One & Done or Second Chances for The Challenge USA Season 2 Rookies
Now that we are nearing the finale of the current season of The Challenge, 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. With just two episodes remaining, we now have a good grasp on both the rookies that have already been eliminated this season and the few still remaining in the game.
You can find my previous One & Done or Second Chance here: Ride or Dies Spies, Lies & Allies, Double Agents
Ameerah Jones
I did not have very high expectations for Ameerah coming onto The Challenge since she was an early boot on Big Brother and is undersized physically. In her short stint this season, in her one daily challenge Ameerah was clearly not an asset, but also not a hindrance. She gave a pretty good fight in her elimination against Michelle. She also noticeably trained in preparation for the season which is a plus. In my opinion, though, Ameerah was also not a huge personality. Nor was she involved in any huge drama or showmances, though if she had gotten more time on the season, I would not have been shocked for her to get into a showmance or into house drama.
Verdict… One & Done
Luis Colòn
I am personally a pretty big fan of The Amazing Race and am glad that contestants from that franchise have made their way on The Challenge. Luis is somebody I thought was a good casting choice from this past season. He has a fun personality and a lot of enthusiasm to be competing on the show. He didn't really stand out in the dailies, but he put up a pretty good fight in the pole wrestle elimination round against Chris, even winning the unaired opening round. He came onto this season with an extreme numbers disadvantage and quickly became an easy target. Luis was not a superstar and is undersized in pure physical strength-based challenges but he is a good athlete and has a personality.
Verdict… Second Chance
Dusty Harris
As I just mentioned with Luis I am a fan of The Amazing Race, and as such I was very happy to see Dusty on this cast with me even including him on my Amazing Race Scouting Report. On The Amazing Race, he had some good moments physically but the major reason I thought he would be good on The Challenge was his hot-headedness giving him the potential to cause drama. Dusty was one of the bigger personalities of the rookies this season but it was mostly played up for humor such as his obsession with the Challenge vets, particularly Bananas. Dusty was also a liability in several daily challenges, although he did do pretty well in his elimination round against Wes.
Verdict… One & Done
Monte Taylor
Monte seemed like such an obvious choice as a good fit for The Challenge from the Big Brother 24 cast. There he got into drama and hook-ups and played a decent strategic game which got him to the final two. He also performed well in competitions where he won five. Considering his previous competition success and his job as a personal trainer it looked like he would be an incredibly physically intimidating competitor. However, Monte was a real disappointment for me this season. He disappeared in the daily challenges, was barely seen in the house, and lost his elimination to the much smaller Tyler.
Verdict… One & Done
Sebastian Noel
Sebastian was such a weird casting choice this season for me, considering his Survivor season aired more than five years ago and he was not particularly memorable on that season. As for this Challange season, the only reason that I even remembered Sebastian was on the show was because of his showmance with Tori. He did nothing in the daily challenges, which didn’t surprise me since he is the prototypical player better suited for Survivor challenges which play more on traits like balance, climbing, and speed. He also lost his only elimination to Chris. He was a complete nonfactor for entertainment in the house and just spent his time cuddling in bed with Tori.
Verdict… One & Done
Alyssa Snider
I do not understand why anybody thought casting Alyssa for this season would work out, especially considering some of the folks they chose her over (namely Hannah Chaddha from Big Brother 23). Alyssa seems like a really sweet person but she doesn’t come close to being physical or athletic enough for The Challenge. She was a liability in daily challenges and couldn’t beat somebody significantly smaller and shorter than her in a physical elimination. She was also not particularly entertaining except for her lovey-dovey showmance with Tyler. This girl was meant for a show like The Bachelor, Ex on the Beach, or Love Island but not The Challenge
Verdict… One and Done
Tyler Crispen
Tyler has the ability to play a masterful strategic and social game as he demonstrated through the majority of Big Brother 20 and by his gameplay through the first half of Big Brother 22. He was also a solid athlete on Big Brother, where he won ten competitions over two Big Brother seasons. He has done fairly well this season; he held his own in the daily challenges, won a grueling elimination against Monte, and then lost a close elimination to Chris. He has the natural ability to be a good strategist and an incredible social player but his emotions often get in the way. Tyler always brings the opportunity for hooking up and showmances to any show he is on, which is something that is sorely needed in modern Challenge seasons.
Verdict… Second Chance
Chanelle Howell
Chanelle is someone who certainly looks the part of a challenger and I thought she had a lot of promise on Survivor but she has not fully shined this season. Due to her strong social game, she has been able to skate by to this point but that has also made her one of the most boring since her allies with bigger personalities like Michaela are getting more screen time. On this season, Chanelle did fine in the team daily challenges, and since it has become an individual game she has been very middle of the pack. Chanelle had her biggest episode last week and had more content this past episode. I expect she will continue to have a more expanded role through the rest of this season.
Verdict… Second Chance
Cassidy Clark
Cassidy is someone I thought had good potential for The Challenge after I watched her on Survivor 43. On Survivor she proved herself capable, both physically by winning three individual immunity challenges and strategically by maneuvering her way to the final three. This has been a tumultuous season for Cassidy so far; she was not anyone’s target but also was excluded from both the Secret Garden alliance and had no friends in the veterans. She has been called one of the weakest women but she was a part of the most successful Blue team and has won three eliminations. She also put up an impressive level of fight in the Slippery Business daily and kept up with the pack in the mini-final last episode. Cassidy has also brought a significant amount of entertainment and drama this season, between her feud with Wes and her clashing with the other Survivor women after her most recent elimination victory.
Verdict… Second Chance
Chris Underwood
In one of the first articles I wrote about The Challenge two and a half years ago, I wrote about 10 Survivor Players The Challenge should bring on, Chris was one of the players I included on that list. Chris is among the most controversial Survivor winners of all time and had a bit of a chip on his shoulder coming into this season. Chris has exceeded my expectations this season. He has played an entertaining but incredibly messy strategic game which has made him a house pariah but then managed to rebound and build an alliance with Desi, Michaela & Chanelle. Chris has also been a lightning rod for drama, getting into fights with the veterans, Big Brothers, and his fellow Survivors. Most of all he has been a strong physical player winning the most recent minifinal daily challenge, (and three daily challenges during the team phase). Chris has also won four eliminations, most impressively sending Wes home. Chris has been the breakout star of this season and was the easiest decision for me to make.
Verdict… Second Chance
