This week we saw Fessy get removed from The Challenge after he gave Josh a little push on the face. Apparently, The Challenge has a no-violence policy, and Fessy put his hands on Josh. This would be fair if The Challenge didn’t have a long history of excusing violence and letting people skate by.
I understand that times are changing and MTV is trying to implement a zero tolerance policy. However, it makes them seem a little hypocritical when they continuously cast people who have been removed from seasons for acts of violence. On Spies, Lies and Allies we have three Challengers who have been removed from The Challenge for acts of violence plus one competitor who was removed from Big Brother Nigeria for shoving another houseguest.
I’m just going to say this: Fessy didn’t deserve to be removed. We’ve seen people stay in the house or gotten warnings for worse acts of violence. On this list, I am only including incidents shown on a season and performed by people who remained in the game. I’m not counting people who voluntarily wrestled or boxed each other, even if they get injured after. Incidents on The Shit They Should Have Shown on bonus clips (such as Shauvon hitting Vinny with a chain) will not be included. I am also omitting reunions, because the stakes are lower when it’s just a reunion. Finally, don’t expect to see Trishelle’s Rivals 2 antics on here. She removed herself the morning after the incident, so production didn’t have the chance to formally address her behavior (though I doubt they would have).
10. Josh Shoving Devin (Double Agents)
The fact that Josh shoved Devin last season should not be overlooked. He’s consistently a competitor involved in drama and someone who lives in the gray zone for violence. We’ve seen him throw a drink on Total Madness and Double Agents, and security needed to intervene during arguments on War of the Worlds 2. He’s very lucky someone likes him because he’s definitely getting treated better than other people.
9. Sylvia Headbutting Marie (Final Reckoning)
There was a period of time where the Lavender Ladies were the main alliance on the show. Marie was a kinda-sorta member, and she was upset when she felt the alliance didn’t value her. She confronted Sylvia, got in her face, and Sylvia headbutted her away. Marie claims the headbutt was “weak AF,” but so was Fessy’s shove.
8. Cory Shoving Nelson (Invasion)
Much like Josh and Fessy, Nelson and Cory are “brothers.” Team Young Buck has lasted for a long time, but their alliance was rocky at first. On Dirty Thirty, Cory felt betrayed when Nelson made alliances with him and Shane during the Underdog bloodbath. Nelson won the first heat at the final elimination, and Cory was pissed. There was a quick shove match, but both Nelson and Cory earned their ways back into the game.
7. Jenn Pushed Mandi (Fresh Meat 2)
On Fresh Meat 2, Jenn infamously shoved Mandi, pushed her to the ground, and mocked her for being a rookie. She got to stay in the house, but the cast allegedly had the option to send her home. Of course, she was secretly in an alliance with Wes. This meant she was going to enhance Mandi’s game and no one wanted Jenn to leave.
6. Anastasia Punts CT’s Booty (Rivals 2)
On Rivals 2, CT was wreckless with the girls’ emotions. More than anyone else, Anastasia fell into his trap and felt the brunt of his manipulation. When she realized she was being played, she didn’t want to see CT. He showed up in her room, and in the words of Knight, she “slapped the shit out of him.” Then, she literally kicked his ass out. It was fairly violent, but she hit a bullseye when kicking his ass.
5. Vince Pushing Thomas on a Table (Rivals 3)
After Thomas dared to call Vince a bitch, he got offended and smashed him onto a table. This was far worse than anything Fessy did, and Bananas had to step in to deescalate the situation. TJ did give these two a warning, but Vince made it all the way to the end of the season and got the second place prize.
4. Derrick Wrestles Bananas (The Ruins)
It’s hard to assign blame here, because Bananas did try to tar and feather Derrick while he was sleeping using craft feathers and maple syrup. Derrick kept all of his family pictures by his bed, so he was mad at Bananas. He jumped on top of Bananas, tried to wrestle him, but was held back by Evan. During the process Derrick shoved Evan and threw a bottle at Bananas’s head, but can we really feel bad for Johnny here?
3. Marie Shoves Sam Into a Plant (Battle of the Seasons)
On Battle of the Seasons, in the middle of a night of brawls, Robb tried to control Derek who was yelling at Nany. So, Derek shoved Robb out of the way and Robb fell to the ground. Angry, Marie bolted over and pushed Derek, but Derek was directly in front of Sam. In a domino-type fall, Derek fell on top of Sam, and Sam fell onto a potted plant. It seemed like Sam was hurt pretty badly, but there were no consequences at all.
2. Brothers Brawl (Battle of the Bloodlines)
Tony and Shane are real brothers, and they probably had their share of quarrels during their childhood. However, The Challenge has rules (apparently). If this type of fight occured between two castmembers who were not related, both would have been sent home. Instead, these two just got a warning, and they got to continue in the game to sustain more injuries.
1. Julie Tries to Kill Veronica (The Inferno)
Never forget, there was a time when Julie was willing to risk Veronica’s life for the sake of winning $10,000. During the Grope the Rope challenge, Julie was so eager to win that she played with Veronica’s safety harness. Nothing happened, but the stakes were way too high to allow this behavior on the show. The repercussions of this going awry would have been way more severe than anything Fessy could have done. We’ve seen people DQ in competitions simply for touching supports and safety lines (like Paula in Pole Me Over on Cutthroat), but Julie’s punishment was returning to face the wrath of Coral.
Stop Being Polite 