DC ExtraTime: Burning Man

Following are excerpts from DCBLOG posts in October 2016 and 2017, reposted in the interest of our readers as part of our Best of DC ExtraTime series this Thanksgiving weekend.

BY DC CUEVA                     
■ @DC408Dxtr  @ TW / IG / YT


ORIGINAL POST: October 2016

Labor Day Weekend is always the saddest part of the warmest of the year's four seasons: it's the unofficial end of summer as people flock to the beach one more time, others go on one more family vacation and kids take advantage of those last three days of down time before going back to school. For many years, it has meant spending many hours watching Jerry Lewis host his annual telethon to help kids with Muscular Dystrophy, and for others it means the kickoff of college football. But for 30 years, this 3-day weekend meant to celebrate America's working class has meant another thing for those who like to express themselves in more ways than one.

   In a place that seems to be more of a mirage located in an oasis situated in the middle of nowhere, in a desert area 100 miles north of Reno-Tahoe, Nevada, tens of thousands flock each year at summer's end to a temporary community erected in a remote area of the Black Rock Desert in late August for the Burning Man Festival. The event's roots go back to 1986 when a group of friends gathered at a beach near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and burned a 9-foot tall wooden man at a bonfire on the summer solstice on June 21st -- aka the longest day of the year. Those founders had no idea that this gathering would eventually become an international phenomenon.
   Commencing on the last Sunday in August and continuing to Labor Day on the first Monday in September, Burning Man is described as an experiment in art and community, all influenced by 10 main principles. Those include, among others, radical inclusion, self-expression, self-reliance, community cooperation, civic responsibility and gifting, as well as protecting the brand from getting too commercialized. There is also a solid emphasis on those who come to the desert to Leave No Trace, making sure the environment trumps all else when it comes to minimize the impact Mother Earth has on this flatland located far from civilization. 

   This city is full of bold art sculptures, musicians, dance parties, fashion and a temple erected as a mourning place for those who passed or to put to rest personal situations before it sent up in flames on the final night. Also as part of the closing ceremonies that last Sunday is the burning of their Burning Man structure - now 43 foot tall - at the center of their metropolis, connected to the campground by Lamplighters who offer light at night when there's no electricity located anywhere. And on Labor Day Monday, everyone dismantles Black Rock City piece by piece following this week full of discovery, freedom and making new friends as they head back into the real world and live regular lives for 51 weeks until they all reconvene again in the same exact place.

   This year's Burning Man Festival attracted over 70,000 people to Black Rock, and the theme of this year's event was "Da Vinci's Workshop." According to Rolling Stone magazine, organizers asked those who made the trek to Northern Nevada to see the similarities between the Renissance era of the 15th century in Florence, Italy and the festival in this temporary city located not far from "The Biggest Little City in the World." The weekly pop culture bible adds, "While the artists and enthusiasts may not have succeeded in starting their own Renaissance, they were able to create a beautiful and imaginative community, if only for a few days."

IG: @MTV_Christina

   The last time we saw Christina, it was on The Challenge: Rivals III of her and rival Nate knocking off favorites Cory & Ashley in an all-time elimination upset and then losing the very next jungle. Of course, we best know her as the 11th girl from her original Are You The One? season at this time two years ago, including her much-documented relationship with Brandon and all the guys in the house being spotted with her at one time or another - and obviously her bond with the Goon Squad. But when you see her pictures on Instagram, she is totally in her element when there's music and nothing peace and love - she has a strong love of everything related to the hippie lifestyle.
   Christina summed up her experience at Burning Man this way after her first trip there last year: "Life at @burningman was so blissful and beautiful. Go, experience what the wordl could be like in a community that actually makes sense." And after her second week-long stay in the Nevada desert in September, her Instagram caption that accompanies the picture above reads, "Nothing and everything makes sense here. It was a sad goodbye for sure. My second time on the playa was definitely something special. Counting down the days till next year. )'("

IG: @ParisEike

   She was joined for this, her second trip to the Northern Nevada desert, by a fellow alum from her season 2 grad class and from what seems to be the hub for AYTO casting - Denver, CO. Paris was a daughter of a model and a football player who's beautiful and tough who juggled with several guys before moving into the house in Puerto Rico. She and Florida guy Pratt clicked from the very start but in week 1 they did all they can to avoid getting put into the Truth Booth. Eventually they were put in shortly after and emerged a perfect match, all in the same week as the first AYTO blackout: no lights gained at a matchup ceremony which under the current game setup would've seen their cast lose $250,000 and got two of them (if this twist used on Seasons 3 & 4 would've been in play they would've lost $500,000 and won just that much in the end).

