Every Challenge season had some competitors who made a big impression. In the past, I’ve written about the star of each Challenge season. Many people made huge impressions on seasons but didn’t make the cut on that list because they left too soon.
Today, we’re looking at the people who were super memorable in the first half of their seasons but didn’t make it to the second half. Once they left, it felt like the show moved in an entirely different direction.
Because there were no eliminations on seasons 1-4, I’m omitting them from this list. Otherwise, every season has given us a really memorable loser.
Note: Casting specials, reunions, pre-shows, and Aftershows do not count for episode totals.
Belou | Battle of the Seasons | 6 of 16 Episodes
On a season where the Road Rules team was in shambles, Belou came into the game with the biggest personality — and the smallest companion. She left because she had the worst performance in the competition, but she’s remembered for talking like a rapper, quarreling with power-couple Chadwick & Holly, and of course, that baby she brought with her.
Puck | Battle of the Sexes | 9 of 18 Episodes
This whole season was an episode longer because Puck wanted to get married. During his time in Jamaica, Puck almost got kicked off, argued with Ellen, and somehow made the inner circle. Then, he left with a machete in his hand. If that’s not memorable, I don’t know what is.
Matt Smith | The Gauntlet | 6 of 15 Episodes
During his only appearance on The Challenge, the New Orleans alum ruffled a lot of feathers. He was judgmental, unfiltered, and a decent competitor. But his drama wasn’t worth keeping him around, and he was eliminated by Gauntlet queen Sarah Greyson.
Trishelle Cannatella | The Inferno | 4 of 16 Episodes
On The Gauntlet, Trishelle was quite divisive on her team, but she did have Mike in her corner. On The Inferno, both Mike and Coral were anti-Trishelle. While her time on the season was quick, she caused a lot of drama and sparked quite a few fights on her team. Perhaps she didn’t win money, but there was a bit of closure, at least for viewers.
Angela Trimbur | Battle of the Sexes 2 | 7 of 17 Episodes
Angela’s whiny and fearful reputation from Road Rules carried over to Battle of the Sexes 2, yet she lasted longer than most people anticipated. She consistently had her team divided, though she found some comfort with Frank on the men’s team. Perhaps the biggest moment was when the inner circle kept her in the game and eliminated Cynthia, but she only lasted one more episode.
Beth Stolarczyk | The Inferno 2 | 5 of 15 Episodes
In a few episodes, Beth completely divided her team and the house. A lot of people like to stir the pot, but nobody did it quite as well as Beth. She ended up with her clothes tossed in the pool, arguing with all of her teammates, and leaving on her own terms.
Jo Rhodes | The Gauntlet 2 | 2 of 17 Episodes
When you think of The Gauntlet 2, what do you think of? There’s a good chance you pull up a memory of Jo leaving the show. All of the other people who left before the halfway point were fairly unremarkable. Danny had some funny moments, and Ruthie lost to Beth, but that’s really just a misstep in her Challenge legacy. The story of Jo? Legendary.
Johanna Botta | Fresh Meat | 6 of 16 Episodes
The first half of Fresh Meat was centered around the Austin alliance crumbling. To be honest, Wes was the main character in the story, but that makes Johanna the primary romantic interest. (Plus, she lasted longer than Danny and Melinda.)
Beth Stolarczyk | The Duel | 8 of 16 Episodes
After multiple seasons of clashing with her team, Beth stood a chance on The Duel. She could fend for herself, but the main alliance still opposed her. Somehow, it was her semi-friend Svetlana who called her out and “beat” her in a Duel, which remains one of the most-debated elimination rounds in history.
CT Tamburello | The Inferno 3 | 1 of 16 episodes
This season doesn’t have many memorable moments, but if you do remember something, it’s probably when CT punched Davis in the face and got kicked off.
Brooke LaBarbera | The Gauntlet 3 | 3 of 9 episodes
When Brooke arrived on The Gauntlet 3, she decided to try being competitive and try being a lesbian. She ended up being awful in challenges, and her teammates got rid of her as soon as they were able, especially after she started arguments. Her quest to find love with a woman was much more successful, as she had a fling with Evelyn. Sadly, that love was not eternal and it ended once the season was over.
Abram Boise | The Island | 2 of 8 episodes
The Island is remembered as a season where 19 people lived in misery and Abram experienced his dream vacation. The Road Rules alum loved playing the role of a survivalist in the Panamanian jungle, and he competed in both face offs he was eligible to partake in. Then, he got a call and had to return home for “business,” but not before getting stung by wasps and gifting a key to Dunbar.
CT Tamburello | The Duel 2 | 1 of 10 episodes
Given its stacked cast, The Duel 2 is a surprisingly uneventful season — that is, except for the first episode. Within the course of 48 hours, CT arrived in New Zealand, hooked up with Shauvon, argued with Diem, and tried to pulverize Adam. He may not have won the season, but this fight definitely secured him a spot in Challenge history.
