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*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language and objectionable content. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***
If you're just relaxing on your Saturday night, come on in as we bring you our look at Week 10 of The Challenge Vendettas. Ahead, the action, reaction and interaction of this week's episode, but for now enjoy the In-Between interactions of the cast after what went down last week and Challenge Tuesday.
Fairly often, this site scours the web and YouTube for videos of interest involving the hundreds who've appeared on shows of the MTV Trifecta: either clips from past shows which we featured in our Vendettas version of "Who Are These Newbies?", or most especially those from the past before these people were casted. Before They Were MTV Stars gives us that chance sometimes, and last year, we looked at when Tori earned her stripes not on her four MTV shows but on the red carpet talking to hip-hop royalty, when Nelson appeared on a game show hosted by Jerry Springer, and when Asaf Goren did So You Think You Can Dance?, before he went onto not just two AYTO seasons but also a new show on Food Network to identify the Worst Cook in America. Speaking of food, the name of a vegetable is a co-subject to this bit...
This summer sees Shalley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith, a Hampton Roads, VA resident, turn 30 having become a musician and actor who took up the alias of DRAM, which means "Does Real @$$ Music." Being in a military family where his mom served the country, he was born in Germany but it was in spring 2015 that he began to became more well known outside of this military area where Challenge champ Sam from Back to San Diego and AYTO original Chris T. call home. There, he released his debut EP #1Epic under Atlantic, had a single "Cha Cha" that topped the Emerging Hip-Hop charts, and then dropped a mixtape later that year. The next year drop his debut major label album, saw him appear on The Tonight Show performing with Chance the Rapper, Ty Dolla Sign and Anthony Hamilton, and was part of Chance's Grammy-winning Best Rap Album and is now himself with a collaboration with the world's most famous animated band, British group Gorillaz.
DRAM's breakout moment came in April 2016 when he and fellow rapper Lil' Yachty hooked up for his hit single, "Broccoli." It gained much international success, became his first Billboard Top 5 peaking inside the Hot 100, and earned him Grammy, iHeartRadio, Billboard and MTV VMA nominations in the process. The track's video took place both outside in the neighborhood and inside the guys' house, and featured a piano, plenty of twerking from a lot of girls and wiggle stereoscopy that has garnered over 250 million YouTube hits.
One of those who were chosen by DRAM to twerk and dance in the "Broccoli" video, which was shot in that hip-hop hotbed of Atlanta, was Nurys from Season 6 of Are You The One?. On her season - which came a year after her U.S. TV debut in that video, she was part of that love triangle that she and New Jersey girl Diandra were involved in with one of the house's resident players, Malcolm, and well after they were a no match Nurys and Diandra decided to go all in on Malcolm towards the late part of the season when they had enough of them being played. Nurys posted a picture on Instagram when "Broccoli" was the rage that summer of 2016 with the caption, "Check out the video to BROCCOLI by the homie @bigbabydram ft. @lilyachty 🌳I had a blast shooting this! #youtube #spotify #applemusic #tidal"
After such a nice weekend with the Oscars, a big Sunday for golf fans and a lot more, we're into a new week. And before this week's episodes of the MTV series we cover here weekly take to the air, we have this week's WRAP to review last week's premiere of Winter Break: Hunter Mountain and a little Challenge talk before the drama goes down in Spain tomorrow. Last week's first stanza in the Catskill Mountains saw a lot go down in just the first night alone, while Vendettas rolls along with the sweet sixteen still left.
Due to our extensive slate of posts this weekend which began back on Thursday when we had to catch up on the two episodes that took place before last week's, we'll recap not only this week's Challenge but also the past several episodes before that and this coming week's show on here next week. But coming up, a recap of the eventful and fun premiere of Winter Break: Hunter Mountain, plus we'll share a couple photos with you with a few special guests... find out who just ahead.
*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & 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. ***
You all have just enjoyed the Oscars on this Sunday Funday -- and all the envelopes got it all right this time, but now the party is just getting started if you're lucky enough to still be up here at the end of your weekend, as we now bring you the Pulse of The Challenge Vendettas for this week's show.
Last week -- or last night here, we saw Dirty 30 finalists Jordan, Tori and Derrick, and alum Aneesa invade Spain as the Mercenaries... and while the only one to escape this surprise invasion was Queen Kam, the showstopping moment so far of this season came from Mr. Bulldog himself, as he faced off against Joss in a pulse-pounding elimination battle that saw the veteran take out the win. And the week's challenge saw Leroy get taken to the hospital after a nasty fall when they went car hopping above the sea.