   Paris had the opportunity to experience the Burning Man Fest for the first time this year and she captioned on Instagram, "You don't know home until you actually find it! What a mind boggling, altering and enlightening place." If you're someone who has a passion for being yourself, then it's Burning Man that should be on your bucket list.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Bloodlines - Bad Blood

BY DC CUEVA                           
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome again to DCBLOG as we wrap-up last week's episode 2 of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. Through two episodes, we've been entertained by some huge drama in the house and some interesting competition as well. And this is all ahead of a game-changer coming ahead.
   Last Wednesday, we saw the competitors literally face their fears in snakes and bugs aplenty. We also saw a game of rock-paper-scissors get caught on camera into becoming something more, which has an inadvertent impact on the week's elimination result. And after what happened to them last week, the elimination winners from last week begins to crack under pressure by way of personal attacks and a meltdown.
   We'll have the Five Things to Know recap of the key moments from Episode 2, and our Winners of the Night, for which there are several of them. And on DC ExtraTime, we'll show you pictures from two different kinds of reality TV gatherings among our Team MTV friends. Join In after the jump for our WRAP of Episode 2.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Bloodlines - Bad Blood

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

It's the second weekend of December, and welcome to week 2 of The Challenge: Bloodlines on DCBLOG, and to this DC SocialPulse diary. This is the first of what will be several posts to be posted here in the next week, with a dedicated edition of ExtraTime and more of the Reality Debrief year-in-review to come your way as the holidays approach.
   Last week, the group of this season's competitors and their bloodlines arrived in Bodrum, Turkey with no idea of what they were getting into. At the opening bell, we saw Tony hook up with Christina and got into words with both Nicole and his brother Shane, which added to his resume of bad behavior and ended his relationship with Madison. We also saw plenty of other hookups between both the original competitors and some of their bloodlines, and we had a wet opening mission & tough elimination battle.
   This week, we go into Fear Factor mode as players must face their fears head-on when bugs and snakes get a bit too close for comfort. After an impressive statement win in the first Pit elimination, one team begins to feel the pressure when personal attacks on one another lead to an emotional meltdown. And yet another supposed hook-up leads the eventual power team to make a bold move and would see it come back to haunt them. And that is all ahead of a move that will potentially change everything.
   We'll have all the interaction from this week's Challenge Wednesday, the aftermath and the lead-up. Why did I switch up the order? We'll be meeting the new Challenge baby that was born last weekend, plus three members from Team Ohana, aka the AYTO Season 3 cast, reunite in Hawaii. And then on DC ExtraTime, we'll remember a member of Team MTV outside of the Trifecta whose life was taken too soon last weekend.

- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

So, Join In after the jump for creepy crawlers, meltdowns and more from episode 2 of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines...SocialPulse style.

DC WRAP: The Challenge Battle of the Bloodlines - The Premiere

BY DC CUEVA                           
> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Welcome back once again to DCBLOG as we recap last week's premiere of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. Again as mentioned in our last post, DC WRAP is now the home to my write-up's on the episodes, which were previously featured on my SocialPulse diaries which were posted over the weekend, but were introduced during AYTO3 for those who are in a hurry and who want just a straight-up episode recap. We're making things more easy for all of you in bringing you this recap in cliff notes form.

   The premiere episode of Bloodlines had just about everything: a stunning opening-act hookup, a fight between brothers, more hookups between the originals & bloodlines, and of course some good competition to begin this week's season. And oh, we also gotma good cast that, though it is essentially a Fresh Meat III with newcomers aplenty, there is nonetheless our favorites and those hungry to grab the spotlight in Turkey.

   Ahead, we'll have the usual suspects of the Five Things to Know of the night's key moments and Winners of the Night. Plus, we'll have a 'Pulse Extra with more fan reaction to that episode, carried over from its usual spot at the main 'Pulse post back on Saturday. And on DC ExtraTime, the girl whose actions grabbed everyone's attention is my subject, but before you go off on her for breaking up Tadison, you might want to think twice before sending that hate tweet... proof lies in a video. And on a lighter note as this is posted on the birthday of host TJ Lavin, you'll also meet Team MTV's newest baby as well.  That's ahead after the jump.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Battle of the Bloodlines - The Premiere

