The Challenge saw a stark change in terms of casting on Vendettas: Contestants from Big Brother and the UK were joining the franchise. Fans of the show had very mixed reactions to the new players, but it didn’t take long for the new faces to become intertwined in the Challenge drama. And one of the fresh faces who seemed poised to be a breakout star was Kayleigh Morris.
The Ex on the Beach UK star did three seasons of The Challenge, and she had a fairly significant role in each of them. Then, she called it quits. We haven’t seen Kayleigh back on the show since 2019, and it seems unlikely she’ll compete again.
Vendettas
When Kayleigh was introduced on the Challenge, many of the veterans were intrigued. Initially, she appeared to be a sweet and pretty girl, and her drama was mostly with Melissa. This led to some silly confessionals, but Kayleigh was also catching the eyes of two male competitors: Bananas and Nelson.
This came to a head with a major blowout. Nelson began pursuing Kayleigh while Bananas was pursuing another rookie: Natalie Negrotti. However, Kayleigh and Bananas allegedly made out at a club early into the season, and Devin knew about this. He used the incident as “mental warfare” against Bananas, but the incident also impacted Kayleigh. Natalie and her friends Jemmye, Kailah, and Britni became very catty with Kayleigh and threw her luggage over the balcony to kick her out of their bedroom.
This “bullying” made Kayleigh quit the game, and TJ supported the decision. It was a surprising way to leave the show, but Kayleigh was mostly a middle-of-the-pack competitor. She hadn’t won anything, so it wasn’t likely she’d get to the final or win it.
Final Reckoning
On her second season, Kayleigh was poised to confront Kailah after their Vendettas blowout, but Kailah got kicked off the season and Kayleigh ended up getting Kam as a partner. This put her on one of the strongest girl/girl teams, and the duo performed well. They won multiple eliminations and redemption challenges, and they even won a daily challenge. But, as a girl/girl team, Kam & Kayleigh were doomed to struggle at points throughout the game.
Kayleigh’s drama this season continued to include Nelson and Natalie. After Vendettas, Kayleigh allegedly “outed” Natalie as a lesbian on social media. This caused Natalie to lash out at Kayleigh, but Kayleigh wasn’t too apologetic. She insisted the Natalie and Bananas hookup caused a lot of turmoil in her life, and it was a fake romance. Nelson also continued to pursue a romance with Kayleigh, but a rumor emerged that Natalie and Nelson hooked up at some point during the competition. Though Nelson denied these rumors, it caused strain between the two.
War of the Worlds 2
After taking a season off, Kayleigh returned to War of the Worlds 2 and she played a bit of a villain role. She wasn’t as outspoken as she was on prior seasons, but she was working with the “Cara Cult” and made moves that targeted the same people over and over. Most notably, Kayleigh influenced Joss to send Georgia into an elimination against Joss’ better judgment.
Later in the season, Joss and Kayleigh got purged out of the game because they had the slowest time in the Puzzling Swim daily challenge. They were the only two people who were purged that season, and their elimination remains a hot topic among Challenge fans.
Kayleigh’s Legacy
When people think of Kayleigh on the Challenge, they won’t think of her as a tough competitor. She’s a reality star, and she brought drama to the show.
Many people may find her “outing” Natalie as inexcusable, but the “Banatalie” relationship had a serious impact on Kayleigh, and it’s not ridiculous that Kayleigh wanted to expose this relationship as fraudulent. It also seems that Kayleigh’s relationship with Nelson could have been a bigger story. It was meant to be discussed on Ex on the Beach UK, and the couple filmed for a season, but that season got canceled.
In the game, Kayleigh will be known as a sly social player. She’s not a competition beast, but she was never shy about using her connections to make moves in the game.
If Kayleigh had more to offer, we’re not likely to see it. Following War of the Worlds, Kayleigh said she was done with the show. She later went on to say that producers rigged the show to get her out of War of the Worlds 2, implying Kam and Leroy had the worst time on Puzzling Swim.
This will remain a juicy rumor among Challenge fans, and it’s Kayleigh doing her job. She was added to the show to enhance the drama, and during her three seasons, she did just that.
Stop Being Polite 
Kailah, Britni and Jemmye bullied Kayleigh and Natalie sat back and thought it was funny. I liked Kayleigh and wished she would have had a chance to punch those girls in the throat. Well, maybe not Britni since she seemed to be the only one who looked remorseful. The other 2 doubled down like the losers they are.
if you watched the earlier seasons then you’d see what true bullying is really like. This one is only slightly more tamer in comparison.