Being a Challenge fan has its ups and downs. By the time we see a preview for a new season, the cast is already old news. Hardcore fans check out the spoilers so they know the cast before the competition has begun.
Because these cast lists are revealed in real-time, there are bound to be some mistakes. Over the decades there have been times when wrong information made it out to the public. For one reason or another, a “confirmed” cast member isn’t actually on the final cast.
Here, we’re going to look at the ten biggest mistakes that have happened over the seasons. The only condition: these people need to have been confirmed once filming began. Pre-season rumors or production decisions don’t count.
This list is just meant to be fun. Mistakes happen, and the spoiler accounts do an incredible job. But there are times when we can’t help but wonder what could have been.
10. Kayla Fitzgerald – Total Madness
Don’t know who this Kayla is? The former Amazing Race contestant was rumored to be the first boot on Total Madness before it was revealed that she never actually made the cast. The poor girl got dragged through the mud for being a flop on a show she didn’t even appear on, and people mocked her for a small role in a slasher film where she was credited as “dick sucker 1.”
9. Coral Smith- The Duel 2
There may never be a cast release as much of a roller coaster than The Duel 2. While Coral wasn’t part of the initial cast reveal, she was added for a brief moment before being replaced by Britini on the list. Fans got excited, then let down, then watched as the competitive edge of this stacked season decreased when CT got booted.
8. Beth Stolarcyzk- Battle of the Sexes 2
As early Challenge sites started to leak spoilers, Beth was part of the Sexes 2 cast. Some names dropped off the list before filming (which is very common), including Jisela. So, people thought the girls would have ten Real Worlders and only eight Roadies, which was blasphemous in 2004. But, the spoilers were wrong and Kina was on the cast.
7. Mandi Moyer- Rivals 3
Prior to the beginning of season 28, a photo of the cast at an airport emerged. Some people were clearly in frame while others were a bit harder to see. There was a head of blonde hair, and fans speculated it was Mandi because her wedding date was moved and she wasn’t active on social media. In reality, that girl was Sarah, who fooled fans with her pre-recorded episodes of the Brain Candy podcast. Mandi was just out living her life.
6. Johnny Bananas- All Stars 3
The upcoming All Stars cast is filled with big players, but Bananas never showed up like we believed he would. While he hasn’t been away from the show for too long, there’s no denying he would have been an interesting addition to this ultra-competitive cast.
5. Da’Vonne Rogers- War of the Worlds 2
After a successful run on War of the Worlds 1, it’s no surprise that people wanted more from Da’Vonne. On departure day, her name was on the list (along with Gus from Floribama Shore), but she can be sneaky. Da’Vonne was playing social media games with fans only to disappoint them when she didn’t appear on the show.
4. Puck Rainey- The Inferno 2
In the early days of The Challenge, rumors were a bit easier to spread. While the more reliable spoiler sites never advertised Puck as a part of season 10, many fans believed the rumor. Likely, this existed because MTV was promoting their naughty vs. nice theme, and Puck was the ultimate bad boy. Prior to the cast reveal, Shavonda spoiled the whole cast on her blog and made a special point to say Puck wasn’t there.
3. Svetlana Shusterman- All Stars 2
Svetlana has earned a reputation of being a bit flakey. She bailed on the Gauntlet 3 last minute, but it felt like her return to All Stars 2 was real. In the weeks prior to filming, she emerged on social media and seems slightly active. Maybe she was entertaining the idea of a return, maybe it was just a coincidence. Regardless, fans (and some cast members) were surprised when Svetalana didn’t get a jersey.
2. Tori Hall- Total Madness
Fans believed the return of Tori, the one who really has a Champion title, was in the cards. In reality, she was just out living her life away from social media. So how did this mistake happen? Her good friend Kendal was fueling the rumors by talking about how she couldn’t get in contact with Tori. We thought she was feeding us; in reality, she was deceiving us.
1. Landon Lueck- Final Reckoning
For a brief moment in time, fans had their hopes up for a return of Landon. People thought he’d be on Final Reckoning, and there was reason to be hopeful. Veronica returned for Dirty Thirty, Brad returned on Vendettas, why wouldn’t the third installment have a big return? But in the end, Landon kept his legacy reserved for his first (and only) four seasons.
Stop Being Polite 