Where Are They Now? Road Rules' South Pacific Abram

Here's yet another update about a former castmember. It's not too long since Abram (South Pacific) appeared on Cutthroat, but since Abram was on Derrick's podcast, Abram gave us an update on his whereabouts.

He's currently dating Cara Maria (Fresh Meat II), but she's living in Massachusetts, while Abram is in Wyoming. He's working as a white-water rafting guide this summer in and around Yellowstone National Park, while he rents out his home as a summer house. On the podcast, he seemed to be doing well, but he's recently been in trouble with the law.

Brad and Tori have a Real World/Road Rules baby!

Brad (San Diego) and Tori (Viewer's Revenge had yet another Real World baby!

Yesterday, August 11, 2011, Brad and Tori welcomed John Fiorenza, weighing 7 lbs, 12 oz, measuring 21.5 inches long. The two met while filming the Gauntlet III and got married in April 2010.

This is not the first Real World baby: Sean (Boston) and Rachel (San Francisco) have six children of their own, while Judd (San Francisco) and Pam (San Francisco) also have two children. Chadwick (Down Under) and Holly (Maximum Velocity Tour) also have a child. John is the first Challenge and Real World/Road Rules baby.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Rivals Ratings: Most Watched Episode in Two Years

Last Wednesday's episode, moving the cast from Costa Rica to Argentina, and teasing the Final Jungle (which we spoil in an earlier post), has been the most watched episode of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge in the last two years.

2.057 million people watched as CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) were put up against Johnny (Key West) and Tyler (Key West). In fact, Rivals has posted impressive gains, improving its average ratings 14% over last season's Cutthroat.

This is excellent news, as MTV has not yet posted word on whether or not they will renew the Challenge after this season. The last episode to post these kind of numbers was when 2.188 million people tuned in and watch Brad (San Diego) defeat Landon (Philadelphia) in the last duel of The Duel II.

The Real World San Diego Spotted at Local Restaurants and Bars

There's an interesting article at the La Jolla Patch about the upcoming 26th season of The Real World.

First and foremost, the article points out that filming is scheduled to end around Labor Day. The new cast of the Real World San Diego will stick around for the remainder of the month.

However, what's interesting about the article is that the journalist who wrote it, called up Pacific Beach restaurants and bars to see if they gave permission for producers to film. Beaumont's Eatery, which is in the Bird Rock neighborhood where the house is located, regularly hosts the cast for lunch and dinner. In addition, Moondoggies is a hangout for the cast at night. If you're a San Diego resident, and see the cast at these or other local establishments, feel free to contact us at newrwroad@hotmail.com.

Road Rules Extreme's Derrick Hosts a Great Podcast

Back with some new Challenge news. Fresh on the last post's news that spoiled the Challenge Rivals final Jungle, there's a great Podcast that you guys should know about.

Derrick (Extreme) runs a fantastic podcast that invites former Real World and Road Rules alumni to talk about the latest news. With the Rivals Challenge airing now, Derrick usually has the most pertinent guests for that week's episode. With all the drama surrounding Cara Maria (Fresh Meat II) this week, Derrick invited her, Laurel (Fresh Meat II), and Abram (South Pacific) to talk about the last couple episodes.

There's some great stuff on this latest podcast. Abram abruptly leaves the chat early on, and CT (Paris) has something to do with it! Also, Cara Maria and Laurel give their opinions on the "mob", CT, and Jenn. Check out Derrick's Challenge Podcasts, as there is a great backlog of stuff. We'll keep you updated as he posts new podcasts week-by-week.

Spoiler Alert: Who Wins the Challenge - Final Jungle

Spoiler Alert... If you do not want to know the outcome of next Wednesday's Final Rivals Challenge where CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) face off against Johnny (Key West) and Tyler (Key West)... do not read below:

In next week's Final Jungle, the winner is: (highlight to read)

Even though CT is heavily favored to win the tackling mission, Johnny and Tyler pull through. They head to the finals, while CT and Adam are sent home.

We'll also reveal who wins the Challenge sometime within the next week as well.

Rivals Recap: Get Off of Me!

Last night's episode brought the teams to Argentina and brought back a significant amount of drama to the Challenge.