Wes Bergmann | The Ruins | 5 of 10 episodes
It’s hard to overstate Wes’ importance to this season. He showed up just to wreak havoc on his team, including attempts to throw challenges and almost getting into a physical altercation with Darrell. While he was there, his team was on the verge of imploding and viewers were treated to some of the messiest relationship drama we’ve ever seen on The Challenge. Once Wes left in his third elimination of the season, the show got notably less interesting.
Danny Jamieson | Fresh Meat 2 | 5 of 10 episodes
Of the 10 people eliminated before the midway point, most of them had very little impact on the season. But, for the first (and perhaps only) time in his career, Danny stood out as an OK competitor. He was doing well in the political game until he started getting into potato-fueled fights. Then, his friendship with Wes was tested, he was sent into the fifth Exile, and he narrowly lost.
Ty Ruff | Cutthroat | 5 of 10 episodes
On a season packed with rookies, it felt like Ty was the main shit-stirrer. He was picking fights with almost anyone, including Katie, Emily, and his “bro job” quarrel with Brandon that landed them on Rivals. Still, it seemed like the Blue Team was treating Ty like Alton reborn, until he gassed out and fully choked in the fifth elimination.
Adam Royer | Rivals | 1 of 10 episodes
Writing this list taught me that punching someone will definitely get you sent home, but it will likely make you memorable. This is true on Rivals, though the early boot competition wasn’t too fierce and most of the main characters made it to at least episode 6. But Adam’s unexpected win on episode 1 and his nonsensical argument with Ty is certainly one of the moments that helped kick off a wild season.
Wes Bergmann | Battle of the Exes | 2 of 10 episodes
It felt like Bananas’ road to victory wasn’t that difficult on Battle of the Exes, except he had one thorn in his side: Wes. Despite only lasting two episodes, the Wes vs. Bananas rivalry was in full force this season. Wes never got the power to make a move against Bananas, but he did have a few arguments with Johnny and Johnny’s ally Vinny who ripped off Mandi’s shirt.
Eric Banks | Battle of the Seasons | 4 of 12 episodes
Fresh Meat wasn’t even supposed to be on this cast, but Eric went from being a late arrival to the first-ever Hall Brawl winner. As the season progressed, it felt like Eric’s team had a huge target on its back, and Big Easy took it in stride. He even started a romance with Devyn, but when the two lovers faced each other in the Water Torture Dome, Eric decided to quit, leaving a crying Camila high and dry (literally).
Zach Nichols | Rivals 2 | 5 of 12 episodes
Rivals 2 felt like a clash between new school and old school, and going into the season, Zach appeared poised to be the new school’s ring leader. At the beginning, he did great with his partner Trey, and he seemed to be laying low. Then — in true Zach fashion — he threw a temper tantrum when he got a stomach ache and Trey earned the team last place in Frog Smash. This put the duo in an elimination that Zach thought he won. He got so excited that he threw his helmet at the audience… only to be told he was disqualified because he broke a platform out of turn.
Frank Sweeney | Free Agents | 3 of 12 episodes
Frank has made the final on three of his four Challenge seasons, and Free Agents was the one time he was sent home. Surprisingly, it was due to an alleged contagious virus, which is a shame because he was doing well on the season. He won the first two male eliminations and actually seemed to be in a great spot politically, so when he left, he took a lot of potential with him.
Diem Brown | Battle of the Exes 2 | 3 of 12 episodes
It’s hard not to get a little misty-eyed thinking about Diem on Battle of the Exes 2, because this was the last time she ever appeared on our screens. Sadly, Diem received a cancer diagnosis that took her out of the game and would eventually result in her death. Even if you overlook that, just for the sake of assessing her appearance on Exes 2, it’s hard to ignore CT & Diem. All they have to do is stand around and breathe and they’re a memorable team. But, they did more than that, and the connection between the two seemed positive this time around — makes you wonder if they were even exes while filming.
Tony Raines | Battle of the Bloodline | 4 of 13 episodes
I fully believe that Tony’s appearance on Battle of the Bloodlines is the most hectic rookie appearance we’ve ever seen. He came on the show to party, hook up, argue, and fight — and he did all of those things before he even put his jersey on. He almost got kicked out of the game for a random brawl with his brother, but he was allowed to stay. He competed in three competitions before his spleen ruptured and he was medically ejected.
Amanda Garcia | Rivals 3 | 5 of 14 episodes
Showing up as an alternate can be a curse, but for purposes of this list, it’s a huge benefit. All eyes were on Amanda & Nelson when they showed up on episode 3, but Amanda stole the spotlight when she started getting into fights with everyone in the house, especially Camila. The replacement team proved to be decent competition when they won their first Jungle, but they were sent packing on episode 7.
