It has been confirmed that legendary poet and writer Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86.
Her literary agent, Helen Brann, confirmed that Dr. Angelou died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As many of us know, Dr. Angelou’s work spans over 50 years, and goes beyond just writing. She’s recorded albums, starred in several films and productions, as well as directed film.

One of my favorite works by her would have to be her famous book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," an autobiographical book. Self-taught, she made a name for herself and was a true inspiration to look up to. I’m saddened to hear about her passing, but it’s good to know that she lived a full life of purpose and joy, doing what she loved and impacting literally millions. That’s a great legacy to leave. 

Thoughts and prayers go out to her loved ones. For now, I leave you all with one of my favorite poems by Dr. Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman.” Rest in Peace.

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7:20:00 AM

Hip hop artists EffYoo and Godilla are dropping their next single for their upcoming collaborative effort! The track, "Armed To The Teeth, features fellow artists Adlib, Spit Gemz, Shabaam Sahdeeq & UG.

Check out the track below!

 The duo's collaborative album, They Came On Horseback, drops June 3rd so be on the lookout! 

5:13:00 AM

I'm blessed to be able to share with you all these amazing spotlights of talented artists, designers, producers, and more! I get more and more requests every month, and it blows me away! As always, if you are interested in featuring your work (or your client's work) on The Spotlight, feel free to email me! 

Today we have on the blog, model/actor Frankito Arias! Frankito is relatively new to the industry, and was introduced to acting and modeling back in 2011 by his current manager, Tahyira Savanna. “The truth is, it was just something fun to do and she thought I had real skill.” The duo were both new to their jobs—Frankito to acting and modeling and Tahyira to managing—but they gave it a shot anyway. “The response was so good, we started to take it more seriously and now that I have had a taste of what it is I found my true path,” the actor admitted.

Born in Yonkers, NY, but raised in Brooklyn, Frankito admitted that the “grind go-hard mentality” of the city helps motivate him to be great. “They say if you can make it here you can make it anywhere so I give it my all,” the model said. “I come from immigrants—my entire family is from the Dominican Republic. It is a poor place with little opportunity. I want to make a difference over there as well,” he added.

Inspired by Jim Carrey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Denzel Washington, whom Frankito believes have all been able to bring various characters to life on the screen, the actor has already started developing his portfolio and building up his experience. He's played characters in several short films, as well as posed for a variety of photo shoots. Two of his favorite projects that he’s done so far is his work on Discovery ID’s Deadly Affairs, as well as an action shoot he did on the Coney Island Boardwalk during his first year as a model.


Most recently, the actor started a monologue series on YouTube, doing famous monologues from movies to showcase his skills. “My manager and I talked and we figured, since I am still building my resume and I have never had professional coaching, it would be cool to film monologues and release them via my channel,” Frankito said of the idea. “I can get more practice, it helps me for cold readings during auditions, and I get to keep my craft active which is always the most important thing.” He chose the Joker from The Dark Knight (famously played by the late Heath Ledger) because it was difficult and challenging. He also chose Bryan Mills from Taken (played by Liam Neeson), which utlizied a prop for a phone scene, which he wanted to get experience using. Sometimes, in order to break into the industry you love, you have to come up with creative ideas to get yourself noticed and build up your resume (I know that for myself....that's how Spotlight came to be in the first place!)

Currently, Frankito’s main focus is finding an agent both in New York and Los Angeles, continuing to audition on both the East and West Coasts. His drive is what he feels like separates him from other actors and models. “I will make it, and I will not stop until I do,” he said adamantly, stressing the importance of also having a team behind him to make it. He and his manager are on constant grind mode to make his dreams for his career come true, and Frankito definitely has major dreams to keep him motivated. “I would love to own my own production company one day,” the actor said, currently writing scripts in his spare time and developing story ideas for both film and TV. “I want to star in great projects, meet and learn from awesome people, and continue to inspire others to chase their dreams—no matter what kind of dream it is.” Go get it! Frankito is certainly ambitious and hardworking, and has the talent to reach his goals!

Check out more from Frankito on his online portfolio as well as his official website! 

10:57:00 AM

The Challenge: Free Agents is continuing to get interesting! Picking up from last episode, Theresa realizes that she messed up not saying Laurel’s name in the last elimination after she rallied a lot of people together to throw her in. Now, not only is Laurel gunning for her, but several people are mad at her for not standing with them. She and Devyn still plan to go after her again, though.

