DC ExtraTime: A Second Chance at How to Date

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

In two weeks from now, a new season of Love, MTV Style will turn its attention to an unlikely place for viewers who are used to sights of sandy beaches, sun, sexy castmates in bikinis & swimwear, and enough drama to let you dream of being in that summer weather while you're sipping on that hot cocoa or that icy cold one this time of year. But before the spotlight shifts to "The Ultimate Relations-XXX Show" and a new winter version of Ex On The Beach in Peak of Love, there is something of interest to those who love this rapidly-growing reality sub-genre, featuring some familiar faces.

Back in this spring, we looked at one of MTV's most versatile reality alums of recent times, Derrick Henry, as he got to spend some quality time with a hot young lady on the web series 6-Hour Match on YouTube love channel Daily Steam. It is only part of a romantic dating show resume Mr. Chocolate has amassed which saw him be on Are You The One? Season 5, two seasons of The Challenge, the U.S. version of European reality format Game of Clones, and recently on one of a slew of MTV's digital shows that appears on its YouTube channel each weekend, Flex on My Ex. But perhaps his most notable reality stint came with being part of the first Ex On The Beach U.S. cast and being the first ex to show up when he came as the ex of Angela Babicz, who then returned for Season 2 of the show last year and met her current boyfriend, 5-time Challenger Nelson Thomas.

Both Derrick H. and Nelson not only got to experience the American take on MTV's global dating franchise but are also alumni of AYTO, which marked MTV's first entry into the current romantic reality dating craze that now has networks everywhere making an investment, with Love Island and Temptation Island joining AYTO, Ex On The Beach, 90 Day Fiance and, of course, Bachelor Nation on our screens. And judging by the attention two of the Young Bucks got when Nelson & Angela appeared on Dr. Phil and fellow Challenger Cory Wharton becoming a dad again with EOTB original Taylor Selfridge last month, then Ex On The Beach is making waves both here and globally.. You can tell by some of its U.K. and U.S. alumni being a big part of The Challenge, as well as the Kaplan Twins of last season appearing on both Dr. Phil and with the Kardashians.

Also this year, Daily Steam invited two of those who were on Cory's and Nelson's EOTB seasons, as well as an AYTO alum of years gone by, to be on one of their many projects that gave them another shot at love. But here, it's more like what Derrick had to end his summer: a mix of The Dating Game with some laughs, and where the contestants are who are looking for their perfect match.

The web series that gave reason for those alumni a second chance at love is the appropriately titled, How To Date... the show's synopsis states, "In every episode three male comedians will try to win a date with a lovely lady by trying to impress her in different rounds. Whoever wins will take the lady out on a date."  How To Date is hosted by Bay Area native Ronnie Banks, who first appeared in a music video with pop star Jasmine Villegas, and who's now part of one of the many families who document their daily lives for over a million-plus social media followers with him, Makeala Cochola and daughter Mizo as The Banks Family - think, the Bay Area's version of The Ace Family.
   The show's premise takes its cure from that favorite dating show of years gone by: three male suitors looking to win over a girl's heart by doing their very best to impress her over a few rounds, and whoever is the one chosen at the end gets to go on a date with the well-known bachelorette. In this case, it's comedians that form the tribunal of worthy contestants, and among those who are looking for love are B Watts, Juhahn Jones, Kevin Mac and G Wayne... all or some in that combination are featured in the three (and plus one) episodes embedded below. As for the ladies...

Of those exes who showed up in Hawaii that first time around, the two biggest entrances belonged to that of Alicia Wright... she first appeared on Derrick's AYTO season two years ago and made her mark getting into it with some of those in the house - including Kam Williams after she and Edward Williams were a perfect match and she swooped him up just before they went to the Honeymoon Suites - and it caught an ire with Tyranny Todd at the reunion after the house did not win. After a brief stint on The Challenge: Vendettas, Alicia saved her best stuff for when she came to the Ex On The Beach mansion: she surprised Cory & Taylor when they went into the Shack of Secrets and the "Snake" then proceeded to go up the elevator to surprise the house. But it was after she was sent home in the Cut or Crush that, lightning struck again: after Tor'i was cut at midseason Alicia replaced him in the house, and it shocked Cory... and who can forget her going at Taylor after the spit?
   Below, Kevin, B Watts and Juhahn are the men who are looking to win over Alicia...

For Season 2 that began nearly a year ago, Janelle Shanks followed in Angela's footsteps and out of the ashes of Oxygen's Bad Girls Club as one of the ten singles who came to Malibu, and who appeared on both season 11 of BGC in Miami in 2013 and its All Star Battle spinoff shortly after. The one they called "Black Barbie" came to the EOTB humble abode with plenty on her resume from when she went to South Beach, and had only one ex to deal with. Janelle dated Portland fitness model Darian for a couple years before he bolted her, and like what happened with Alicia he was waiting in the Shack when AYTO 6's Diandra Delgado went down there... and it was her planting her lips on him that saw Janelle race downstairs to confront him, and after she got into a second fight her summer in paradise came to an end.
   And once again, the three suitors in waiting who got to impress Alicia returned to try and impress Janelle...

For the third and last featured subject, you have to rewind a bit to find her: five years ago, Are You The One? had a tall task to follow up that successful first season, and the first of many twists to make the trek to love and money harder for those on Season 2 was that if the group had to overcome an additional single who lived with them, they would fly out with the $1 million. One of the ten original girls who came to Puerto Rico was Bostonian Tyler Abron, who also flirted with the real possibility that if the 11th girl (in this case, Christina) got her perfect match before her she would go home broke. And in the finale, Layton Jones was given that chance to pick either Tyler or the 11th girl... him choosing the ladder sent chills through everyone but the group did win the money... and Tyler has since become a model and influencer since then.
   Kevin and B Watts are back for a third chance at love, and this time they are joined by G Wayne to try and win over Tyler.

Another girl who joined Ronnie and the bachelors on How to Date was Cathlene Cheung, a Las Vegas model and former flight attendant who was one of the many singles who appeared on this spring's revival of steamy early 2000's reality hit Temptation Island, and B Watts, Kevin and Dancing Dan Rue will try to win her heart below. Someone who also appeared on them, the four couples and Mark Wahlberg in Hawaii is one who will soon be heading to the snow... Allie DiMeco is joining those going for love Ex On The Beach: Peak Of Love, and we'll be previewing that here next week.

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