The Challenge: Cast Member Rankings

5. Derrick (Battle of the Sexes 2, Inferno 2, Gauntlet 2, Fresh Meat, Duel, Inferno 3, Island, Ruins, Cutthroat)

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It’s pretty crazy to think Derrick hasn’t appeared since Cutthroat, because for the longest time he was a permanent fixture for the challenges. Derrick started out as a kind of lovable drunk rookie who you couldn’t help but root for. He was thought to be a liability but proved pretty early on that he had all the heart in the world. It was that heart that got people rooting for Derrick for his next several challenges. Sure, he would still get drunk and get into stupid arguments, usually with his friends like Brad or Landon, but he showed again and again that despite his small size, he was a true force to be reckoned with. Derrick’s performance in the Gauntlet 2 is up there in the top 10 challenge performances of all time, IMO. He beat 4 guys, all of which were much bigger than he was, and then lost in a truly heartbreaking gauntlet against Timmy. I can still remember watching his female castmates crying and hugging him goodbye (and they weren’t even on his team!). We hadn’t rooted for somebody like that since Sarah G on the Gauntlet 2 and quite frankly, probably nobody since. He was the ultimate underdog. He showed compassion in his treatment of Diem on Fresh Meat and then went against Wes in one of the best eliminations of all time in the Duel. Again, watching him lose was frustrating, because as Kina said, the kid worked so hard and if anybody deserved to win, it was him. Honestly though, at that point we were probably getting Derrick fatigue, so when he came back on Inferno 3, it was actually kind of annoying, but FINALLY he got his long-deserved win. And then guess what? He won his next two challenges as well. Derrick also got sucked into the JEK alliance, but he was never quite as bad as those guys. He was loyal to his friends, except a hiccup with the infamous Ibis voteoff on the Ruins. And even in his final challenge, he showed everybody what a pitbull he was, despite ultimately losing towards the end. Rumor has it Derrick’s wife won’t let him compete anymore, which is a shame. Derrick is always welcome in my book.

5. Diem (Fresh Meat, Duel, Gauntlet 3, Duel 2, Ruins, Battle of the Exes, Rivals 2, Battle of the Exes 2)

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It feels kind of hard to talk about Diem too subjectively, because she has unfortunately left us but I want to discuss her time on the shows as openly as I can. Above all else, Diem was a fighter. When she revealed she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer on Fresh Meat, you felt the same way Derrick did: gutted for her, but also impressed that she was even doing this show in the first place. Diem was always a solid competitor, and she really stepped up in her first couple challenges. And quite frankly, the moment where Diem removed her wig for the first time on the Duel is one of THE iconic challenge moments. I’m not going to sit here and say that it was always easy to root for Diem though. I respected her a person, specifically outside the shows, but I didn’t always love her as a player. She was incredibly entitled and self-righteous and found herself throwing a hissy fit anytime she was sent in, when in reality she was rarely actually screwed over. I felt like Diem’s worst edit was on Rivals 2. Something about her was very different from before. She wasn’t as fun as usual, and was quite frankly unlikable IMO. It was a shame because she had been so likable on the last few challenges prior. However, after learning everything she was going through during that challenge, it gives you a lot more perspective into why she acted the way she did. Diem’s death probably does make her more impactful for the challenges, but the truth is this is a girl who truly has inspired people from her time on these shows. She made the most of her short life and used her “celebrity status” as a platform for things like MedGift, which is truly impressive and courageous. It’s impossible to mention Diem without mentioning her relationship with CT, which IMO is THE premiere challenge relationship. Watching them fall in love and then fall out of love and then back in love again was honestly a rollercoaster that I somehow got invested in despite not always caring for the two of them. Somehow, I just wanted everything to work out for these two crazy kids. They truly went through some intense ups and downs, between her sickness and the death of his brother. I think it was always clear how much they loved each other, even on their off seasons. Watching Diem (and CT) on Exes 2 was actually devastating, knowing how it all turned out. I’m just happy that they were able to be happy together in the end and that Diem is at peace now. Whether you loved her on the shows or didn’t, you couldn’t deny this girl’s perserverence and she had a lot of people that loved her. To me, knowing how highly all of the challengers thought of her shows me that despite some of the more negative edits she may have received, she was a genuinely person and will greatly be missed. Rest in peace. (and come on, look how beautiful and happy she looked in her final challenge?)

