World of Jenks: "The Takeover" The Buried Life: "Get Married in Vegas"

So, this week's MTV episode of World of Jenks and The Buried Life both had one thing in common: VEGAS. Parties, pokers, penguins (!) the whole sha-bang.

Uncovering the real truth again, is Andrew Jenks. This week he rooms with a young pro poker player, Nick Schulman who at the age of 21 was the youngest person to win the World Poker Series. I don't know about you, but I don't know a thing about poker or the lifestyle of its professionals besides the fact that this game is played with cards... So thank you Andrew Jenks for making an episode that I watch with a clean slate! This episode surprised me in a few different ways. First off, I never realized how addicted someone could become to betting/gambling/playing poker. Nick never stopped playing poker, or making crazy bets with his buddies from the moment Jenks arrived to when he took his flight back to NY. It was crazy! While at the house Nick played online poker (where he won or lost real money), played Chinese poker with his friend, and bet his friend $500 for every time he threw a card into an ice bucket. After this, Nick took Jenks out for a night on the town which consisted of what seemed like endless rounds of shots, pool games motivated with money, rock paper scissor bets, and more poker! With all this money flying left and right, it was hard to keep count of what Nick was actually gaining compared to his losses. His life was so crazy and he would bet money at the drop of a hat. The thing that seemed odd though was he didn't care much about the money. He told Andrew that when he played, he thought about the units. He won x amount of units not $10,000. That was his thought process. Pretty wild...

The last thing that shook me was Nick's mental state. He was never truly happy in his time with Andrew, and hasn't been for a while. Andrew was able to capture a moment that Nick shared with his therapist and Nick felt like his poker playing was a sanctuary. That his love for the game started as a way to escape his depression. The rush of the money, and all that poker encompassed made him feel happy. But if he lost, that was it. Nick dropped out of high school because he suffered from these panic attacks and severe anxiety. It completely changed my view of how he lived, and what he went through. Living life without being really happy. I don't know how I could go on.

The Buried Life boys seemed to have a much more lively stay in the sin city, they were trying to cross of #91 "Get married in Vegas". I was excited to see how they'd compete this task, because I think it'd be pretty hard to find a girl willing to get married on the spot in only 72 hours. But, the boys pulled through. In the end Dave did tie the knot to Michelle, who he met at their hotel in Vegas while she was on duty as a lifeguard. The whole episode was great and I was so surprised how they managed to get everything worked out in the end! They pawned their bus once they found out Michelle would marry Dave because they wanted money to spend on blackjack to try to get noticed by some of the hotel bigwigs so they could get hooked up with a penthouse suite. It. Worked. Duncan and Jonnie faked their way through a game of blackjack and ended up with $5,000 and a free suite for a night. After stirring up conversation with a man next to them, he pulled one guys over that worked for the hotel and let them work out a comp with the boys for a suite. It was unbelievable! The suite had a bowling alley, huge rooms, a hot tub, everything! I don't know how they did it. So after throwing a huge party for Dave and his bride to be complete with fire-breathers, flashy cars, Jonnie decked out in a penguin suit, and a bubble bath fight, they went to the chapel to say their vows. Though I was still shocked at the end of the episode that the really went through with it, Dave and Michelle are still going strong. I don't know what to make of this, and I guess I really don't have to make something of this. But I feel like I always have an opinion or an inclination about something. I think marriage is a sacred thing like Dave's mother says, but why not? Why not have some crazy fling? Ah, I don't know. I mean you fall in love so many times in your life. People whose spouses die find new lovers, does that mean their first marriage wasn't meant to be? If everyone can move on in their lives will we ever really know who is the one for us?

In this episode the guys help Rick, a man living under the streets of the Vegas strip in the sewers, find his way back to his daughter who now has her own daughter that he hasn't seen in years and years. At first I was shocked to hear of Rick's lifestyle, and that many others live the same way. Living under the sewers of Vegas is not only unsanitary, scary, and just like living on the streets but you have the added danger of being washed out of your 'home' at any given time. There was one time, Rick says, when he wasn't sure if he would make it out. It makes me really appreciate the life I have. After a long road trip the boys find their way to Rick's daughter's house in Missouri. I teared when I saw him standing at her door with a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed animal. It made me so happy that the guys were able to put this together for Rick and his family.

Song stuck in my head today: "Who Owns My Heart?" by Miley Cyrus (Sorry, I had to watch that video!)

Keep on keepin' on,

Madison