means so many of you are heading to the malls to shop for costumes, candy and the like. And we are back with you here at DCBLOG for the week in MTV Reality, where this week we're talking to you a little earlier than normal as yours truly is making those final preparations for a trip of his own: not to the next Challenge season that's begun filming overseas in Europe, but within the U.S... specifically, to Sin City for #DCVegas X which commences in a matter of hours.

Last week marked the halfway mark of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2, and again relics were the star of the show in both that week's challenge and elimination. There, it was a double elimination week of one guy and one girl getting the boot, and that left everyone scrambling to identify who their weakest links were - and it also caused the first tiff with close friends Ninja and Dee, though that was sewed up quickly. And while last season's finalists Theo and Georgia won their eliminations as expected, it was Esther who won everyone's hearts and respect in living to her word of proving herself.

This week, the second half of this season gets underway with a dominant Team USA and a Team UK just continuing to watch this rout go, but as of yet the allure of being the first trench-coat to go to the other side hasn't yet got to the Brits. A slippery puzzle will be awaiting the players at this week's competition, which will see not only people running each other but also plenty of falls along the way. But as the number of players get reduced, the tension amongst players will no doubt only intensify as we head on this ride towards the final around yuletide time.

After the jump, the Second Half begins with the 'Pulse of Week 9 of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2. Thanks for joining us as this epic weekend gets underway...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

DC SocialPulse: Ex On The Beach Season 3 - The Finale

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Welcome back... earlier on this Sunday we brought you a backtracked installment of the Ex On The Beach SocialPulse as the summer for those Singles who entered Season 3 back in July has begun to wind down towards its conclusion. But before they head on out back home before reconvening in New York City for the reunion, there is some unfinished business to attend to: the truth.

All ten of the Singles who started in the house -- including the subjects of our ExtraTime follow-up on them earlier, the Kaplan Twins -- are facing a lie detector to see if they are or aren't being truthful in their relationships, being joined by a few Exes who've returned for one more chance to rekindle things and get answers... and as we return here, we'll find out the question that's haunted the biggest threesome in the house: did a Big Brother alum and Danity Kane's biggest star get it on? Once the fallout of their sessions with the old man & his gear subsides somewhat, the Singles will then have a huge choice on their hands: will they head home with Ex love, Next love, or just go at it alone?

Ahead, the answers to these questions and more as we bring you the Pulse of the Season Finale of Ex On The Beach 3... plus, a first look at what will be THE event of the year in the minds of this very blogger. But first after the jump, the news that had everyone buzzing in MTV land before this week's episodes aired. Thanks for joining us...

DC ExtraTime: The Kaplans Come to Dr. Phil and Get Hollywood Fooled

A Follow-Up To: The Kaplans Go Flipping 
with the Kardashians & Go Ketchup Crazy

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

Last month after a midseason twist on Ex On The Beach Season 3 that saw the Exes send home an original single from Malibu, we featured The Kaplan Twins as they got to work with reality TV's most well-known family, the Kardashians. There, Allie & Lexi were asked by Kourtney's ex & baby daddy Scott Disick to design a painting of one of the three children they share joint custody with, Penelope Scotland, for his kids' penthouse on the real estate-themed spinoff series Flip It Like Disick. And this came after it was discovered that Allie had a boyfriend before she & the twin came to the EOTB villa, something that's considered a no-no for any reality dating series.

Like it has become the case for some of those who appeared on the first two seasons of the U.S. version of the global Ex franchise, there's little doubt that the Kaplans' time in the season 3 house has helped to boost their public profile thanks to not just them being on MTV and doing what they do best with painting. And in the course of the past couple weeks or so, they've added more to their resume... and like it was earlier this month, they followed in the footsteps of two of last season's alumni to the most prominent stage in all of daytime television.

DC SocialPulse: Ex On The Beach Season 3 - "Show Me the Receipts" (BACKTRACKED)

*** 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. ***

BACKTRACKED EDITION
BY DC CUEVA                        
 @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Hello there and welcome back... most everywhere, you can see that you're feeling fall outside your door. But if you're living in California, Florida, Hawaii or Las Vegas, summer is still in the air... but soon enough, the sign with the word "CLOSED" will adorn the sands of Ex On The Beach as Season 3 is heading towards its conclusion out in Malibu.

