We’ve seen our first Challenger leave the game in the solo portion of season 40, and to the surprise of few people, Ryan was eliminated. It’s a fair assumption that the majority of viewers were surprise — perhaps impressed — that Ryan made it this far in the season. While he didn’t play the riskiest game during his time, Ryan was also a fairly consistent presence on Battle of the Eras.
If you told viewers in 2009 that Ryan Kehoe would be representing that era of The Challenge 15 years later, you’d probably get a lot of surprised reactions. There were even a lot of raised eyebrows when he popped up on the cast list in 2024, but Ryan’s appearance on the main series does make sense when we consider:
- He’s been active on All Stars in recent years and nearly made the final on All Stars 4.
- After All Stars 4, he became intertwined in a lot of drama, particularly involving Laurel and Cara Maria, whose feud would become a major plot on the Era 2 team.
- Many of the other representatives from Era 2 weren’t available to film season 40 or Challenge producers won’t invite them to return to the show.
Despite there being some logic behind casting him, it’s hard to deny that his spot on the season could have gone to a competitor with a stronger Challenge track record. Ryan’s only made it to one final, The Island, where he predictably flopped. So, was it worth taking the risk to put Ryan on this cast?
One of the biggest differences between Ryan in 2009 and Ryan in 2024 is his loyalties in the game. In the past, he seemed to work very closely with Kenny, but he would pride himself as being a “double agent” on Fresh Meat 2. When he returned for All Stars 4 and Battle of the Eras, he had a very clear alliance. He was loyal to Derek and Averey, and on the Era 2 team, he wasn’t going to blindly comply to Bananas and Laurel’s game.
This made him a while card on the season. Not just from a casting perspective, but also in terms of the game’s strategy. People weren’t naming Ryan as a target, making it harder for Bananas to fly under the radar. He was also perceived to be weaker, which helped to balance the stacked female roster on the Era 2 team.
On season 40, we saw Ryan play a part of the social game in a way we never saw in his earlier seasons. He was more predictable, but this meant he was willing to make moves in the game, even go into the Arena, so he wouldn’t have to compromise his allies.
One thing that didn’t change from 2009 to 2024 — Ryan wasn’t a major threat in the daily challenges. This isn’t to say he was a useless competitor, but he was more likely to perform poorly than other people. He came in last for his era on Light It Up, contributed nothing on Leap of Faith, was pushed into the mud on Battle for Honor, fell first for his era on Bottoms Out, and had the worst male performance on Fire Away.
With all of those data points, it’s fairly clear his ability to avoid The Arena wasn’t based on performance. So, when he made mistakes during Killer Quads and was eliminated, few people were surprised.
Ryan is the type of person who wants to compete, and he won’t shy away from difficult games, so it’s not like he’s just on the show for a good time. However, he’s also not going to make it to the end of the game by winning daily challenges and Arenas.
This leaves fans with a mixed perception of him, because his biggest strengths are in the social and political game.
Ryan proved he was a solid addition to the All Stars 4 cast, but will his time on the main series end after Battle of the Eras? Nothing is concrete yet, but I’d guess he’s likely to return if he’s interested.
He was involved in drama with core Challenge cast members like Laurel and Bananas, so and these story lines will continue to have value on the show in the future. We’ve also seen his BFF Derek do well on All Star 4 and Battle of the Eras. Production seems invested in their platonic gay friendship, so it wouldn’t be surprising to watch them return as a package deal.
I definitely don’t think we’ve seen the last of Ryan. Viewers have watched him grow over the years, and it seems he’s entered a new era of his Challenge career.
Stop Being Polite 