The Challenge's Katie Cooley is back for another grueling installment of The Challenge: All Stars and says season 2 is more "cutthroat" than the last. Katie didn't make it to the finals in season 1, but she's hoping to change that in season 2. With Trishelle Cannatella sitting this season out, Katie doesn't have any pre-existing feuds going into the house. But that doesn't mean she makes it through the second season unscathed.
After a well-received first season, All Stars is making a comeback. Longtime fans of the show get a chance to see some of the game's original players return for redemption. With them all being much older than they were 20 years ago, the obstacles prove to be more of a struggle for some. With the new season premiering on Paramount+, Katie and 23 returning vets from MTV's The Real World and Road Rules are all working hard to prove that they’ve still got what it takes. The competition is fierce, and Katie says it's even more "cutthroat."
The Challenge: All Stars season 2 was filmed in Cancun, Mexico, and will be hosted by the show's regular TJ Lavin. With fierce competitors like Derrick Kosinski, Brad Fiorenza, Tina Barta and Darrell Taylor returning, Katie said the usual game politics got a lot messier in season 2. "Unfortunately, it was not as PC as the first season," Katie told TV Line. "It was definitely more cutthroat because of the way the game was designed." With the players being parents with families at home watching the show, Katie assumed there would be more comradery among the group, but she admits she was wrong. "I thought, 'Oh, no one wants to be the big jerk because they have kids. They don’t want their kids to see them being an ***hole, or their kids’ teacher, their boss, their spouse or their in-laws.' But nope. I was wrong. No one cared," Katie said.
Last season, Katie took the high road when confronted by Trishelle over their friendship. She didn't engage with Trishelle's verbal jabs and showed a more mature side of herself when compared to her early days on The Challenge. But with a million dollars on the line. fighting isn't worth getting sent home. Katie said the game was a lot harder than she initially expected. "I thought it would be much simpler, but it’s not. It’s as extreme as it used to be," she said. Katie hasn't won the game since The Inferno and has since started a family and interior design business that she would likely allocate her earnings to should she win.
Last season, Yes Duffy was crowned the winner after breezing past Darrell in the final run. But Yes sat this season out, and Darrell is back hoping to take home the big win. The Challenge spin-off brings back all the nostalgia from the early 2000's while also serving as a reminder that age shouldn't limit anyone's physical abilities. The Challenge: All Stars season 2 sees the return of some of the top-performing veterans from past seasons. The stress of the game is known to test relationships. With the cast having two decades of history together, viewers will be watching to see which friendships are able to last.
The Challenge: All Stars streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
Source: TV Line