Here we go again.
Tonight marks the season premiere of The Challenge: Battle Of The Exes II on MTV and I cannot wait.
The Challenge is an incredibly underrated reality series. One that features challenges so innovative that other network reality series are forced to copy them.
In addition, while reality fans have been craving All-Star seasons for both Survivor and Big Brother, The Challenge delivers on this promise in each of its incarnations. While this season will introduce castmembers from Are You The One? for the first time, the cast is primarily composed of former Real World roommates.
I am not sure how pushing the Are You The One? kids into the lion’s den will work as I totally expect them to be eaten alive by Johnny Bananas and company, but on the bright side, this might help to remove the predictability that has plagued past seasons.
I was lucky enough to catch an advancer of tonight’s season premiere and was definitely entertained. This season features the late Diem Brown and Ryan Knight and while it was difficult to see both, I am glad that fans of the franchise will get to see them doing what they loved to do the most.
Here’s my breakdown for how I see each team faring:
DUSTIN & JESSICA
Dustin and Jessica met on “Free Agents” where they engaged in flirtatious behavior that led to a brief romance until Dustin was eliminated. Later, Dustin found a new girlfriend who engaged in a Twitter war against Jessica.
I have always been a Dustin fan and his romance with Heather Marter has always been my favourite Real World relationship. The problem is that on previous Challenges, both Dustin and Jessica have always remained on the periphery and can’t really seem to place themselves in the “in crowd.” If The Challenge was based on pure athletic ability, I believe that Dustin and Jessica would do very well. The problem is that it is based on politics and in that regard, Dustin and Jessica have a tough road ahead of them.
JORDAN & SARAH
Jordan and Sarah were involved in a steamy make-out session during “Rivals II.” When Sarah was eliminated, Jordan wasted no time moving on to the next girl. Sarah thinks Jordan is egotistical but still the hottest guy in the game.
It would be hard to bet against this team. Sarah is a personal friend of mine and no one deserves to win a Challenge more than her. While I loved Jordan on his season of The Real World, I didn’t like him going after my boy Johnny Bananas on Free Agents. I believe that Jordan likely learned a lot from his last experience on the show and that this will make this pair one of the favorites this season. The only way they can lose is if Jordan allows his ego to get the best of him. I think Jordan and Sarah might be the most compelling pair in the game so it will be interesting to see how things fall out.
JOHNNY BANANAS & NANY
Nany and Bananas hooked up off-camera before he settled down with this current girlfriend. Bananas has been hesitant to admit it happened.
In tonight’s season premiere, Johnny makes a pretty funny joke about helping Nany get her green card as the explanation behind their relationship and this pair certainly seems like one that might be forced (if only to ensure both made it on the season… and hey, who can blame producers for that?) These two are a force and Nany certainly proved herself on her last Challenge. I also believe that she is smart enough to let Johnny work the politics of the game which is something that he has shown he is the best at. While everyone will be gunning for Bananas because he won the last Challenge, he is used to succeeding in the face of adversity. It’s very hard to bet against Banany, but for some reason and with the influx of rookies this season… I think they are in tough.
KNIGHT & JEMMYE
Knight and Jemmye met during “Real World: New Orleans” where they fell for each other and moved in together after filming ended. Unfortunately their constant bickering and infidelities rocked the romance and led to their ultimate break up.
Everyone will be rooting for Knight this season in light of his unfortunate and recent passing. Knight has always provided great comic relief on every MTV series he has appeared on and this season will likely be no different. Knight and Jemmye’s love-hate relationship is one of the things we love the most about The Challenge, and while I am not sure they will win, I think they are the underdog team that everyone will be pulling for this season. In terms of their actual chances, I do believe that both are good competitors and if they can put their bickering aside, they will find success.
ZACH & JONNA
On “Battle of the Seasons,” Jonna broke up with her boyfriend when she started to fall for Zach, and the two became an instant item. They moved to LA together until Zach broke up with Jonna out of the blue. Zach can’t stand Jonna, despite her admitting she still has feelings for him.
This is an explosive pair and one of the true former couples of the series. Zach is a behemoth and any showdown he has with CT is guaranteed to be must-watch television. On the other hand, Jonna really hasn’t been successful on past Challenges that she has competed on. The fact that Jonna is so much shorter than Zach will play a critical role on the tough Panama tests. Reality fans know that most of the challenges involve balancing and height and I think that the disproportionate difference between Zach and Jonna will hurt them.
LEROY & NIA
On “Free Agents,” Nia was immediately drawn to Leroy and began to shadow him wherever he went. They were spotted leaving a bathroom together and claimed that “nothing happened” but no one believes them.
An athletically-gifted team, I believe that Leroy and Nia are another team to beat this season. Leroy has quietly been performing quite well on Challenges and I believe that he is ready for a win. He also has done what his Real World Vegas cohort Dustin has not been able to and that has been his ability to ingratiate himself with the veterans. There are rumblings that Leroy might finish the season with another partner, but if not, I believe that he could go to the end with Nia. For her part, Nia seems like she is also ready to compete. When she last competed on a Challenge and lost to Cara Maria, she didn’t seem like she wanted to be there. I don’t think that will be a problem this time around as I believe she wants to kick ass this time around. I secretly hope that she will start feuding with Johnny, Averey, and Jordan again as well only for a heightened entertainment quotient.
CT & DIEM
“The Most Famous Challenge Couple,” CT and Diem first got together on “The Duel” where CT helped Diem gain her confidence back after her struggles with cancer. Shortly after, Diem broke it off to focus on her career. In the first “Battle of the Exes,” they seemed to have put their past behind them and almost won the show. After her cancer returned, Diem & CT’s turbulent relationship resurfaced. Since then, they had each dated other people but still continued their on-again/off-again romance.
