Throughout the history of MTV's The Challenge, there have been several major scandals. Premiering back in 1998 under the original title of Road Rules: All Stars, the series has adapted in countless ways over 38 seasons while maintaining its ultimate goal of delivering entertainment and drama. Taking contestants from shows like Road Rules, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, and even international series, the casting pool for each season pulls in rookies while maintaining large groups of returning veteran players. The result is a cast of explosive personalities pitted against each other for a large cash prize, which naturally creates countless scandals.
Although The Challenge season 38 was recently criticized for its lack of excitement, each season naturally creates new scandals. One major reason the show consistently features drama between competitors is the unique format that allows for players to return season after season, with some Challengers like Johnny Bananas competing on a total of 21 seasons. The recycling of cast members allows for grudges and vendettas to carry on throughout multiple seasons. The format also rewards those who engage in drama by giving them more screen time, thus making them more likely to return and get another shot at winning.
The Challenge Is Known For Non-Stop Drama
The biggest scandals throughout The Challenge were due to the clashing personalities of cast members, questionable choices by production, or a combination of both. Speaking to GQ, long-time host of The Challenge TJ Lavin commented on the persistent drama, stating, "When you get in the house and you’re away from everything, there’s nothing else to do except fight with people or make something happen." The rising tempers in the house each season typically lead to at least one explosive argument, but some fights are more shocking than others, causing them to be remembered as major scandals.
Camila's Racism Towards Leroy Went Unaddressed
Veteran Challenge contestant and 2-time champion Camila Nakagawa caused a major scandal after drunkenly starting an argument with fellow competitor Leroy Garrett. During The Challenge: Dirty Thirty, Camila became aggressive after a night out, turning her rage towards Leroy and yelling at him. The one-sided argument quickly became serious when Camila began making racist remarks and yelling derogatory names at Leroy, with little intervention from production. The event led to Leroy's temporary retirement from The Challenge, as he felt production didn't take the incident seriously by not reprimanding Camila or even informing TJ of the event. Camila's racist remarks disgusted the other competitors, and agreed that she deserved to be evicted from the house for her behavior. In a video posted to Instagram after the season, Leroy criticized production, saying, "You basically rewarded her for being racist and being violent. I’ve seen people get sent home for less." Not only was Camila permitted to stay in the game, but she went on to win The Challenge: Dirty Thirty and received a prize of $450,000. Afterward, Camila was invited back for one more season, The Challenge: Champs Vs Stars, before reportedly being banned after backlash from the scandal reached MTV.
Sylvia & Joss Allege They Were The Real Winners
Production has caused other scandals on The Challenge, specifically when they were accused of rigging The Challenge: Final Reckoning for winners Ashley Mitchell and Hunter Barfield. The Final Reckoning finale delivered a shocking moment in the show's history when Ashley took revenge on Hunter for his mistreatment of her throughout the season by taking his share of the $1 million prize money for herself. However, second-place finishers Sylvia Elsrode and Joss Mooney claim they were the real winners, but production rigged the season for Ashley to win to manufacture the big moment where she stole the money from Hunter. On the podcast Challenge Mania, Sylvia stated, "I truly believe Joss and I did win that season. I think the reason why we didn't win it publicly, though, is because we weren't going to steal the money from each other...I don't think anything was changing who they wanted to win that game." Although The Challenge fan-favorite Sylvia's allegations aren't confirmed, the fact that the true winner is up for debate reveals that The Challenge production isn't transparent. If Sylvia and Joss' claims are true, the pair was cheated out of $1 million despite winning the final fair and square.
Ashley Was Mysteriously Removed From The Game
In recent seasons of The Challenge, production has cracked down on competitors' bad behavior, like in the case of Ashley's removal from The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies. After her multiple wins, Ashley's removal from the season was shocking, especially because the announcement of her departure by TJ didn't go into detail. The Challenge contestant Josh Martinez shed light on the situation after the season, speaking to Challenge Mania and stating, "She attacked something that a lot of people struggle with...it was probably one of the hardest things I went through on the show." Josh, who won Big Brother 19, did not formally reveal what Ashley said to him, but other cast member reports and sources from production have indicated that Ashley made homophobic comments and presumed Josh's sexuality. The issue became a scandal after several cast members chimed in, with some taking Josh's side and some taking Ashley's. Jemmye Carroll, a Challenge veteran, criticized production for removing Ashley while allowing others to stay in the past for worse events. The lack of consistency with production rules is a hot topic within The Challenge community.
After 38 seasons and hundreds of competitors featured, conflict and scandals are inevitable on The Challenge. The nature of the show requires contestants with big personalities who are willing to engage in some drama to deliver entertainment. The biggest issues occur when competitors take things too far, leading to some being banned from The Challenge or when production fails to keep the game fair for every player. As the show continues to produce seasons, there will likely be even more scandals ahead. Fans of the show can only hope that future drama doesn't escalate to the degree where contestants' mental health is affected and that the game maintains fair and explicit rules.
Sources: GQ, Challenge Mania, Challenge Mania