*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content 

and spoilers for some readers. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long 

length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***

BY DC CUEVA                           

> @DC408dxtr / @DC408dxnow

Hi, hello, what's up and welcome one & all to DC SocialPulse and our continuing coverage of the MTV Trifecta; and welcome to the first 'Pulse diary for Season 27 of The Challenge. After taking the holiday week off following a most-eventful season 3 of Are You The One?, we transitioned right into the fifth major pro sport. This time, it is a totally different game: Battle of the Bloodlines.
   For the second straight season, and as many as 13 castmates have announced their parenthood this year alone, The Challenge is expanding its talent pool to include those outside the Real World & Challenge Eco-system. And this time, it's the siblings and cousins of the competitors as a popular Survivor concept in Blood vs. Water makes its way across former Viacom corporate lines to the MTV world. More than anyone, the competitors' Bloodlines know exactly what their strengths, weaknesses and fears are and this season should be something else.
   This week as they arrive in Bodrum, Turkey - site of BOTS 2 where I got my start following this Challenge world regularly, we begin with all the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with the cast arriving, but also learning that they'll be competing alongside family members. The first night leads to a scandalous hookup that may have enormous repercussions back home, while a physical clash between brothers could send them packing before the opening horn. And we have our first action on the competition field as well, as well as plenty of other hookups as well.
   We'll have all the interaction from the first Challenge Wednesday, the premiere episode itself and the aftermath covered here in the first of our posts covering this wild opening act that will, just as it was with show 1 of the Trifecta cycle, need two blog posts each week to cover it. Plus after all that on DC ExtraTime, one of the key figures from AYTO 3 opens up on the late night drunken fight that led to a first for the show. That's all ahead as we kick off our in-season coverage right here.

As we lead off our ninth Trifecta season we've covered here at the 'Blog, in case you're joining us for the first time, as always a warm welcome, it's great you've came and get comfortable. The signature feature of DCBLOG, SocialPulse brings you unique, exclusive running twitter diaries of the MTV Trifecta as seen by the people watching the episodes in 140 characters or less - cast and fans alike.
   Social media has brought the true communal experience of watching TV shows and events to the digital age, along with interacting with cast, fans, friends and everyone. With my strong rapport with Team MTV, this site brings that interaction to you on these journals, which are also the premise of my secondary DCNOW twitter hub devoted to live event coverage. And of course, often times it's the twitter interaction during the episodes that becomes the big show as the cast relives the drama in its edited form with more than just family and friends.
   If you wanna relive how you, the castmates and fellow fans reacted to a hookup, fight, mission, elimination or anything else that takes place, of course you're covered and the action, reaction and interaction is below. But most particularly, in the case of some of you such as yours truly, those who might have stayed off social media while the episodes aired and didn't get the benefit of having the true TV/Twitter experience of your favorites tweeting along with you either out west or even watched it on your DVR or Over the Top a day or so later to avoid those spoilers, The 'Pulse is the first place you go to to catch up on the tweets you missed. These diaries are specially designed, curated and pieced together by me in real-time - tweet-by-tweet, uncensored & unfiltered - to bring that experience and interaction as a public service to you, the fans, so you don't miss a moment. It's easier than just catching up on tweets one by one after the fact.
   With me devoting more of my energies & free-time to this site and these posts covering the shows I love, The 'Pulse is only part of the DCBLOG MTV experience, as we take you beyond the headlines, the hookups and the hype to cover the Trifecta like no other site can and offer a unique angle you won't find anywhere else. The Challenge, AYTO and Real World all have a palette of stories, great people and jaw-dropping drama, which makes it best suited to receiving this kind of coverage with great insight, storytelling & perspective, fitting for a channel with its intimate relationship & impact. This acclaimed site brings the interaction, the stories and more all together right here, brought to you by one of its biggest fans.

With that, now let's get to the reason you've come here for: the following are the actual tweets of the cast, alumni, fans and me as we got to see the premiere, along with the buildup to, and the aftermath of, premiere day, and of course the first episode.
- As we begin, please note there is explicit language in many of the tweets below, but they are kept uncensored in order to retain the heat of the moment. So if you are mature enough, please read with discretion. :-)
- Plus, if you haven't watched the episode yet, then do not proceed with reading this post. But need not worry...DCBLOG will compile all of these tweets into these posts after every episode so you won't be in the dark of how your favorites saw this all unfold.

So, dust off that name tag, strap yourself in and Join In after the jump as we head off to Turkey for act 1 of Season 27 of The Challenge, and the Battle of the Bloodlines, SocialPulse MEGA style.