DC ExtraTime: The Mannequin Challenge

Following are excerpts from posts during DCBLOG's posts on Real World Bad Blood from fall 2016,

reposted in the interest of readers as a subject from this post is on the next Challenge season.

BY DC CUEVA                     

■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT

With a new season of The Challenge to begin in less than ten days from now, we'd thought of taking you back to the last cycle and to last winter when we took a look at one of the many pop culture trends that emerged during a most eventful year. Enjoy this look at the Mannequin Challenge from during Real World Bad Blood, featuring RW alum Jay from Ex-Plosion and, first up, from the new Challenge, AYTO Season 1 original Simone.

SIMONE

from mid-November 2016

If you've been wanting to take your mind off of what has been happening in the wake of the past two weeks in our country, it's likely you've been provided some relief thanks to the latest Internet craze that's been taking over the web, social media and your smartphone apps. And it involves having to sit and/or stand still for as much as one minute to receive many views and impress your friends.
   The internet has been home to phenomenons that, thanks to the widespread usage of social media we now have these days, have made it bigger than it might be when the web wasn't as big. The past few years, we've seen the Ice Bucket Challenge, the Harlem Shake, Gangnam Style, covers of Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," carpoolers performing karaoke and much more. And over the summer, you couldn't go anywhere in town without seeing a youngster and those young at heart use their iPhone or Android to play Pokemon Go and look for Pikachu & friends. The video for Maroon 5's latest single, "Don't Wanna Know" with Kendrick Lamar, brings that game to life in hilarious fashion.
   Now, here late in 2016 in the aftermath of turmoil caused by the outcome of a divisive election and presidential campaign, you can add to that the Mannequin Challenge. It's where people decide to literally stop what they do and become frozen in time like mannequins in the hometown mall while a video on one's smartphone is recording the very moment, then be posted in seconds on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and other social media platforms. It's reported that this phenomenon had its start in Jacksonville, FL when students decided it would be fun to stand still for 30 seconds... And now just about everyone has followed suit since that video was first posted early last month.

   Since this craze began in northeast Florida, many pro and college sports teams both in America and overseas have joined in to pause for a moment in a room and have this scene be posted for everyone to see. This includes the world's most famous soccer player, Christiano Ronaldo, and his European champion Portugal team, as well as England's Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott during their international matches. Even the First Lady got into the act when the Cleveland Cavaliers visited the White House, as well as the U.S. women's gymnastics team on their national victory tour.

   Of course, musicians have joined in this Mannequin Challenge, led by Beyoncé and her Destiny's Child sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and Britney Spears and her dancers in celebrating being named Best Resident Performer in the Best in Vegas Awards. Adele, Garth Brooks, the great Paul McCarthy, the casts of Saturday Night Live and Dancing with the Stars, and even Hilary Clinton and friends have made videos of sitting still for a minute and post their moments on their social hubs.

   It's the backing musical joint that's been used in the background to most of these videos that has brought Mississippi hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd to prominence. "Black Beatles" is that song that accompanies most of these Mannequin Challenge videos, and the popularity of these videos helped bring to an end the glorious 12-week run of "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and Halsey atop the one-track measure of American music's top of the pops, the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

At this time three years ago, Simone Kelly was filming the first season of Are You The One? and made quite a name for herself there in the islands, and then on Exes 2 and Rivals III. The last time we saw her was in the elimination chamber this past summer in street clothes as partner Thomas (paired up by way of their unseen fight on their first Challenge appearance) and her voluntarily giving up their spot in the jungle due to an illness in his family. With her back to doing radio work and also regaining her Twitter account @SimoneJKelly after it was hacked a year ago, Monie's next stop is scripted TV in filming a pilot for a new drama which hopes to come out in the new year.
   Earlier this month, Simone decided to join this latest internet phenomenon and with the help of her friends, they gathered up in their own home theater to film their own Mannequin Challenge video set in the atmosphere of movie night. She also gave love to Team MTV's newest momma-to-be, fellow AYTO alum and Rivals III bronze medalist Cheyenne, in wearing the "#BoyBye" hat from her The RUU clothing line. The result of their work is below.

When movie nights turns into #mannequinchallenge lmaoooo!!! S/o @shoptheruu for my #BoyBye hat! 😂🎬🎮🌻 @lovelychrisjane @natalieonaga @sophielevinemusic @eian.evan @mistamyke @maeverueth @jillyctaylor @princesspursia @sebastiansierra

A post shared by Simone J. Kelly (@simonejkelly) on Nov 10, 2016 at 8:48am PST

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JAY

From December 2016

Just a few weeks back, we showed you the latest social media craze known as the Mannequin Challenge where everyone from the lady who just lost the Presidential race to the world's greatest soccer player to a worldwide pop icon pausing still for 1 minute for moments frozen in time set to the tune of Rae Sremmurd's "Black Beatles" as if they're mannequins in a local mall. Millions of these mannequin videos have been made and posted to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube for the viewing public to see for themselves, and after we showcased AYTO original Simone before Thanksgiving, the second Trifecta alum to do one of these is the subject of this short but sweet ExtraTime.
   It was at this time three years ago that we were anticipating the new Real World in many ways: new season, new format, new cast and new everything, all taking place in an old city: San Francisco for Real World Ex-Plosion. One of the exes who had to face the music in the Bay Area were a couple from the Big Apple: Jay was that womanizer who had built up a large social media following and had become close with girls at and outside the club where he was an emcee. Jenna was his ex-girlfriend model, who eventually exposed what he did to her while he was in the city. Of course, we know what happened when they got together again on Exes 2...he'd rather not want us to mention what happened in that last act. And we know what's happened to her in her two succeeding finals appearances too.

