Challenges That Could Have Been: Casting Rumors

If you’ve been following the latest information on the upcoming Challenge season, you’ll know that there are some people who were almost a part of the cast, but ended up not showing up. This is common, and it happens every season. Throughout Challenge history there have been people who were part of the cast, but ended up not appearing on the show. Let’s check out some people who were almost on the cast.

Challenge 2000- Colin from Real World Hawaii was asked but claimed he was not interested in Challenges.

Extreme Challenge– Kathryn from Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour was contacted but declined. Colin was also asked for this season. Elka was considered.

Battle of the Seasons (2002)– This is such an old challenge that there’s not too much known about it. Of course, Mike mentioned on the reunion that Lori from Back to new York was originally supposed to be his partner, but her fear of flying after 9/11 prevented her. David E. was originally Beth’s partner for RW:LA but was sick and Jon was used instead. There’s also rumors that Ruthie and Colin would have represented Hawaii, but Colin backed out. Jo and Puck were considered for RW: San Francisco’s team but dropped out or were dropped. Early spoiler sites reported Heather G. to be Norman’s parter and Christina P. to be Chadwick’s partner. Unsure whether or not they were ever asked. Production wanted Michelle to represent Road Rules: Europe, but she could not attend due to work.

Battle of the Sexes– Another challenge were there isn’t much known. Cara from Chicago was rumored to be part of the cast but was never actually part of the show. Keri from Chicago, Malik from Back to New York, Vince from Road Road Island, Neil from London and Becky from New York were cast at one point but did not make the final show. Irene from Seattle mentioned she has been asked to appear on The Challenge during this time (unsure if it was for Sexes or just in general) but stated she’d only appear if she was paid $100,000 and could tape her mouth shut. Needless to say, she was never cast. According to Jisela, Piggy was part of the original cast and was flown to Jamaica but was removed before filming due to a behind-the-scenes incident. Likely she was replaced by Gladys.

The Gauntlet– For starters, the season was supposed to be filmed in Rhode Island, but production was unable to settle on a location. Shawn from Semester at Sea was once believed to be on the cast. Vince from Road Rules Islands was supposed to be part of the cast. Jisela was also supposed to be on the cast and backed out. Malik and Timmy agreed at one point but were not used. Frank, Steven and Brynn from RW: Las Vegas were asked.

The Inferno– It’s a fairly well known fact that Piggy was on this cast, but left early. You can see her in a couple of the opening scenes (Road Rules team on the boat heading to the beach, Dave explaining the rules). Christena replaced her, which is why you can see Syrus helping her with her bags on the first episode. It’s also rumored that Tonya was a replacement for The Real World team, but was never needed. Dan Renzi was initially on the cast but was replaced with Syrus. Production wanted Jisela on the cast, but she inevitably declined.

Battle of the Sexes 2- Jisela backed out of this season, eventually being replaced with Kina. Beth was cast for this season and dropped. Christina from Real World Paris also dropped prior to filming. Cynthia replaced on of these girls. Patrick from Road Rules Extreme was supposed to be on the cast, but backed out after seeing his edit on Road Rules, being replaced by Shawn. Donnell from Road Rules South Pacific was rumored to be part of the cast, but was never on the show. Brynn from Real World: Las Vegas was dropped after production found out she had a child. Production wanted Ellen Cho to come back, but she declined.

The Inferno 2–  Puck was also rumored to be on this cast but was demanding a ridiculous amount of money just to appear and was never cast. Coral and Melissa were in the cast but dropped and were replaced by Rachel and Beth. Melanie Scott was asked but declined.

The Gauntlet 2– This season was supposed to be Old School vs. New School, explaining why Jamie was on the rookies team despite have two prior Challenge appearances. Eric Nies was heavily pursued for this season, but declined. Coral and Trishelle expressed interest, but never showed up because they were filming a show called Battle of the Network Reality Stars which aired on Bravo! Trishelle considered doing this show instead because Coral would not be on it, hence why she was a host on BONeRS. Raquel from Road Rules Campus Crawl, Patrick and Angela from X-treme, Jamie Chung, and Shavonda from Philly all accepted invitations but later dropped. This season was the start of people dropping out due to casting decisions. Namely, Rachel and Veronica dropped due to Beth and Julie being cast. Then, Tina dropped due to Rachel and Veronica dropping. Tonya is also rumored to have dropped. Irulan dropped due to Alton being cast. Wes, Danny, Melinda, and Johanna were all asked due to the instability of this cast, even though their RW season just finished filming two weeks prior, but were not ultimately cast. Frankie from RW: San Diego decliend. Willie, Karamo, Melanie, and Sarah from RW: Philly declined. Angela from RR: Xtreme declined.

