Throughout the history of The Challenge (especially recently) the show has made some head-scratching casting decisions.
Sometimes, production bends the casting rules to get someone onto the show, and it pays off big time (for example, Kellyanne over Jenny on World Championship). Other times, they just make a dumb mistake that provides nothing to the viewers.
To be clear: I am only focusing on a single appearance, so someone who mades sense with a stand-out season can be considered a flop on a later season. Also, I am omitting people from the list if their appearance was necessary for other cast members. For example, Lacey’s debut six years after The Real World would be a huge shock, but it made sense to round out the Austin team on Battle of the Seasons.
10. Asaf Goren (Total Madness)
For a first boot, Asaf really wasn’t that bad. He tried to make waves at the deliberation and had a short storyline with Nany. And somebody had to leave first, so where’s the error? Well, Asaf’s history on Are You the One was completely neglected and he wore the Israeli flag on his jersey. He would have worked much better on War of the Worlds or Spies, Lies and Allies where his background could be incorporated into the theme — especially if they weren’t going to mention his history on AYTO.
9. Nicole Bass (War of the Worlds 2)
Coming into The Challenge, we knew Nicole was Georgia’s friend. When she left, we hadn’t learned anything more. In all fairness, production had done a good job casting interesting Brits on The Challenge up to this point. Nicole was the first real flop.
8. Jeremiah White (Spies, Lies and Allies)
It felt like we waited through episodes of Spies, Lies and Allies before we heard Jeremiah say anything. While this season is packed with rookies, Jeremiah is unique because he filled a spot reserved for an American player that could have been occupied by a fan favorite. At least other US rookies like Tommy or Michele were Survivor winners, but Jeremiah was from the non-competitive Love Island. There’s even rumors that Johnny Middlebrooks was dropped from the cast so Jeremiah could appear. If that’s true, the decision definitely didn’t pay off.
7. Thomas and Simone (Rivals 3)
You could easily make an argument for John and Simone’s appearance on Battle of the Exes 2 being on this list, though they did bring some laughs and some drama. But, that drama wasn’t too important because Simone’s fight with Tom was edited out of the final cut of the show. So, the pairing made no sense on this season, and the partnership added nothing to the show because Tom ended up needing to quit before the game got too serious.
6. Ty Ruff (Rivals 2)
It’s a fairly well-known fact that Tyler Duckworth was dropped as Leroy’s partner on Rivals 2 in favor of Ty. People remember Tyler’s fight with Leroy on Rivals, but nobody remembers Ty and Leroy having any interactions on Rivals or Battle of the Exes. But, production thought Ty would be more dramatic. Spoiler: He wasn’t and he completely flopped in The Jungle.
5. Nam & Emmy (Ride or Dies)
Prior to this season, these two didn’t know each other. Production just paired them because they’re both German and they felt bad that Nam had to leave Spies, Lies and Allies. Then, Emmy decided to quit and forced Nam out of another season, cementing him as one of the unluckiest Challengers ever.
4. Lio Rush (Double Agents)
If we’re being honest, Lio started this season with a lot of intensity and he seemed like he’d be a wild card in the game. Then, he left because the game was taking a toll on his mental wellbeing. It’s nice that he’s looking out for his own best interest, and I don’t blame him for leaving, but the fact that production put a pro wrestler on the show ruffled a lot of feathers among fans. In the ends, there was absolutely no payoff.
3. Jozea Flores (Champs vs. Stars 2)
Jozea’s spot on Final Reckoning is questionable, but there’s no doubt that he didn’t belong on Champs vs. Stars. He was the first person voted out of Big Brother 18. That doesn’t make him a star, especially because more successful BB18 players were normal Challenge cast members on Vendettas. And the only thing he did on the season was prove he can’t swim and doesn’t know what hockey is.
2. Kenny Clark (Ride or Dies)
Only one sibling pair appeared on Ride or Dies: Kaycee and Kenny. I understand that Kaycee won Spies, Lies and Allies, but there was no way Kenny would benefit her game. While there’s no questioning the validity of their “Ride or Dies” status, Josh was literally sitting in a hotel room as an alternate. Regardless of opinions, he’d be a valid Ride or Die for Kaycee and he’s not a random rookie.
1. Lolo Jones (Double Agents)
Similar to Lio, some people were upset that Lolo debuted on the main series because she’s an Olympic athlete. In all fairness, this wasn’t her first venture into reality TV — she did Champs vs. Pros and Celebrity Big Brother. In the end, she was upset that people weren’t sending her into elimination to get her gold skull, and she left on her own accord. This seemed like a big investment by MTV, and in the end, we got a quitter.
Stop Being Polite 