One and Done or Second Chance for the Rookies of The Challenge: Ride or Dies

We are now a significant way through the current season of The Challenge so it is time to look at the crop of rookies from this season to evaluate whether they should be brought back for another season or whether they should be a ‘One & Done’ on the show. I feel like now is a good time to start looking ahead, since we have a good grasp on both the rookies that have already been eliminated this season and those still remaining in the game.

You can find my previous One & Done or Second Chance here: Spies, Lies & Allies, Double Agents

Sam Bird

I along with many other fans was very excited to have Sam making his way onto The Challenge as he was entertaining on the UK’s versions of Love Island and Ex on the Beach: Peak of Love (which he was on along with many Challenge alumni including Jakk, Laurel, Jemmye, Marlon and Nicole). He and Kailah have a really genuine marriage and I would like to see more of their story play out on The Challenge. Even though they were eliminated in just the first episode, Sam brought more than most first boots. He was seemingly entertaining in their one episode and did not seem completely incompetent in the challenges.

Verdict… Second Chance

Emmy Russ

Emmy was pretty much entirely invisible during her time on the show, which is completely understandable considering she quit the game in the second episode. There are conflicting stories about exactly what happened, but essentially Emmy thought she was above the show and didn’t understand why she wasn’t the star. TJ apparently tore into her, (like he typically does for quitters), and she has been completely going off about her side of the story on her Instagram which is causing a whole bunch of drama. I do like to have drama on the show, but we don’t need production to bend over backward for it by bringing back a quitter primadonna.

Verdict… One and Done

Tamara Alfaro

Tamara had a pretty short stint this season. Having herself tied to the ticking time bomb that is Turbo essentially did her game in. She seems like a nice girl but stayed silent and completely let Turbo overpower her in the deliberation. She also had no real shot at the elimination since the entire house was helping to coach Horacio & Olivia in the puzzle over them. Tamara was ultimately a follower and was not incredibly entertaining or athletic.

Verdict… One and Done

Johnny Middlebrooks

Johnny started off this season with a bang by getting into a messy love triangle with himself Ravyn & Nurys and winning the first daily challenge, (with Ravyn). With that power, he took a big shot by throwing in well-connected veterans like Devin, Tori & Kailah. As a competitor, Johnny also performed really well in the Build Me Up daily where he finished seconds behind the winners in second place as well as going toe-to-toe with Horacio, even beating him in a round during their Hall Brawl-Esque Double Decker elimination. Johnny also was a part of the building of a counter alliance with Jay & Michele and Amber & Chauncey which stood up to the veterans' group of Nany, Kaycee, Fessy, Tori & Aneesa that have been consistently running the game recently.

Verdict… Second Chance

Ravyn Rochelle

Ravyn did pretty well during her short stint in the game as a competitor and got involved in drama with her partner Johnny who she was hoping to become more than friends with (and although she is a beautiful girl, he had eyes instead for Nurys). As a competitor, she won the first daily challenge with Johnny and finished second in the tough Build Me Up daily challenge. She gave up a pretty good fight in the Double Decker elimination but she ultimately struggled due to her much smaller size compared to Olivia. She is a good competitor who got into drama so I would not be unhappy to have her on another season. But in the modern challenge there are few spots for rookies to come back, so in this case I would prioritize others.

Verdict… One and Done

Tommy Bracco

I had high hopes for Tommy going into this season. Though he is a smaller guy he performed well in the competitions on Big Brother and he had some real athletic pedigree as a Broadway dancer (which takes an incredible amount of body control, athleticism & stamina). He showed himself to be a fun personality and a good strategist while on Big Brother and I even had him on a list of Big Brother players I wanted to see on The Challenge. However, this season on Ride or Dies, Tommy was a complete flop. He athletically struggled in many of the daily challenges and was unable to even get Analyse off the ground in their elimination round. In addition to his competition struggles, Tommy also played a really sloppy strategic game which ultimately blew up in his face.

Verdict… One and Done

Analyse Talavera

Analyse was very nearly part of the casts for both Double Agents and Spies, Lies & Allies but ended up getting cut late in the process from both. Coming off Big Brother, she had positives such as her athletic background as a former college soccer player and her potential for hookups as she did on BB21. However, I was not fully sold on Analyse coming on to The Challenge. She was incredibly dull on Big Brother and she was a part of one of the most toxic bullying alliances. While on this season, she disappointed physically, regularly finishing close to or in last place during the daily challenges. In addition to bringing very little as a competitor, Analyse also brought pretty much nothing in terms of entertainment. There is a chance that her performance in a future season could be better and that she was weighed down by her partner Tommy (like what happened in their elimination against Kim & Colleen). However, I would rather see another rookie from this season (or from the past couple of seasons who haven’t been back) get a spot coming back instead.

Verdict… One and Done

Kim Tränka

Kim did a fine job physically over the course of the season, winning an elimination in a dominant way and competing well in the elimination against Laurel & Jakk as well. He did not win any of the daily challenges but he also never appeared completely overmatched. So as a physical competitor, Kim has some upside. But when it comes to entertainment he was a total bore. A lot of the time the language barrier is tough for competitors that do not speak English as their first language when trying to make friends in the house. But I at least expect they will at least give something of a personality like Logan and Emanuel from last season or his fellow rookie Horacio. In Kim’s s case, I got nothing.

