Challenge Hook-Ups that Impacted the Game

The Challenge is no stranger to hooking up, and this season we’ve seen a lot of it. While some hook ups are just for fun, others cause ripples that impact the course of the game. Throughout the history of The Challenge, we’ve seen a number of no-so-secret hook ups ruining someone’s game.

For this list, I am not including established couples, even if they began on the show. So Brad and Britni will not be on this list. Further, there are a lot of hook ups that have no impact on the course of the game, like the alleged Bananas/ Camila hook up on Cutthroat. As juicy as these may be, they’re better suited for a different list.

James & Veronica (Battle of the Seasons/ Battle of the Sexes)

In the early days of The Challenge, viewers saw Emily eliminate Veronica twice, giving a number of different reasons. In actuality, Emily was targeting Veronica because of a rumored hookup between Veronica and then-boyfriend James. While this hook up was denied, its implications had really negative effects on Veronica who was a good performer on both seasons.

Theo & Sarah (The Gauntlet)– On The Gauntlet, Sarah earned the title of Gauntlet queen after winning five Gauntlets. Truth be told, Sarah likely would have seen more Gauntlets if it wasn’t for her relationship with Theo. Sarah and Theo were hooking up on the side, and Theo would often try to sway the vote away from Sarah. This may not have been 100% effective, but Theo’s influence definitely kept Sarah out of the final Gauntlet.

Kenny & Johanna (The Island)

Perhaps the most infamous hook up in Challenge history, Johanna’s hook up with Kenny negatively influenced her game on The Island as she sat around, never competed, and waited to get a key handed to her. This hook up also resulted in Kenny and Wes’s rivalry on The Ruins, Fresh Meat 2, and Rivals.

CT & Shauvon (The Duel 2)– This hook up sent waves through the house and ignited a huge fight between CT and Adam. It also landed Shauvon in the first Duel where she ultimately went home.

Wes & Theresa (Fresh Meat 2)

I get the Ryan and Theresa were trying to play the middle on Fresh Meat 2, but Theresa took this to a new level when she hooked up with Wes after Kenny turned her down. Not only did she show her true colors, but she also heightened the Wes and Kenny rivalry.

Johnny R. & Nany (Free Agents & Battle of the Exes 2)– On Free Agents, when Nany hooked up with Johnny R., it did some serious damage to her budding romance with Cohutta. However, it wasn’t until Battle of the Exes 2 when Averey refused to work with Nany and the “Bananas Boat” that Johnny felt the repercussions of his actions. Inevitably, Johnny and Averey landed in elimination because everyone viewed them as unstable allies.

Tony & Christina (Battle of the Bloodlines)

Tony came into Battle of the Bloodlines like a bat out of hell, fighting with half of the cast and hooking up with Christina despite the fact that Madison was pregnant with his child at home. This certainly tarnished Tony’s reputation, but it was Christina who landed in the first elimination and ended up leaving the show first.

Cara Maria & Thomas (Battle of the Bloodlines) – This is why you should never trust Bananas with a GoPro. While Cara Maria admits there was massaging and some intimacy, the hand job rumors are not confirmed. Still, this created a lot of awkward tension throughout the season and when Abe’s brother eliminated Thomas’s brother, it was infinitely more satisfying for him.

Cory & Kailah (Invasion of the Champions)

It seems like Kailah gravitated to Cory as soon as she got into the Invasion household, resulting in her being a part of his alliance. This immediately earned her enemies and as soon as she could be voted into the next elimination, she was… and by that point even Cory was ready to see her go.

Jenna & Bruno (Invasion of the Champions)– Bruno had a traumatic time on Invasion, and perhaps his best experience was on the plane ride to Thailand where he hooked up with Jenna. Jenna has confirmed they made out but denied the finger action that was rumored by Ashley and Amanda. Regardless, this rumor caused Jenna to jeopardize her relationship with Zach and confront multiple girls in the house.

Bananas & Natalie (Vendettas)
Even though they’re both still in the house, this relationship as already been controversial. While Bananas can get away with bringing a rookie under his wing, Natalie as essentially stabbed her rookie allies in the back in favor of working with her loyal ally. But is he really that loyal?