When we last left Southern California -- at least to us here at DCBLOG, sunset came for the couple with the biggest standing both to casuals and to summer TV viewers when Aubrey and Mark decided to call things off, which left her ex Coffey in a precarious spot. And Mechie also found himself at a crossroads with his ex Ariana and the season's last Ex entry, Kellie. But the rest of the house found themselves shook with the season's last Cut Ceremony, which saw an Ex and her ex get sent packing.

As summer reaches its end here, the sign that we are almost at the end of the road comes in this penultimate week... those who saw season 1 last year and then season 2 in this spring got a scare when Tor'i, Farrah and the Exes voted out returned with revenge on their minds. This season's class will have some familiar (and for one, an unfamiliar) face reemerge to shake things up before the beach is closed. And this comes at a most opportune time for everyone here: a lie detector test will see some of the Singles have to show their honesty and own up to their past messiness.

Who is telling the truth? Who are just telling the lies? Join us after the jump as we bring you a backtracked look at the action, reaction and interaction at the Pulse of Episode 13 of Ex On The Beach 3.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge War of the Worlds 2 - Halfway To The Million

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Hey there, we are in the midst of autumn in the air -- and for this blogger, I am one week away from stepping away from the blogging chair for an experience like no other known as #DCVegas. And as DCBLOG brings you into our part of the web for the week in MTV Reality, this week has seen a newly minted with a tattoo "MTV Slut" just announce a pregnancy to his second MTV'er, the last act of Season 3 of Ex On The Beach and drama at a Jersey Shore baby baptism. We begin, though, with The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 as we are at a key milestone in Asia.

Last week, the man who won it all last season awakened from an autumn's slumber of sorts as Turbo found himself steaming some words at 2-time champion Jordan after a karate session with relics for the Turk. This came after yet another challenge win for the Americans which saw the teams try to navigate a choppy river with relics in their pyramids. And the latest iteration of a classic Challenge elimination battle, Hall Brawl, saw Bear and Theo face off and saw the finalist take down the biggest reality star of the British side in four sets.

We are at the season's halfway point -- and thus, we're halfway to the million, and this week comes the latest Teej-bomb from TJ Lavin: instead of one player getting the boot, it's two of them who will have their stay in Asia come to a conclusion midway through this autumn's journey. For a pair of best friends who bonded last season, they will find themselves at their first road block, while both teams also grapple with who they think their weakest link is and who to put into elimination. And as it was last week, it's the relics that are the star of the show.

After the jump, it's Week 8 of War of the Worlds 2, as we'll find out who will have the upper edge going to the home half of this Challenge season. Thanks for joining us...

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

DC ExtraTime: Someone You Should Know - In Real Life

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

Instagram @InRealLife
In less than 24 hours - and in the midst of baby mania for two of its original alumni, Season 3 of MTV's Ex On The Beach will come to a close in Malibu, California, and as has been the case since this global franchise debuted in America last year, this season's cast offers something for everyone. They include an Are You The One? puppet master turned adversary of a Challenge GOAT, a many times' reality veteran who started her reality career on MTV as part of a girl group, a Big Brother showmance, Blac Chyna's ex and a pair of twins who just followed in what we saw with Season 2's romance in appearing on Dr. Phil.

But it's hard to think that Devin, Aubrey O'Day, Mark & Elena, Mechie or the Kaplan Twins are not the ones who have had the most screen time this summer & fall with the most intriguing romance and most divisive personality in the house. That title belongs to multi-talented actor & singer Cameron Armstrong, whose treatment of his past two exes -- singer Alexis McNeal and ex turned roommate of his Ariana Nova -- have had both the house and viewers up in arms. For a lot of you, you're getting to see Cameron for the first time... but this stay in Malibu is not his first time on national television, having appeared in several episodes of ABC's police drama The Rookie.

For a handful of you, Cameron gracing your screens again has brought back memories of a one & done music competition series that proceeded the return of American Idol and the emergence of 2019's breakout show The Masked Singer. On the 2017 summer series Boy Band, he got to perform alongside a couple members of a group who became that show's only winners, and who dropped their debut studio album two years after their moment on the national stage... all as the boy band resurgence in the music landscape continues amidst BTS mania sweeping this planet.