Fresh Meat– Ruthie was rumored to be an alternate. Jodi was asked to be on the cast but declined due to school.

The Duel-Julie from Real World New Orleans was going to be on this cast but backed out. Evelyn wanted to do this season but dropped due to illness. Linette from Fresh meat was contacted about this season. Sarah from Real World Philadelphia was also interested, but couldn’t attend due to a family commitment.

The Inferno 3- There was a rumor John Cena would be taking over hosting duties for TJ Lavin. Obviously, that was wrong. Rumor has it Johnny from Fresh Meat was going to be on this season, but had to drop. For a period of time, Rachel and Veronica were believed to be on the cast. Early spoiler sites included Johanna and Jose (Key West) as part of the cast because their modeling agency marked them as unavailable. Stephen from RW: Denver was an alternate. Svetlana declined, as did Dan Renzi.

The Gauntlet 3– Jenn was supposed to be on the cast, but dropped a week before filming. Svetlana was also on the cast, and dropped shortly before departure. Janelle was a replacement, and the other was likely Melinda. Stephen from RW: Denver was a male alternate. Brynn Smith was interested after the Real World: Las Vegas reunion season, but could not go because she was pregnant.

The Island– Brooke accepted her invitation at first, then dropped. Aneesa was asked to replace her, but declined so Paula was asked. Potential replacements for this season were Kendal, Big Easy and Alton. None were used.

The Duel 2– Despite rumors, Coral was never part of this cast. However, Dan and David L. from Road Rules Viewers Revenge were both invited, but dropped. Dave M. from Hollywood was going to be a replacement, but backed out and then was replaced by Ryan. Before Ryan committed, production tried to get Tyler who missed the call. He would have said yes, but it was too late when he returned the call.

The Ruins– Devyn from Brooklyn was briefly supposed to be part of this cast, but dropped. Cara from Road Rules South Pacific was also a part of the cast but was replaced by Susie. Alton was a potential replacement for the guys, likely because he had commitments conflicting with the beginning of filming. It was also rumored that production considered casting CT, but other cast members threatened to drop if he was cast after what he did to Adam on The Duel 2.

Fresh Meat 2– Apparently, this season was originally going to be filmed in Sydney, Australia. Worker restrictions resulted in the season getting moved to Canada in the cold. Jonna forgot her passport and was replaced by Evelyn. Ruthie and Cohutta were potential replacements. Nick Brown and Janelle declined this season.

Cutthroat– Kenny, Danny J., and Bronne were also part of the cast at one point or another but ended up being replaced. I believe Derrick and Luke were used as replacements. Carley was asked and accepted, but was not used. Pete Connolley was asked, wanted to attend, but work would not let him. Noor, Mike Manning, and Casey Cooper all declined invitations.

Rivals– Katie was supposed to be Sarah’s partner, but decided not to go because she had other obligations. Ryan L. and Preston from RW: New Orleans (2010) were rumored, but Ryan didn’t want Preston as a partner. Abram accepted his initial invitation, but was not used when his partner Adam Larson declined. Apparently, Dustin was supposed to be Leroy’s partner but production was worried JEK would shit on him too much because of his past “employment.” There are rumors Brad and Darrell were contacted to be a team. Beth was contacted, but was pregnant at the time.

Battle of the Exes– Casey was supposed to be Johnny’s partner at first, but was replaced by Camila last minute. Ryan and Davis were going to be the same-sex male couple to balance Rachel and Aneesa, but one of them had to drop. Coral was asked and would have been partners with Abe (who was technically was not exes Cara Maria during filming). Diem was reluctant to do this season, so Laurel was originally going to be paired with CT. Adam Royer was supposed to be on the cast with Nany, but he failed his psychological testing. Alton and Irulan were contacted but at least one was not interested. Landon and Shavonda were contacted but at least one was not interested. Cooke was also considered, but was never included in the cast.