That night, the house celebrates Jonna's birthday. Of course, it’s crazy fun, with a lot of dancing and drinking. On the way back to the house, one van of folks make out seemingly the whole way home. Meanwhile, in the other van, Jordan starts an argument with Johnny and CT after telling them to shut up. CT, being his true self, goes off and puts the boy in his place. So, now Jordan has made an enemy out of him too. The next morning, Laurel tells Jordan that he needs to control himself. Good advice, but he definitely won’t.

At the sixth challenge, the competitors gather to play Smarty Pants, which they will play individually. It’s my favorite game of The Challenge—trivia! There will be two rounds, one for the guys and one for the girls. As the players are suspended on a platform over water, T.J. will ask a series of questions, and the competitors will only be able to miss two questions before they are dropped in the water. The first four guys and the first four girls to get dropped will go into the Draw. It's always funny, because people give the dumbest answers to the easiest questions (What language do they speak in Australia? Johnny Bananas answers Dutch. What?!). T.J. has too much fun pulling the lever to launch people into the water, which I always love. Zach, who is still not the sharpest tool in the shed, surprisingly wins for the guys and Devyn keeps her hair dry and wins for the girls! The two of them later will have to decide who will go into elimination.

Zach plans to throw in Swift, but refuses to actually tell him, saying that he doesn’t owe him anything. Devyn wants to throw in Laurel, but goes to talk to her. Laurel makes a list of the people and says that she thinks of Devyn as fifth in terms of throwing her into elimination. However, if Devyn says her name, Laurel will have no problem coming back for her. At the elimination, Zach throws Swift in, which Devyn supports with her vote. Surprisingly, Devyn throws in Theresa, which Zach supports since there’s only two of them. I guess she didn’t want to deal with Laurel’s wrath!

At the draw, Camila and Jordan draw the Kill Card. They play Looper, which, as we've seen before is an excruciatingly painful game for the players. There's a rope in the center of the ring. At each end of the rope, there's a hook that will be attached to each player The object is to weave around a post to make it to your bell, which makes it a tug of war battle. Jordan, however, easily beats Swift, which doesn't nothing to settle that huge ego. Theresa and Camila both dig in, but Camila eventually breaks, and lets the rope go, letting Theresa win and sending herself home. It’s crazy because Camila is such a tough competitor, so to see her break like that was almost unbelievable. Then again, this is a really tough elimination game! Sorry to see her go.

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Free Agents on Thursdays at 10 p.m. only on MTV!

Images via MTV

10:44:00 AM

Hollywood Exes is really heating up, and the season just started! Picking up from last week's dramatic season premiere, Nicole talks to Bria about the incident between her and Mayte. Bria saw red when her mother was disrespecting, yelling and acting out of character, but wants to call Mayte and apologize for how she spoke. Bria calls Mayte while Nicole stands quietly and apologizes, which was really big of her. However, Mayte doesn't apologize for her part in it, and doesn’t even throw out the idea of apologize though. She really feels like she’s right in this situation! 

Later, Mayte does a shoot for Para Todos magazine. At the shoot, Andrea comes to talk to her, obviously, about the incident. Andrea, often as the voice of wisdom, wants everybody to come together and move forward. Mayte refuses to apologize, though, seeing it as her passion. She was hurt that Nicole didn't step up, and acknowledge that people wearing fur is offensive to Mayte and that she let Bria attack her as well. Here’s my thing, Mayte. No one is about to put out a memo every time they throw a party, or have a dinner to their guests telling them, “Oh, you can’t wear fur because Mayte Garcia is going to be there, and she’ll be offended if you do.” How can you really expect that? She needs to be like Jessica and just chill before she doesn’t get invited to anything else, and loses her friends in the process! Though Mayte obviously doesn’t plan to apologize, Andrea invites her to a dinner with all of the girls to put everything to rest. 

That night, Jessica and Nicole go out to get their nails done and talk about Mayte. Jessica, of course, tries to come to Mayte’s defense, but Nicole doesn't care. Mayte disrespected Nicole and her house. Mayte might've been upset, but that didn’t give her the right to throw someone’s dish on the floor (because she’s definitely threw it on the floor…wasn’t an accident at all!) Nicole doesn't want to really go to dinner and deal with Mayte, but she’s going to go for Drea’s sake. 

