MTV’s The Challenge, originally known as Road Rules: All-Stars is a spinoff of reality shows The Real World and Road Rules. Hosted by T.J.Lavin, contestants, some from other MTV shows such as Ex on the Beach, are given extreme tasks to undertake. They have to compete against each other to avoid elimination. Winners of the final challenge are given a big cash reward that is shared. The show first premiered in 1998 and is currently on its 36th season.
The Challenge: All-Stars, a limited spinoff of the show, premiered on April 1st, 2021. On the show, 22 past cast members compete for the grand prize of $500,000. The cast includes veteran members such as Derrick Kosinski who’s competed 10 times and had three wins, Beth Stolarczyk who has been on seven seasons, and Trishelle Cannatella, who made her debut on Real World: Las Vegas.
Conspicuously missing are these veteran contestants:
10 Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio
Johnny Bananas joined The Real World: Key West in 1998. He holds the record as the contestant with most appearances, having been on the show for twenty seasons. During his reign, he won over one million in cash prizes and appeared on spin-offs Champs vs. Pros and Champs vs. Stars. In a recent interview, he revealed that he was open to participating in The Challenge: All-Stars, but missed the days when things were less serious as the show has been taken over by professional athletes.
9 Sarah Rice
Sara Rice made her debut on The Real World: Brooklyn. She’s won two challenges; Battle of the Exes II, and Rivals III. When she was partnered with Johnny Bananas on Rivals III, the team won the season. Splitting the $275,000 cash prize was a nightmare as Johnny Bananas took it all. Sarah has never been seen on the show since 2016 when the incident occurred. She hasn’t spoken on All-Stars but is now an advocate of mental health.
8 Chris Tamburello
Originally on The Real World: Paris, Chris “ CT’ Tamburello has won five seasons and been a finalist on six, including Battle of the Exes. In a trailer of The Challenge: Double Agents ( 2020), he revealed that he had not been in the best place mentally because of an ongoing separation from his wife Lilianet Solares. His failure to appear on the show was more of a production strategy, as he was replaced by Teck.
7 Evelyn Smith
Evelyn Smith risked a scholarship at the University of Arizona to compete on The Challenge. The risk paid off, leading her to win three seasons and be a finalist on one. While Evelyn reached out and expressed interest in participating, show creator Mark Long revealed that filming coincided with Evelyn’s work at the Democratic primaries.
6 Brad Fiorenza
Brad was a contestant on The Real World: San Diego. He won Cutthroat and made it to the final round of The Duel, The Gauntlet, and The Duel II. On the show, he was known for catchy one-liners and a ‘bad boy’ approach to life. He once broke up with his girlfriend to flirt with a fellow contestant. In 2019, he announced his retirement from the series, citing that his The Challenge days were over. He hasn’t revealed any information on All-Stars.
5 Jodi Weatherton
She first appeared on Road Rules: X-treme. According to MTV, she was a fierce competitor and rose to great heights on the show. However, her inability to cope under pressure often got her in trouble. She had a fair share of relationships on the show, pairing with Mark Long and Alton Williams. While she won The Duel, her time on the show was cut short by production. A $150,000 cheque marked her exit from The Challenge. On All-Stars, she revealed that she was contacted, but the pandemic stood in the way since she’s based in Europe.
4 Wes Bergmann
We first met Wes Bergmann on The Real World: Austin. He won The Duel, and Rivals II and made it to the final stage of three other seasons. He had an infamously short temper and an obnoxious pride-filled demeanor that rubbed most contestants the wrong way. Although Bergmann appeared on Double Agent, he seemed less interested in All-Stars, as far as Twitter was anything to go by. Following the announcement of The Challenge: All-Stars, he tweeted that he’d rather watch streaming platforms than return to the show.
3 Veronica Portillo
Veronica Portillo's debut was on Road Rules: Semester at Sea while she was a student at UC Berkeley. She won three seasons and was a finalist in one. She is particularly infamous for the brawling between her and fellow contestants, Ayanna and Amaya. Having experienced stillbirth, she publicly sympathized with Chrissy Teigen, following her 2020 loss. Her last appearance was on a special mini-challenge advertisement for Universal. In The Challenge + Universal, she was paired with Darrell and competed against Derrick and Emily. On returning to All-Stars, she told E!, “ In short, the ROI wasn’t worth it for me.”
2 Mike “The Miz” Mizanin
Professional wrestler Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin debut on The Real World: Back to New York. He’s won two seasons and has been a finalist in one. On appearing on The Challenge: All-Stars, creator Mike Long confirmed that ‘The Miz’ had a packed schedule. He was too busy to film.
1 Robin Hibbard
In 2004, Robin quit her job for a shot at The Real World: San Diego. This bet paid off as she later became a finalist on four seasons, close enough to the prize. On the show, she had a fleeting relationship with Randy. She, too, has been silent on matters All-Stars.