When The Challenge: Rivals premiered, it was an incredibly intriguing concept. Part of the appeal of The Challenge is that it is a reality TV soap opera. We get to see how relationships evolve over the course of several seasons. With Rivals, fans got to see people who have hated each other for years forced to work together. It paid off tremendously, giving MTV one of its most beloved seasons to this day.
The show saw how popular the first Rivals was and quickly came back with Rivals 2 just three seasons later, then Rivals 3 just four seasons after that. Needless to say, fans quickly grew tired of the once interesting idea.
Now that it has been almost ten seasons since the last Rivals, we think it’s about time for another one. Here are 10 Possible Same-Sex Rivals pairings that are both realistic and could be interesting to see on a season of The Challenge!
10. Kailah/Melissa
Admittedly, these two have a rivalry that is very brief but explosive. On the first episode of The Challenge: Final Reckoning, these two got into a fight when drama from Twitter made its way to The Challenge household. Things escalated quickly. Kailah shoved Melissa, which lead to Melissa punching Kailah. In the end, both women got kicked off the show before the premiere even ended.
They were both on Total Madness together without much fanfare. But we have a feeling that if they were forced to work together, things would not go as smoothly. Both have shown that they are not the type to back down from an argument, when they think they are in the right. It's unlikely they would be able to get through a full season as partners without there being some friction.
If you have any doubt, check out this video of Melissa explaining how she feels about Kailah.
9. CT/Fessy
Although they appeared on The Challenge: Total Madness together, these two didn’t really interact until their next season. On The Challenge: Double Agents, Fessy talked a big game. He believed that he was the new top dog of The Challenge and did not let anyone forget it.
After an early match that lead to a draw, Fessy continued to puff his chest throughout the season, as his ego continued to inflate every time he was stolen by someone to be their new partner. It all came to a head towards the end of the season when he and CT got face to face after Fessy told CT that he could easily beat him in a final. Fans saw a bit of the old CT come out, as he reminded Fessy who he was.
As the cherry on top, CT and Fessy both found themselves in the final, where Fessy got last place because he refused to eat during the eating portion, and CT went on to get his fourth win.
If there is anything we know about Fessy, it’s that he does not take responsibility for his own actions so I am sure he will continue to say he could have beat CT if not for partner Kaycee’s injury in the final. These two would be great as a possible Challenge rivals team, because I truly can’t see them working together. I’d love to see them try.
8. Josh/Devin
Every season needs a team like this. The type of team that lasts a lot longer than anyone expects, despite barely forming one competent player between the two of them. I know that neither of these players are particularly well liked but if the thought of them being partnered up does not instantly bring a smile to your face, I don’t know what to tell you.
They would almost certainly have a hard time communicating, they would get on each other’s nerves, they would likely have opposing alliances, and all it would take is for Devin to say, “Big Brother sucks!” And his partner would have a meltdown. They would be like Preston and Knight except neither of them are endearing.
It seems from the Double Agents reunion that these two are on pretty good terms. But we would love to see that put to the test in the game in a possible Challenge: Rivals 4.
7. Theresa/Kam
Theresa has the tendency to not follow through on plans. She sets things in motion and then retreats. OR she uses half measures and is quickly found out.
Kam, on the other hand, is the queen of follow through. When it comes to plans, Kam sets her sights on someone and doesn’t let up until they have been eliminated. That is exactly why these two are rivals.
During The Challenge: Double Agents, Theresa threw Kam into elimination to get Ashley out. Kam didn’t like that she wasn’t told that she would definitely be going in, which lead to her targeting “Toxic T.” In true Kam fashion, she quickly saw her opponent eliminated.
Seeing these two as a pair would be interesting because both like to be in charge. Whether these rivals would be able to come together as one would be pivotal to their possible Challenge success.
Bonus: If they won, we could finally take both of them off of this list.
6. Kyle/Paulie
If a fourth Rivals season had been filmed around 2018 or 2019, this next possible Challenge duo would have been a no brainer.
After Cara Maria’s relationship with Kyle ended, she started dating Paulie. It was clear, however, that there was some unfinished business between Cara and Kyle. Because of this, Paulie was constantly targeting Kyle for elimination and the two got in each other’s faces on more than one occasion.
Due to time passing, people letting bygones be bygones, I am not sure that these two have as strong of a hatred for one another. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see how they could get along.
Both are on the smaller side compared to some of the monsters we see on the show. Despite that, neither of them ever give up and it would be interesting to see if they could complement each other and get their first wins. Or would their rivalry come back with a vengeance?
5. Bayleigh/Kaycee
When Big Brother 20 housemates, Bayleigh and Kaycee, reunited in the bunker of The Challenge: Total Madness, a bombshell was dropped.
The two had been working together all season and things were going well. Until Bayleigh wanted to go in to elimination to get her red skull. Kaycee, who had been in a bit of a flirtmance with Nany, betrayed Bayleigh, in favor of the Real World: Las Vegas alum.
This lead to Bayleigh feeling hurt by Kaycee, especially due to the fact that she felt that they were close and even flirted a little bit in the beginning of Big Brother 20. Kaycee denied these claims, saying that there was nothing between them.
Whether it was miscommunication, misinterpretation of actions, or Kaycee gaslighting Bayleigh is up in the air. Regardless, the opposing views on the situation lead to an explosive fight between these two. It would be interesting to see if their relationship has mended at all since that confrontation.
4. Wes/Darrell
If not for Total Madness, Wes and Johnny Bananas would be on this list. Since they were aligned the last time we saw them, this is the next best pairing for Wes.
