Every Mercenary on The Challenge Ranked

The Challenge has introduced dozens of twists, but one of the most infamous is the Mercenary, or “Heavy Hitter” twist. We saw this in seasons like Cutthroat, Vendettas, and Final Reckoning, and it seems to come full circle with its return in the second Cutthroat installment.

When we look at the prior mercenaries, we can see how effective the twist can be, and how big of a bust it is when implemented poorly.

Note: This list does not include the Champions from Battle for a New Champion, as I’ve made a separate list for them. However, I will include an abridged merged ranking at the end of this post.

17. Bananas and Melissa (Vendettas)

While Mercenaries were central to Vendettas, there was no need for these two to come into the final. They did nothing but play a game of hi-low, which is fundamentally random. So, it only hurt one competitor, Kam, and likely prevented the season’s break-out rookie from getting to stage 2 of the final.

16. Tina Barta (Cutthroat 2010)

It was cool to see Tina return to The Challenge after departing from The Duel, but let’s be honest, this was a vacation for her. She went easy on Tori and manipulated the winner of the elimination, and that’s exactly what can go wrong when Mercenaries are used in the competition.

15. Cory & Devin (Final Reckoning)

There were a lot of funky things going on with this duo. They came into the competition seriously late, and they had to win two eliminations to get into the game. Many people question the legitimacy of these battles, but they did “win” both and joined the competition. But, they were both volatile and left the competition shortly after Cory body slammed Tony.

14. Frank Sweeney (Vendettas)

It was great to see Frank come back to The Challenge for a moment, and he gave a good effort in Yankin’ My Chain, but this was a weight-based game and Brad won without too much of a struggle.

13. Tori Deal (Vendettas)

I understand that Tori had a good season on Dirty Thirty, but there was no indication that she would excel in a one-on-one physical elimination. Season 30’s bronze medalist lost to Kam in Crazy 8 fairly quickly, then she went right back home. But, to her credit, she was proud of Kam and paid respect to the victorious rookie.

12. Ashley Mitchell (Vendettas)

Ashley is a similar case to Frank. Did she try? Yes. Did she give it her all? Probably not. She lost to Kam, gave Kam props, and didn’t seem too torn up about losing.

11. CT Tamburello (Battle of the Bloodlines)

How can CT top his Heavy Hitter appearance on Cutthroat? Well, he can’t, at least he didn’t on Bloodlines. He showed intensity during the Hand it Over elimination, but ultimately he allowed Jamie to win.

10. Aneesa Ferreira (Vendettas)

Technically, Aneesa was successful in eliminating her opponent, Veronica, on Vendettas. But it was a technical win, because Veronica broke her pinky finger. Even Aneesa admits that this isn’t how she wanted to win, so regardless of who you were rooting for, this was an unsatisfying result.

9. Zach Nichols (Battle of the Bloodlines)

Rumor has it, Mike didn’t give it his all during Hand It Over so Jamie (and Cara Maria) could stay in the game. Still, Zach put in a solid effort and his unofficial win over CT gives him some bragging points… but literally nothing else.

8. Darrell Taylor (Vendettas)

Darrell’s appearance on Vendettas gives us an unexpected tie during Yankin’ My Chain. While this exemplifies how messy the Mercenary twist can be, Darrell put in a great effort that shouldn’t be understated. However, it would have been much more satisfying his we got a real victory.

7. Rachel Robinson (Cutthroat 2010)

After solidifying her legacy with her third win on Battle of the Eras, Rachel seemed like an easy choice for Cutthroat’s mercenary twist. A physical elimination like Pole Wrestle seems right up her alley, and she put in a good fight. However, she lost, so this is just as memorable for Adrienne’s underdog win as it is for Rachel’s return to the show.

6. Jordan Wiseley (Vendettas)

We need to give Jordan credit for his swift victory in Crazy 8, because this could have essentially been a game of Pole Wrestle, an elimination where he’d be at a clear disadvantage because of his missing hand. In true Jordan fashion, he assessed the game and determined what he needed to do to win, and he eliminated Shane in the process.

5. Sarah Rice (Cutthroat: 2026)

This appearance earns its placement almost exclusively for the excitement it generated. Before Sarah, Tina and Frank both returned to The Challenge after approximately 4-year breaks. Sarah shattered this mercenary record with a decade away from the franchise. Her appearance was a true shock, leaving jaws on the floor, but its implementation wasn’t the best. Tori beat her with relative ease because Sarah’s appearance didn’t quite mesh with the Arena’s UFC theme.

4. Laurel Stucky (Vendettas)

Nobody expected Laurel to lose to Britni, and she didn’t. This meant Britni was the only competitor who went home as a result of Yankin’ My Chain. But, Laurel’s arrival was exciting because she had history with Nicole, and that gave us a moment on the season that couldn’t have happened without the Mercenary twist.

3. Derrick Kosinski (Vendettas)

Crazy 8 is the perfect elimination for Derrick. It’s the type of game where you need to be scrappy, show endurance, and have strength. So, we got a long battle that resulted in his semi-unexpected victory against Joss. While both players were exhausted by the end, it was Joss’ mental fatigue that opened the window for Derrick to win.

2. Hunter and Ashley (Final Reckoning)

The arrival of the first Mercenaries on Final Reckoning felt like a game-changing moment, and it was. It shifted the dynamic of the house and introduced a team that would go on to win the season. While No Slack might not have been the most thrilling elimination, there’s no denying that this moment added a lot of excitement to Final Reckoning.

1. CT Tamburello (Cutthroat 2010)

I don’t think I need to explain why CT’s dominating performance against Bananas in Back Up Off Me is so well remembered. While it was ultimately Tyler who won, CT carrying Bananas like a backpack is a defining moment for The Challenge and is the type of brute strength that makes the show so jaw-dropping.

Every Mercenary + Champion Ranked

Merging this list of mercenaries with the list of champions from Battle for a New Champion, here are the most memorable appearances:

27. Johnny Bananas & Melissa (Vendettas)
26. Kaz Crossley (Battle for a New Champion)
25. Brad Fiorenza (Battle for a New Champion)
24. Tina Barta (Cutthroat 2010)
23. Cory & Devin (Final Reckoning)
22. Darrell Taylor (Battle for a New Champion)
21. Frank Sweeney (Vendettas)
20. Tori Deal (Vendettas)
19. Ashley Mitchell (Vendettas)
18. CT Tamburello (Battle of the Bloodlines)
17. Kaycee Clark (Battle for a New Champion)
16. Aneesa Ferreira (Vendettas)
15. Tori Deal (Battle for a New Champion)
14. Zach Nicoles (Battle of the Bloodlines)
13. Darrell Taylor (Vendettas)
12. Laurel Stucky (Battle for a New Champion)
11. Devin Walker (Battle for a New Champion)
10. Rachel Robinson (Cutthroat 2010)
9. Jordan Wiseley (Vendettas)
8. CT Tamburello (Battle for a New Champion)
7. Cara Maria Sorbello (Battle for a New Champion)
6. Sarah Rice (Cutthroat 2010)
5. Laurel Stucky (Vendettas)
4. Jordan Wiseley (Battle for a New Champion)
3. Derrick Kosinski (Vendettas)
2. Ashley & Hunter (Final Reckoning)
1. CT Tamburello (Cutthroat 2010)