Later, all of the girls meet up, and Andrea has high hopes that peace will be made. However, when Nicole shows up, she can tell that the night is going to go left. In the midst of conversation, Nicole, who’s been staring at Mayte, asks her if she’s going to apologize. Andrea tries to play mediator, but Nicole goes off! Even if it was an "accident," you can still apologize. The two go back and forth for a minute, but Andrea quickly stops them. Sheree then expresses her feelings about Mayte ditching Terrell's birthday, which was unacceptable to her since she was depending on her friends to help. Sheree doesn't think a friend would do that, and then not apologize for it at all! She calls Mayte selfish, which sets Mayte off. She explains that Humberto didn’t want to go, and that she didn't have a babysitter for Gia. But, um Mayte, if Humberto didn’t want to go, couldn’t you have left Gia with him? Since he’s the love of your life, and Gia calls him Papa or whatever? Mayte then says Sheree wouldn’t understand because she has "Will Smith money," which was a cheap shot, and pisses Andrea off. She has an Iyanla Vanzant moment with Mayte, telling her that she shouldn’t “throw that dagger at your sister,” especially when everyone else already does, which is true. People assume that baby mamas and exes of celebrities are just completely well to do and taken care of, and that’s not always the case. Mayte made a huge assumption, and it was wrong. For Drea, it probably hit home, because she’s struggling to get child support from her ex now, which is crazy since we KNOW the King of R&B has money. Nobody should have to force you to support your children, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. 

The next day, at Sheree's house, she, Andrea, and Shamicka talk about Mayte's comment. She took a dig at Sheree, implying that Sheree is living off of Will Smith's money, which again, was wrong. Sheree then reveals that she feels that Mayte may be feeling resentment since she herself is the only one in the group that didn’t leave her marriage herself. Prince made the decision, and announced it at a press conference no less (supposedly). He reportedly didn't know how to deal with losing their son, which drove him to leave. If that’s true, I feel bad for Mayte. However, none of her causes, passions, or problems give her the right to act terribly with her friends. 

Meanwhile, Nicole talks to Jessica, wishing Mayte would just own up to what she did wrong. Jessica jokes that Shanna, being new to the group, probably thinks they're all crazy, since both times she’s hung out with everybody, they’re all fighting! Later, Shanna goes to see Nicole. They talk about they both co-parent with their exes. Shanna's kids actually stay at the house, and she and Travis take turns staying with them. That’s different, and actually a good idea to give kids a sense of normalcy, versus having them split between two houses. They also talk about the Miss Nevada USA pageant, which Nicole is excited to judge! 

Shanna and Nicole head to Vegas, where they hang out and then go check out the pre-show rehearsals with the pageant girls, which is a complete mess. Everything is going wrong and Shanna stresses, making the girls run it over and over again. However, the actual show goes off without a hitch and a new Miss Nevada USA is crowned (shout out to Nia Sanchez!) 

Meanwhile, Andrea and Mayte meet up for dinner to talk. Mayte feels like she was right in her comment, but Andrea lets her know that she was wrong. Andrea then talks about how she gets the stress, especially with her own problems, but she can't take it out on everybody else, implying that Mayte can’t either. Mayte says she doesn't feel like there's any effort amongst the ladies, which confused the hell out of me, because she’s the one who doesn’t seem to want to put any effort towards making this whole argument right by just apologizing! She’s never been my favorite, but I’m really not liking her this season. 

Check out new episodes of Hollywood Exes on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. only on VH1! 

Image via VH1

1:10:00 PM

Excited to have quite a few new spotlights in the works, so be on the lookout for those in the coming months! As always, singers, rappers, publicists, etc. email me with any amazing work you would like to be featured on The Spotlight!

A few weeks back, I featured music from upcoming singer, Super Jay! His track, "Yo Body," was sexy and smooth, and perfect for radio! I wanted to feature a little bit more about him to give you guys a good look into who this great artist is! Often compared to Trey Songz because of his sultry vocals, Super Jay is a triple threat previously opening up for Trey Songz, and J. Holiday, and already embarked on his own "All of Me" tour that began April 4, 2014 in Ardmore, OK.


The singer actually got his start singing in church, but as he got older, he stopped. "By the time I hit
puberty, I stopped singing because I didn't like my voice," Super Jay admitted. "The summer before I started high school, I started rapping and making beats with a few of my friends and that’s where it all started." He didn't get back into singing again until his junior year. Though he felt he wasn't very good and didn't get support from those around him, he made up his mind that that's what he wanted to do.

