Is the British Invasion Over on The Challenge?

On Vendettas, Challenge fans were shocked to see new faces — and accents — arrive on the show. Kayleigh, Joss, Kyle, Rogan, and Melissa introduced fans to new drama and competitors. While some people were irked by this, in retrospect, it’s kind of hard to deny they were an interesting breath of fresh air.

Since then, the number of people repping the UK has gone up and down, peaking with War of the Worlds 2.

Vendetta: 5 debuts
Final Reckoning: 0 debuts, 3 total
War of the Worlds: 5 debuts, 6 total
War of the Worlds 2: 6 debuts, 14 total
Total Madness: 0 debuts, 6 total
Double Agents: 2 debuts, 4 total
Spies, Lies, and Allies: 3 debuts*, 5 total
Ride or Dies: 1 debut, 1 total

*Based on the flag on their jersey. Lauren Coogan and Kelz Dyke are included even though they were on US shows. Hughie is not included, even though he debuted on Big Brother UK

Since debuting on Vendettas, Ride or Dies had the fewest number of Brits. And, unlike the seasons that preceded it, the only UK rep (Sam Bird) debuted because of his relationship with an American competitor.

So, it this the end of Brits on The Challenge?

I’m going to says no, but I expect them to get a similar treatment to Are You the One? cast members. I expect to see a few more new faces, and the legacy players (who haven’t been blackballed) will be welcome back onto the show. I’d expect to see Kyle again, and Theo is likely to come back after his return on the World Championship.

When the UK kids came onto Vendettas, MTV and MTV UK were testing the waters. Some of the flagship US season have aired in the UK, but it didn’t connect with the audience. This shouldn’t be a surprise, because they were getting seasons like Vendettas and Final Reckoning. A British audience wouldn’t understand any of the drama other than the stories involving the small pool of British competitors.

But this year, The UK got its own Challenge series, and it tanked. The formatting of the show doesn’t seem to interest the Brits, and its doubtful there will be a second season.

Most likely, future Challenge seasons will continue to test the waters with competitors from other countries. Recently, it seems like Germany has gotten a big push with competitors like Nam, Berna, Kim, Colleen, Tracy, and Emmy.

In terms of the UK competitors, they’re only as good as their ability to connect with the US audience. The Challenge has done much in terms of popularity in the UK, and that’s not likely to change if the show doesn’t make some big adjustments.