4. Wes (Fresh Meat, Duel, Ruins, Fresh Meat 2, Rivals, Battle of the Exes, Battle of the Seasons 2, Rivals 2, Battle of the Exes 2)

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Ah Wes, the political mastermind of the challenge. Or so HE says. But Wes started as an overconfident rookie who actually managed to prove himself. Although he hadn’t quite reached the levels he would in later challenges, Wes was ALWAYS cocky. He put a target on his back from the very beginning of FM, He was at a disadvantage, being from RW Austin in their rookie season, but his constant remarks about how awesome he prompted eye rolls and laughs from the true veterans, if not a begrudging respect. I can still remember him doing pull ups on the tightrope mission. “What he is doing that for?” “Because he’s a ******* *******”. Pretty much sums Wes up right there, but the guy DID go into 5 exiles (consecutive? I forget) and won every time with a truly useless partner. He ended up making it to the final challenge and coming in third, but then came the Duel. The Duel might be Wes at his most likable, and ironically at the start of his real strategery. This was an individual challenge and he laid low mostly in the beginning, but slowly formed an alliance with the outcasts (including villain Beth, newbie Svetlana, and Aneesa) and the 4 of them (okay mainly him, Aneesa, Svetlana) slowly started to change the game and their opposing alliance fell apart. He brokered deals with people like Evan and CT and managed to plant seeds into all the other guy’s heads about each other, which he had to do to get to the end. He had a truly epic elimination against Derrick and another epic fight with CT before the challenge ended, and he ended up winning. It was impressive considering he was relatively new, it was an individual competition, and the men’s side was pretty stiff that challenge. Wes took a break and honestly I thought that was the last we would see of him, but of course not. Then came the Ruins, the true turning point for Wes. Wes was completely villainized by his team because it was filled with JEK and at this point Wes was public enemy #1, because in the time that he stopped doing challenges, he and Johanna broke up and she very publicly hooked up with Kenny. This probably brought Wes out of retirement and let’s be honest his next few challenges were basically a ******* contest with Kenny. Of course, the Ruins wasn’t Wes’s challenge to win. His team wanted him gone from the getgo, but still watching him blatantly go against his team was great. The first half of the Ruins is so entertaining because of Wes. Not to mention his relationship with Kellyanne. But mostly I just loved watching Wes get in Johnny’s face and making him spill water all over himself and then Wes just laughed at him. Classic. Wes is like the male Beth. He knows he has a character to play, and he does it well. We saw that character on Rivals and Exes, and ever since then. But he had a few missteps, getting voted out early or gassing out in the final, but the past 2 challenges showed that Wes is mostly still in top shape. His political and competitive game was flaw free for Exes 2 until the rug was completely swept from underneath him and Theresa. And CT’s epic 3 hour screaming match to Wes from Rivals paid off when they were partnered on Rivals 2 and ended up winning. And we got to hear Wes tell Johnny he has nothing else but these shows, and when Johnny asked what Wes he was like “Uh, well businesses, cars, etc etc” It was hilarious and *******, all in his hipster glasses. Guys, I used to find Wes so annoying but I kind of love him now because he just GETS IT. He’s in on the whole joke.

4. Katie (Gauntlet, Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, Gauntlet 2, Fresh Meat, Gauntlet 3, Duel 2, Ruins, Cutthroat)