Challenges usually have a significant amount of time dedicated to the actual missions themselves, but last night was an exception. We began the episode with a drunken night of revelry and this quickly turned ugly when Cara Maria (Fresh Meat II) became the target. Wes (Austin) and Paula (Key West) turned on her, dropping a bottle of coke on her head. Laurel (Fresh Meat II), her former rival turned friend, quickly came to her defense, kicking Wes out and making Paula cry.

At the Challenge, rookies Leroy (Las Vegas) and Mike (Las Vegas) scored an upset, winning the Challenge. Targets CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) disqualified and were automatically sent to the Jungle. The teams were thrown a curveball when TJ announced that the teams would have to vote, right then, who would go to the final Jungle with CT and Adam. This begins a huge fight between Kenny (Fresh Meat), Wes (Austin) and Johnny (Key West), Tyler (Key West). Wes is able to manipulate the votes by lobbying for his team during the vote. Johnny and Tyler are sent to the Jungle.

Later on, Tyler sets his sights on both Paula and Mike. Furious that these two teams set the tone, and voted for Johnny and Tyler to go to the Jungle, he calls them out on it. Unfortunately, Paula shuts him down, saying that she had felt closer to Kenny, even though Paula and Tyler were on the same season. Leroy also is quick to defend Mike, telling Tyler that had it been the Rookies in the Jungle, no one would have raised any concern.

We do not get to see the final Jungle this week, but it's a tackling mission that we've been teased with all season. The episode instead ends with Kenny, Wes, and Johnny attempting to break Adam's (Paris) confidence before going into the Jungle. We are left with a cliffhanger as CT comes to Adam's defense.

The Challenge: Rivals - New Episode Tonight

Is tonight D-Day? With the final Jungle scheduled for tonight...

Will the guys be able to final get CT (Paris) and Adam (Paris) out of Rivals? Will Johnny (Key West), Wes (Austin), or Kenny (Fresh Meat) step up to the plate?

Where Are They Now? Road Rules Northern Trail

Airing in 1998, the fifth season of Road Rules brought six strangers together to weave their way through the Northern United States and parts of Canada. So, thirteen years later, what are Anne, Dan, Jon, Noah, Roni and Tara up to?

Anne Wharton (originally from Tempe, AZ; now residing in Manhattan Beach, CA): Anne is memorable for her bubbly personality, off-and-on-again relationship with Noah during the trip, and her quick romance with the doctor from the Emergency Room mission during her season. We've seen her twice since then, once in the Challenge and then in Battle of the Sexes. So, what is Anne up to now? She's currently working for Zoic Studios, a visual effects production company in Culver City, CA. You can check out her Facebook profile.

Dan Setzler (originally from Apple Valley, MN; now residing in Minneapolis, MN): Dan started a full-blown relationship with Tara during their season, culminating in an admission that the two had sex near the end of the trip. Dan appeared on three Challenges, even teaming up with Tara in Battle of the Seasons. But what is Dan doing today? Dan is currently living in Minneapolis, and sometimes performs as a musician at local bars in the Minneapolis area. You can also check out his Facebook profile.

Jon Holmes (originally from Boston, MA; now residing in Boston, MA): Who can forget Jon? From his quirky personality to his admission that the cast pissed him off during the whole trip, Jon was one of the most memorable of this season. Jon currently keeps busy as the editor and designer of Destructoid, a video game community. He's married and maintains his own blog at the website.

Noah Rickun (originally from Mequon, WI; now residing in Milwaukee, WI): Noah came to the season, looking for an adventure and was one of the most antagonistic of the cast. He pushed people's buttons, especially Anne's, but he was also well-liked in his season. Noah graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and went on to obtain his JD from Marquette University. He's currently married with two daughters and now works as a public speaker. Check out his public speaking profile and his Facebook.

Roni Martin (originally from Harlem, NY; now residing in Los Angeles, CA): Roni was the dancer/photographer from New York who was probably most remembered for calling out her cast when she perceived them being fake. Who can forget when she called out Tara and Dan, while Noah drove the RV? Roni is married, living in the Los Angeles area, and still works as a photographer.

