10 Teams that Looked Good, But Were Kind of Flops

The Challenge is no stranger to having a team format. Since season 5, Battle of the Seasons, we’ve had competitor compete in pairs of two on many season, including the most recent one, Vets & New Threats.

Sometimes, competitors get unlucky and get bad partners, but there are other times when a pair seems great on paper. The partnership is many of two people who are solid on their own, but when forced to work with someone else, the team becomes lackluster. They get few wins, and never become the threat we’d assumed they’d be when the first formed.

Wes & Mandi (Fresh Meat 2)

On the first Fresh Meat, Wes found success by partnering with the nonathletic blonde girl, and he made it all the way to the end. So, he tried the same strategy on Fresh Meat 2 when he selected Mandi as a partner. On this season, Wes tried to be a political mastermind, and it really didn’t work out in his favor. He won zero daily challenges, and Fresh Meat 2 was his first season where he did not win an elimination; Mandi even seemed to be held back by Wes at times.

Will & Olivia (Vets & New Threats)

There’s no denying Will is a strong guy, and Olivia proved she has the endurance and the puzzle skills the make up for his shortcomings. When these two paired up, the came across as one of the top teams on Vets & New Threats. After four challenges, all Will has achieved is frustration. Olivia doesn’t seem to be keeping up with him due to her then-unknown pregnancy their lack of communication, and they seem on the verge of staking a claim.

Abram & Cara Maria (Battle of the Exes)

There’s no denying that these two had a tumultuous, somewhat manic relationship, but they actually weren’t exes on this season. It seemed that they should have done well, because they both ran the Cutthroat final and Cara Maria also made it to the Rivals final. Instead of using their relationship and experience to their advantage, they spent most of their time arguing. They won nothing, and by the time they wound up in the Dome, they couldn’t outperform Emily & Ty.

Theo & Sarah (World Championship)

The World Championship was a long-awaited return for Theo, and when he got back in the game, it felt like he was there to nap. This team didn’t win anything until the last daily challenge, when they were basically fed answers to get a win. At least Sarah played a game with a firm strategy, but Theo flew under the radar until an ankle injury took him out of the final in the first stage.

Wes & Nany (Rivals 3)

If there was ever a situation where two competitors just seemed mentally exhausted by the show, this was probably it. Rivals 3 always felt like Bananas & Sarah’s game to lose, but Wes & Nany felt like one of the teams that could have made their path to victory more difficult. But they never won anything, and Wes’ attempts to play a political game fell flat. Though the duo won two eliminations, by the time they faced Dario & Nicole they really seemed to be checked out.

Brad & Kyle (Final Reckoning)

This season only had four male/male teams, and Brad & Kyle didn’t really have beef with each other, so they entered the game in a good spot. They won two of the early competitions, then, they just kind of floated in the middle. Kyle got caught up in drama with Paulie and Cara Maria, and Brad found himself in the middle of a cheating rumor that Paulie started. This seemed to weaken the team mentally, and they lost to Nelson & Shane in the Apocalypse. This only sent them to redemption, where they experienced two more losses before getting permanently sent home.

Nany & Turbo (All Stars: Rivals)

After doing well together on War of the Worlds, and separating before Turbo won the final, people always wondered if Nany would have gotten her first Challenge win on that season if the teams never split. All Stars: Rivals appeared to be their second chance on a significantly less competitive season, but the duo did very poorly. Yes, they won two eliminations, but they never won a daily Challenge (perhaps because Turbo was injured), and they got sent home before even seeing the final.

Theo & Chanda (Fresh Meat)

When Theo Von was doing The Challenge, he was known for being a great competitor with a stronghold on the game — that is, until his final season. If you forgot Theo was on Fresh Meat, you’d be forgiven. Despite getting one of the best girls as his partner, he only won two daily challenges. He was also sent into his first and only career elimination, and he lost to Tina & Kenny because Kenny solved a puzzle.

CT & Kam (Double Agents)

We saw a lot of partner rotation on Double Agents, but CT & Big T had the most attention on them. CT helped Big T build her confidence, but he went on to steal Kam after his Crater win. The new team looked like a powerhouse duo on paper, but it was clear the two were very headstrong with different objectives. By the time they worked together, their communication was lacking, and CT was happy to return to Big T as a partner.

Devin & Leroy (All Stars: Rivals)

This season had two male/male teams, which should have been a huge advantage for Devin & Leroy. Some people even assumed this was a set up to get Leroy his first win, because his political game hasn’t always been the best and Devin is allegedly a political genius. But, one scheming player (Frank) lied to Devin & Leroy and sent them into the Jungle against the other male/male team, sealing their fate as early boots.