In this installment of Someone You Should Know, we at DCBLOG would like you to meet the guys who won Boy Band two summers ago - and for whom Cameron got to perform and compete with that summer, In Real Life.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

DC ExtraTime: Team Jogan Meets Logan Paul

*** EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of the sensitivity and controversy surrounding the featured subject, comments have been turned off. This post also contains potential spoilers for our overseas readers… please read with caution. ***

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

Along with the couple who made Dr. Phil earlier this month in Angela Babicz & Nelson Thomas, we accidentally forgot about that other romantic success story from Ex On The Beach: the newly minted "MTV King" (and Nelson's fellow Young Buck) Cory Wharton and fellow season 1 single (and Angela's enemies in that house) Taylor Selfridge. It was last year before season 2 that we looked at when she appeared in a video of a winter pool party full of Icy Hot at the house of the one & only Jake Paul, who had quite a summer with his girl Tana Mongeau, including the wedding that made news for whether it made the YouTube's ultimate power couple an actual married couple or not... and for which an MTV YouTube series followed her from turning legal age right to the altar.

Jake is one half of the most infamous set of brothers YouTube has ever produced, and it's his older brother Logan Paul who no doubt has the biggest notoriety. Like his brother, Logan began his journey to recognition in the social universe on a platform that's not with us anymore in Vine, and by the time of his 19th birthday he had already amassed over 3 million followers across all of social media. His videos on Vine and Facebook would help to garner Logan over 300 million views and plenty of advertising revenue in the six figures to go into the bank.
   Soon, YouTube would join in the party, with a channel dedicated to daily vlogs from Logan that would have nearly 16 million subscribers. Cameos on actual TV series would soon follow: Law & Order: SVU, playing himself on Freeform's Stichers, a YouTube Red movie, and commercials for Pepsi, Hanes, HBO and Comcast. He also got write screenplay for two adult films, and trained with the prestigious entertainment troupes, Upright Citizens Brigade and The Groundlings. And Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson invited him to be part of YouTube content surrounding the Baywatch movie.
   But all of this success would soon take a Humpty Dumpty-like fall... a Paul single that sampled a 2008 hit, "Handlebars" from Flobots, got a shellacking from the public and its original artists for its lyrics of sexual objectification of women and led to it eventually being deleted. And earlier this year, he took a side in the theory that the earth is flat, and made a "mockumentary" on the subject. But these were minor items compared to what is the lowest point of his career, and the always present bug of controversy that seems to follow him and Jake everywhere they go nowadays.

Of course, everyone by now knows the one very reason why Logan has amassed an immense hatred towards him from the social verse, and it can be attributed to one video he posted on New Year's Eve 2017. Paul and his friends took a trip to Japan to help ring in 2018 in the Far East, and where he climbed to a moving forklift in a fish market, stripped his clothes off in a crowded street, and threw a Pokemon Ball to a Tokyo policeman.
   When they were planning to camp in the woods at the base of Mount Fuji outside Tokyo, their trip through the forest saw his cameras catch the corpse of a recently deceased man who committed suicide in Aokigahara, and they immediately notified authorities and rerouted their plans. Once their vlog of this moment garnered over 6 million views, it immediately caught fire and immense criticism from around the spectrum, including fellow YouTubers condemning him for being insensitive to victims of suicide and even fueling many to write petitions to have his YouTube channel suspended.
   The result of a video gone bad was immense: it being immediately taken down, Paul writing a public apology that wasn't enough for most of the public to accept, and YouTube downscaling his status with the platform when ads were pulled from his videos, films he had planned with the company getting shelved, and a temporary hiatus from social media. He had learned his lesson the hard way, and an eventual response vlog of over 30 million views that saw looked into the serious topic of suicide prevention that is certainly no laughing matter.
   This year alone, more controversy for Logan: on his podcast ImPaulsive, his joke of planning to "go gay for just one month" saw the gay & lesbian community go for his head. One of the strongest advocates of the LGBTQ+ community, GLAAD, led the criticism for him, and once again Paul had to learn the hard way that hurting people in a playful way could have big consequences... eventually, he not only apologized for his poor choice of words and had a gay activist on his podcast.

