Over the years, there have been a fair amount of toxic players on MTV's The Challenge. The drunk antics from the Camila Nakagawa, aka the Camilanator, used to be an integral part of the series. But even Camila pushed things too far and was eventually banned from the show. Other competitors, like Tony Raines, have chosen to take their toxicity out of the franchise of their own accord.
But drunken fights lead to quick exoduses on The Challenge. While Tony and Camila were certainly problematic, the most genuinely toxic dynamics that seep in season after season seem to stem from love gone wrong and aggressive power moves within the game. Take a look at the most toxic players in Challenge history, and what exactly makes them so controversial.
Cara Maria Sorbello
Cara Maria Sorbello is a fan favorite of The Challenge universe. However, she has also contributed to her fair share of conflict-ridden romances amidst her unparalleled passion for the game. Sorbello was not entirely at fault for the cheating and betrayal from ex Abram Boise or the ridiculous antics with Kyle Christie. Still, she has also never been quick to apply crucial mental health skills, a major necessity in the isolating environment MTV curates.
Ultimately, Sorbello's obsessive intensity for The Challenge pushed her to take a break after War of the Worlds 2. Outside of the game, Sorbello seems determined to eliminate toxicity from her life. Since then, she has focused on her relationship with fellow castmate Paulie Calafiore. These days, the two can be found riding horses, cooking in matching onesies, and maintaining their physiques in Sorbello's home state of Montana.
Zach Nichols
Another character worth mentioning is Zach Nichols. While seemingly a far more grounded player on the surface, his on-again-off-again relationship with Jenna Compono yielded excessive stress for both parties and plenty of drama throughout the years. While Zach and Jenna are on their way to becoming proud parents of a brand-new baby, things didn't always look so optimistic.
At the beginning of Total Madness, Jenna and Zach endured a series of strained conversations. During private calls, Zach interrogated Jenna about Instagram DM's she received during a break in their relationship. Ultimately the tension took its toll on Jenna. When she was eliminated a week or so later, both fans and castmates wondered if she threw the competition to work through things with Zach.
Johnny Bananas
While much of the show's toxic energy has stemmed from failed romances, much of it has also stemmed from drastic game tactics and crippling maneuvers. Johnny Bananas is a notorious mastermind on the show famous for his rivalry with Wes Bergman. His power struggles on the show remained mostly friendly, until Bananas ran an entire season with Sarah Rice, mending fences and overcoming obstacles in their friendship. However, when it came to the finale, after earning the shorter time stamp, Bananas opted to stab Rice in the back and take the $275,000 jackpot for himself.
Since then, dropping your partner to take the cake has become more normalized after Ashley Mitchell pulled the same move on Hunter Barfield in Final Reckoning. Audiences didn't bat an eye at Mitchell's decision. When asked what she would do, she said, "This guy's belittled me, put me down, slut-shamed me, and also threatened my life and my family's life. I'm keeping the money." Still, Banana's will go down in the history books for telling longtime host TJ Lavin he was going to "take the money and run," a move that appeared to surprise even Lavin after years of seeing it all.