DC ExtraTime: Real World St. Thomas Reunited

BY DC CUEVA                      

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Since Marie decided to return to The Challenge last year on Invasion, she has no doubt come into her own during this trilogy. Her being part of the drama even more on Final Reckoning than on Dirty 30 or Vendettas has certainly made her more of a household name in Challenge circles this past year, especially when paired with a champ in Cara as she has this season. And those who've been watching her here are getting to see the Marie those who watched on her first Challenge six years ago who was part of the drama of the first Challenge I got to watch extensively.
   For a lot of us who got our start covering MTV Reality earlier in this decade, those like myself can no doubt cite Marie's original Real World St. Thomas cast as a reason for us to go from just being fans of the show to now those who discuss the show and its related series, and talk to the castmates on podcasts and on blog sites like this one. Them being fan friendly to everyone that summer 2012 when their season aired and when four of them went straight from the Virgin Islands to Battle of the Seasons 2 helped ease that transition, and I still remember being able to talk with the cast a good deal right from when I joined Twitter the night of the season premiere back in late June 2012. And they were regular webcast guests of Andrew Kirk and others on podcast platforms during that summer and fall, which set the stage for the extensive audio coverage of the Trifecta we have now.

For quick synopsis of what their season is about - should you decide to binge watch it after this Challenge season ends, you might say that their season might resemble Siesta Key more than the usual drama-filled seasons were used to. Their Real World was more laid back than usual with not much in the way of blowups or big drama, them being stuck on an island with a gorgeous estate and with the beaches not far away, and all but one of the castmates were paired up during the season almost from right when they moved into Hassel Island.
   Siesta had Alex & Juliette, Kelsey & Garrett and Madisson & Brandon with Chloe being that friend to turn to for the group, and here RW STT had Swift & LaToya, Marie & Robb, and Trey & Laura, with Brandon being the outsider. There was a love triangle with one of the guys on both shows: the Key's playboy Alex was juggling Juliette, high school friend Madisson and even made a play for Kelsey and common friend Amanda in Florida, while Trey had to deal with Laura and girl back home Chelsea which made her late-season visit to the island the most tense moment of that summer. And who can forget Marie and Robb with peanut butter, Ri and T's prank war with Swift and Brandon finding himself sent home for a drug test?
   And if you were one of those who caught Battle of the Seasons II - which was up until Champs vs. Stars II the last Bananas-free Challenge season, they found themselves as outsiders looking in in not joining the house's main alliance in Turkey led by eventual champs in Team San Diego. It was what happened there that got Trey paired up with Zach on Rivals II and won the first two challenges before that shock DQ in elimination later on. And Marie made her mark by pushing Sam and Derek into a pot that was her most notable MTV moment up until recently.

This past weekend, half of those who got to enjoy that summer in the Virgin Islands came to the Midwest for a life-changing weekend. Two years ago, Laura Waller became a mom when she gave birth to a beautiful new baby girl in Omaha, Nebraska. Back in June, she and her boyfriend Nick played a round of golf to begin the summer but then decided to take out an engagement ring and proposed to her... she got to say yes, and it didn't take long for the big day to come.
   On Friday, Laura welcomed family, friends and three of her original Real World roommates - Robb, Swift and LaToya, as she became Laura Lee Weander and became a wife in an intimate setting. She captioned on social media, "Yesterday was a dream. The weather was perfect with the sun coming out right before the ceremony. We had nothing but the most important people in our lives to help us celebrate becoming a family of 3! Nick and I can't thank everyone enough for their love and support and look forward to life as the Weanders!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤"
   The rest of her St. Thomas castmates -- both who flew in Omaha and the rest who were too busy to make the trek there -- sent their well-wishes to Laura as she enters the next chapter of her life... it includes that guy who was part of that memorable relationship and love triangle in St. Thomas. Our congrats go out to her & Nick too.

● @swiftmtv/IG: "Blessed to be with and celebrate my lovebug @lauraleewaller wedding today. God has blessed you and your daughter with an an amazing husband/father.. I 100% approve !! The level of joy I have for you lovebug knows no bounds. Shoutout to my other castemates/family @robbertacus @anotherlatoya love y’all! #ThankGod4St.Thomas"

● @robbertacus/IG: "To put it very matter-of-factly, thank God for St. Thomas. My heart is so full, happy, and grateful to have these people in my life. What an outstanding occasion. Laura, I’m so happy for you, and thank you for having me be a part of it. #ItsAWeanderfulLife #SeriouslyCanNickBeMyBestFriend"

● @anotherlatoya/IG: "It’s been 6 years since I’ve seen my #realworldmtv gang 😩... but I couldn’t think of a better reunion than to be together again to watch the marriage of my beautiful TV sis Laura👰🏻. Congratulations Laura and Nick on your marriage!! Wishing you two to many years of happiness. And yes I finally made it to #nebraska to visit 😆. Love you 💕 @lauraleewaller @robbertacus @swiftmtv #RW27 #Stthomas #Omaha #itsaweanderfullife"

● @MTVtrey/Twitter: "Congratulations on your wedding @LauraLeeWaller_. You have always deserved the utmost happiness and I am genuinely happy for you, from the bottom of my heart. May your day be full of love."