Verdict… One and Done

Colleen Schneider

Colleen came on to the season and appeared to be pretty well set up. She discusses how she came to The Challenge after winning a strategic show, The Mole Germany. She was going to use strategy to further her game and claim that she was from Love Island to paint herself as a smaller target. This was definitely the right strategy move in my opinion, but ended up blowing up in her face as the cast went back into a second quarantine they got their phones back and after some sleuthing online found out she was lying, making her and Kim immediate targets for almost everybody and constantly being at risk for elimination. She was still able to make make it to episode five socially by building some relationships and physically by winning an elimination. Colleen also got into a showmance with Faysal which definitely brought her into some drama, as is expected when Faysal is involved. Overall she did fine as a competitor. She showed herself to have some social and strategic chops and got into a showmance in five episodes.

Verdict… Second Chance

Jakk Maddox

Jakk, like Sam Bird, has been somebody who fans have hoped to see make his way onto a Challenge season after previously appearing on Ex On The Beach: Peak of Love. He initially seemed to build strong relationships in the house, both through his partner Laurel and on his own. Jakk had a falling out with Jay, his new ‘friend’ in the house after Jay threw him in an elimination and this caused a lot of drama and certainly made Jakk stand out. He also gave strong confessionals throughout the season and before he was in his feud with Jay had fun moments in the house. As a competitor, he won an elimination, with Laurel, and did not look bad in the daily challenges. Jakk is also an out and proud queer man and getting more representation is always something I like on the show.

Verdict… Second Chance

Kenny Clark

I am honestly amazed that Kenny even got cast on the show. His sister Kaycee has always been somebody that I have complained about being a snoozefest on the show but Kenny makes her look like The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis commercials. He is also not the type of elite athlete like Kaycee is. There are so many other ways that casting could have gone for a Kaycee partner such as Big Brother 20 castmates like Tyler or Brett, or even pairing her with Josh. Kenny brings nothing to the show entertainment-wise. He has been overmatched physically in every competition and seemingly dragged down Kaycee as well when they were a team. Kenny seems like a genuinely nice person who people in the house were fond of, but I have no clue how he was the choice to bring on The Challenge.

Verdict… One or Done

Nurys Mateo

Nurys, like both Sam and Jakk previously appeared on MTV. In her case she debuted on Are You the One? 6 and Ex on the Beach 2 and since then has been somebody fans have been hoping to see finally make her way to The Challenge. She was an absolute upstart this season, winning two daily challenges including helping to snap Nelson's historic streak of 56 consecutive daily challenge losses. She was also involved in two different showmances over the course of the season, both of which got her involved in a lot of drama. First with Johnny while Ravyn was also trying to be more than friends with him and later flirting and cuddling with Jordan which got her involved in the mess that is Tori & Jordan. She brought so much to this season that I want to see from rookies; this one was pretty easy for me.

Verdict… Second Chance

Moriah Jadea

I have seen a lot of hate for Moriah in the fan community, complaining that she is too boring with some people going as far as to say she is as boring as Kenny was this season. I feel like she brought at least something to this season in terms of personality, even if she was not one of the most entertaining rookies this season. Moriah began a showmance with Johnny Bananas and it seems, according to social media at least, the two are still friendly if not together. So she at least brings that entertainment with her on the show. She also had a good season as a competitor, winning two daily challenges with Faysal and a third once they were broken into two teams. Moriah lost a close elimination to Nany but has now earned her way back in the game after this most recent twist. She is one of the people that I am the most uncertain about but for now and I had one spot to have comeback between her, Ravyn & Colleen. I am left wanting to see more from her and she will have that opportunity now she is back in the game, but currently, I don't think she would be the best choice for a future season.

Verdict… One and Done

Chauncey Palmer

Chauncey was somebody who had never been on any reality tv prior to coming on this season alongside his girlfriend Amber B, and it definitely shows with him not particularly popping off the screen as a personality. He is a pretty good physical competitor, winning an elimination with Amber and impressively besting Jordan in the Last Life daily challenge. He did not do the most recent Takes Two to Tango daily which was really disappointing. I do like that if Chauncey were to return with Amber, he would very likely be another strong competitor and number to oppose the “Vacation Alliance.” He is also an incredibly attractive guy so from an ‘eye candy’ perspective it would also be nice to have him back. As of now, there is no chance I would want him back alone but I could be persuaded to give him another go if he proves himself more by the end of this season.

Verdict… One and Done

Olivia Kaiser

Olivia has brought everything that you want to see out of a rookie this season. She has been a strong physical competitor, coming close to winning several daily challenges alongside her ride-or-die Horacio. She was also a part of the dominant team once the game switched over to two teams. Olivia also showed up in the Zone winning three eliminations, (while paired with Horacio). She is somebody who brings a lot of personality with some potential for fighting and drama which keeps the show entertaining. She has given strong confessionals, been emotional, and even was in a showmance with Nelson this season. I had her as (one of my) Rookies of the Season and I still stand by that choice. Between her engaging personality, her potential for drama and hookups, and her strength as a physical competitor this is an easy decision even without seeing how the rest of her game plays out.

Verdict… Second Chance

Horacio Gutiérrez

Horacio has been one of the stars of the show this entire season, with his excellent physical performance both dailies and eliminations, his hooking up with Laurel, and him just being an all-around engaging personality and rootable guy. Horacio has shown he is the real deal in competitions tying the all-time mark of 5 elimination wins in a single season alongside many strong performances in dailies. He is an incredibly likable guy who many veterans have said is also very sweet. Many fans have latched on to him, both due to his endearing personality and his being damn attractive. I had him as (one of my) Rookies of the Season and if anything, I think he has pulled ahead of Olivia in the race. I would not be shocked if he were a future challenge champion, and I have little doubt he will be brought back again.

Verdict… Second Chance