Inspired by artists like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Usher, Ludacris, and Mario, he was inspired to work towards being a talented singer and smooth performer and bring his music to life for audiences to be inspired by! He dropped hit singles, "On the Set" and "Drunk Text" both debuting on YouTube and other top media outlets that earned him thousands of hits, views and popularity. He has also garnered the attention of major media outlets such as Complex and Essence Magazines.

His latest single, "Yo Body" was inspired by a past relationship. "[It} came from a girl that I was with that would put on a front like she didn't want me to touch her but would go along with it after I did," Super Jay said of the track. "I guess she likes making it a challenge!" He co-produced the track with The Fam, who is also responsible for production of Drake's track, "Draft Day." Check it out again below!

As an artist, Super Jay loves hitting the stage for his fans! "It's like a drug that never gets old," he said. "I've performed more times than I can remember but I still get nervous every time. Not because I'm afraid but because I'm trying to do better than the time before. I love my fans and I want to give a good show." Currently, he's writing and producing for a few other artists, not putting himself in a box, but reaching out to various genres including rap, R&B, and hip hop, but also pop, rock n' roll, and country! No limits to this artist! Super Jay has dreams of becoming a "worldwide music sensation," as well as helping the youth and fellow artists reach their dreams.

Super Jay is definitely very talented and ambitious. With his hard work and determination, he's sure to go far! You can connect with Super Jay on Twitter and Instagram, and check out more of his music on SoundCloud! For bookings and inquiries, please contact The Latham-Capital Group at (769) 798-4439 or Charli Holbrook at charli@pslovecharli.com.

9:28:00 AM

The Challenge: Free Agents is bringing the drama! As the competition heats up, more and more drama is bound to happen, and some of it came to a head during this episode. Picking up from last week, a good majority of the house works out before the next challenge. It's clear as day from the confessionals that Johnny Bananas and Jordan DO NOT like each other, but I think it's partly because they're a lot alike.

At the next challenge, T.J. presents to the competitors Piggy Back, which will split them up into two teams of 10. There are two platforms over water on the opposite sides of each other, with ropes to cross to get to the other side All ten players will start on one platform, using each other to piggy back across, basically climbing over each other to cross these ropes. Everyone also must have both hands on their ropes at all times. You need A LOT of upper body strength and endurance to stay alive!
The house is split into two teams, Team Purple an Team Yellow, and the game gets underway!Team Purple is an absolute mess, unfortunately. They have no real system to get people across, only getting four of their players across. Obviously, since Team Yellow went second, they have a much better system, thinking to crouch down to use people as a step. However, they end up only getting four people across too, so it comes down to who has the quickest time! Team Yellow ends up getting the quickest time. However, since Preston didn't touch the last two ropes with both hands while crossing, the Yellow Team gets disqualified, giving the win to Team Purple! 

At their team deliberation, Cara Maria feels like they should call out Johnny Bananas. Theresa herself wants to throw in Laurel, who's a strong competitor and her arch nemesis. When it comes down to it, though, Theresa doesn't actually vote in Laurel herself. She pulls a punk move, letting other people vote for her, without actually saying her name. Laurel and Johnny Bananas gets thrown in, after Jordan immaturely gives a short speech about how Johnny needs to "earn his stripes." Later, Devyn calls Theresa out for lying, and then tells Laurel that Theresa was the one behind getting her thrown into elimination. Normally, I'm not for snitching, but with this, I'm not mad. That's what Theresa gets for being a punk and trying to let other people do her dirty work.

At the elimination, Jasmine and Isaac pulls the Kill Card to go against Laurel and Bananas. The goal is to score a basket in a barrel, with the opposing players alternating offense and defense over 5 rounds. If the ball or the player goes out of bounds, that round is over. Of course, Jasmine is upset because she knows that Laurel is TOUGH. The competitors get to play Balls In, which we saw in the season premiere. Jasmine's a fighter, but Laurel just pushes that little girl out of her way, sending Jasmine home. Johnny comes out swinging, easily sending Isaac home, and of course, he's coming back for Jordan fiercely! Back at the house, the two get into it, with Jordan saying that he's going to be the one to send Johnny home. I liked this kid last season, but he's too much now. He didn't even win last season or get to the final to be this cocky! I wouldn't be surprised if he got sent home within the next few weeks or so. Somebody needs to knock him down a few pegs!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Free Agents on Thursdays at 10 p.m. only on MTV!