Kailah Casillas | Invasion of the Champions | 6 of 14 episodes
As the sole representative from Real World: Go Big or Go Home, Kailah was left to fend for herself. She won the season’s first elimination, meaning she got to chill in The Shelter and coast past the second and third challenges. So, she used this time to hook up with Cory and become BFFs with Jenna. This little alliance tried to make waves in the game, but Kailah memorably got into a drunken argument with Cory that ended with tears and soaked sheets. Soon after, she lost to Sylvia in The Fortress, becoming the first-ever victim of the Lavender Ladies.
Ammo | Dirty Thirty | 7 of 17 episodes
Due to the Redemption twist, only one large group of people departed Dirty Thirty before the midway point. Then we had Ammo (now Elizabeth Amo) who left on her own terms. As a rookie and one of the LGBTQ+ representatives on the season, Ammo had a lot to prove, but she played with the boys and did much better than expected. She eliminated Tony in The Great Escape, but when she lost in her second Presidio, she opted to remove herself from the game after suffering a panic attack.
Melissa Reeves | Vendettas | 6 of 14 episodes
Vendettas introduced us to a UK invasion, and these rookies seriously delivered in terms of entertainment. No one demanded screen time more than Melissa, who always found herself in some type of scandal. Whether it was exploring a lesbian relationship with Nicole, arguing with Kam, or slicing her toe open, there wasn’t an episode that went by that Melissa didn’t play a role in.
Note: Melissa is unique in the sense that she actually appeared on 7 episodes. She returned as a mercenary on episode 14, the final, but I’m not excluding her from this list because she could only fill the mercenary role after getting eliminated.
Britni Thornton | Final Reckoning | 4 of 20 episodes
By the midway point of Final Reckoning, two Redemption houses had been sent home. While there were some big names in the second round, you can’t tell the story of Final Reckoning without the early Chuck and Britni drama. These exes had heated fights in the Redemption house that seemingly resulted from sexual tension. This sparked a rumor that upset Brad and sent a wave of controversy through the main house, even after Britni had returned to the US.
Zach Nichols | War of the Worlds | 5 of 16 episodes
By the midway point on War of the Worlds, many of the biggest names were gone, like Bananas, CT, and Ashley. But in terms of memorability, I could only consider Zach and Amanda for this list. Ultimately, I give this title to Zach because he was a mess from every angle. Amanda dropped a “bomb” on him early into the season, sparking a huge fight with Jenna. He later betrayed Bananas’ trust by working with Wes, and then he eliminated Bananas. But, rumor had it that he wanted to leave this season early; perhaps this is why Wes defeated him in the Lights Out elimination.
Laurel Stucky | War of the Worlds 2 | 4 of 16 episodes
Though she only lasted four episodes, Laurel may be the most memorable person on War of the Worlds 2. She started out as a dominant player, but she was on a quest to destroy Wes and Cara Maria’s alliances. This included throwing a challenge, getting into fights with people like Kam, Ninja, and Cara, and it culminated in one of the most controversial eliminations ever. She also had a fling with Bear, but that’s a memory that’s best left in the past.
Jay Starrett | Total Madness | 6 of 16 episodes
You could probably build a case for putting Bear on this list, but I’m going to give it to Jay who went into the season’s first three eliminations. Jay even defeated CT in the process, but he also found himself as the third peg in the Dee and Rogan romance. This meant Rogan had a vendetta with Jay, and the Brit fully took his frustrations out on Jay in the Fire Ball elimination, and Jay was medically disqualified from the season.
Tori Deal | Double Agents | 5 of 19 episodes
A lot of eyes were on Tori coming into this season. She was newly engaged, but competing solo, and she was the most coveted female during the partner selection. Then, Devin swooped in to try to ruin her game by stealing her as a partner. This was a point of frustration, until she found herself in the Asset Destruction elimination against her BFF Aneesa. Tori seemed like the likely winner, but her struggle to release her balls allowed her friend to take the victory and send her home.
Amer Borzotra | Spies, Lies and Allies | 8 of 19 episodes
It doesn’t really make sense, but Amber — the winner of the previous season — was an alternate for Spies, Lies and Allies. Her episode 2 walk-in was memorable, but she also found herself at the center of a few fights, including the one that got Fessy sent home. Amber’s existence played a big role in fracturing the veteran alliance (though we should really fault Fessy), and she was forced to play the game without as much support as other vets. Also, she had a fling with Jeremiah this season, but you likely don’t even remember who that is.
Michele Fitzgerald | Ride or Dies | 8 of 19 episodes
Spies, Lies, and Allies gave us 17 rookies — and Michele was the only one who returned for Ride or Dies. She quickly emerged as a disruptive threat in the game when she set her target on some of the veteran competitors, especially Laurel. When she won two challenges, her decisions resulted in arguments, including one with eventual boyfriend Devin. Laurel did go home when Michele was in power… then Michele left two weeks later.