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Guys, I love Katie Doyle. She is the ultimate challenge spitfire. She came in guns ablazing from the very beginning. She was a little firecracker who didn’t trust her team and did NOT like being sent into the Gauntlet. And the rivalry with Veronica began. “You’re one of the******* that voted me off! I’m not dumb! I know you are!!” Of course, Veronica apparently did NOT vote for her that time, but with that the ultimate challenge rivalry was formed. These were the days when we we had 2-3 challenges air within a year’s time, and it was the start of the era where people would repeat challenge after challenge. So pretty much all the drama from a previous challenge filtered into the next thing. This could be good or bad, but in this case it was glorious. The Katie/Veronica rivalry hit an all time high on the Inferno and it produced some of the very best challenge moments. But I can’t talk about Katie on the inferno without talking about how disgustingly her teammates (sans Kendal) treated her. Watching them blatantly throw missions to get rid of her was honestly heartbreaking, because yes Katie was the weakest on their team but Katie is one of the most relatable cast members of all time. She was funny, and we all love a good underdog story. Plus, by this point it was decided that Veronica, or as Katie called her “that **** Verantula”, was pretty much evil. Watching Katie smoke her way through a treadmill Inferno against Julie was a highlight, especially considering the entire RR team was cheering for Julie and the RW team was cheering for Katie (okay nobody LITERALLY cheered, but we all know what was going on). Watching Abram SO blatantly laugh in Katie’s face as he threw the mission and watching her cry was terrible, but then she would say **** it and just say her peace. Like during the epic Kendal/Leah Inferno, Veronica made a comment about Katie wearing too much makeup and Katie just throws out “**** that ****! I didn’t even say anything about her!” but it all came to a head when Veronica won the Aztec lifesaver and voted Katie in because “….I wanted to.” And Katie had finally had it. And one of the best reality moments of all time was born, the (half) topless argument. “YOU ARE A SHORT, SCRAWNY, ACNE-FACE RIDDEN, COKE SNORTING, ******* *****!!!!!” “Oh really, oh really?!?!” “YEAH, REALLY!!!!!” The look on Katie’s face was actually terrifying. I thought a demon would jump out of her and suck Veronica in but alas, it didn’t happen. Anyways, Katie ended up beating David in that Inferno and won the final challenge, so it all worked out. After that, Katie kept a low profile on her next few challenges. The thing about Katie is she is completely self-aware. She knows how terrible she has looked on challenges before, and she cares, so she tries her best to keep her cool. That worked for awhile and she started befriending the newbies and becoming BFFs with the cool crew (think SD/X-Treme casts) but it only lasted until Gauntlet 3. Gauntlet 3 was a weird challenge, because suddenly the tables had turned and the “regulars” were actually just old and there was a push to get rid of the veteran women (Katie, Coral, Beth) and Katie could not handle it. I remember the trailer for Gauntlet 3 and watching her go off on the bed about CT “YOU DO NOT WANT TO **** WITH MEEEEEE!!” I was like YES KATIE IS BACK THIS IS AMAZING. And she didn’t disappoint. She even went as far as to try and throw missions but aww poor Katie didn’t even have to try, she was just already pretty bad at them. But that’s why we love her. She also used a plunger as a weapon against Sarah on the Ruins and had a pretty bad fight with Ty, so she didn’t completely lose her luster, but nothing will top those initial fights with Veronica. Sadly, even though everybody generally loved Katie, she was never really in the “inner crew” (except in the Gauntlet 2 era) and so always found herself being targeted by her friends, or at least the ******* dudes who liked to drink with her but then when it came to gameplay wanted nothing to do with her. Katie for president!!!

3. Mike the Miz (Battle of the Seasons, Gauntlet, Inferno, Battle of the Sexes 2, Inferno 2)

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The Miz may not have appeared on the challenge in a decade, but he comes from arguably the greatest era of challenges and he was one the premiere players. The Miz is a true challenge icon, even if he may not ACTUALLY be one of the most interesting people. Before there was Johnny Bananas, there was the Miz. He was the face of the challenges. For every person who watches the challenges for the drama, there’s a person who are watching for the competition and seeing which elite athletes would show up and people LOVED Mike. He was never THE best player (usually overshadowed by Theo or CT or someone else) but he always kicked *** in the challeges (except Sexes 2 of course) and he was always the leader or voice for his team. Now, this didn’t always go so well with the rest of his team, specifically BFF Coral. The Mike/Coral duo might be the best friendship from this show, as far as being iconic. If you watched their RW season, you absolutely loved seeing their growth and dynamic on the challenges. This is a couple of people who started out as “enemies” and Coral had to teach Mike about race issues, so to see the two of them on the challenge so accepting of each other and enjoying each other’s companies was really a joy to watch. They were just so fun! On BOTSeasons they took the game seriously without actually taking it seriously if that makes sense. They took it seriously but not the way people nowadays seriously. Watching Miz get frustrated trying to park cars will always be kind of funny to me. Of course, Coral/Mike’s relationships had some downs as well, like when he started dating Trishelle and voted Coral into the Gauntlet. Sure, Coral overreacted but it really w***ad seeing her felt so betrayed by Mike because in the past they were just so great together. Mike w***ort of an instigator and peacemaker all at the same time. He loved watching Katie scream and Veronica but also knew he had to calm her down because otherwise she could get kicked off and he wanted her there (okay maybe partially he wanted her there because she was weak, but still he genuinely cared). He had great reaction shots as well, like when Tonya threw Beth’s clothes in the pool. And of course he had a new hookup each challenge, with Tara, Trishelle, and Kendal. We already talked about how the Trishelle worked out (not well) but with Kendal they had a pretty cute relationship going until she decided to sacrifice herself and go into the Inferno. This didn’t sit well with Mike and he pouted and screamed at her during the most epic elimination ever. But if you were like me and loved Kendal, you were like **** Mike she was being a good person and you’re being a *****! And of course the Miz came out to play for the first time when he was with Tara. The Miz is synonymous with the Challenge and even if Mike was over the top, cheesy, and annoying often times, you couldn’t help but kind of love the guy. Plus, it really is awesome to see somebody who literally said on TV that his dream is to be in the WWE and then not only fulfill that dream, but go by the name you gave yourself and kick ***. Seeing people reach their goals is always inspiring, even if you think their goal is kind of weird. Plus he gave Brad that atomic wedgie, which gave “AND NOW IT’S A NECKLACE” and “congratulations, you’re a meathead son” so thank you Miz for cl***ic Brad quotes.

