In the early days of the challenges seniority didn’t rule. It wasn’t until Battle of the Sexes 2, when The Miz stuck around way longer than he should have, that we saw the rookies get sent home early just because they were new. It was then that politics became an important part of these challenges. Here are some of the first time competitors that did a stellar job on the first time they did a challenge.
Sophia (Battle of the Sexes 2)
On Battle of the Sexes 2, a bunch of newbies were sent home for the sheer fact that they were new (Adam K., Brad, for example). However, Sophia did a great job on the girls team and made it to the final challenge. She was viewed as a team leader and even stood up for her teammates when the boys were making fun of their pathetic performance.
Jamie (The Inferno 2)
The now-famous Jamie Chung was on the winning Good Guys team on the Inferno 2. Both her and Landon won the challenge during their first appearance (and in her case, only appearance). However, Jamie was the only girl on her team to never set foot in an Inferno.
MJ (Gauntlet 2)
MJ’s performance wasn’t anything special compared to his teammates. However, there were only 4 newbies on The Gauntlet 2 and he was the only one to make it to the end (and win) so I guess he’s the best by default.
Wes (Fresh Meat)
It’s hard to remember a time when Wes was more of a victim than a villain, but on Fresh Meat Wes and all of his fellow Real World Austin roomies were constantly sent into the Exile. In fact, Wes won 5 Exiles and dragged his partner Casey to the end. However, he only came in third in the final challenge.
Svetlana (The Duel)
Svetlana came onto The Duel with 3 other roommates from The Real World Key West. They all went home in the first 3 elimination rounds. So for her to make it all the way to the end was a great feat. She may not have won the final challenge, but her and Aneesa made a dynamic duo that I rooted for the entire season.
Janelle (Inferno 3)
Janelle was easy to overlook on The Inferno 3. However, she never set foot into the Inferno and she was on the winning bad ass team. Not bad for your first time on a challenge!
Tori (Gauntlet 3)
Tori had a very successful run on her first challenge. Not only did she find the love of her life, but she also made it to the end and won. She beat Melinda in a Gauntlet and stood up for herself against team captain Frank. She definitely made a name for herself on the Gauntlet 3.
Brittini (The Duel 2)
Rookie Brittini did really well for herself on her first challenge. She was lucky because she was often partnered with Landon, but she proved herself on many occasions. She even beat Rachel on an individual challenge and won 2 Duels. She only came in second in the final, but she took home a cool $35,000.
Sarah (The Ruins)
The Ruins will go down in challenge history for 2 reasons. One reason is because of how crazy it was, and the second reason is because the challengers team really, really sucked. However, Sarah made it to the end and with Kellyanne and gave the Champion team a run for their money.
Emily (Cutthroat)
On Cutthroat only two members of the blue team made it to the final challenge: Emily and Jenn. Emily proved herself in the challenges and didn’t shy away from Gulags. Perhaps her biggest accomplishment was her ability to tame Ty.
Leroy (Rivals)
On Rivals we saw Leroy and his partner Mike make it all the way to the final challenge, but we all know that it was Leroy that pulled the two to the final challenge. While they avoided every Jungle, Leroy won the last competition before the final making sure that he’d never see a Jungle. While Leroy & Mike didn’t win, Leroy did make his presence known on his first challenge.
Stop Being Polite 