   Since then in the aftermath of what happened in the final, Jay has translated that humble experience into a passion for fitness. He has become a CrossFit athlete and has competed in several Spartan Races... he and my brother in law suddenly have something in common there in the ladder. And as he awaits a chance for redemption, he has been taking part in the past two seasons of the internet game show Sequester, where Jay and contestants like him go onto webcam to take apart in competitions to stave off elimination and have a chance to win prizes voted by viewers. He took part in Season 5 and just recently Season 6, the All-Stars edition.
   Just before filming that season, Jay and his family spent his Thanksgiving week not in the cold of New York City but down the coast in good old Florida and at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. He got to see some real life Star Wars, and hung out by the pool in the nice 80* and sunny conditions of the vacation paradise, and even found time to do a a couple live Periscope chats. Jay even gave one of his biggest fans and someone who's supported him from the very beginning - yours truly - a shoutout when he spotted me in the chat room.
   During all this, he found time to do his own Mannequin Challenge video being filmed in the Movies portion of Disney's All-Star Resort complex located right next to the Animal Kingdom park of the mega-resort. Many of the most-beloved characters from Disney's great animated films of years past -- Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Rex from the Toy Story movies as well as Donald and Daisy Duck make an appearance in a mannequin challenge that the kids will enjoy. Check it out below.

- I AM DC

The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2 - Who Are These Newbies?

By DC Cueva
@DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Tonight, Tuesday January 6th, is the first of Double Shot Tuesdays that we have this winter as we will see the first person from a roommate's past arrive on Real World Skeletons in Chicago, to be followed by the season premiere of The Challenge: Battle of the Exes 2, season 26 of the so-called "5th major pro sport." Of course, fans of this show, including this one, are anticipating what this season has in store as the show returns to one of its most popular formats.
   Along with everything we can expect this winter with drama, competition and more of what we love of this show, there will obviously be a sense of poignancy when the season begins in Panama as Diem Brown and Ryan Knight will be part of the cast and whose lives were taken from us too soon in the months since the taping of the season last summer, and for which this season will be dedicated in their memories. There is, however, people to look forward to this season as the Challenges' big names and new vets will again be present. And in addition, we will again have a bunch of newcomers to this world including several from two shows that I got to enjoy at this time last year, along with a member of Team Portland. That's the subject of this post I like call, Who Are These Newbies?.

Now, for many of you, specifically those who only watch Challenges & don't watch other MTV programming with the same level of huge interest as me, Battle of the Exes 2 will be your first chance to see these newbies on your screen. These are the same people who I've become familiar with on recent Challenges and on their original season of their first MTV show, and for which I've also developed a great rapport with on social media. Of course, these fans will be in the blue of what these rookies have in store, and while it'll be easy for them to go for the vets - and also prefer the old schoolers over the new generation, there are some rookies who are eager and capable of hanging with the vets in Panama. If they happen to do well this season, then it'll be enough to win over these fans too. Those that we've profiled in these posts like Jordan, Zach, Jessica, Nany and Jemmye immediately became fan favorites during the last three seasons and they will all be present again this season in Panama.

   Just as we did towards the beginning of Rivals II and then during Free Agents, "Who Are These Newbies?" is our way to help avid Challenge fans, who know more about the vets than these rookies, get some insight into these new people: background from their original bios and what happened with them on their season. This will help you understand these people the same way you know the vets and the same way that I do having followed them first when they first came onto our sets. This way, we will make sure you'll never know who these newcomers are when you see them being introduced or when they compete in that first mission in the premiere. And most importantly, this will help ensure that they are all given the kind of proper respect they deserve.

In our first WATN post during Rivals II, we profiled 13 1st or 2nd time Challengers who were on Rivals II, and for Free Agents last spring, we took a look at ten more. Just in case this is your first time watching the newbies, or need a refresher on them, check out those post where we covered them and others at these links: RIVALS II and Free Agents.

   For this 3rd installment of "Who Are These Newbies?", we will introduce you to nine more people who, because they have not done a previous one yet, are all making their Challenge debut in Panama. Most notable in this class is the inclusion of, for the first time in series history, cast members from outside of the Real World, Road Rules and Fresh Meat community. Also rookies in this season are members from the most recent Real World season, and likely the inspiration for this very Challenge season, whose first go at this was only a couple years back.

   But after the jump, we'll start off with a girl who was part of one of the most memorable moments in Real World history and part of what one fan calls one of the best RW/Challenge draft classes ever.