Battle of the Seasons (2012)– I think this cast has the most potentials. Real World Las Vegas was supposed to include Frank and Arissa while Vegas 2 would have included Cooke and Leroy. Leroy dropped, and the teams were merged. There was a rumored Road Rules team which would have included any combination of: Katie, Rachel, Susie, Derrick, Shane, and Darrell. There was also a rumored San Diego 1 team which would have included Brad, Robin, Cameran, and Randy. Of course, there’s also the Sydney team that was flown to Turkey and left for unknown complications with one cast member. The team would have been Dunbar, Isaac, Ashli, and Kellyanne. They were replaced with the Fresh Meat team which was going to include Carley and not Cara Maria. Hence why Cara Maria’s jersey in early episode has her name taped onto the back. Originally, a Key West team was considered as replacements which included: Bananas, Tyler, Paula, and Janelle, but Fresh Meat was picked over them and the Road Rules team. There were also cast members from represented teams that were tested and could have been alternatives. These people include Emilee, Swift, LaToya and Nehemiah. Additionally, production attempted to form a DC team, which would have included Emily, but there wasn’t enough interest.

Sydney’s reason for dropping remains unknown, but it’s believed Isaac was the reason. Cohutta was contacted but couldn’t fly in as a replacement for him. At the time his grandfather was sick or had recently passed away and he need to be with his family or there for the services.

Rivals 2– While many were considered, it is known that Averey and Nia were asked to be a part of the cast but Nia was too busy with her book. Tyler was supposed to be Leroy’s partner but production swapped him out for Ty at the last minute because Ty supposedly produces more drama. Laurel was originally going to be Paula’s partner, but she had issues with the contract/ medical policy so never signed onto the season. Ayiiia and Cara Maria were an alternate team and LaToya and Laura were another alternate team, ultimately Cara Maria was used as a replacement. Ashley K. and Brandon Swift were tested but not used for this season. Dustin was originally supposed to be Frank’s partner, likely leaving Bananas with Dunbar. Dustin declined because Heather didn’t want him and Cooke together giving us the Frank/Bananas pairing. Susie, Ruthie and Tori mentioned being asked for this Challenge in its early stages of production, likely before the Rivals theme was solidified.

Free Agents– Kellyanne dropped out last minute. Heather Cooke accepted her initial invitation, but had to decline weeks before filming. Knight was going to be on this Challenge but was dropped because of his antics on the Rivals 2 reunion. Brad was considering doing this Challenge, but did not because he and Tori don’t like the direction MTV is moving toward. Heather Marter accepted at first, but declined when she found out Dustin was on the cast. Susie was going to do this season but backed after reading the contract. Tyler dropped out of this cast or was dropped at the last minute, and it is rumored Paula was on the cast but dropped when Tyler dropped. Trey, Nehemiah, Joi, and Averey were all alternates.

Battle of the Exes 2- Danny and Melinda were asked and initially accepted but had to decline in the weeks leading to the Challenge. Jenny from Real World Ex-Plosion was contacted but declined out of respect to Brian. Cory was asked an accepted, as was Lauren who declined. Brian declined because he was no longer Jenny’s ex. Robb and Marie were asked and while Marie accepted Robb did not want to appear on Exes out of respect to his finance and due to work commitments. Casey, Trisha, and Svetlana were all contacted to be Bananas partner but declined. Frank and Alexandra from Real World San Diego declined their offers. Averey, Diem, and Heather M. were all asked to participate and initially declined. Eventually Diem and Averey changed their minds while Heather never did. Shanley from Are You the One? accepted an invitation to the Challenge but her partner Chris T. declined. Sahar and Erik, Darrell and Rachel R., and Trey and Laura all accepted but were ultimately not used. Trey and Laura were alternates because of the decision to include Are You the One? and because Trey was injured a couple of weeks prior to filming. Cohutta was an alternate, but Nany was paired with Bananas. Brandon Swift agreed to be on the cast, with Jasmine as a partner, but she declined. Cast members have credited her declining as the reason Are You the One? was ultimately cast.