Last week, Logan was in east London for the UK stop of a cross-Atlantic press tour to promote his rematch in the boxing ring with British YouTuber KSI, aka Olajide "JJ" Olatunji, a year after they first brought their rivalry into one where they settled it in the sweet science. After the ladder won a fight on Super Bowl LII weekend to gain YouTube's Boxing Championship belt, he sent out a formal challenge to a two-fight series against Logan as did his brother Deji (ComedyShortsGamer) who sent a similar one to the younger Paul.
   Jake scored a 5th round TKO over Deji, which led him to call out Chris Brown and inspired the online competition where controversial YouTuber PewDiePie and Indian record label T-Series fought not in the ring, but online to see who would become the first to get to 100 million YouTube followers which the ladder won. But for the main event, the fight between Logan and KSI ended in a majority draw decision... and all eyes are set on their rematch on November 9th in Los Angeles, which also includes pro boxers Devin Haney and Billy Joe Saunders as part of the undercard.
   Whenever either of the Paul brothers say or do something out of the ordinary, social media always take notice just as quick as a timeline refresh. It was after Logan took a verbal rabbit punch at KSI in mentioning rumors that his counterpart forced several girls to get abortions after he had sex with them at the meeting with the British press that the Internet came together once again to condemn and cancel him altogether… not that they did after what happened over a year ago. Logan again went to his podcast to clear the air, making mention of Alabama's recent proposed abortion ban.

Prior to that presser, also last weekend in London the cast of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 got together to tape the end-of-season reunion which should appear air around the holidays back home in the U.S.  As Mike The Miz tends to his wrestling career and a new life as a dad, co-hosting the closing ceremonies of this season are Champs vs. Stars alum Justina Valentine and -- taking LoLo Jones' role of athlete co-host -- NBA star Nick "Swaggy P" Young, whom my YouTube channel exclusively caught him munching on some chips at the Warriors 2018 victory parade. And if a fight caught on camera between two of the challengers the night before their reunion is a sign, then the final act of 2019 in The Challenge should be juicy.
   By the oddest of coincidences, three notable people shared the same flight from London to Los Angeles, which takes a half day's duration of some 12 hours in duration, but there's also factoring in the 8-hour time difference between the west coast of the U.S. and Britain (which is where time is measured for the entire world). One of them is Logan after his press tour... the other two are the resident bromance of The Challenge's British invasion: Rogan O'Connor and Joss Mooney. As we in America have just seen episode 7 of this season air (and as those in the U.K. are just now getting to watch WOTW2 on a few weeks' delay), we've just seen Joss win in elimination, and Rogan play it safe to avoid competing against his closest ally in the house... as well as him continuing to see Geordie Shore's Australian import Dee Nguyen.
   When this Dreamboy saw that the older half of the Paul brothers was on the same flight as him and Joss, Rogan captioned on Twitter @Rogan_OConnor and Instagram @RogueSnaps, "Rogues & Logues 😛👊🏽 #WarReady #LondonToLA @LoganPaul."  Could we be having a collaboration between Team Jogan and Team 10 in the future? Don't bet against it...







- I AM DC
#DCBLOG

Saturday, October 12, 2019

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge War of the Worlds 2 - "Zero Dark Turbo"

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Hello there and welcome to the weekend, and to this week Inside MTV Reality... where the summer is approaching its end at the Ex On The Beach villa in Malibu, where we got to meet Mr. 24 on Jersey Shore's Vegas vacation, and where Teen Mom's Chelsea & Cole moved to new surroundings in South Dakota. And The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 is plowing along in what, so far, has been an American clinic in Thailand on paper, but is certainly a different game outside the fields.

With Wes, Laurel and his friend Bananas already back home, last week the spotlight was on Leroy as he found himself in an unusual position of leader in the U.S. camp, and him doing what he can to tame his American teammates as two Big Brother alumni (including one who made some headlines of his own this week) went after one another... all as the Brits just sat back and relaxed. We had our annual brain fest of trivia that saw many a player get buzzed, while for a British team that just keeps losing we saw British rookie and fitness icon Jenny prove her worth in elimination.

It came as no surprise back in May that a many season's veteran of the Turkish iteration of Survivor won it all... this week, the attention turns to Turbo for a different reason than what we saw from him last season, and one person here will find out that if you wake him up, you will be hearing from him loud and clear. There's also a demanding challenge that sees the U.S. and U.K. tackle a running river and trying to balance relics. And as much as we love trivia, no Challenge season is complete without players colliding head-on: whoever goes into elimination will tackle the battle that is Hall Brawl.