3. Beth (Challenge 1998, Battle of the Seasons, Battle of the Sexes, Inferno 2, Gauntlet 2, Duel, Gauntlet 3)

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Beth. Big Bad Beth. Beth-a-Saurus. Osama Beth Laden. She’s had a lot of nicknames, and the lady is a challenge legend. She may have one of the saddest challenge records (7 challenges, no finals.) but man could she entertain. Beth’s beginning challenge life was actually kind of sad. She got eliminated first on BOTSeasons because Norman (and everyone) hated her, and then she was voted off second on BOTSexes BEFORE Gladys, who by the way WAS PREGNANT. So if you were like me, you thought Beth had to have been some sort of evil person for everyone to want her gone so bad so soon. And then Inferno 2 came around and we actually got to see Beth for more than like an episode and boy was it worth it. Everyone still hated her and she w***uch a little shit-stirrer. She told Veronica she would sell her family up the ******* river to win a challenge (true), she told Robin that Mark and Tonya hooked up (true) causing Robin and Tonya to fight and then the Mean Girls to get Tonya to realize that Beth instigated it all. This of course led to Tonya throwing Beth’s clothes in the pool. And ultimate challenge moment. “Tonya!!!” Beth was horrified and kiiind of laughed it off but was like “lol those were designer bags and clothes so you owe me *****”. Ultimately, Beth quit because she knew her team hated her or something I forget, but it was another copout for Beth. Then, Gauntlet 2 came around and I was fully prepared to hate her because I felt like I w***upposed to but then it happened finally: I became fascinated by this woman! She w***o clearly playing a role that she could play really well that I couldn’t help but respect her a little bit. She didn’t give a **** what people thought of her and she had an epic rivalry with Montana (so random) that started 8 years prior. Like, what!! She kicked *** in the gauntlets, eliminating all star Ruthie and becoming team captain and started a new equally hilarious rivalry with Aneesa (“I think I saw Aneesa giving someone a lapdance outside the airport” or something). Of course, her team still hated her because she would routinely quit during challenges and ultimately ended up quitting once again when forced to go against Aneesa, but I really thought Beth could make it to the end. Just another cop out I suppose. The Duel might be her next prolific challenge, considering she had a hookup with her “tenderoni” Nehemiah and took on the Drama Mafia (“Is this blackmail? This is blackmail!!”) but once again everyone hated her, except former enemy Aneesa who formed an alliance with her. Everybody was threatened by Beth this challenge, because most of the girls were scrawny and Beth was bigger but of course, she ended up “losing” to Svetlana. Come on, we ALL know Beth won that duel and that the producers just wanted Svetlana to stay. The call was bullshit and Beth was right to eventually call it out. Oh, also I forgot that Tina kind of punched Beth on this challenge bc idk everyone hates Beth or something. I think Tina just thought she was being cool. Beth kept a mostly low profile on The Gauntlet 3 despite being a target by her team, but she had an epic elimination against Coral in “the gauntlet of the century”. So, Beth hasn’t been back and I have no idea if she ever will, but while Beth never won or even made it to the finish, she belongs in the top 5. The woman was the ultimate challenge villain. She knew what she was doing. I don’t even know if she cared about winning. She knew what the producers wanted her for and she gave it to them. And how could we not mention that cackle….