The Challenge Scouting Reports: The Amazing Race
Perhaps the most overlooked of the big 3 CBS Reality competition shows in terms of advertising and how regularly the seasons are released, The Amazing Race has not been a casting pool The Challenge has gone to much. There has only been Jenn who was the first out on Total Madness & Natalie Anderson from Double Agents (although they mainly talked about her Survivor experience on The Challenge as the former racers). But with rumors about the cast of the previously announced CBS version of The Challenge and the recent finale of The Amazing Race 33, I figure that now is an ideal time to be looking at former racers who could have potential as challengers.
I know that as of now there are a bunch of rumors swirling about the cast of the CBS Challenge quarantining right now. I made this list beforehand so it will have some people in common and others that are wildly off
*SPOILERS FOR ALL SEASONS FROM THE AMAZING RACE 24 ON*
Starting off with some honorable mentions:
Lulu & Lala Gonzalez(The Amazing Race 33), Cayla Pratt (The Amazing Race 33), Dana Borriello (The Amazing Race 28), Riley & Maddison McKibbin, Will Jardell (The Amazing Race 32) & Conor Daly (The Amazing Race 30)
Raquel Moore (The Amazing Race 33)[on the left]
How they did on the Race…
Raquel and her friend Cayla were on this past season of the race and they were a very consistent team finishing in the top 3 teams on 8 of the 11 legs. They were able to make it all the way to the finale where they lost by minutes on the final memory challenge.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Raquel was a really fun character on the race with her friend Cayla as they proved themselves to be fully capable physically as well as being really rootable. Raquel is the more physical of the duo, and I think she would be a good competitor in the kind of competitions on The Challenge.
Challenger Comparison…
Raquel is pretty, smart, a good athlete, and gets along well with people. She is a balanced competitor. She has Diem Brown upside.
Dusty Harris (The Amazing Race 33)[on the right]
How they did on the Race…
Dusty (along with his partner Ryan) started off hot, finishing either first or second in the first five legs of the race. They hit a major snag however in the sixth leg, where their team’s weakness in their lack of patience became apparent. They still managed to perform pretty well throughout the rest of the season but were never able to regain the same magic they had through the first half. Ultimately, they finished a relatively distant third place in the finale.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Dusty came on to the race with his childhood friend Ryan, (who I have as an honorable mention). Dusty was initially seen by me as the less interesting of the two since the notable thing about their story was that Roomba was wrongfully convicted of murder and Dusty was his buddy that stuck by him through the ordeal. However, on the show, it quickly became evident that Dusty was the much more entertaining tv personality. Dusty is a reasonably good athlete but the bigger reason I would prefer to see him be on The Challenge over his partner Ryan(who is the better athlete) is he is a hothead and definitely has the potential to get involved in the drama on the show.
Challenger Comparison…
Dusty is a strong guy but a bit undersized. He is also impatient and can get a definite hot head when things do not go his way. He has young Derrick Kosinski upside.
Floyd Pierce & Becca Droz(The Amazing Race 29 & 31)
How they did on the Race…
Becca & Floyd came on the race for the only season so far where they had players come on without previously established relationships. They very quickly bonded as partners, bonding over their upbeat personalities and proving to be strong competitors. Better known together as Team Fun, the pair did quite well, winning a few legs and finishing in fifth place.
A few seasons later Becca & Floyd were brought back when The Amazing Race did their “Reality Showdown Season” bringing back teams to compete against other CBS reality stars from Survivor & Big Brother. Again they were a fan favorite and competed well, winning two legs before going out in fifth place a second time.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Becca is somebody I could see be a really impressive physical player on a show like The Challenge, especially considering her background as a rock climbing instructor and an avid hiker. She is also a really likable personality who I could see giving great commentary and generally keeping the house a much more fun environment.
Floyd is not the same pure athlete as Becca is and I have a slight fear that he may be on the lower end physically compared to some of the guys that get cast on seasons. However, he has performed decently athletically on the less strenuous Amazing Race and he got in particularly better shape when they came back for season 31 . He is still a really great guy would also bring positive energy to the house. Floyd is a really smart guy so there is a possibility that his intelligence and social ability can help him make up ground physically.
Challenger Comparison…
Becca is very smart and a strong athlete with her background in rock climbing but it will definitely be a bit of a question mark about how she will fit in as she has more of an off-beat nerdy personality. She has Sarah Rice upside.
Floyd is a really likable guy who is reasonably athletic, very smart, sociable and a bit nerdy. He has Jay Starrett upside.
Brooke Camhi & Scott Flanary (The Amazing Race 29)
How they did on the Race…
Another pair of race partners that I would be really happy to see both come over to The Challenge, Scott & Brooke were both strong athletes and were excellent tv on their season of the race, bickering like an old married couple even though they had not known each other before the show. They started their run on The Amazing Race by regularly finishing in the middle of the pack but really turned it toward the end, winning the last three legs including the final.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Scott is a big personality that got into spats with a few people over the course of the race and gave some great confessionals throughout. He is a strong athlete who does CrossFit, and has a bigger build which tends to be a benefit on The Challenge, (for example hurting others who are good athletes but small, like Jay or Nelson). Scott also is really personable and I feel that he could use that to fit in well. He is also a queer man, which is a demographic I feel has been lacking recently for the show.
