It’s a fairly well-known Challenge “secret” that Nia was slated to be on Ride or Dies. She had just made a long-awaited Challenge return on All Stars 3, and she had patched things up with her Real World roommate Jordan. It felt like producers were setting us up for a comeback story, but then, it never happened.
Nia recently went on the Zach Nichols Podcast, and she spoke about this time. She said that shortly before filming began for Ride or Dies, she was hospitalized in Italy for blood clots in her lungs caused by vaping. Doctors warned her that competing on the show could be fatal, and obviously, Nia didn’t want to take that risk.
This is why Jordan appeared on the show with Aneesa. He was prepared to play the game with Nia, then an additional COVID-related quarantine paused production. Aneesa had originally entered the game on the first day with her friend James, but when Nia was unable to compete, James was sent home so producers could force Jordan and Aneesa to work together.
Nia claims she badly wanted to do the show with Jordan. In her words, it would have been a “beautiful” moment. She also feels that Jordan would have pulled the best out of her, and if she showed up in good shape, they could have done well in the competition.
The begs the question: Could Jordan & Nia have won?
In my opinion, I think they had a very real shot. Obviously, Jordan is a great competitor and he took Aneesa to the final on Ride or Dies. It seems unlikely that Jordan & Nia wouldn’t have competed just as well (or better) than Jordan & Aneesa did.
Just before Ride or Dies aired, we saw Nia run the All Stars 3 final. She finished in third for the women, which was good, but she struggled in some areas. Most likely, she really would have had to rely on Jordan to help her push through the tough moments. But Aneesa struggled in that final, too, and she made it pretty far. Most likely, Nia would have done the same.
If I had to guess, Jordan & Nia would have found themselves in a very similar position to the one Jordan & Aneesa actually saw. They would have trailed behind Devin & Tori, and faced Bananas & Nany in the final Balls In. This is where I think the narrative might be different. Nia would most likely outperform Nany in Balls In, and she wouldn’t get medically disqualified like Aneesa did. So, Nia & Jordan would advance to Level Up — the final stage.
I think the alternate ending for Ride or Dies (Nia’s Version) is a final between Jordan & Nia and Tori & Devin. We know Jordan is surprisingly adept when it comes to construction materials, so he’d probably do well navigating the different rooms in the Level Up competition. There’s still a good chance that Devin & Tori win because they have the edge when it comes to puzzles, but Jordan & Nia are unlikely to make a huge mistake like Bananas & Nany did.
This would have put Jordan in a bind. Does he help Nia get a Challenge win, rectifying their past relationship blunders? Or does he help Tori get her first win, showing he still supports her post-breakup?
Of course, this is all hypothetical, and it assumes Jordan & Nia can make the final just like Jordan & Aneesa did. There’s a possibility that the two get eliminated — I think Nia would have had less protection during the team portion of the game than Aneesa did. But we’ll never know, because Nia never got the chance to be paired with Jordan.
Stop Being Polite 