Image via MTV

8:40:00 AM

The ladies of Hollywood Exes are back for a third season, and I'm back to recapping! This season, there's a new member in the mix, Shanna Moakler, the ex-wife of Travis Barker. With Shamicka Lawrence being added to the main cast as well, the ladies did a new opening for the show, and it was gorgeous!

At the start of the episode, Mayte and Jessica have worked past their issues from last season's finale. Mayte is enjoying being a mommy to baby Gia, who just turned two. It's good to see that Jessica and Mayte have worked things out. They talk about being single moms, and how so much has changed now that Gia is in her life. Mayte also has fallen in love with an old friend Humberto, though he lives in Tampa. Neither of them have heard from Andrea, who was last heard to be in a custody battle with her ex, R. Kelly. No one knows what's going on, but it has to be something serious for Andrea not to have reached out to anyone in months.


At the gym, Jessica later works out with Nicole. Nicole's life has been hectic. Her fiance Michael is working like crazy, and she is currently renting a home in Beverly Park. Flying between L.A. and New York to see Michael is always taxing on her. However, she plans to have a brunch at her house with all the ladies to catch up with everyone.

Meanwhile, Sheree comes over to Shamicka's house to get some things off her chest about Mayte. Apparently, Mayte said that she would bring her boyfriend to Terrell's birthday party to make drinks. Sheree went and got all of the ingredients Mayte needed and everything, but then Mayte broke her promise at the last minute to spend time with Humberto. Understandably, Sheree is pissed off, because she gave her word. She plans to hold off on talking about it until she can get Mayte alone, not wanting to embarrass her at the brunch.

Later, Mayte talks to Humberto about him moving from Tampa to L.A. They both plan to sell their houses, and look for a house of their own. They're very cute together! I don't think I could do the long distance thing though. That's got to be hard on them. Hopefully, they find something soon.

That night, Nicole brings Shanna to meet Mayte and Jessica. She has a daughter with Oscar de la Hoya, Atiana, as well as two kids with her ex-husband, Travis Barker. She works now as the Executive Director for the Miss Nevada USA and Miss Nevada Teen USA programs, showing that she is more than just Travis' ex-wife or Oscar's ex-fiancee. Jessica asks about Travis' plane crash with DJ AM. It was horrific, but Shanna stood by his side all the way. However, they didn't make it as a couple. Even though they're not together, she and Travis are still great friends.

The next day, Nicole hosts the brunch for all the ladies. Liz Bonds, the ex-wife of Barry Bonds, comes in wearing a fur vest, and Bria, Nicole's daughter, has a fur purse, which upsets Mayte to the extreme! She decides that she has to leave because of it, which is a mess. All of a sudden, we hear glass break, and Jessica and Nicole run to see what the commotion is. Mayte threw a big container of glass and broke it, which is absolutely ridiculous. Mayte says that she "pulled her purse out" and the container "fell." Does anyone else call BS? Mayte is known to have a temper, and she definitely did that on purpose, which is childish.  I understand that you're passionate about animals and not wearing fur or eating meat, but who are you to try to force your beliefs down other people's throats?! And then, Mayte couldn't even face Nicole afterward. She runs away like a punk when Nicole and Bria run out to confront her!

After all the drama, Drea shows up...with a new man Brian! In a shocker, she announces to the ladies that she's getting married! Everyone is happy for her, but they need details, and so do I!

The next day, Mayte goes to see Jessica at work. Everybody is pissed at her because no one except for Jessica's often gullible self thinks that it's an accident. Mayte is a little disappointed that Jessica didn't stand by her, and she doesn't want to apologize for what she did at all.

Later, Andrea and Brian go out with Andrea and Terrell. Turns out Andrea and Brian met at the airport, and quickly fell in love. Brian hasn't met R. Kelly yet, though, but I'm not expecting that to happen anytime soon. Andrea feels that her quick engagement works for her family. Brian doesn't want kids, and even had a vasectomy. Andrea might actually want kids though, and that might be an issue later on down the line. Andrea wants to get married in L.A. since they met here, and they want to live here too. She seems really happy, so all power to her!