Melissa Reeves | Battle for a New Champion | 9 of 19 episodes
In a cast full of rookies and losers, Melissa was a somewhat familiar face for Challenge fans, and they remembered her for being an outspoken firecracker. She lived up to her reputation, getting into multiple fights and even throwing a drink on Ravyn. She had a romance with Kyland, and by the time she got to the reunion she was hated by most of the cast. At least she had her BFF Big T by her side.
Tina Barta | Battle of the Eras | 7 of 19 episodes
On a season packed with personality, Tina’s loud voice may have put a lot of attention on her. This is also one of her strongest performances on The Challenge, even though she barely survived a third of the season. She was one of the last-remaining Era 1 competitors, and she stood her ground by getting into arguments with people like CT and Jordan. She also earned a spot in Challenge history by becoming the only person who’s ever eliminated Emily… and some jaws may still be on the floor from this victory.
Johnny Bananas | Vets & New Threats | 4 of 19 episodes
This season reminded us that the veterans are getting old, but Bananas is still entertaining. He found himself splitting the house in half and competing against the UK alliance by forming another alliance with people like Nany, Leroy, Ashley, and Aviv. He also had a fling with Dee, which resulted in a weird love triangle that sent Will into a spiral.
Trishelle Cannatella | All Stars | 2 of 9 episodes
Only four people departed before the halfway point this season, and Trishelle was one of them. She was a highly anticipated return, and her appearance showed some personal development, like when she apologized to Aneesa for the Rivals 2 incident. Her standout moment was her argument with Katie where she brought up 15-year-old drama and Katie sternly told her to “let it go.”
Steve Meinke | All Stars 2 | 5 of 10 episodes
If you didn’t remember Steve before All Stars 2, you remembered him as a hand model after episode 1. His return to the game may have been unexpected, but he left a lasting impression this time around. He got into an argument with Katie (just like Trishelle), and he was the one who figured out how to manipulate the life saver twist, earning a few enemies like Derrick and Teck along the way.
Beth Stolarczyk | All Stars 3 | 2 of 10 episodes
This was another case where a replacement entered the house and made a huge impression. While Beth only lasted two episodes, she managed to score an elimination win and address decades-old drama with Veronica. But you most likely remember her for bringing up the Jonna/ MJ cheating rumor that shocked the house and got her paired with Jonna on All Stars: Rivals.
Ayanna Mackins | All Stars 4 | 3 of 12 episodes
Sometimes, people come onto The Challenge and overplay the game, and that’s exactly what Ayanna did on All Stars 4. She started an odd and super personal fight with Janelle that encouraged the Key West alumna to leave the game, and a lot of the house was angry with her — especially after her 45 minute rant at the nomination ceremony. This resulted in more arguments, including one with Jasmine, and Ayanna was sent packing by her good friend Rachel in the second women’s elimination.
Kellyanne Judd | All Stars: Rivals | 3 of 12 episodes
There are two ways to be remembered on a Rivals season: play the game well with your partner or implode from within your team. Kellyanne & Sylvia fit into the latter category, and they had a heated, profanity-ridden fight where Sylvia insulted Kellyanne’s dogs. The duo managed to find some semblance of a friendship toward the end of their run, but when they lost in the second Arena, they exited the season with an endearing montage of their fights.
Xavier Prather | The Challenge USA | 4 of 12 episodes
As the most-recent Big Brother winner, a lot of eyes were on Xavier on The Challenge USA — and many wounds from that season hadn’t healed. X tried to maintain his BB23 friendships, but ultimately, he fell victim to Alyssa’s plan to get rid of him, and his Big Brother frenemy Kyland was the one who put the nail in his coffin.
Jonna Mannion | The Challenge: World Championship | 6 of 12 episodes
After two All Stars wins, Jonna was in her prime on the World Championship, and she was the first veteran picked at the partner selection. She and Grant made a good team, even though she had to betray Kellyanne’s trust by sending Kellyanne into the first Arena, resulting in a fight. Sadly, Jonna’s time was cut short this season because her partner got injured, but while she and Grant were in the competition they posed a real threat.
Amanda Garcia | The Challenge USA 2 | 4 of 14 episodes
The devil wore green on this season, and as a member of the Green Team, Amanda was fated to go home early. That group didn’t do well in most challenges, but Amanda had a standout moment on Working the Poles. She also managed to continue her feud with Tori and she drove a wedge in the Big Brother alliance. This could be seen when Josh threatened a stalemate to protect Amanda at the fourth nomination ceremony.
Stop Being Polite 
Love to see Amo included!! She was great