Inside MTV Reality: A Big Brother Gets Catfished?

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB/TK

Two years ago if you're lucky enough to follow the whole palette of what MTV has to offer, you may recall what happened during Final Reckoning when a guy who knows a couple Agents of this season got a surprise phone call from a surprise person on another MTV show. We're talking about the moment on Catfish in 2018 when Jay G. -- who was a roomie of Cory and Ashley's on his Real World season and who you remember for what happened on Exes 2 -- got a phone call from Max Joseph during his last investigation. It aired during the week of the ladder invading South Africa as a mercenary en route to becoming a millionaire and during that breakout year for the former as he got used to daddy life.

   This year marks the tenth anniversary of the original Catfish documentary film that inspired the TV series of the same name which, of course, centers around what happened to show host Nev Schulman. He has had quite a bit more attention of late thanks to having being one of those lucky handful chosen for this year's installment of Dancing with the Stars and narrowing missing winning the coveted Crystal Ball. Usually, he would crisscross America to meet those who've fallen in online love and has been witness to his fair share of memorable moments ever since. But as it has been doing this year of a pandemic, Nev & Max's replacement, Miss Teen USA 2010 Kamie Crawford, have been doing all their investigations at home and being connected to each other and their subjects through video-chat... same goes for their Ghosted counterparts Rachel Lindsay and Travis Mills.

   A year ago this month saw Viacom and CBS complete their re-merger and as it was during their first corporate marriage, there's been plenty of cross promotion in the expanded company with plenty of familiar names to Challenge Nation making appearances on shows across the entire company -- and that includes what goes down in daytime today on the Eye, which we will cover later this week. Also, there's Nickelodeon producing a kid-friendly simulcast of one of the Eye's upcoming slate of NFL playoff games in the run-up to the network airing Super Bowl LV.

DC ExtraTime: Someone You Should Know - The Biggest MTV Fan of All

BY DC CUEVA                      

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

All the way back in summer 1999 when I watched The Real World Hawaii, it marked the first season of an MTV series that I watched with the kind of vested interest I do for other series now. It has been quite a past two decades of getting to follow on a regular basis television's most-talked about reality programming and those who have graced our screens either for a brief time or for as long as a handful of those who've been at this as long as I have followed this world. And in the decade of the 2010's, the relationship I've had with this section of the genre has only gotten stronger as I've only gotten up there in age.
   On a summer's night in June of 2012, I signed on Twitter on the night of a most relaxed season ever of Real World debuting down in the Virgin Islands, which gave me the opportunity to directly interact with the same people who I get to watch each week. Less than a year later, I started up this very site and ultimately made this passion of MTV Reality my principal beat - which has since become the standard bearer in the written part in covering the shows you love to watch and discuss, with all the social reaction to the big moments, compelling original storytelling and everything else we offer.

It was eight years ago that I began befriending just about every single castmate who's been on our screens on the dozens of shows that's emerged onto the scene, starting with that RW St. Thomas season, followed by the first of the modern-day seasons of The Challenge that I've watched live. And in a way, these cast members feel like they're the high school friends you never had but wish you gotten to know, and we've gotten to know them very well. But I've also been able to get to know new people who share this passion of watching not just those two shows, but also Are You The One, Ex On The Beach, the Shore franchise, Siesta Key and many others along the way.
   They are those who I have never met personally, but thanks to this world have become good friends of mine through this thing call social media and who share a passion for the shows that get us talking - too many of which to mention. And occasionally, we've showcased those who are not cast members or those from pop culture who we've featured regularly, but who are those who are touched by the people and shows they get to worship now on a daily basis in this social media age. There's the several posts we've done on the MTV-inspired Caucus Challenge on YouTube, or the young cancer survivor & soccer goalkeeper who got to meet her favorite Challenger in a now 7-time champ.

But there is no fan who is more devoted to this part of cable entertainment than one who, if the Guinness Book of World Records decided to add the title of "Meeting the Most MTV Personalities" to their large library of incredible feats, the subject of this post would not only be the first person to achieve that title but will likely keep that mark for a very long time. And in this installment of Someone You Should Know, we'd like you to meet the Biggest MTV Fan of All.

DC ExtraTime: Hearts of Reality

BY DC CUEVA                        

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Instagram @ElenaDavies

Reality television can be described as many things to so many people: entertainment, an escape from the realities of the world and our lives, a guilty pleasure, and so on. The shows we all watch stirs all kinds of emotions: thrilling, jaw-dropping, thoughtful, inspiring and other things... it's most especially true with so many shows from all networks giving us plenty to talk about at the end of the time of year it takes center stage of the summer on the broadcast networks. And those who are part of this community that expands into hundreds of shows and thousands of personalities entertain us on a weekly basis with some of the most exciting programming on TV.

But sometimes - and taking the examples led by two of MTV Reality's most beloved figures in the late Diem Brown and Pedro Zamora, there is power in when reality stars can use their star power, or some variation of it, to help advance a cause and make a difference in people's lives. Few things are as powerful as when some of the most incredible personalities in reality television getting the chance to meet those who don't have to be the most die-hard fans of these shows, but just them being touched by their appeal, which can beat out even the most jaw-dropping moments of any show in terms of their personal and lasting impact.