Brooke is a real firecracker in terms of her explosive personality. On the race, she had a tendency to have hysterical breakdowns and I would be happy to see her bring that on The Challenge. She is also a pretty fair athlete and I think would put up a good fight against most physical competitors on Challenge.
Challenger Comparison…
Scott is a guy that has a big personality and can be a bit of a diva. He did not grow up as a jock but then got in great shape. He has Tyler Duckworth upside.
Brooke can be an absolute ball of chaos, getting into fights and whining when things don’t go her way. But she is also smart and above-average athletically She has Ashley Mitchell upside.
Jen Hudak (The Amazing Race 30)[on the right]
How they did on the Race…
Jen came onto the race with her good friend and fellow former Olympic skier Kristi and they were a force to be reckoned with, finishing lower than 3rd place one once. They made it to the final where they were up against two other strong teams and lost in the final puzzle.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Jen was a professional skier and with a background in professional athletics she would likely be a very good competitor on The Challenge. Although she is not as dynamic of a personality as some of the others on my list, she was definitely not unlikable. Another positive that I could see is her willingness to be in alliances (like she did on The Amazing Race with Cody & Jess and Conor & Alex ). Jen would not be afraid to make moves and play the game.
Challenger Comparison…
Jen is not here for her personality, but has vast potential due to her impressive athletic background. She has Kaycee Clark upside.
Redmond Ramos (The Amazing Race 29)
How they did on the Race…
Redmond went onto The Amazing Race and ended up partnered with another athletic bro, Matt (who I was close to having in my honorable mentions). They immediately showed themselves off to be one of the teams to beat, finishing no worse than 4th place and with an average placement of 2.55. Unfortunately, they ended up making a costly mistake in the second to last leg, costing them the chance to run the final for one million dollars.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Redmond is yet another person from the stacked cast of The Amazing Race 29 who I think would be a great choice to come over to The Challenge. I will acknowledge that the show would have to be okay with being more flexible since he is an amputee. Considering the fact that they have not cast Theo since his eye injury, I am a bit questionable as to if they are willing to be accomodating.) I do not think it would stop Redmond from being a top competitor. He is jacked, and in addition to doing well on the race also won something called the Triumph Games on CBS Sports, where he competed against other wounded veterans. He likes doing the kind of extreme stunts that are The Challenge’s bread and butter. In addition, he has a good personality and is not afraid to clash backstab and make enemies as he did on The Amazing Race. He is strong socially and I could see him have the ability to rally together a vote or create a solid alliance.
Challenger Comparison…
Redmond is a hulking guy who can definitely get embroiled in drama. He has Brad Fiorenza upside.
Jackie Ibarra (The Amazing Race 26)[on the right]
How they did on the Race…
Jackie was on a season of The Amazing Race that was themed around relationships, where some teams came in with prior relationships and others were paired up as “Blind Dates” for the race. She was one of the only people in the blind date group to actually have some chemistry with her partner, Jeff. They were not the best racers though, hovering at the bottom of the pack and ended up getting out in seventh place.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
Jackie is not a rock star athlete like several of the other people who I would want to see make the jump over to The Challenge. But she is not overtly bad athletically, with a background as a dancer. She does have a really fun personality and went on to also compete on Big Brother 17 as well (meaning that she could have connections in The Challenge world, including her former cast mate Da’Vonne).
Challenger Comparison…
Jackie has a bubbly and flirty personality. She has a strong fight in her. Jackie has Melissa Reeves upside
Leo Temory (The Amazing Race 23,24 & 31)[on the left]
How they did on the Race…
Leo is a three-time racer. Appearing on the show with his cousin Jamal, they were always one of the better teams due to them both being in good shape as well as their cutthroat style of gameplay. During their first season, they survived two U-turns and won 2 legs, eventually getting taken out right before the final. They had another solid run on the All-Stars season, surviving yet another U-turn and again making it deep in the game against other strong competitors. Finally, they were brought back for a third go at The Amazing Race for the “Reality Show Down,” competing against other former racers as well as former Survivor and Big Brother players. They won 3 different legs that season finally broke through to the final where a crucial mistake left them in the dust.
Why they would be good on The Challenge…
There is a really good reason why Leo(& his cousin Jamal) was brought back to the race twice (and were one of the teams that represented The Amazing Race when tv production held primetime The Price is Right episodes with stars from CBS reality shows). Leo is a dynamic personality who relishes in playing the role of the villain, which is something I would be happy to see brought over to The Challenge. He always plays to win and is not afraid to make enemies which he did on every season of the race. Leo is also a pretty good athlete. A bit small, but he has a fun personality, and even though he makes enemies he also made many friends.
Challenger Comparison…
Leo is athletic without needing huge bulging biceps, is very entertaining, and is not afraid to be a snake. Leo has Kyle Christie upside.