Battle of the Bloodlines- Marie from St. Thomas accepted a spot on the cast, but a change in job  caused her to back out. Nia was also on the cast, but production decided to go in a different direction. Theresa agreed and had a bloodline, but she could not compete when she found out she was pregnant. This resulted in Jenna and Christina being cast. Production also really wanted CT and Faith Brown to be on the cast, but CT declined and Faith has an internship. Emilee Fitzpatrick was close to making the final cut with her biological sister (she’s adopted), but were not cast. Many other people were considered, but bloodlines limited their availability, however the following people accepted and had willing bloodlines: Brad and his brother, Layton Jones and his cousin, Derek Chavez and his cousin, Mandi and her brother, Britney B. and her brother. Laurel initially accepted the invitation for this show, but later dropped out. Jay, Jessica Andreatta, and Mark Long all accepted initial availability calls but were not cast.

Rivals 3- Hunter Barfield was originally going to be paired with Britni Thornton, but production did not end up using them, they likely would have been alternates instead of Nelson and Amanda. Bruno Bettencourt and Sylvia both initially accepted then later declined, presumably they would have been partners. Derek Chavez and Mandi Moyer accepted invitations but were not cast.

Invasion– Dylan Moore and Emilee Fitzpatrick were alternates and flew to Thailand, but were never used. Sam and Derrick K. were also alternates. Apparently, Ibis also accepted an invite to this show. Tori Hall considered appearing on this season, but ultimately declined. Cara Z. was contacted to be a Champion. Dione, Trey, Shane Raines, Averey and Nate S. (AYTO2) accepted invites but were dropped, Nate later being cast for AYTO:Second Chances. Nicole R. declined because she didn’t want to appear with Nate after breaking up, but this was not necessary as he was never on the cast.Production was heavily interested in Rachel R. from Road Rules, but she declined as she was pregnant at the time (though it was early in the pregnancy and did not tell MTV the reasoning). She told them Shane L. was interested in returning, which likely led to him being cast.

Champs Vs. Pros– Nehamiah was first believed to be on this cast, even doing testing, but was not used. Frank S. and Laurel were invited but declined.

XXX: Dirty Thirty- Production originally wanted this season to be a season where couples (alumni and significant other) were paired, but there wasn’t enough interest. Jamie L. from Ex-Plosion was considered for this format as was Beth. Briana was part of the original, but Ashley replaced her at the last minute. Alicia from Are You the One? 5 was invited and initially on the cast but had to back out due to medical issues and was replaced by Jenna. However, production tried to contact Briana before Jenna but she did not pick up the phone and Jenna filled Alicia’s spot.

The original wall far for the season featured Alicia in the upper left corner (replaced by Jenna) and Briana third from the lower left corner (replaced by Ashley). This was moved to the Redemption house.

Coral initially accepted her invitation but backed out prior to filming. Averey, Anna Stack, Tyara, and Nate S. accepted an invitation but was not included in the final cast. Jonna and Cara Z. also agreed at one point but were not included in the final cast. Cody and Makani from Stranded with a Million Dollars were contacted, but not used, likely because the series was cancelled. Jay Gotti was asked and accepted, then had to drop due to prior commitments. Shane L. and Jasmine were asked to be on this cast, both likely declined. When CT’s passport was denied, Dylan Moore was flown to Columbia as a replacement in case CT couldn’t get there. CT did arrive, Dylan got sent home without competing.

Champs vs. Stars: Cara Maria and Landon declined. Sarah R. was going to appear, but is believed to have backed out shortly before filming. Jillian Z. was contacted but declined.

Update: Design mock-ups of the original setting for this season appeared online, revealing some early casting decisions. Initially, Sarah, Laurel, Frank, and Leroy were on the cast but were replaced by Jenna, Camila and Zach. Leroy’s name is in one design, but not in another, so it’s hard to know what happened to him. The original stars line-up was: Terrell Owens, Johnny Manziel, Johnny Weir, Casper Smart, Romeo, Brooke Hogan, Lil Mama, Adriane Andrews, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Kiara Belen. Only TO, Romeo, and Adriane made the final cast while Lil Mama, Casper, and Brooke appeared on the second season of Champs vs. Star. I do not think all of these cast members were necessarily confirmed to be on the show, I think these designs were made with production’s shortlist in mind.