After the jump, all the action, reaction and interaction of Week 7 of War of the Worlds 2 on this DCBLOG SocialPulse... and after the diary we'll join two of last season's Challengers - WOTW finalist Mattie and her friend Gus - as they take their talents back to the beach, as we'll begin the countdown to a new season of Floribama Shore. Thanks for spending your Saturday with us...

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Look: Battle of the Fittest Couples

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

We are well underway with a new year in television, and that means plenty of new shows, familiar ones with new seasons, and lots to cheer about for fans like yourselves. And here, our focus is on The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2, with a side offering of Ex On The Beach which is about to wrap up its third season. And yesterday, the premiere date for Season 3 of Floribama Shore was set for November 14 (the day after my birthday) as a finalist from War of the Worlds I, Mattie, will join Gus and the rest of the crew down in St. Petersburg, as they will welcome us back to Florida with fun & fireworks aplenty.

Along with all that, we always keep our eyes open on here for any shows that we feel will be worthy of interest to MTV fans on here, and of what kind of programming that may draw viewers of those shows we follow here to what might be buzzworthy next... thus, we get to present these posts on occasion that we call, "The Look." And the next program we feel will be watched with a bit of interest over in Challenge land is something that will as intense as its MTV counterpart, and will offer a juicy appetizer to the main event of this autumn.

This coming week, MTV's premium and more upscale sibling Paramount Network (the former Spike TV and TNN) will bring together some of the biggest, toughest and most elite couples from across the country as they join two Bachelor sweethearts to help answer the question of who is the best? Welcome to Battle of The Fittest Couples.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

DC ExtraTime: Angela & Nelson's Couples Therapy

A Follow-Up to AYTO Meets Dr. Phil
BY DC CUEVA                        
 @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Two years ago, DCBLOG featured the man who possesses the top-rated daytime TV talk show, all part of a stable of highly-popular syndicated programming of what will soon be a teammate in the new Viacom/CBS alliance. And what happened there over a week ago was enough for us to bump The Challenge and Ex On The Beach off the front page into the week's big attraction for those who follow MTV Reality, and a perfect opportunity to introduce casual viewers to this world.

Dr. Phil McGraw has had quite a life in going from growing up in the Southwest to becoming a psychologist, and then to an extremely successful career in that field of offering medical and mental health advice to people of all ages. A partnership with Oprah Winfrey not only saw him partner with her both on her show and in counseling during a high-profile court case with the daytime queen, but landed him his own TV show. Dr. Phil began its 18th season last month amidst much attention when Jackass alum Bam Margera appeared on his show amidst the rehab drama surrounding the former MTV star, and would then celebrate its 3000th episode by inviting back its most memorable guests.
   It was on two separate occasions in the summer of 2017 that we featured Dr. Phil for a unifying reason: two members of the same Are You The One? cast being featured on his show, but just as being members of the audience. Las Vegas native Brandon Tindel and San Diego dental assistant Jasmine Pendleton were paired in the fifth week's matchup ceremony on Season 2 of AYTO in fall 2014, a week after the show's very first blackout ever: no lights recorded in any nighttime light show to see if they have recorded any perfect matches in the quest to win $1 million and true love. And Brandon's brief cameo on Dr. Phil came a day after a clip of him quitting Rivals 3 that caused host TJ Lavin to go off the deep end appeared during a Challenge retrospective special.

When we featured Brandon and Jasmine back then, we never even thought that the day would come for people who were on any MTV reality show would become actual guests sitting next to Dr. Phil on set instead of watching it from the audience. But as we got to turn the calendar to October, this very item would come to pass, where the guy who made his Challenge debut the same season as Brandon joined America's favorite psychologist on set. And he was joined by a girl he met on an MTV show nearly a year earlier when they were on the second season of Ex On The Beach. So began a turbulent relationship with so many ups and downs, it was only a matter of time before it became worthy of it being covered not by a traditional end-of-season reunion, but by of all things, daytime TV.
   Officially, it is classified as the 3005th & 3006th episodes of a talk show that serves as America's window on relationships and mental health which, very recently, officially turned adult age. But for those who are used to watching all the drama that packs any hour of an MTV show, you might say that this may count as just another hour of it even though it airs on local, free-to-air TV instead of on anything goes cable. And those who got to see it were witness to an episode that might as well be called Angela & Nelson's Couples Therapy, starring Angela Babicz & Nelson Thomas.