● @mar8e/IG: "You look so stunning I’m sorry I missed out. Congratulations!!!"

● @brandonmichaelkane/IG: "Congrats @lauraleewaller thats a huge moment. Enjoy the crazy ride of marriage."

View this post on Instagram

It’s been 6 years since I’ve seen my #realworldmtv gang 😩... but I couldn’t think of a better reunion than to be together again to watch the marriage of my beautiful TV sis Laura👰🏻. Congratulations Laura and Nick on your marriage!! Wishing you two to many years of happiness. And yes I finally made it to #nebraska to visit 😆. Love you 💕 @lauraleewaller @robbertacus @swiftmtv #RW27 #Stthomas #Omaha #itsaweanderfullife

A post shared by Latoya J. Jackson (@anotherlatoya) on Oct 26, 2018 at 6:55pm PDT

- I AM DC
#DCBLOG

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Final Reckoning - A Fight, Leftovers & Trivia

*** 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, hope you're enjoying this last weekend of October and hope you're fully recovered from last night's festive Halloween festivities - and for our friends down in Key West, FL, the annual Fantasy Fest. For us here, we're getting down to the nitty gritty of the fall cycle of 2018 in MTV Reality, and The Challenge Final Reckoning is making its way towards awarding $1 Million.
   Last week, our defending champion, Cara Maria, and the breakout star of this season, Marie, decided to go all in when they were sent into elimination, opting to face off against Shane & Nelson to avoid a trip to Redemption. And in a game of trying to find your way through a maze, the guys beat the girls... but that was just the beginning to the story: #CaraMariE found themselves in the Double Cross and in a Redemption challenge where they won their way back into the game as did Paulie & Natalie when they hit the jackpot in a life-sized game of bingo.
   Whenever the number of players or teams dwindles in the main house as it is now, the emotional toll will usually ramp up as the final challenge and the jackpot looms, and this week is no different. A night of debauchery in and outside the house will find the house in a state of chaos as the tensions that have developed between players finally boils over... and just as it is on Floribama Shore, it comes from an unexpected source. And it's that time of season again where TJ Lavin goes from a host to a mad scientist... which means only one thing: Trivia takes over The Challenge.

After the jump, all the action, reaction and interaction of Episode 16 of Final Reckoning, along with Cheyenne & her boyfriend possibly splitting up on Teen Mom OG. We're glad you're with us...

DC ExtraTime: Pray For Vinny

BY DC CUEVA                      

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

In 2010, for the second time The Challenge got to welcome a new class of Fresh Meat to its roll call for Fresh Meat II. There, Cara Maria, Laurel, Theresa, Mandi and Brandon Nelson all made their debuts in Vancouver alongside the Wes/Kenny rivalry, Darrell, Jenn, Paula and Evelyn. In the end, it was Landon and Carley who took the win in Canada just months after the Winter Olympics were held in B.C., as a bunch of new blood helped infuse new energy into The Challenge.

Another member of the Fresh Meat who joined the show eight years ago was Vinny Foti, who as MTV wrote on him had "Bulging biceps, dizzying dance moves and a thick Boston accent" who was penned the "Italian Don Juan." He got close to his partner Sarah in his first go but before they knew it they were on the way out, and on the next season of Cutthroat she turned her back on him and he was also eliminated earlier on. Then came Battle of the Exes: they were paired up and though they were power team in Week 2, a lapse of judgement on his part in the club got the best of Vinny, and he and Sarah were sent home from South America.

Post-MTV, Vinny has become a dad, a husband, a bartender and a sports handicapping enthusiast in the capital of sports wagering and adult pleasure, Las Vegas. But earlier this month came devastating news: he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains, and was diagnosed with a case of heart failure. He was put into the Intensive Care Unit and into a ventilator at a local hospital, where he would spend the next three weeks in a battle for his life. A fever, pneumonia, surgeries would follow as Vinny began the rehabilitation phase of what will be a long road back to recovery.