Vendettas: Originally, this season was going to be Bloodlines 2, with Anna and Katrina Stack being included on the cast. Other contenders included Deena and Angelina from Jersey Shore and Javi from Teen Mom. Theresa and Ayiiia were rumored to have agreed with a bloodline available. Paulie was going to do this season, but he injured his foot and was replaced. Corey Brooks was going to take his spot, but Victor got the spot at the last minute. Thomas, Tyara and Sam McGinn accepted invitations but were not used. Tina was invited and Shane and Veronica tried to convince her to return, but she declined. Additionally, Emily Schromm was going to be a Mercenary but had to back out. Derrick K., Corey from Big Brother 18, and Kellyanne were alternates and flew all the way to Spain before not being used. Madison was likely an alternate as well, never being used nor flying to Spain.

Originally the UK kids were only going to be used on this season, as MTV UK was planning a UK adaptation of The Challenge. However, plans fell through and MTV liked the addition to the US show.

Champs vs. Stars 2: Abram and Zach both agreed to be on the cast and were going to be used, but production opted not to use them. Abe was far along in the casting process, even picking a charity. Tori Hall was asked and accepted, but had to drop, hence why Tori Deal’s jersey has a “Tori D.” rather than just a “Tori” on it. Kendal was interested and asked, but ultimately was not used.

Final Reckoning: Coral was invited but declined due to pay. Landon was heavily rumored, but was not even contacted. Tony declined at first because his daughter was a flower girl in a wedding during the filming dates but was able to appear as a replacement after the wedding. Tony & Madison were originally going to be a pair of Mercenaries because Tony was only available after his wedding, but because he was used as Bananas’s partner Madison was dropped and Ashley & Hunter were Mercenaries. Sarah Rice was asked to be a Mercenary and would have considered after Vendettas, but did not want to participate after she learned winning would put her in the competition. Alicia was invited to be a Mercenary but declined when she discovered Cory would be her partner. Darrell was laster considered to be Cory’s partner, but Devin was ultimately used. Tori Hall considered doing this season, but ultimately declined. Rogan was originally considered as Kyle’s partner but he had surgery shortly before filming and could not participate. Diandra and Malcolm from AYTO6 were asked, but not used in the final cast. Josh Martinez said he was ask for Vendettas, but could not compete due to Big Brother contracts. Due to the filming dates, it’s reasonable to believe this invitation would have been for Final Reckoning.

According to Shane, MTV wanted him to be paired with Nicole Z., who ultimately declined. He believes this would have meant Nelson would have been paired with Derrick K. Unknown if Derrick was contacted or accepted.

War of the Worlds: MTV cut many people before getting to the final rounds of casting such as: Tony, Cory, Kailah, Angela, and Tori. Jasmine from Cancun made it far in the casting process. Faith was dropped at the last minute for Ashley. Kayleigh was also dropped. For the men, Nelson and Joss were close to making the final cut.

Cara Tan from Asia’s Top Model originally posted about being invited to this season on social media, before casting was very far. While she didn’t get cast on the show, it’s likely that we’ll never know who production tried to get onto the show from other countries so many of the names are as random as Cara’s. Jay Starett from Survivor Millennial vs. Gen X, Michele Fitzgerald from Survivor Kaoh Rong and Kenya from AYTO7 were going to be rookies but were replaced (Ninja is a known last minute replacement). Zach Rance from Big Brother 16 was going to be on the show, then got moved to an alternate and told production to take him off the list. Alex Ow from Big Brother 19 and Cody Califore from Big Brother 16 were contacted by ultimately declined. Chad Johnson, Corey Brookes and Didi from Ex on the Beach 2 were all considered as well.

War of the Worlds 2: This season was named “Bloody Hell” throughout filming and Bananas can be heard saying it during the preview. Initially, production wanted this season to be New School vs. Old School.