Sunday, October 6, 2019

DC SocialPulse: Ex On The Beach Season 3 - "Two for One Deal"

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Welcome on back here as we at DCBLOG now delve into bringing you the 'Pulse of Ex On The Beach 3... and perhaps there isn't a better place for it to be brought into the public spotlight than this week thanks to what we saw last week.

Previously in Malibu, two couples found themselves at a crossroads: only weeks ago did they go on a date, but Aubrey and Mark found themselves in a different place than it was there when they went with her ex Coffey... and Devin's relationship with his ex also found itself in a bad place when he began to see Shannon and after his ex's ex arrived. And Mechie and Ariana were awarded the season's last getaway trip outside the villa, while Billy saw one of his past exes join in the fun too.

In this land of the endless summer, it is nearing sunset of this season and this week it's the summer's last Cut Ceremony... and this time not one, but two Exes will get the flight back home. Not only will that go down this week -- one couple will officially call things off with one of their exes also finding themselves in the middle of all this. And for the one with the tattoos, Blac Chyna's ex will also find himself split between his Ex and his Next and placing the one he dated last week in a precarious spot.

All the action, reaction and interaction from Week 12 of Ex On The Beach is ahead... but first after the jump, the couple known as #Nelgela brings their relationship in front of Dr. Phil. Join us there.

DC ExtraTime: Big Brother's Sin City Summit

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

Of all the days of the year in the world of reality TV, nothing in more anticipated (at least as those in America are concerned) then when the network that brought the genre to the masses here, CBS, gets to air its two biggest reality franchises on the same night the last Wednesday in September during premiere week. There, it premieres the autumn season of the show that brought reality TV to network TV, Survivor, to be followed by the last night of the summer tradition that is Big Brother... it's widely considered to be the genre's biggest night. And this year, MTV's The Challenge also airs on Wednesdays, as both its parent company Viacom and CBS prep for their coming reunion and stamping their place as THE home of reality TV in America.
   Two weeks ago on September 25 saw this one very night take place, starting with the premiere of Season 39 of Survivor, Island of the Idols, where in addition to everything fans of the series expect, two past champions of the series -- Sandra Diaz-Twine and "Boston Rob" Mariano -- return to the show as non-competing mentors as the semi-annual quest for $1 million after 39 days of being marooned on an island for twenty castaways began. Among the notable castaways on this season include Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel, poker player Ronnie Bardah, and former NHL defenseman Tom Laidlaw - the U.S. series' first contestant with sole Canadian citizenship.

After that Survivor premiere came the end of what is, in the minds of many of its socially-active fans, the most controversial season ever of Big Brother, as a summer camp-themed 21st season came to a close a day short of 100 days in the heat of the summer. It was already making headlines even before the houseguests moved in when host Julie Chen stayed on as host after the Me Too controversy surrounding husband & former CBS head Les Moonves, and it was only in May that the season was given a green light to go. But the one overarching controversy of this year's Big Brother summer was something that has appeared all too often in both society and in our social feeds.
   When he first became that season's Camp Director and gained elimination immunity, Nashville native and L.A. bartender Jackson Michie chose to send black houseguests David Alexander and Kemi Fakunle, Latina plus-size model Jessica Milagros and 54-year-old Cliff Hogg to have them battle it out to not be the first to be evicted, which raised fans' ire on Jackson discriminating against race and age, and amped by the title of the first head of household challenge, "Color War." CBS brass was then put in the firing line over diversity and racism when players of color were given the cut early on and editors censoring racist comments, months after a former CBS exec blasted her former employers for its lack of diversity in a Variety magazine op-ed.
   There was more in store when the live feeds were turned on for streamers to binge on CBS All Access when Chicago fitness trainer Jack Matthews was caught making violent & vicious comments towards Kemi before a power of veto competition, and later more deregatory remarks towards Jessica and Knoxville's Ovi Kabir, as well as even the host herself towards Jack when he was evicted. There was also how the "Gr8ful" alliance of Jack, Jackson, Analyse Talavera, Christie Murphy, Holly Allen, Isabella Wang, Nick Maccarone and Tommy Bracco treated Nicole Anthony. And there was the usage of live animals in the week 5 POV challenge that saw viewers and PETA take their shot at them for animal cruelty.
   In the end, one person would be at the heart of all this controversy, and for several reasons. When he was given a Have-Not in week 4 when Jackson was caught stealing food out of camera view when he and others chosen had to go to back to basics living for a week in the house. For the final POV, outrage reigned when he admitted on the live feeds that production helped him in that challenge, and stans everywhere alleged that those behind the fourth wall were biased towards him there. It was no surprise that the social verse erupted in a big uproar when the final jury vote named Jackson the last man standing in a 6 votes to 3 verdict over Holly.