This will be both a tough and a beautiful season to watch because of Diem. Her tragic passing was difficult for many of us who knew her personally (myself included), but there is no better way to pay tribute to her than to see her competing in the game that she loved. In tonight’s season premiere, Diem once again proves why she will always be the best female Challenge competitor of all-time. Despite not winning every Challenge that he has participated in, make no mistake about it. CT is the Challenge King. Remember when he carried Johnny Bananas on his back like he was a Human Transformer? The best Challenge moment of all-time. In tonight’s premiere, Diem reveals that she wants to win the money so that she can pay a surrogate to have kids. That’s pretty strong motivation and you can bet that CT will do anything he can to get his partner to the finish line. While CT and Diem might not finish in first place, they are the winners of Battle of the Exes II regardless of what happens.
WES & THERESA
Arriving at “Fresh Meat 2,” Theresa was eager to find love. After she was turned down by Wes’s sworn enemy she set her sights on Wes, unbeknownst to him. Their relationship did not last past the game. Wes berated Theresa during “Rivals II” after she hooked up with Leroy.
Wes is fascinating to watch. While he is almost certainly the smartest player in the house, he simply is never able to convince others to go along with his schemes. This season, Wes quickly is able to recognize that the rookies have the numbers and decides to try and align with them. At first glance, this is smart because if one of the rookie teams win, Wes and Theresa will be safe. The problem is that I just don’t see any of the rookie teams performing better than the veterans meaning Wes might be attaching himself to a sinking ship. In any event, Theresa has always been one of the stronger female competitors and I believe that these two are always a threat to win every competition (and save themselves from going in). I also think that Theresa’s laid-back personality will allow her to put aside any personal issues she has with Wes in an effort to claim the top prize.
JOHNNY & AVEREY
Johnny and Averey met on their season of “Real World: Portland “and became an official couple while in the house. After filming, they continued their relationship and moved in together. Things went sour when Johnny suspected Averey of cheating on him, leading to a break up right before “Free Agents.”
I was a huge fan of this couple on The Real World: Portland and wasn’t happy to learn that they had split. Avery’s dynamic personality and unequivocal hotness stood out on her previous MTV incarnation and I believe the same will happen here. While I don’t think Johnny and Averey are threats to win, I am hoping that their reunion will result in them finding love again. We’ll see what happens. I hope we get to see a lot of them.
JAY & JENNA
Jay and Jenna had been in a long-term on/off again relationship before reuniting on “Real World: Ex-Plosion.” While filming,they attempted to rekindle their relationship but that fell through due to major trust issues on both ends.
Like Johnny and Averey, I was a fan of Jay and Jenna on The Real World: Ex-Plosion. Also, let’s not discount the fact that these two have already been on an MTV series where their relationship was showcased for everyone to see so they are used to airing out their dirty laundry. The problem is that I haven’t seen either compete on a Challenge before and so I am not sure how athletic they are. I remember that Jay used to go to the gym with Corey on his season and I am sure that probably helped him get ready for his first foray into the Challenge. As for Jenna, she always seems so innocent and I just hope the other Vets don’t eat her alive with their politicking. For Jay and Jenna to be successful, they need to unite the rookies and go on a winning streak. Oh and sidenote, there is a GREAT scene that features Jenna in tonight’s season premiere. Bottom line… these two might just be too nice for The Challenge.
THOMAS & HAILEY
Thomas and Hailey were high school sweethearts who came face to face again in “Real World: Ex-Plosion” even though Thomas began dating a fellow roommate. Thomas wanted nothing to do with Hailey, which resulted in her leaving the house.
This is another interesting pair. Thomas was with Jamie Larson during The Real World: Ex-Plosion and clashed with Hailey because of it. Like Jay and Jenna, Thomas and Hailey have already had all of their dirty laundry aired and I think that this will allow them to focus simply on the task at hand. That said, I feel like they will be a rookie team that others will attempt to target immediately. Thomas and Hailey’s best move is to pair up with their Ex-Plosion castmates and then bring along the Are You The One? castmembers as well. If they are able to pull in Johnny and Averey, this kind of alliance could have strength in numbers. The problem is that I believe Johnny will remain loyal to vets like Johnny Bananas (who he did a Final with) and Jordan (who he lived with). As a result, I don’t see Thomas and Hailey going too far.
ADAM & BRITTANY
Adam and Brittany met during “Are You The One?” where they had the ultimate love/hate relationship. Between the hook-ups and fights, they ended their relationship after Adam became fed up with Brittany’s obsessive behavior.
If I am being honest, I don’t know the Are You The One? franchise that well. That said, I had the opportunity to meet Brittany when she attended my Survivor San Juan Del Sur finale pre-party last month and she seems like a firecracker. While Adam seemed a little reserved for me in the first episode, Brittany definitely looks like a girl that the others shouldn’t cross. I actually think that this team has a shot to do reasonably well this season.
JOHN ‘JJ’ & SIMONE
John and Simone hooked up early on “Are You The One?,” but John hit the brakes on the relationship due to lack of compatibility. Simone was not happy with this as she continued to pursue the relationship even after finding out they were not a match.
This team definitely will provide the comic relief of the season. JJ says that he is a stand-up comic and perhaps he will be able to leverage his MTV notoriety into a successful career in comedy (much like Theo Von has been able to). With that said, I don’t see these guys going too far. They don’t seem as athletic as the others and because they are rookies, I see them being thrown into the Dome at the first opportunity. Their best move is to argue that anyone could beat them so it would be a waste to send them in or to pit them against a stronger team.
Here’s your first look at the new season…
The Challenge: Battle of the Exes II premieres tonight at 11 p.m. on MTV and MTV Canada.
