Why Was Jemmye Cast for All-Stars?

The Challenge: We Want OGs transformed into The Challenge: All Stars. I can’t complain about the cast at all. Everyone has given us something, and casting surprises turned out to be great additions to the show. Of course, the casting still has a preference for older cast members, but there are some people who have been on more recent seasons of The Challenge.

Let’s take a look at Jemmye. She gets special recognition here because her debut is more recent than anyone else’s. Her Real World season aired in 2010, and she made her Challenge debut in 2012. She’s also one of the competitors who appeared on more recent seasons. She last competed on Vendettas, though she appeared on Final Reckoning she didn’t do a single thing there.

So why is Jemmye the stopping point in casting? We know there were other people who could have competed on the show, but Jemmye got on the roster. Admittedly, she does play an important role.

Throughout the show, it seems she is somewhat of a narrator. Whenever we hear the rules of a challenge, Jemmye is likely popping up in the confessional to elaborate. She’s always been a confessional warrior, and her commentary adds a different perspective to the All Stars season.

We also need to realize, All Stars is not an old school show. The style of competitions and the formatting of the eliminations are more reflective of current Challenge seasons. People like Jemmye, Aneesa, Derrick or Darrell are familiar with this. Meanwhile, we have people on the show who have never even appeared on a season with elimination rounds. Jemmye plants seeds of competition into daily conversation and gives production more game-based dialogue.

We also see Jemmye as a fan of some of the old-schoolers. She knows people like Beth and Katie, but she’s never competed alongside them. This likely would have been elaborated upon more if we had other people on the cast, but it’s clear Jemmye was a fan of the show before getting on The Real World. In the Melt Away challenge, she was the one who allegedly knew the order of the Challenge seasons despite debuting on season 23.

Jemmye adds a nice variety to the cast. She’s no newbie to this game, and she has delivered a lot of content on the All Stars season. Her place on the season makes sense as the show progresses, and this is an environment where she does well without taking away from others.