Not surprisingly, those who've competed with him on his three Challenges have expressed their support and prayers for Vinny. Exes I champ Camila told US Weekly, "Vinny is such a unique guy and always brought a special, unique energy into the shows. I can only imagine what him and his family are going through, and I wish he pulls through stronger than ever. As crazy as our MTV family may be, I am sure we are all hoping to see him making us laugh again."

His wife, Krista Foti, and his family launched a GoFundMe effort that has raised over $4,000 as family, friends, followers, and a few of his fellow MTV alumni pitched in to contribute whatever they can offer out of their own pockets to help a friend in the most important time of need. At the site itself, she and the family have kept updating everyone on Vinny's progress from when he was admitted to the hospital until this past weekend.

And it was on Saturday that the mom of two daughters reported great news: "After Vinny was in the ICU for three weeks and being in the hospital since October 1st. The dr said he would be in there 3days for everyday he was in the hospital bed. He showed them with his strength, determination and finally got discharged. We have physical therapists and nurses that come and help with his recovery but he’s finally home. Thanks again for all the love, support and prayers."

To donate to the ongoing fundraising effort for Vinny for the continuing journey to recovery he will is now embarking on, go to GoFundMe.com/foti-fundraiser. And below, Vinny's colleague on the Vegas football betting site Pro Football Science, Vini Ferreira, posted an Instagram picture earlier this week of him and his friend in his hospital bed. Our thoughts are with Vinny for a speedy recovery.

View this post on Instagram

Great to see my boy Vinny on his road to recovery. Wynn Fam, go see him if you can...St. Rose San Martin Hospital..he was in very serious condition and his recovery is very challenging. He could use your support. Get well soon brother! @vinnyfoti

A post shared by Vini Ferreira (@viniferreira24) on Oct 22, 2018 at 5:28pm PDT

- I AM DC
#DCBLOG

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? Season 7 - "Caught on Kiss Cam" (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. ***

BY DC CUEVA                      

■ @DC408DXTR  @ IG/YT/SC/TB

Hi there, hope your Thursday is going along well, and we're almost at the weekend - Halloween weekend that is. It's been quite a week in MTV Reality, and we at DCBLOG will have it all covered here starting tomorrow. But we do have some unfinished business to attend to before we proceed with covering this week's episodes as we look at what is now last week's episode of Are You The One? Season 7.
   Previously, Bria and Zak - and their accompanying player ways and obsession - got in the way of the house getting to play the game as it should be played. Meanwhile, questionable behavior on the part of one half of a best friend duo suddenly turned BFF's into frenemies, and Cali was the latest AYTO castmate to try their hand at strategy... only for the same old result to bite them in the ass.
   Defying what we have seen with couples being a buffer of sorts against a blackout, Kenya & Tevin were voted into the Truth Booth, and there they'll find out if they will join Maria & Shamoy in the Honeymoon Suites. Meanwhile, the connection one new couple tries to make may find itself in a precarious position when a foe tries to rain on the party... all as power couples try to make new love.

After the jump, a special Backtracked Pulse of Are You The One? and Episode 12 as we begin this week's journey Inside MTV Reality.

DC SocialPulse: The Challenge Final Reckoning - "Wheel of Fortune"

*** 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, hope you had an amazing weekend after the chaos of the sports weekend that was: big day in the NFL, LeBron's Staples debut marred by THAT fight, the Dodgers and Red Sox setting up their date in the World Series, upsets aplenty in college football, and golfer Brooks Koepka becoming world #1. Speaking of competition, The Challenge Final Reckoning is gliding along as it heads towards the stage identifying those able enough to handle the $1 million test that awaits them.
   Last week in South Africa, the end result of the most recent elimination battle saw the Lavender Ladies and the Young Bucks become reunited again by way of Cory and Devin joining the house, and almost instantly they set their sights on taking down the odd men out in the main house, Bananas and Tony. They were then faced with a tall task of running up an elevator shaft, solving a puzzle and scaling down the building like Spider-Man. In the end, it was Team Banony who took the win and set off fireworks with the main alliance, headlined by Sylvia laying a headbutt on Marie.
   When they were given the most votes from the house, her and Cara took a cue from what we had a few weeks ago in opting to go for a big opponent in elimination, and this week they face off against that pair who decided to take a big gamble: Shane & Nelson. Whoever loses that battle heads into the Redemption House, where a stacked field awaits them there as they encounter the Double Cross for a chance to return to the game. And there, a twisted plan may backfire in one team's face, while the results of what goes down in a double trip to Armageddon may have a ripple effect.

After the jump, the Pulse of The Challenge as this twisted game gets even more twisted, along with the cast taping the reunion, Tony getting engaged and the return of The Real World. And thanks for staying patient with us... settle in as we go Inside MTV Reality at DCBLOG.

