Who’s Who this season on MTV’s The Challenge

Jay Starrett, Kailah Casillas and Cory Wharton are among the 28 competitors The challenge: total madness. (MTV)

The 35th season of MTV The challenge begins this week, pitting 21 of the most notorious veterans in the series against seven newbies torn from the world of reality TV. Whereas previous seasons have focused their search for outsourced candidates on internal programs such as Are you the chosen one and British imports like Geordie shore, this time the bulk of imports Big Brother. The concept of “War of the Worlds” of the last two seasons put aside, “Total Madness” promises a competition for each other, with $ 1 million as a grand prize.

From the appearance of the trailer, the most salient new rule of the new season is that to make it to the finals, you have to win a duel (the head-to-head elimination challenges at the end of each episode). So more skating and using your connections to keep you safe until the end. It’s good that this year’s cast is heavy for warriors. Here is who will fight as “Total Madness” brings The challenge back to Prague:

Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio

Previous challenges: 19

No discussion on The challenge can really start without addressing the player in each season of the show (he hasn’t missed a installment since 2012 Battle of the seasons). Although Johnny has been a dominant force for years, more recently his powers have been greatly reduced. Physically, he was beaten by younger and hungrier players, and even his famous noose on the social game of the series slipped. He was eliminated in the first 5 episodes of the last two challenges, and has not made a final since he pulled the prize from under his partner Sarah Rice on Rivals III (seven seasons ago), bringing whispers of curse.

Chris “CT” Tamburello

Previous challenges: 16

Once upon a time, there was no one more frightening, nor more than one physical specimen than CT. The past few years have seen a smoother, more bodily CT scan, a transformation that hasn’t stolen an ounce of watchability from it. He doesn’t always fight on the side of the angels, but when he is, there are few players who are more fun to look for.

Wes Bergmann

Previous challenges: 12

After a disappointing exit from episode 3 on War of the Worlds 2, Wes came back with a Yukon Cornelius beard and (we imagine) a plan to hit his enemies. Presumably, this implies that Wes exercises the most powerful tool in his arsenal: an almost sociopathic self-confidence combined with a rare gift (for this show) for deductive reasoning. Seek the resumption of what has been The challengeis the biggest rivalry, Wes against Bananas.

Aneesa Ferreira

Previous challenges: 12

For all those who watched a 20 year old Aneesa frolic topless and start fighting The real world: Chicago , it is hard to believe that she is now almost 40 years old and the eldest The challenge, but here we are. Softened (for the most part), Aneesa is still looking for her first victory. After 13 seasons, she is the most successful cast member ever to win.

Nany Gonzalez

Previous challenges: 8

Nany is on his ninth challenge with zero wins to prove it, placing his second just Aneesa among this year’s players in terms of Challenge futility. Look for this story to emerge if Nany begins to approach the end. Her close historical ties to Johnny Bananas often place her on the unpopular side of the house’s divisions, which creates many opportunities for theater.

Jenna Compono

Previous challenges: seven

Jenna is an interesting character in that she mostly seems to continue to be casted due to her tumultuous relationship with the veteran Challenge competitor Zach Nichols has created excellent television. Zach isn’t on this season, but as the trailer says, he’s only one FaceTime call away, and that’s all he needs to run another “Zach and Jenna will- they separate? ” scenario.

Ashley Mitchell

Previous challenges: 6

If you are wondering who won the most money The challenge, you’ll have to look beyond CT and Johnny Bananases, and right to Ashley, a very unlikely actor to have won more than $ 1.1 million in the series. She won the grand prize twice – once Invasion of champions, and once, infamously, when she snaked her partner Hunter at the last minute and took the Final calculation price of a million dollars for itself. Scrappy, temperamental and unpredictable, Ashley is the definition of a joker.

Cory Wharton

Previous challenges: 6

It always seems like Cory should perform better than him. Most of his screen time in his previous six seasons has focused on his myriad of romantic alliances rather than performance in competitions. Which is bad news for him in a season where you have to win duels to qualify for the final.

Jordan Wiseley

Previous challenges: 5

If there is someone who is as formidable a rival as Johnny Bananas as Wes, it is Jordan, who triumphed over the most recent challenge, with CT, Rogan and Dee. Jordan’s interpersonal gaps don’t earn him a ton of friends, though he may have trapped Tori and asked him to be his wife.

Nelson thomas

Previous challenges: 5

Nelson is a Are you the chosen one former student whose stubborn nature made him land in a lot of hot water on his five Challenge seasons. He is part of a generation of Challenge upstarts who made a point of defying Bananas and his ruling class, which makes Nelson a good cast even if he is not personally very sympathetic.

Kyle christie

Previous challenges: 4

Of all the British who were added to the Challenge regulars of the last seasons, Kyle caused the most optimal drama with the veterans. This season, he will not see his unique connection transformed into a deadly enemy Cara Maria or her boyfriend Paulie to rage. We will see if he manages to make new friends / enemies.

Kailah Casillas

Previous challenges: 4

The only constant in Kailah’s previous four seasons is that she hasn’t been very popular with her casting comrades. Which earned him a series of mid-range outings. That said, she is never afraid to overthrow the authority in place for a given season, which is good news for viewers.