Tara McDaniel Stern (originally from Chatsworth, CA; now residing in Los Angeles, CA): Tara, the unassuming sorority girl from UCLA, was most remembered for her relationship with Dan during her season. Although the two did not continue their relationship onto Battle of the Seasons, they still remain friends today. Tara currently is married, with children, and living in the Los Angeles area. Check out her Facebook profile.

The Real World: San Diego (2011)

As of today, the only official production of any of the three shows is the 26th season of The Real World. Road Rules has not been renewed since the ill-conceived Viewers' Revenge and MTV has not yet announced whether or not they will renew The Challenge series after the currently airing Rivals.

So, appropriately, the first blog post would be about the The Real World: San Diego (2011). After the last two seasons revisited old locales, producers are heading toward a mansion in the ritzy La Jolla neighborhoods of San Diego:

The 6,845 square foot, five bedroom, six bathroom house is only minutes away from the popular Mission Beach neighborhood and is currently filming (Real World Houses). And what would be a spoiler post be without some hint of the cast? Vevmo has one of the best rundowns of the seven strangers:

Alexandra Govere, 21 - Los Angeles, CA

Ashley Kelsey, 24 - Winstead, CT

Frank Sweeney, 22 - Canasota, NY

Nate Stodghill, 22 - Grain Valley, MO

Priscilla Mendez, 19 - San Diego, CA

Samantha McGinn, 21 - Chesapeake, VA

Zach Nichols, 23 - Brighton, MI

Two interesting tidbits about the cast pop out immediately. First, most of the cast is over the age of 21. This actually has been the norm in the later seasons of Real World, especially since the focus on the cast has shifted more toward a partying atmosphere. Although 18 to 24-year-olds are eligible to be cast in the show, the cast has heavily featured 21 to 24-year-olds in the past few seasons. In fact, in the last five seasons, Emily (Washington DC), Jonna (Cancun), and Devyn (Brooklyn) were the only castmembers under age during filming. Second, Priscilla (San Diego) is actually from San Diego. In the past, producers have maintained a requirement for filming was that the castmembers could not reside in the town in which the show was being filmed. Melissa (Miami) and Ruthie (Hawaii) resided in Miami and Honolulu, respectively. From the producers' point of view, this created problems as this allowed these castmembers to escape the house and seek the solace of friends and family when times got tough. It comes as a surprise that after more than a decade of production, the producers have lifted this requirement.

Hopefully there is more to come from the new San Diego house. As always, hit me up with news if you have it: newrwroad@hotmail.com.

We're Back...

After a long hiatus, the Real World/Road Rules Blog is back! With 60 seasons (and one on the way!), the Real World/Road Rules Blog is back to posting daily information on Real World, Road Rules, and the Challenges.

Bear with us. The site is coming back, slowly but surely. There are undoubtedly a few kinks that we'll be trying to work out as we come back online. Here are some questions you may be asking yourselves...

Where were you for the past few years?

Living life. I did leave the blog for a couple years. But, rest assured, the same person who was updating this website before, is still updating this website today. I just found that this website became too time consuming and, simply put, I pretty much abandoned it for a while. I attempted to pass on the torch, but I could never find anyone reliable enough to keep it going.

How long had the site been up before you "abandoned it"?

Believe it or not, the first iteration of this blog came online as The Real World: Hawaii and Road Rules: Semester at Sea came into production. That puts the birth of the site around 1998/1999. At the time, I was a 14-year-old kid in high school, who was excited about the show and learned a little HTML. Back then, the website had a different name and was under a different host, but it was the early version of what you see today.

14 years old? No way! Let me do my math, that makes you... old now, doesn't it?

Yup. I'm pretty old. I'm a college graduate in my mid-twenties with a job. Time flies when you learn HTML.

So, can I trust that the blog will be updated regularly from now on?

I'm not sure in what capacity the blog will come back, but keep your fingers crossed. The Internet is amazing and has grown leaps and bounds since I last updated regularly. I'll try to scour the 'net for some amazing news and I'll rely heavily on you guys to keep me updated. In fact, if you have some news, shoot me an email at newrwroad@hotmail.com.

Alright folks. Sounds good? I'm still working on cleaning up around here. I still have a LONG way to go and there's still a lot of dusting and tweaking that needs to be done. Keep checking in!