DC FORUM: 10/19/18 - A Word from The Blogger

To my friends, followers, fans and loyal readers:

In the past few days as I write this, I have not been feeling good. My body has been acting up during this time stretching over the past few weeks. And while I've been working hard to maintain DCBLOG amidst all this, right now seems to not be an appropriate time to continue to post things here.

After taking some careful consideration of my state of mind right now, I've decided that I'll be taking a break from blogging to improve myself, my health and well-being, and to get myself back in the right frame of mind. This was not an easy decision in trying to think of whether to take this sabbatical during the midst of The Challenge Final Reckoning, the homestretch of Are You The One? Season 7, and the big time we have ahead in MTV Reality with new seasons and shows in the coming months - especially with the busy week we've had this week.

But in order to ensure that you're getting, what a lot of you feel is, the finest blog coverage possible of the shows you love, I have to also be in the right physical & mental environment to do that. For me, right now is not a good time as I will take this opportunity right now to evaluate my current situation and have all the necessary time I need to rest, possibly recuperate and then return to this site, for which it is not doubt my favorite activity and it covers my strongest passion.

As I always say in the case of when things like this come up on The Challenge, four things take priority over everything else: family, career, school, and health. The fourth item will have to take precedent for the time being as I do whatever I can to get through the rough spot I am in right now. Hopefully, it won't be long before I return to do what I do best in following these shows you love - especially with where we're at right now in this being the busiest year I've had on here and for the channel itself, while also being able to life live to its fullest as well when I'm not in front of my screens.

So, thank you for your understanding and continued loyalty to this site - I always appreciate your support. Enjoy the weekend that's to come and this month of October as I head towards #DCBDay next month. And when you can, be sure to think of me while I'm away and to send your prayers to yours truly. As the Terminator says, "I'll be back!"

- I AM DC

#DCBLOG

MTV Reality: Floribama Shore - The Season 2 Summer Finale

*** Advisory: Running diary below contains adult language, objectionable content and 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

If you look at the calendar, you'll notice that it's now mid-October. Unless you live in California, Hawaii, Las Vegas or Florida where it's , glance outside and you'll find that summer is now over. It's also the case, for now, for Season 2 of Floribama Shore and the summer finale - and is custom, the weekend's last episode post.

   Previously, the house found themselves divided and then united again when Gus & Nilsa kissed again and when Candace got cautionary news about her boo thang. As he tended to a loss in the Buoni family, Jeremiah returned to the Shore in time for the group to take their first out-of-town trip as a whole group to New Orleans -- a city with a history of wild MTV moments over the years, and it saw the house hand out some beads, have lots of fun in the bars, and saw yet another fight take place with our favorite mermaid.
   For what happened with Aimee going after Gus in the hotel room over -- of all things, going out to dinner, this time around everyone is forced to take sides after she laid that Alabama special on him. Once again, the group finds themselves divided on their last night in NOLA... and of course, it means having the best time of their lives on Bourbon Street -- the guys most especially. And when they arrive back in PCB, a common threat unites them all again as the one who seems to be the ninth roommate of the house invades their space again.

After the jump, our look at the Season 2 summer finale of Floribama Shore. Enjoy...

DC SocialPulse: Are You The One? Season 7 - "Once Upon A Crazy Party Time"

*** 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, hope you had a good Monday. Because of matters beyond the control of this site, posts are just now being posted for the rest of what is now last week's episodes, all before this week's now two main episodes air on Tuesday. So, we're now into Are You The One? Season 7 and as the number of chances dwindle for the house, so does all the emotion in the house.
   Previously in Hawaii, Zak found himself at the heart of the matter when his player ways and the obsession he has with Bria was again a talking point for the house. He also gave everyone reason to shake their heads when he chose someone else to go on the getaway date when the fate button landed on him. And with the house seemingly going nowhere in the game itself, the house decided to shake things up and find out which of the power couples are a Perfect Match and which are not.
   Cali's strategy was of mixing up Cam & Kayla and Tomas & her while keeping Tevin & Kenya in tact, and she will find out if this extra truth booth in a matchup will work out. Meantime, Terrence J. gives the group something to finally cheer about when he now throws the annual wild fun-fest under the stars. That includes plenty of dirty dancing and wild behavior that may be enough for turn friends into frenemies. The man who's been a sleeping giant during this season finally gets more screen time, and it may be time for THAT power couple to perhaps say goodbye to the singles house.

We'll have all the action, reaction and interaction from last week's episode of Are You The One? ahead. Glad you've waited long enough... enjoy it after the jump.