The end of that episode saw Kam vote in Marie to save herself, and this week the loyalty of the first AYTO Season 5'er to win an elimination is being put into question. However, it's the humiliating performance of one player that may cost her the game when she finds herself in something that you'll likely find next to the washer and dryer in your house. And with what happened two years ago in front of them still fresh in his mind, we may find ourselves heading towards another titanic battle between the champ and an upstart.
You'll find out what happens here with how the cast saw this past week's episode ahead, plus yet another Twitter beef that's worthy of making some popcorn and watching it unfold in your timeline. And afterwards, those who delighted us on the sand in Florida meets passes the torch to those who, after one episode, has done the same on the snow... we'll have their meeting on ExtraTime.
All of that is ahead on the Pulse of The Challenge... and thanks for staying up for us.
*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language and objectionable content. Viewer Discretion is Advised. Due to its long length, take frequent eye breaks if you're reading this top to bottom. ***
It's Sunday, and we hope you've been enjoying your weekend.. All weekend, we've been catching everyone up on the two episodes of The Challenge Vendettas that took place during the Winter Olympics, and we're caught up now on what went down there when this blogger was caught up in the Games and didn't do much blog work while binge-watching his favorite sporting event.
We'll have the Pulse of this past week's episode here in a bit, but we'll get you in the mood for that with the cast interaction in between Episode 8 and this week's Episode 9 before that diary is posted here later tonight... that includes a trip to Philadelphia and to nearby Atlantic City with not only Team Challenge, but also members from Floribama Shore, Winter Break Hunter Mountain (which we covered here late last night), and even a guy from Teen Mom. And after the diary, have with more on An American Comedian in London who might be familiar if you watched the original season of one of the competitors of this Vendettas season. That's ahead.
*** Advisory: Pulse Diary below 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. ***
Wherever you are tonight -- except perhaps if you're in Florida, California, Hawaii or in South Padre Island, TX where Spring Break is about to begin, it is likely cold outside, and if you're out east chances are you are being snowed in by the latest Nor'easter, we at DCBLOG have the perfect remedy for your late Saturday night: something spankin' new as roll along on our ride around the MTV reality world.
The channel is in the midst of a Renaissance, and the hits just keep on coming: a new group of Teen Mom, this Monday's season finale of the sultry Siesta Key (which we covered here earlier), the upcoming reunion of the Jersey Shore OG's in Miami, and their Southern successors Floribama Shore to return afterwards. And just days removed from the flame being extinguished following an incredible Winter Olympics, this week sees another new MTV series take to the screen in one that was spawned by both Jersey and Floribama:Winter Break: Hunter Mountain.
The show promises to bring that both fun spirit of their Shore counterparts to the winter fun we all get to enjoy this time of year -- especially with what's going on this weekend along the Eastern seaboard, and to continue the wave of interest in all things winter sports thanks to the events of the past month. And this week, it all begins with Alessandra, Carissa, J. Brew, Jillian, Marc, Sheen, Taylar and TJ moving into their new quarters in a cabin where they'll have a case of cabin fever, but also the snow right outside for them to do their thing.
Yes, there's all the usual pomp and circumstance of the roomies getting to know one another in the first hours of them being together for the next month or so, and also getting used to their new surroundings. But also: what happens when cop visits, hot tubs, club kissing and stripping down all come together with having some fun in the powder? It's all in a first day's work in this winter paradise that's only a few hours' drive north of the Big Apple.
This is the latest new series -- over 20 in all outside my three favorite shows -- that I have been able to follow in my five years following the MTV world socially, and DCBLOG will offer Winter Break the same wall-to-wall coverage treatment that we do with Floribama Shore, The Challenge and other series with a Pulse diary of all the action, reaction and interaction of the week's episode from social media land, plus a traditional episode recap or one of our original stories from the ExtraTime files relating to this series -- time permitting.
After the jump, it's the premiere of Winter Break: Hunter Mountain. Have fun enjoying it... (and thanks for staying up here tonight)
*** Advisory: DC SocialPulse contains adult language, objectionable content & 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. ***
It is the first weekend of March -- Oscars weekend for movie lovers, and we roll along on our extended DCBLOG weekend here. It's been a busy past couple days for us as we're halfway through a packed weekend of posts, as we're now into the second of a doubleheader of Backtracked Pulse diaries covering the two weeks of episodes before this week's Challenge Vendettas... again catching up on lost time due to this blogger taking a winter break for the action in Korea.