Instagram @TommyBracco
Just barely 50 hours after they were at Camp BB one last time on the CBS Television City lot in Hollywood, most of the Big Brother 21 cast found themselves up in Las Vegas as the guests of honor of the second annual Reality All-Star Reunion, a second gathering of some of the genre's biggest stars in a month after the Hearts of Reality event in Orlando. With their season having just wrapped, RASR also marked the first time that the BB21 cast got an opportunity to meet two segments of the viewing audience: those lucky fans fortunate enough to fork over a fortune to meet them, and some fellow Big Brother alumni who just saw them go through the exact experience as they did... along with other stars from throughout the reality community.
   Among those waiting to welcome them to the alumni were Morgan Willett from BB Over The Top and two-time MTV'er, Elena Davies of the current Ex On The Beach season (and Mark's ex), and Josh Martinez of the current Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 campaign. Also there were BB20 lovebirds Bayleigh Dayton & Chris "Swaggy P" Williams (#Swayleigh, who we featured here last year), the winner of that season Kaycee Clark, and some of their other alumni. Below, some of the best of this Big Brother Sin City Summit... and if things on the grapevine are a sign, we may be hearing from some of these people in the new year. As we always say here, stay tuned...

Saturday, October 5, 2019

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge War of the Worlds 2 - "One Nation Under Leroy"

*** 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  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

We are now into October, and for those who love competition this sports weekend has it all: baseball postseason underway, NFL and college football rolling along, the NHL opening up its season as does the NBA, fight action in the UFC and with GGG, PGA Tour in Vegas, Decision Day in the MLS, a new era for WWE SmackDown, the Rugby World Cup in Japan, finals in both the WNBA and Australian rugby league, and Olympic hopefuls in action in track & field, gymnastics and swimming as they prep for Tokyo. And with this backdrop, we at DCBLOG bring you in to this week's trip Inside MTV Reality, where the fifth American major pro sport has certainly brought us the goods.

The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 is into its second month of its season in Thailand, and like it was last season, it has become anyone's game with the earlier than expected exits of past champions - Wes in the 2nd guys elimination, Laurel the following week in controversial fashion. Last week, the attention turned competition wise for the second time to swimming where, not surprisingly, many a competitor struggled. In the house, all eyes were set on Paulie as he plotted making a move on Johnny Bananas... and his move to put him there against Theo paid off on the craps table as a battle of dice and math saw Theo take down the 6-time champion and kept alive Jemmye's vision that, if you steal, you will have bad luck laid upon you... the drought continues for poor Johnny.

With a trio with nine titles among them now gone, this week the spotlight turns to someone who's been the 1st Look host's greatest ally in the 2nd half of his Challenge career... and this time, the house's resident barber may be put into an unusually precarious position of whether to stay loyal to one of his biggest supporters or think about his team. As ever, the in-fighting rages on for Team USA including for two Big Brother alumni, all as the Brits can just relax while a romance is budding on their side. But as always, it's not officially a Challenge season until TJ Lavin becomes a real game show host when he gets to unleash his seasonal tradition of becoming a casual Alex Trebek and ask how smart, or not so smart, the players are in a good old fashioned session of trivia.

After the jump, join us as we bring you all the action, reaction and interaction of Week 6 of The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2... and thanks for spending part of your Saturday night with us as we now bring you the MTV Reality Pulse on DCBLOG.

Friday, October 4, 2019

DC ExtraTime: A Politician, A Couple Twins, and That AYTO Guy...

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

Right now amid the tense times we're in, American politics is focusing in on what our President will do next, and to evaluate those from the opposition party who will eventually face off with him in next year's presidential election, including the next candidates' debate scheduled for two weeks from now. It is an election that serves as the subject of the first new project that one of TV's go-to producers, Ryan Murphy, has crafted for Netflix after the company spent $300 million to bring his talents to streamville. And it comes a week after the premiere of season 8 of his FX series, American Horror Story, which has Champs vs. Pros alum Gus Kenworthy as part of its cast.