Tori Deal

Previous challenges: 3

This is only the fourth challenge for Tori, but she has already established herself as a solid veteran, mainly due to her excellent finishes and recent engagements in Jordan, solidifying the greatest powerful couple in the game. Jordan is the most off-putting, while Tori is the nice one, a dynamic that makes their social game quite interesting.

Rogan O’Connor

Previous challenges: 2

Rogan rebounded from his exit from episode 1 on “Vendettas” to cross the finish line with his first team last season (and as the only Briton on the British team to do so). Along the way, he had a rather difficult romantic relationship with Dee, who is back this year, so expect more fireworks there. This season has also cast its two main rivals, Kyle and Bear, so there should be no shortage of British drama.

Stephen Bear

Previous challenges: 2

Having appeared in only two previous challenges, Bear has made the most of it, acting as a supreme agent of chaos in all facets of the game: competitions, voting and connection. His main chaotic pressure on Georgia – Harley Quinn to his Joker – isn’t there this season, so we’re going to have to find a new girl to lead a rope; the trailer suggests that the girl is Kailah.

Dee Nguyen

Previous challenges: 2

Dee established herself in her first season as a physically capable partner for Wes, and last year, after Wes was dumped early and Dee was often left adrift and bullied, she still managed to survive the final challenge and win. We will see if she enters this season with a little more respect.

Josh Martinez

Previous challenges: 2

A Big Brother alum with a big frame and bigger feelings, Josh is a real enigma on The challenge. He has managed to make good friends and close allies – Nany, for his part – but his desire to mix it with the alpha-east of alpha males makes him constantly put on the cutting board. Will it be aligned with the four new Big Brother alum, or has it gone through completely to become a Challenge veterinarian now?

Melissa reeves

Previous challenges: 2

Melissa’s previous two challenges were heavy on the girl-to-girl drama and light on any type of progress in the first few weeks. Is it just fodder for these great veterans, or could it surprise us?

Jennifer west

Previous challenges: 1

We didn’t have a ton of Jen personality in her first season last year. All we knew was that she was a physical force to be reckoned with. This should give him a great chance to qualify for the final this year.

Mattie Lynn Breaux

Previous challenges: 1

Mattie partnered with Kyle in the first “War of the Worlds”, and even though Kyle was a frequent target, she supported him and they managed to go far enough. the Party Down South was a good competitor with low drama for the first time, which can be a double-edged sword in this show where drama is synonymous with popularity.

Tula “Big T” Fazakerley

Previous challenges: 1

Big T only lasted two episodes of “War of the Worlds 2”, so we really haven’t seen everything it can do. In a season with serious veterans – and a block of beginners who will likely stay together – she can be in trouble.

Kaycee Clark

Previous Reality series: Big Brother

Of all the beginners, Kaycee is the one who tasted victory, winning 2018 Big Brother 20 and its grand prize of $ 500,000. During her season, she was aligned against the other three BB20 alums joining her this season, although there has not been much animosity on the air for her. Kaycee’s athletic ability could be what helps her survive “Total Madness”.

Bayleigh Dayton

Previous Reality series: Big Brother

Bayleigh has gone through a lot on BB20, not just the usual strategic hiccups and screaming matches with rival players, although those two things certainly happened. She also started a relationship with Swaggy C and eventually got pregnant, only to miscarry at Jury House. Swaggy proposed to the finale, and they entered “Total Madness” as a couple, which could make them early targets.

Christopher Jordan “Swaggy C” Williams

Previous Reality series: Big Brother

Swaggy’s extreme confidence, but his ability to judge people made him early BB20 exit. But he came out of the show with a fiance, so maybe it’s not that bad. He’s going to have to deal with severe testosterone in male veterans, and Swaggy is not a pagan, so it remains to be seen how he will fare.

Faysal Shawn “Fessy” Shafaat

Previous Reality series: Big Brother

The problem with the BB20 the alums which were launched on “Total Madness”, it is that with the exception of Kaycee, they were all VERY bad in strategy, Fessy being perhaps the worst offender. It’s very easy to see him bounce early.

Jay Starrett

Previous Reality series: Survivor

Jay marks the first time that Survivor the alum entered the Challenge sphere, although he has connections, like his ex-girlfriend Morgan (as shown on Ex on the beach) is said to be dating Johnny Bananas. This could make him a natural early target or maybe a natural ally for someone like Wes looking to get Johnny out. Jay’s time Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen-X was well spent: he made great strategic moves, established great social ties and enjoyed the experience in a way that felt really contagious. It’s a free spirit who likes to have fun and who is perhaps too pure for something as ugly as The challenge, but we will see.

Asaf Goren

Previous Reality series: So you think you can dance; Are you the chosen one

Asaf was quite famous for his season of So you think you can dance for having advanced despite being a dancer significantly worse than his fellow competitors. He then participated in the fourth season of Are you the chosen one, alongside Tori Deal, so it can be an “in” for him, in terms of alliance.

Jennifer Lee

Previous Reality series: Fantastic race

Jennifer didn’t last very long Fantastic race, eliminated first in season 29. Without many natural allies, it’s hard to imagine that she was very lucky on “Total Madness” either.

The challenge: total madness premieres Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on MTV

People are talking The challenge in our forums. Join the conversation.

Joe Reid is editor-in-chief of Primetimer and co-host of This Oscar Buzz podcast. Her work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, The Herald Sun, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.