With The Challenge: All Stars 3 finale and the premiere of The Challenge: USA airing on the same night, what it takes for a challenger to run TJ’s final and win is at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Winners say something during their final or after their win that reveals themselves and their gameplay. While some address doubters, some appreciate friends that helped them along the way, and some always believed they would win, all post-win statements fully capture the winner as a competitor.
“Winning this means more to me than winning the money ...”
Wes Bergmann - All Stars 3
Full quote: " ... but I’m also gonna buy a Lamborghini."
Wes is known for his arrogance and love of the game, especially when it comes to how he politics and manipulates the game to his benefit. But, Wes is not only an excellent strategist, he performs well in any challenge TJ throws at him.
Unafraid to make an unlikely alliance when it’s the most logical move to push him further in the game, Wes loves the chase to get the “winner” title. After his All Stars 3 win, Wes’ statement captured the value he places on The Challenge for being the game that it is, not just an opportunity for prize money.
“All I wanted was to just show everybody who’s doubted me ..."
Cara Maria Sorbello - Vendettas
Full quote: "... who still said that I won because of partners, or that I’ve held partners back in the past, like hi, I’m here. Screw you.”
Cara Maria usually felt other competitors underestimated her and brushed off her accomplishments, despite her solid reputation as a strong player. She is even one of the female Challenge competitors fans want to return for another season.
As the sole winner of Vendettas and the first individual winner in the show’s history, Cara Maria was ecstatic to prove herself and allow her success to get back at those who never believed she could win herself. Cara Maria often tries to prove herself and improve her gameplay and performance compared to the last time she competed, and her response to her most recent win stays true to her mindset.
“You cannot take the easy path to get anything you want.”
Jordan Wiseley - War Of The Worlds 2
With three wins overall, his last one on War of the Worlds 2 as part of Team UK with Jordan, Dee Nguyen, Rogan O’Connor, and CT Tamburello wrapped up his experiences on the show.
Known for being a cocky player with a mind for strategy who physically excels in any competition, Jordan is also consistently involved in some sort of conflict with other players. This creates a difficult social game for Jordan despite his skills when performing challenges. With all this making his path in the game difficult, he still finds a way to reach the final in every season he’s been on, and his performance proves why he’s considered one of the best players on The Challenge.
“We all got here together.”
Kaycee Clark - Spies, Lies & Allies
After announcing the decision to split the money with all the teams in the Spies, Lies & Allies final, Kaycee told TJ, “We all got here together.”
As a staple figure of the Big Brother Alliance, Kaycee has always played a team game and given credit where credit is due. Even when Kaycee wins individually, she takes care of her friends as best she can with the power she’s given. Kaycee was willing to let Nany eliminate her in this final so Nany could have a chance at finally winning. Between her political game and physical ability in challenges, Kaycee is one of the challengers who deserves far more respect from the show’s audience.
“You all gotta get rid of me while you can ..."
Darrell Taylor - Fresh Meat
Full quote: " ... If I’m there, and you ain’t on my team, you ain’t winning.”
After his fourth consecutive win on Fresh Meat, Darrell proved he was a strong competitor early on in the show’s history. His continued high-level performance throughout the seasons shows why he is always in the conversations of the best male challengers of all time.
Despite Darrell not winning a challenge in a while, he consistently appears in the finals and gives the winners a run for their money. He is a player that others view as a threat if he makes it to a final, and determining the perfect time to throw him into elimination is often up for debate. After his Fresh Meat win with Aviv, he says it himself — get rid of him while you can.
“I’m not just a skater ..."
Jonna Mannion - All Stars 3
Full quote: " ... I didn’t just politic my way into getting to a final. This time around, I earned it.”
The All Stars series showed Jonna avoiding elimination for the first two seasons and making it to the final each time. Her All Stars 2 win with MJ should have added her to the list of female challengers who pulled off unexpected wins.
When Jonna returned for All Stars 3, she wanted to defend her championship and had to change her typical strategy. Instead of heavy politics and “skating” through, Jonna was left without a strong alliance and trusted friend, MJ, so she fought for her place in the final through multiple eliminations. Her latest win solidifies Jonna as not only one of the few challengers to win back-to-back seasons but also the only mom to do so.
“I need to look out after myself and invest in my future ..."
Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio
Full quote: " ... So I’m gonna go ahead and take the money and run.”
As one of the competitors who appeared on the most seasons of The Challenge, Bananas has seven final wins, including one of the most memorable wins with Sarah Rice in Rivals III. Bananas’ decision not to share the prize money with Sarah to look out for himself is how he always plays the game.
He usually has a group of friends that he works with, but in the end, he is always looking out for the best interest of his individual game. This mentality helped make him the winner of the highest cash prize awarded to an individual on The Challenge at the time.
“Second place is always just so disappointing.”
Laurel Stucky - Free Agents
Known for being a strong personality on The Challenge with even stronger skills, Laurel is always in discussion for being one of, if not the best, women to play the game.
Her entire Challenge career has shown her dominating eliminations and daily challenges and performing well in finals. A season win was well past due by the time Laurel reached Free Agents. Tired of second place, Laurel ensured she would come first that season not to have another disappointing finish. With seasons of being a strong challenger and only one win, Laurel is one of the female Challenge competitors fans want to see next season.
“You don’t have to apologize for getting what you deserve."
Ashley Mitchell - Final Reckoning
Full quote: " ...And I’m not going to.”
In one of the most iconic wins, Ashley decides she will not share the $1 million Challenge prize money with Hunter because of the way he treated her for the entirety of Final Reckoning. Ashley has always had a strong sense of what she deserves and has never been afraid to stand up for herself.
As loyal a game as Ashley plays with her friends, when another player crosses her or someone she loves, she always finds a way to get back at them. This win for Ashley follows the trend of her being unapologetically loyal to herself and her loved ones by not allowing someone to treat her poorly and be rewarded for it.
“[I] made some friends along the way ..."
Chris “CT” Tamburello In Spies, Lies & Allies
Full quote: " ...I was actually able to avoid elimination and make it to the final and pull off another win.”
Whether it’s due to his skilled political game or the other players are intimidated by his reputation as the best on The Challenge, CT often manages to compete in finals without seeing an elimination.
While reminiscing on his fifth Challenge win in Spies, Lies & Allies, CT reveals the core of his strategy being friendships and avoiding elimination. Consistently working with friends to secure his place in the final without being voted into elimination, CT has made it to 9 of his 12 total finals without competing in an elimination. CT’s success with this gameplay style establishes him as one of the challengers who have won the most money in the show’s history.