Last Friday, Murphy's first series for Netflix, The Politician, premiered for subscribers to watch and binge, and like many of his past projects it has some notable stars in its lineup. AHS veteran Jessica Lange joined her fellow producer for The Politician as does Gwyneth Paltrow, though its key star is Pitch Perfect's Ben Platt, who turns his attention from a member of the opposing vocal group Benji Applebaum to playing the role of an ambitious student. Zoey Deutch plays Platt's running mate, Glee's Laura Dreyfuss as a campaign adviser, and cameos from The Practice's Dylan McDermott, Bette Midler and Tony Danza's TV wife on Who's The Boss?, Judith Light.

Platt's character, Payton Hobart, is a wealthy student from Santa Barbara and, since age 7, has had ambitions of going in the halls of Saint Sebastian High School to one day follow in another California native, Ronald Reagan, and ascend to become President of the United States. But before he can make the journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he has to get through a political race as treacherous and difficult as any national election: a local one just to become president of his student body while also having his eyes on going to Harvard. To do that, Payton has to look for ways to outdo what his other classmates are doing to get to the top seat, while staying true to his image and morality.

Amidst a cast that has those much older than Platt and who are newcomers to the acting world, two other characters in The Politician are brothers of Payton's and who are just going about their lives while their brother is competing to be top dog, but who in real life are twins. Wilmington, NC natives Trevor and Trey Eason are fairly new to the TV & film scene, having done A Smile as Big as the Moon for Hallmark Channel and a short film. When filmed wrapped for season 1 of The Politician last year, Trevor captioned on Instagram, "I still can't believe this is real... it hasn't quite hit me yet. To the whole cast and crew, I absolutely love you all and I am honored to call you all my new friends!! What an experience this is! I can't wait to start season 2!!!!"

John (2nd/R), w/ Trey, Trevor &
friend Josh Robinson (IG)
These days, the Eason twins are residing up the way in New York City, where no doubt they've become star struck as seeing their faces look at Paltrow on billboards promoting their show. And along the way, they've become friends with someone who competed for love and money on season 4 of MTV's Are You The One?, John Conner from Nebraska. In case you don't remember the original season for one-half of Challenge power couple Tori Deal & Jordan, John was the guy who dated future Playboy hottie Julia Rose early on that summer before she found her own perfect match, Philly guy Stephen McHugh (they're still together a few years later despite his close call with Hannah of season 5).

John joined the twins for a premiere party hosted by Platt last weekend in the Big Apple, and when
The Politician was posted in the Netflix library a week ago John wrote on IG @ItsJohnConner, "So I just wanna post a little something today for two of my best friends @trevoreason & @trey_eason because today is a monumental day in their lives! Today @the_politician Came out on @netflix! So damn proud of you guys and I’m so excited to see what the future has in store for you! Can’t wait to come home and watch it with you guys! Make sure you watch @the_politician on @netflix!"

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The Look Ahead: Ex Goes Snow, a Floribama Newbie, and a Vegas Pool Party

 CAUTION: This Post Contains Potential Spoilers, Please Read with Caution Below. But No Worries, It's Only Small & Minor Ones with Just Cast Info. 

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

We are now officially into the month of October, and we are now well underway with the new year in television -- that is, as far as those who are in the business of operating the networks see it. The cheapo, low-budget reality series that entertained us this summer have given way to the big major scripted shows with their new seasons, but there is still plenty for us to be engaged with on the reality side of things.

Fairly soon - or right about now, those shows that debuted and premiered during the summer will give way to new seasons and series on the unscripted front. And while we here at DCBLOG always keep our feet in the present covering the weekly Pulse and the stories behind the story of the shows that are on now including The Challenge, we're also keeping our eye on what's ahead. That's the subject of this latest installment of The Look Ahead - discussing spoiler-free (or at best, just small minor spoiler) rumors surrounding upcoming MTV series on occasion around our week-to-week content.

In a moment, we'll be taking a first peek at the next season of Ex On The Beach, someone new coming to Floribama Shore, and the return of the girls who competed for the hearts of the Jersey Shore bromance. So yet again, join us for a serving of some tea around the autumn hotstove.