When we left here on Thursday, Brad went into an elimination for the first time since he beat RW Philly alum MJ on The Duel II, and the Cutthroat champ outlasted Big Brother rep Victor... and he also received encouraging news when the vendetta he formed here in Spain, Sylvia, was sent home when her illness became too much for her to overcome after her elimination win over Melissa. But this was just a minor story compared to what went down at that week's mission when a double elimination was announced, and four heavy hitters off of recent efforts on Dirty 30 and Champs vs. Stars showed up as the Mercenaries to wreck havoc in Spain.
Reigning champ Jordan, his girl Tori, fellow XXX finalist Derrick and longtime alum Aneesa all arrived to face off against, respectively, Shane, Kam, Joss and Veronica in eliminations... and one of those battles turns out to become the latest in a long line of epic "Win or Go Home" duels. Also in Week 8, the Grenade - designed to make things even more tense with those in the house, rears its ugly head with whoever survives the Ring, and the competitors face off against the cars above the sea. And whenever you have someone going all in above the water, chance are someone will wipe out dramatically when jumping above.
You'll experience all of that here with how the cast saw Episode 8 here ahead, along with two vets getting into it socially, and everyone reacting to the latest big-time elimination battle. And after the diary, what happens when one of MTV's most visible faces from a decade ago meets up with another from right now? ExtraTime will delve into the Funny File for when The Hills Meets Siesta Key, Punk'd Style.
An Epic Elimination, a Queen, a Fall, and a Prank... all the action, reaction and interaction is ahead on the Pulse of The Challenge.
Two weeks ago, the world watched with anguish and horror by something that's become all too familiar the past few years: a high-profile mass shooting in the United States. In the wake of the two tragic events in Orlando in summer 2016 where 49 people died, last fall's Route 91 tragedy where 58 concert-goers were killed in Las Vegas and so many other incidents like these, lobbyists have been calling for stricter gun control laws similar to those found in other countries.
The latest incident took place down on Valentine's Day in Parkland, FL outside Fort Lauderdale, where at Stoneman Douglas High School, 17 people were gunned down and 14 others were injured by the bullets fired by 19-year-old expelled student Nikolas Jacob Cruz. Right now, authorities and prosecutors haven't come to a conclusion of what caused Cruz to treat his old high school as his own shooting gallery, and as students have now returned from their grieving period the hashtag #NeverAgain has become a rallying cry for them to take action.
A person who has been featured a good number of times on this site has been John Jacobs from Season 1 of Are You The One?. If you don't remember who he is, he was that carefree comedian from Tampa who found himself in a tumultuous relationship with fellow fire-starter and 3-time Challenger Simone, and in a love triangle with Puerto Rican beauty Jacy and tough Brooklynite Scali. The ladder eventually determined the house's fate in them being the only cast to $1 million in less than 10 tries when they closed the deal four years ago this month, while the former was part of the first of the two invasions in three years of The Challenge by those outside the BMP universe on Battle of the Exes 2 when they and Adam & Brittany made that historic crossover before Big Brother and the Brits arrived on Vendettas.
But while those two shows gave him a national platform, the truest passions of this Tampa resident are comedy and videomaking, and when he's not on the stand-up stage at night, by day you'd likely find JJ on the scene with a suit, a microphone and a camera in tow. If that sounds familiar, then he's doing what a lot of us do in being an independent reporter and newsman, building off of the early experience he had of doing "man on the street" interviews with would-be passers by. His YouTube channel features a number of those, including talking to media and delegates when the GOP held their convention in the Cigar City in 2012, the city's biggest annual event - the Gasparilla festival each February, and even out west along Hollywood Boulevard.
While our attention last Sunday was divided among the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the winter return of The Walking Dead, the Celebrity Big Brother finale, a Bachelor Tell All special and a WWE PPV card, a gun show took place at the Tampa State Fairgrounds a mere eleven days after the Parkland shootings. JJ and his Tampa News Force had the opportunity to go around to talk to people about guns, gun control and everything related to them. This also includes mentions of the NRA, which has certainly found itself at the center of controversy in the past few days with sponsors pulling their support for the organization in droves in the aftermath of the Florida tragedy.
Those who work in the news business, whether with the mainstream media or independently as citizen journalists, always relish those moments of being on the scene when something newsworthy takes place right in front of them... yours truly had that moment when I shot a fight at a local Target store for SnapChat and posted it on Instagram within minutes. JJ had that moment happen to him when he saw a man getting chased down in the parking lot at that gun show after he stole a gun off a table. Below is of what those in the biz refer to as a "vox pop", then that gun robbery caught on tape.
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Tomorrow -- or later today out East, a doubleheader: we'll have the Pulse of this week's episode of The Challenge Vendettas, and our look at the premiere of Winter Break Hunter Mountain. We hope you'll join us then, and have a great Friday.