Wes and Darrell have never gotten along. It all started on Wes’s very first season, Fresh Meat. Along with half the house, Darrell threw Wes & his partner, Casey, into elimination throughout the whole season. Wes & Casey beat their opponents and came back to the house a whopping five times. Despite what seemed to be insurmountable odds, they found themselves in the final but lost to Darrell and his partner, Aviv.
The next time the two found themselves on a season together was The Ruins. Wes was the outcast of the Champions team from the get go, for a number of reasons. In the very first episode of the season, Wes & Darrell almost came to blows after Darrell insulted Wes’s then-girlfriend, KellyAnne. It never got physical but both were held back by other cast members. We also got the immortal line, “DARRELL WANTS TO FIGHT ME!”
After his short stint on The Ruins, Wes returned on Fresh Meat 2, where he got revenge. Darrell was the first eliminated from the season. Most recently, they were on The Challenge: Double Agents where Wes came in, gunning for Darrell, before being eliminated early on in the season.
Although they seem friendly in real life, there is no doubt that these two are in-game rivals. Darrell has gone on the record saying, "I can't trust Wes - no one can!" Would it be different if they were partners? They are titans of the game and seeing them team up would be a dream come true for many fans.
3. Turbo/Jordan
The feud between these two may not be as long-lasting as some of these. That doesn't make it any less explosive. The two met on War of the Worlds 2. Turbo was just coming off of his debut season, which he won. Jordan, on the other hand, was returning from a break after winning two in a row.
After a competition, Turbo was off to the side kicking pieces of the challenge. This frustrated Jordan, who was in the middle of determining who would be the speaker from their team.
He got in Turbo's face and yelled at him to stop, which lead to Turbo shoving Jordan. The two got hostile with one another immediately. Turbo had to be held back by several cast members and security guards, as he was trying to lunge at Jordan, until things calmed down.
Later, Ashley and Cara Maria told Turbo that Jordan was talking behind his back. This immediately riled Turbo up again. The problem is, neither backs down from confrontation. The two just fuel each other's fire in the worst possible way.
Jordan continued to taunt Turbo by mocking the way that he walked, which angered Turbo a lot more than one might expect. At this point, Turbo was in full on rage mode, being held back by five different people. CT, a known hot head, even admitted that Turbo scares him.
Eventually, Turbo got confrontational one too many times and was kicked off the show. He has not been back since but many fans are begging for his return. The most interesting way would be for him to be paired up to the person he hates the most from the show. Could these two elite players put their egos aside and work together? We would love to find out!
2. Amanda/Jenna
These two legitimately hate each other. Amanda has meddled in Jenna's relationship with fellow Challenger, Zach, on more than one occasion. Most notably, on The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions when she spread rumors about a preseason hook-up that occurred between Jenna and Bruno. Since then, Amanda has never gotten along with Jenna/Zach.
On the next season, Jenna chose to eliminate Amanda on Dirty 30 before the season even began. Furthering the rocky relationship between the two.
Then, when Amanda was paired up with Zach on Final Reckoning, the duo performed better than any other in the season but could not get along. Their disagreements directly lead to them getting sent home. Amanda then threatened to drop bombs on the Zach/Jenna relationship at the reunion but decided not to.
On their most recent season together, War of the Worlds, Jenna and Amanda got into an argument early on. This lead to Amanda revealing that Zach was on a dating app after getting eliminated the season before. Their rivalry continued throughout the season as they constantly targeted one another. Jenna was eventually successful in ousting Amanda.
She has not been on since War of the Worlds but Amanda still gets into it with this Challenge couple. Most recently, the three got into a brutal Twitter argument with harsh words thrown from both sides. It got very personal and it is clear that Amanda and Jenna/Zach truly hate each other.
It would be very compelling to see if they could do what Zach and Amanda were unable to - come together as a team to win.
1. Cara Maria/Laurel
Yes, this next possible pair has technically been together before on The Challenge: Rivals. But 1. CT/Diem were Exes in both seasons of Battle of the Exes so there is precedent for this. And 2. Cara Maria and Laurel are stronger rivals now than they were back then. In the first Rivals season, these two were paired up due to Laurel's frustrations with Cara Maria on The Challenge: Cutthroat. Laurel felt that Cara Maria was only kept around because of her close relationship with their team's "leader," Abram.
Throughout Rivals, the two grew to better understand each other and became a lot closer. One of the most memorable moments in the season occurred when the entire house is ganging up on Cara Maria and Laurel steps in to defend her.
Since then, the two have had a turbulent relationship full of ups and downs. They were friends for a while but during Invasion of the Champions, things became muddy. Underdog Nicole, began flirting with both women. She wanted Cara but, after getting rejected, went after Laurel. The two began dating not long after the season.
After the show, Laurel blocked Cara's number from both her phone and Nicole's phone. The two got into a heated screaming match during the reunion. which ended with Laurel stating plainly that they are not friends and that she wants nothing to do with Cara.
At the War of the Worlds 2 reunion, the two went into further detail of the fallout of their friendship. Cara claimed that Laurel only liked her when she had low self esteem. Laurel claimed that being Cara's friend was exhausting. It seems highly unlikely the two would be able to rekindle the love they once had for one another. But it would be compelling to watch them try.
Bring on Rivals 4
After listing all of these possible pairings for another Challenge: Rivals season, it's clear that there are still a lot of rivalries to be explored. The beauty of this series is that with the same people returning season after season, new grudges are formed every episode. Hopefully we will see them explored in great detail in the future!
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