Earlier here this week, we showcased social influencer and a voice of disabled people in this country, Damion Gross, meeting Dondre Randolph of The Real World Atlanta during what's been an amazing summer for him. And also this summer came the 11th annual edition of what's become a summer's reality tradition: stars of the genre getting together in the most-visited tourism destination in America for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, on a yearly basis, to bring smiles to some of the most inspirational people they have ever met. It's a weekend-long event called Hearts of Reality... an event so big in this community that those who are exes, enemies and friends can all come together for such a worthy cause. And the place where it all happens came about by one's experience of never getting a chance to fulfill one's lifelong dream.

DC FORUM: Reality Debrief 2017: Mid-Year Edition - Part 1

The views & opinions expressed in DC FORUM are only of its hosts and

do not necessarily reflect the views of DCBLOG or affiliated parties.

A DCBLOG Discussion

WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK  

■ @DC408Dxtr / @CSUGradAKirk

Hey there, as DCBLOG is taking you Inside the MTV Trifecta, and we hope you're enjoying our coverage The Challenge XXX, as the game is on once again down in Central America - and we'll have more on Episode 8 from this past week coming up a little bit later. But on this second weekend of September - and if you got some time in between all the NFL action that's taking place today, it's time for this special edition of a DCBLOG wintertime tradition: the Reality Debrief with DC Cueva and fellow reality TV fan, webcast host and friend Andrew Kirk.
   This summer slate of reality television, headlined by the likes of Big Brother and, of course, The Challenge, has been going on for some time, providing a much needed respite from what has been another eventful few months in this world we live in. And here, we'll take this opportunity to look back and take stock on all that took place in the run of programming that took place in the first half of 2017 in reality TV in the moments, the people and beyond during this break in our usual weekly coverage covering the social media reaction, the particulars and our look at the people of this site's principal beat of covering the MTV ecosystem of The Challenge and its related sisters.
   This is the first of two parts which we will have to discuss the MTV Trifecta, and later this month we'll review The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions, the Champs vs. Pros mini-season, and the current Dirty 30 season with thoughts on the season so far as it is at its halfway point... We'll be talking to fellow Challenge blogger Allan Aguirre coming up then. But first, we'll be devoting this first part to Are You The One? as Andrew and I will look back at Season 5 from earlier this year, as well as AYTO Second Chances which followed the chaotic ending in the Caribbean... all as Season 6 is now less than two weeks away.

So, join Andrew and I -- or better yet, Cueva & Kirk -- after the jump as DC FORUM presents Part 1 of Reality Debrief 2017: the Mid-Year Edition.

DC FORUM: Reality Debrief 2016 with Cueva & Kirk - Part 1

The views & opinions expressed in DC FORUM are only of its hosts and

do not necessarily reflect the views of DCBLOG or affiliated parties.

A DCBLOG Year-End Special

WITH DC CUEVA & ANDREW KIRK  

■ @DC408Dxtr / @CSUGradAKirk

It's the end of week #1 of 2017, and it's time again for a DCBLOG winter tradition with the 2016 edition of the Reality Debrief with me, DC Cueva, and fellow reality TV fan & webcast host Andrew Kirk. This time, it's a belated Debrief as this is being posted later than planned, but it's our tradition over the holidays & year's end to look back at the year that was in reality TV, and take stock of what's the year that just past us by. 2016 was a packed year of reality TV in & outside this site's primary focus of the MTV Trifecta, a most welcome retreat from everything that happened in a most eventful year. And as it was to wrap 2015, me and Andrew's year-end discussion of the moments, people and more of these shows will take two posts for us two to cover and dissect here this week.

   On Wednesday, we'll devote an entire post to cover the five seasons of The Challenge/Real World franchise and Are You The One? that aired in 2016, plus preview the upcoming Season 5 of the ladder that premieres this coming week. First, we'll be discussing shows from outside the MTV ecosystem as we'll be covering those shows Andrew has certainly a stronger interest in than I do, Big Brother and Survivor. Also, as he recently passed a milestone of having past five years since his first MTV webcast, plus me having a productive 2016 in my blog coverage, Andrew and I will get to ask each other one question on here in something I like to call, One on One.

   Because I don't follow or watch other reality TV much outside of the MTV ecosystem, I asked you fans to send in questions on two-thirds of CBS' own reality trifecta to #AskDCBLOG on Twitter or via DM. Although I wish that I would have more questions from more fans, I did get the input of one of our fellow followers and you always do with whatever you got...thanks to our friend Jon from Chicago @JonnyBoyy10 who sent in questions which I'll be directing to Andrew on here. We'll have info on you can take part in our MTV wrap-up at post's end.

So, join Andrew and I -- or better yet, Cueva & Kirk -- after the jump as DC FORUM presents Part 1 of Reality Debrief 2016.