With a new All-Stars 3 season on Paramount+ and an upcoming anniversary of 24 years, The Challenge is a reality competition series that has produced an array of successful contestants. The competition series got its start in 1998 as a spinoff of The Real World and its sister show, Road Rules, pulling many of its contestants from those series. Over time, many of them have returned regularly to compete even into their middle age.
Perennial Challenge competitors such as Beth Stolarczyk, Syrus Yarbrough and Mark Long have been part of the show from the beginning. Back then, they were in their 20s and 30s. Today, they're still showing up to play in their 40s and 50s. But they're not the only Challenge alumni proving that Generation X has still got it what it takes to compete. Far from it.
Tina Bridges (Barta) - 40 Years Old
Tina Bridges (Barta) made her MTV debut on Road Rules: South Pacific in 2003. At the tender age of 21, the feisty and bratty Tina replaced contestant Cara Zavaleta in the competition. She did not take home a win in this competition, however, she did return for Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet later on that same year.
Tina would later go on to compete for six more challenging seasons, making 2 finals but walking away with no wins. She's most notable for being disqualified from The Challenge: The Duel after punching fellow contestant Beth Stolarczyk. With her return for All-Stars 2 and All-Stars 3, Tina is now 40 years old and looking to take home her first win ever.
Aneesa Ferreira - 4o Years Old
A contestant who's not afraid to speak her mind and knows how to play the game, Aneesa Ferreira has appeared on the most seasons of The Challenge and is a player that deserves more respect for her gameplay. Ferreira first showed up on-screen in 2002 when she was cast on The Real World: Chicago at 20 years old.
Aneesa has gone on to compete on The Challenge for 18 seasons, making it to three finals with no wins. Her tendency for drama and confrontation has been her Achilles heel throughout the years, earning her few rivals over her multiple seasons. During her most recent appearance on the competition show in 2021, Aneesa was 40 years old.
MJ Garett - 41 Years Old
MJ Garrett is a face that long-time MTV fans may remember from his appearance on the reality show The Real World: Philadelphia in 2005. He's one of two contestants who were used as replacements for two challenge seasons. Although he only competed in only three competitions in the past, he won The Challenge: The Gauntlet 2 in 2006.
Garrett has recently competed in The Challenge: All-Stars 2 in 2021, winning the season's grand prize. He returned for the most recent season of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 this year. MJ is currently 41 years old and hoping to win his second challenge in a row this year.
Brad Fiorenza - 41 Years Old
Brad Fiorenza first appeared as a roommate on The Real World: San Diego in 2004. He came on the scene as a party boy ready to have some fun and flirt despite having a girlfriend waiting for him back home. His most notable moment on his season came after being arrested during a night out and heading to pick up his girlfriend from the airport the morning after. He made his first Challenge appearance on The Challenge: Battle Of The Sexes 2.
Brad is a fierce competitor who’s not afraid to speak his mind, sometimes leading him to have a target on his back. During The Challenge: The Ruins, Brad drunkenly started a fight with fellow contestant, leading to his disqualification from the game. Brad went on to compete in a total of 12 challenge seasons, making four finals and winning one. At the age of 41, Brad is currently competing on the newest All-Stars 3 season with a few other familiar challenge vets.
Chris “CT” Tamburello - 41 Years Old
Considered one of the best players from The Challenge, CT has proven to be not only a challenge beast in the competition but also a bad boy over the years. CT first appeared back in 2003 on The Real World: Paris.
Going on to appear and compete in 22 seasons where he's earned his bad-boy reputation, CT is most notable not only for making 12 finals with seven wins, but also his beautiful relationship with the late Diem Brown. He's also infamous for a tendency toward physical altercations leading to his disqualification.
Darrell Taylor - 42 Years Old
Darrell Taylor is a dynamic challenge contestant who proved to be a force to be reckoned with early on in his challenge debut. Taylor got his start on Road Rules: Campus Crawl and subsequently competed in 13 seasons of the The Challenge, making it to seven finals with five wins.
Taylor is such a dynamite contestant that he would have been the first to win five challenges in a row if he weren't disqualified. He earned this disqualification during The Challenge: The Ruins after engaging in a physical altercation with Brad Fiorenza. Although he faced this DQ, he came back to compete in a few more seasons of the show, winning the Champs vs. Pros season. He is currently participating in The Challenge: All-Stars 3.
Veronica Portillo - 44 Years Old
The girl every guy wanted and every girl hated, Veronica Portillo stepped into her MTV fame with her appearance on the reality show Real World/Road Rules: Semester At Sea in 1999 at the tender age of 21. She was most notably known on her season for allegedly cheating and stealing from a fellow contestant. She entered her first Challenge season in Challenge 2000, ultimately winning the season's grand prize.
Veronica went on to compete in 11 seasons, with this years All-Stars 3 making her 12th competition. Out of her 12 completed seasons overall, she’s made it to four finals and has taken home three wins. At the age of 44, she’s competing in the new season of The Challenge: All-Stars 3 on Paramount+.
Mark Long - 50 Years Old
Mark Long made his debut on Road Rules: USA — The First Adventure in 1995. He was the first contestant from The Real World spinoff to compete in the competition, and he owns his roles.
Mark is veteran of The Challenge through and through. Although he’s competed in only eight challenge seasons total, with All-Stars 3 being his eighth appearance, he left an impact due in part to his personality and competitive gameplay. He knows how to play the game and has taken home 2 wins back to back, one of those wins coming in his first competition season on Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He’s currently competing on All-Stars 3, as well as Worst Cooks In America Celebrity Edition: That’s So '90s at the age of 50.
Syrus Yarbrough - 50 Years Old
Starting as a roommate on The Real World: Boston in 1997, Syrus Yarbrough is one of the oldest Challenge contestants behind Beth Stolarczyk. He’s competed in just seven challenge seasons overall, with the newest season being his latest appearance. Behind these appearances, Syrus has made it to two finals, winning one.
During the All-Stars 2 season, Syrus was flown to Mexico as a backup contestant in case someone was disqualified for any reason. He ended up not appearing in that season, but this has not stopped him from wanting back in the game after so many years. In the newest season on Paramount+, Yarbrough has returned to the competition at the age of 50 to compete and win.
Beth Stolarczyk - 53 Years Old
One of the oldest contestants to ever play the game, Beth Stolarczyk came to the MTV network back in 1993, appearing on The Real World: Los Angeles, the long-running franchise's second season. She soon transitioned to The Challenge, appearing from 1998 to 2008. She doesn't have any wins under her belt yet, only making it to one final.
Although she didn't take home any wins, Beth definitely made a name for herself over the years. She was not afraid to be a villain, pushing any buttons she could to psych out another player. Because of this, she's ultimately earned her title as the best villain from The Challenge. Ultimately, she met her match in Tina Bridges on The Challenge: The Duel, receiving the punch heard around the world. Her age has not stopped her from being active, competing in the 2021 season of All-Stars.