At one point in time Da’Vonne was rumored to be on the final cast, but this was an error. Jozea and Angela were cut from the final cast. MTV contacted Kendal, Tori Hall, and Brand, all of whom said they were interested, but ultimately were not cast when the format changed to US vs. UK. Haleigh and Brett from Big Brother 20 were contacted but still under CBS contract which MTV would not buy them out of. Frank Sweeney was far along in the casting process but decline due to pay disputes.

Kailah and Devin were alternates this season.

Total Madness: This season was originally going to be the third “War of the Worlds,” but production changed their mind to an individual format. Kayla Fitzgerald from The Amazing Race was believed to be on the final cast, but was really an alternate. Bria from Are You the One? 7 was contacted but eventually declined. Kayleigh Morris decline to focus on her business. Paulie Calafiore was dropped last minute prompting Cara Maria to drop as well, Jenna replaced her. Kam Williams had pay disputes which ultimately led to her declining. Tori Hall was believed to be on the cast, but never actually agreed to do the show. Sean Lineker agreed to do this season but was not cast. JP, Natalie N., and Morgan all agreed to do the season but were not cast. Billy Reilich agreed to do this season but was dropped before the final cast. Sam Bird from Ex on the Peak was contacted.

Double Agents: Jenny West and Mark Jensen were flown to Iceland, but dropped. Asaf and Derrick H. were dropped prior to departing for Iceland, but quarantined with the cast. Apparently, Asaf took himself out of the running when he learned filming would overlap with Yom Kippur. Analyse Televera (Big Brother 21), Brehanna Daniels (Titan Games), Connor Obrochta (The Bachelorette), and Morgan Lolar (Temptation Island) were all quarantined but dropped at some point. Max Gentile from AYTO?8 was considered at some point. Jozea was contacted for this season and was intended to be on the cast, but was replaced with Josh when he did not appear on Big Brother: All Stars. Marie Roda, Sylvia Elsrode, and Cara Maria Sorbello accepted initial availability calls but did not make the final casting. Anthony Bartolotte was asked to quaratine, but declined. Angela Rummins from Big Brother 20 was contacted but declined.

Challenge: All Stars: Sophia Pasquis, Heather Cooke, Casey Cooper, Ryan Kehoe, and Cohutta Grindstaff were all flown to location and kept as alternates.

Julie Stoffer was dropped prior to departure. Tina Barta and Abe were dropped due to positive COVID tests. Originally the cast was going to have 12 males and 12 females, but this was dropped to 11/11 when Abe could not complete quarantine. Shauvon Torres was dropped pre-season. At some point, Coral, Veronica, and Rachel were all contenders but dropped or got dropped. The Miz entertained the idea but was too busy.

Spies, Lies and Allies: Mark Byron (Big Brother UK) and Liv Jawando were flown to location during quarantine, but did not make the final cast. Ed Eason (The Circle) and Amber Borzotra were not part of the original cast,  but were cast after a second quarantine. Michelle Schubert (Survivor Millennials vs. Gen X),  Jay Starrett,  Amin Elkach (Love Island: Germany), and Marco Ferri (numerous shows such as Gran hermano VIP- the Spanish Celebrity Big Brother) also quarantined for the cast. Mark Jensen (Big Brother 19), Max Gentile (AYTO8), Anastasiya Yandaltsava (Warsaw Shore), Analyse Talavera (Big Brother 21), Darrell Taylor, and Amber Martinez all accepted invitations but were not used. Johnny Bananas, Kailah Casillas, Wes Bergmann, Laurel Stuckey, Nicole Zanatta, and Tony Raines all likely declined. Jordan Anderson from Real World: Bad Blood was close to quarantining, but was never used. Wes and Wendell Holland (Survivor) were rumored to be quarantining, but never actually did. Johnny Middlebrooks was rumored to be dropped and replaced with Jeremiah White.

All Stars 2: Eric Nies was originally going to be on the cast but needed to decline. Marie Roda was contacted and cast, but then dropped because of prior tweets directed toward MTV production. Svetlana was rumored to be on the cast, but never actually showed up. Brandon Nelson, Emilee Fitzpatrick, Jemmye Carroll, and Syrus Yarborough were flown to location as alternates.