Andrea eventually meets up with Mayte to get her version of the drama at the brunch. She admits in hr confessional  that it wasn't actually an accident. Andrea is real with her, and tells her that it's messed up and disrespectful. Mayte feels that Nicole allowed people to wear fur, but how was Nicole supposed to know that people were going to wear fur? And even if she did, she's not going to tell them, "Oh, don't wear fur because Mayte's coming?" Bye Mayte. However, there was a good ending when Andrea reveals to Mayte that she is engaged! She wanted to wait to tell them all together, but Mayte, of course, wasn't there. The two hug and celebrate together.

Check out all new episodes of Hollywood Exes on Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. only on VH1!

4:44:00 PM

Definitely a drama-filled episode of The Challenge: Free Agents last night! Picking up from last episode, the house has a pool party with cocktails, where Aneesa is annoyed by Laurel and Jordan's constant bragging and showmance. The next morning, she complains about how they had sex in her room, and jokes about how they were weird during their time together. Aneesa clearly doesn't like either one of them, because, let's be honest, they are both overachieving and braggy competitors. They're good, but what's really turned me off about Jordan especially is that he's been in ONE other challenge (Rivals II), and he thinks he's the best competitor we've ever seen. I've been watching these challenges a longggg time, sir. You're good, but you still have a lot to learn.

The next day, the house walks up to the beach to see huge bubbles with their faces on them! T.J. reveals that they will be playing Bounce Out for the day. The players will be divided into two teams, the Red Team and the Yellow Team. Once the teams are decided, they will split into two groups--Group A and Group B. Each group has one player that is the ball, and the rest of the team is going to protect the ball and defend against the ball. Basically do any and everything to get their player the space and opportunity to get into the goal. Once one team scores, the other group comes out to give that team a break. Plus there can't be too many people on the field or it would just be confusing for everybody! The first team that gets three points wins the game, and is safe from elimination.

It was a funny game to watch! The players are being knocked around here and there, running into each
other to either get to the goal or keep the other team's ball away from the goal. It was entertaining for sure! Isaac, who was the ball for Group B for Team Yellow, was definitely disappointing, though. He was always falling and couldn't outrun anyone! The Red Team definitely puts up a strong fight, and Preston ends up being the MVP for the team, helping to get Jordan in the goal twice! The Red Team wins the challenge for the day, and are safe from elimination, though now they have to each decide who they are voting for from the Yellow Team to send into elimination.

After talking with Jordan and Laurel about possible choices for elimination, Jessica lets Aneesa know that her name was in the running. Of course, knowing Aneesa, she confronts Jordan, thinking that Laurel brought her name up to be eliminated (which obviously she did). When Aneesa reveals that Jessica told her, Jordan and Jessica get in a huge fight during deliberation. Jordan calls out Jessica, saying that she's been carried through this competition. Jessica calls him inadequate, letting him know that he's not as perfect as he thinks he is. No one's really on the same page with who they're voting for, but, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. This is Free Agents, and everyone is essentially on their own. Sure, you may want to be careful with who you vote in, but it's each person's individual decision, though some of these players clearly go wherever the wind is blowing.

Right before the names are announced, Aneesa hears Laurel whisper to Swift to vote for her, pissing Aneesa off even more. After the team votes individually once, there's ends up being a tie between Aneesa and Latoya. After TJ tells them to each pick between the two girls, there is another ties, and it comes down to CT. He easily votes Latoya. Latoya calls out Jordan for being fake after coming into her room, being all friendly, and knowing he was voting her in. Her mentality is that if you're going to vote for her, tell her. Don't be fake about it, and that's why I love her! Brandon gets voted in, and partly blames Swift for his vote. Afterwards, Latoya continues to go IN on Jordan. Laurel goes to try to defend him, but it definitely didn't work. Personally, I think they're both getting a little too big for their britches and need to be knocked down a few pegs. Brandon himself also approaches Swift, who stupidly went with the crowd on voting him in for no reason. Swift sincerely apologizes and Brandon tells him to learn from his mistakes, and vote on his own accord.


