There are many ways to play The Challenge, and some people keep layups around to help their game.
What’s a layup? In basketball, it’s a short-distance shot, typically made with one hand using the backboard — easy points. On The Challenge, “layups” are strategically kept in the game because other players feel they can easily beat them. These people could be saved as an easy elimination win, or they could be ushered into the final because they’re likely to get last place or purged out.
Most Challengers hate being called a layup, but some people have broken the mold. Still, there are enough people who have fallen victim to the layup trend to give the term meaning and define the strategy on the show.
10. Jay Starrett
Traditionally, layups are kept in the game because they’re easy to beat. The seasons with skull twists are exceptions because everyone wanted to call out Jay and get an easy Red Skull on Total Madness. He got some leeway on Double Agents, but as soon as he Theresa made a questionable move, Leroy secured his gold skull by taking Jay out.
9. Natalie Negrotti
Despite being a sneaky player, a lot of people also wanted to face Natalie in elimination. Still, she stuck around for a while because people — and the Redemption twist — would keep her in the game. There is one exception, Kyle seems to love calling her out, whether it be That’s The Ticket or Ring Tossed.
8. Eric Banks
Big Easy is a bit of an anomaly. Despite having a poor Challenge record, nobody wanted to face him in elimination because of his size. But, opposing teams want to keep him around for the final. On The Gauntlet 3, that was a very lucrative move for the Rookies. Then, he made it to the end on All Stars. He definitely did better than The Gauntlet 3, but he knew he was playing for third.
7. Devyn Simone
Despite having a great Challenge record, most people aren’t too scared to face Devyn. On Battle of the Seasons, teams were pressuring Brooklyn to send Devyn into The Arena because she’d be the easier female to beat. Then, she made it to the end of Free Agents, and despite getting to the final, she knew she was playing for third.
6. Devin Walker
If anyone broke the layup mold, it’s probably Devin. On Rivals 3, he was the first boot, but he got to come back thanks to a string of DQs. From that point on, nobody hesitated to nominate him. Then, he was booted early on Dirty Thirty, because nobody got mad if you made a shady move at Devin’s expense.
5. Katie Doyle
On The Inferno, the Road Rules team used Katie very strategically. They nominated a strong competitor and Katie, in hopes that the Real World would opt for the weaker girl. No such luck, The Real World team would never budge and they wanted to keep Katie as their good luck charm in the final. But, the joke’s on them. Katie was forced into two eliminations and she won both, then she won the whole season.
4. Josh Martinez
I probably didn’t need to put a picture here, all I had to say was “give me the goof” and Josh’s face pops into your mind. He’s lost every single elimination he’s been in except his elimination against Mechie on Double Agents, but then, he became a prime target once the five gold skulls were distributed… and he immediately lost to CT.
3. Casey Cooper
While Casey proved she could follow Wes’ orders on Fresh Meat, she quickly left The Duel. But, her biggest layup season was The Ruins. The Champions did everything in their power to keep her around, because they felt she’d guarantee the Challenger team would lose. But, Susie took her out in the final elimination, because she knew it’d be an easy ticket to the final.
2. Jemmye Carroll
If we’re being honest, Jemmye has won a few eliminations and made it all the way to the Rivals 2 final. But, when she came back for “the trilogy” she was better known for drinking wine and talking shit. However, Jemmye’s placement on this list is mostly because she’s not even ashamed of being considered a layup because they get to the final all the time. Despite this, she showed a really strategic side on All Stars.
1. Jay Gotti
If The Challenge had a dictionary, Jay’s picture would be next to the term “layup.” If you had to go into elimination, this was the guy you wanted to face — but he was never sent in. Instead, he got all the way to the final where he came in last because he couldn’t drink a fish smoothie.
Stop Being Polite 