All Stars 3: Johnny Bananas was on the original cast but needed to drop out at the last minute. Jon Brennan accepted the invitation to appear but was not used. Beth S., Sophia, Ace, Dan Renzi, and Tara McDaniel were all alternates. Tyler was moved onto the final cast to replace Bananas and Beth was eventually put onto the cast. Adam Larson was asked and wanted to compete, but family commitments prevented him. Kefla Hare wanted to compete, but could not due to a recent surgery.

Ride or Dies: Da’Vonne Rogers dropped, so her partner Derek Frazier was dropped as well. Ray Gantt (Love Island, Amazing Race, EOTB5) and David Barta (EOTB5) were also considered for Da’Vonne’s partner. Priscilla Anyabu dropped, so Kelz Dyke was dropped as well. Brad Fiorenza dropped, so Melissa Reeves (for some reason) was dropped as well. Esther Agunbiade had passport issues, so her partner dropped as well. She was going to be paired with someone from her home country of Nigeria.  Corey Lay was dropped from the show when Michaela Bradshaw dropped as well, then he was flown in as an alternate, but wasn’t used. Corey, Josh Martinez, Libhongolethu (Libho) Geza (Love Island South Africa) and Thimna Shooto (Love Island: SA) were all flown out as alternates. Josh was originally going to bring his sister, but didn’t want to expose her to The Challenge. Christian Birkenberger from Big Brother 23 and Trina Njoroge from Love Island 3 agreed but weren’t used. Tommy Sheehan agreed, but his partner Lauren Beck from Survivor did not want to appear. Anthony Douglas and Erica Hill from Big Brother Canada were considered. Berna was asked to appear, but didn’t have a suitable partner — production wanted to pair her with Nam but she said no to this for some odd reason.

This season also had late arrivals. Originally, Jordan was going to be used with Nia, but she had to drop due to a health scare, so he entered to be paired with Aneesa. Aneesa’s original partner, James Simon, was flown to location but will not appear on the show. Paulie & Cara Maria were supposed to enter in addition to Darrell & Veronica, but production changed their minds. MJ & Jonna were also considered, as were Jonna & Derek Chavez, but production did not move forward. Zahida and Kyle were going to fly out as late addition because Kyle couldn’t appear on the show while filming another reality show, but they never followed through.

Janelle Casanave was considered for Banana’s partner but declined. Emily Schromm was also going to be his partner, but production went with Nany instead. Jenny West was also considered.

Emy Alupei & Emanuel Neagu were flown out to appear on the show, then production dropped them at the last minute because they decided to punish Emy for her saying racist words.

The Challenge: USA: Mike Halloway (Survivor 30), Oliva Kaiser (Love Island 3), Florita Diaz (Love Island 1), and Josh Goldstein (Love Island 3) were all flown to location as alternates.

The Challenge: World Championship: MJ, Brad, and Nehemiah were all flown to location as alternates. At one point, Derrick was believed to be in the mix, but he never made it past the initial casting phase. Kyland and Alyssa (Big Brother 23) were alternates, but never left the US. Jenny was was an alternate, and was even fitted for a uniform, but was not used.

The Challenge: USA 2: Cayla Platt, Cinco Holland, and Kyland Young from the first season were invited, but were not used. Hannah Chaddah (Big Brother 23), Joseph Abdin (Big Brother 24), and“Lulu” Gonzalez (The Amazing Race 33) were also alternates. Darrell and Nia were flown to location as alternates but weren’t used. At one point, KellyAnne was believed to be on the cast but it was an error.

All Stars 4: At one point, Chadwick Pelletier was believed to be on the cast but it was an error. Genesis Moss was flown to locations as an alternate with Syrus but was not used.

Challenge 39: Johnny Middlebrooks, Esther Falana, Idris Virgo, and Bettina Buchanan were dropped right before filming, literally at the airport. Joss Mooney and Zahida Allen were believed to be on the cast, but it was an error. Cayla Platt agreed to participate, but was not used. Grant Crapp dropped out before filming. Ryan Gallagher (Challenge: AUS) signed the paperwork to appear but was ghosted by production. Cyrell Paul (Challenge: AUS) accepted the availability calls but was not used.