The next night at elimination, Zach draws the Kill Card to go against Brandon, and Cara Maria unfortunately pulls it as well to go against Latoya. The game for the night is Oppenheimer. The goal is to race around a circular hallway and ring the bell in the center. They are bound to crash into each other, though, so it's . Best two out of three rounds. Cara Maria wins it, which was bittersweet, because Cara did deserve it, but I really like Latoya! I wish she could've stuck around a little longer. In the guys' heat, it was easy to see who would be taking this one. Though Zach and Brandon both played football, Zach is basically twice Brandon's size, and in a challenge like this, size means a lot. Brandon gives it his all, but Zach takes this one easily!

Back at the house, Aneesa and CT chat about how Laurel and Jordan think they're some power couple that runs the house. Annoyed at them both, plus pissed at Laurel trying to get everyone to vote for her, Aneesa plans to vote Laurel in every chance she gets! DRAMA!

Check out new episodes of The Challenge: Free Agents on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV!

Images via MTV

10:44:00 AM

I owe y'all two recaps of The Challenge: Free Agents...one from last week and the episode last night, both which were crazy as always! Picking up from Episode 2, Nany and Cohutta clearly have a little romance brewing! The two decide to solidify their love with a fake marriage, and, of course, the rest of the house participates! CT and Isaac organize a bachelor party and the girls have a bachelorette party of their own, complete with a lap dance for Nany from Magic John (Johnny the rookie)!

The next day, Frank has to make a decision about whether he’ll go home. He's sick, and his lungs are a mess. After calling his mom, he refuses to give up, though. He calls his mom. The next night, the house gets a clue from TJ: “Let’s have some fun and do a bar crawl tomorrow.”

The next morning, the house arrives to the challenge, when TJ informs them that there’s a serious problem in the house. Frank has a viral infection and is very contagious, and he gets sent home! Though I get why TJ did it, (obviously, you can't be infecting everybody for a game!), it still sucks because Frank won BOTH eliminations that he got the draw card for, and has won big in these challenges. Deep down, though, I know the guys are a little relieved, because, even in all his drama, Frank is a good competitor.

TJ continues on, announcing that the team will be playing Bar Crawl in teams of four. There's a giant wall with holes suspended over the water, and there are two bars through those holes. Each team of four will get on the wall, two players on one side, and two on the other. You have to use those two bars as a walkway to get the entire team to the other side. One player will shove a bar through the hole for your partner to use, and then your partner does the same until everyone makes it across. It's timed, so the team that gets the most players to the other end the quickest. The two last place teams will go straight in the Draw, and one guy and one girl will be selected by the winning team to go into the elimination round.

After teams are selected, Jasmine's team is one person short since Frank was eliminated. T.J. gives her, Jonna, and Jordan the option to either play or sit this out. They will not be in the Draw, but they will still be open to be nominated. They decide to play anyway, which puts them at a serious disadvantage. During the challenge, the teams all try their own strategies to make it across. Most make it, slowly but surely. During his heat with Jasmine and Jonna, Jordan drops the log, and the team gets disqualified! Cara Maria's team gets the slowest time, heading straight to the Draw as well. The winners for the challenge are Brandon's team, consisting of himself, Johnny, Camila, and Jessica, safe from elimination. They now have to send in one guy and one girl that's not already in the Draw, which is always hard.

The next day at the house, the team deliberates. Camila talks around with the different girls to see who will have her back at the end of the day to see who she will vote in. At the end of the day, Johnny gets voted in, since he's a rookie. Nia also gets voted in. Even though this game's format is completely different, people know how to work the system, and, unfortunately for the rookies, they're fresh meat and almost always get eliminated first.

That night at the Draw, T.J. reveals that if none of the guys flip the Kill Card, there won't be a guy's elimination since Frank was already sent home. Unfortunately for Cara Maria, she's left with the Kill Card after the other three girls draw, to go up against Nia. None of the guys pull the Kill Card which gets Johnny a pass back in the house!

The girls are left to play Looper. There's a rope in the center of the ring. At each end of the rope, there's a hook that will be attached to each girl. The object is to weave around a post to make it to your bell, which means that there will be a  tug of war battle to the finish! It's all about who wants it more. At first, Cara Maria really struggles, but after Johnny starts throwing digs at her, she finds her on switch and pushes through! Nia's body shuts down after a while, and Cara Maria snags the win after 80 MINUTES of this! She definitely earned the respect and love of the house (maybe even a little respect from Johnny). I root for her because she's always the underdog in these challenges, so part of me wants to see her win. She's a good competitor!

Last night's recap of The Challenge: Free Agents coming up soon! Make sure you check out the show on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. only on MTV!

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