The Challenge in the Media: "The road to [fame] is straight and narrow."

[MaggieG]

On 3/3/2023 at 9:51 PM, DEL901 said:

21 month sentence. 
https://people.com/tv/the-challenge-stephen-bear-sentenced-to-21-months-in-prison-for-revenge-porn/

Good. And good for Georgia for standing up for herself, I'm sure it was very difficult. This freaking guy showing up in a Rolls Royce 🙄

[shantown]

A forum for The Challenge: World Championship is now open, so all discussion/media for that show (and all the international spinoffs) can head over there. Get excited for tomorrow!

[AncientNewbie]

Nelly T: 

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/vikings/man-saved-from-burning-car-by-vikings-kj-osborn-is-reality-tv-personality

[DEL901]

They have set up a GoFundMe

https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/19/the-challenge-nelson-thomas-reality-stars-donate-gofundme/

[lasu]

The Johnny Backpack clip was featured on the  premiere of season two of Yellowjackets.  That takes it to an even higher level of iconic, I think.

[bunnyface]

This isn't a media post but I don't know exactly where else to ask it either.

I came across a show the other day.  I don't remember the name of it.  Maybe Redneck Island.  Anyway, they had male/female teams who did challenges together and then in elimination they completed separately and whoever was left over was teamed up together.  For instance, Betty and Archie went into elimination against Veronica and Jughead.   Betty beats Veronica and Jughead beats Archie.  Veronica and Archie go home and Betty and Jughead are now partners until they come up for elimation again.

Has The Challenge ever done a season like that.  Other than the stupid Algorhithm thing.  It could make for some interesting match-ups.

[aghst]

So after being away for awhile Bananas has been on the last couple including the World Edition.

guess his other gigs didn’t last, hosting some show.

Fessy didn’t get invited to WE.

and CT has been awaY for awhile.  Has he found an actual career or doing something short term and is likely to try to get back to the Challenge in a year or two?

[millennium]

On 3/19/2023 at 6:46 AM, DEL901 said:

They have set up a GoFundMe

No judgment, but I was surprised that the donation amounts by certain Challenge stars seem relatively underwhelming. 

[falltime]

On 4/4/2023 at 5:30 PM, bunnyface said:

This isn't a media post but I don't know exactly where else to ask it either.

I came across a show the other day.  I don't remember the name of it.  Maybe Redneck Island.  Anyway, they had male/female teams who did challenges together and then in elimination they completed separately and whoever was left over was teamed up together. 

Has The Challenge ever done a season like that.  Other than the stupid Algorhithm thing.  It could make for some interesting match-ups.

Double Agents had something like this. I don't remember if both genders were up for elimination at the same time. It may have been female elimination day then male elimination day. The winner got to choose if they stayed with their partner or if they wanted to pick someone else.

[AntFTW]

 

[bunnyface]

Well, I missed this until I saw that KellyAnne post and fell down a rabbit hole.

Wes Bergmann on Twitter: "Baby ginger genius; coming in September. 🌋 https://t.co/W4OgQ1wqSX" / Twitter

Congrats to them!

[millennium]

On 4/18/2023 at 11:46 PM, bunnyface said:

Wes Bergmann on Twitter: "Baby ginger genius; coming in September. 🌋 https://t.co/W4OgQ1wqSX" / Twitter

 

Picturing Wes having a heart to heart with his son or daughter sometime in the future:

"You're going to face many challenges in life.   If you remember nothing else I've tried to teach you, remember this:  Always drink the smoothie."

[millennium]

So I tried to watch it.  Really I did.   I lasted ... well, let's just say I lasted a little longer than Bananas in the famous Backpack scene (CT's wearing a backpack in the picture -- is that an Easter Egg?)

I found myself screaming at the television "Why CT?  Why?"

Put it this way -- see that movie poster?   It's better than the whole movie (is it just me or is Casper Van Dien channeling TJ in the poster?)

Ohhh, I have found CT so entertaining throughout the years.   But this ... this?   He is the exact opposite of entertaining.   He tries to play his character low-key and soft-spoken, two qualities entirely alien to CT.  And the Massachusetts accent ... There's a reason the only Massachusetts accents you see in movies are overly-exaggerated fake ones.   I don't know exactly what that reason is, but listen to CT's dialogue and you'll see what I mean.

The biggest mystery of the film though is why CT gets top billing in the credits.  Seriously, he is billed as the star of the movie (and also as a producer), with bigger names like Tom Berenger, Bruce Dern and Judd Nelson taking a back seat.   It's almost as perplexing as the fact that Bruce Dern is still alive.

I'm wondering if this is a vanity project CT financed with some of his Challenge winnings.  It's the only explanation I can come up with. 

It was impossible for my  imagination not to transpose scenes from The Challenge (especially the finals) onto scenes from the movie, since a lot of the action is running and surviving in mountainous woods.   I expected a puzzle or an eating challenge around every bend.  Or maybe Kenny would run past carrying Wes.  Or Zach would be on the ground, cramped up and wailing.

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (even the title feels Challenge-adjacent) is on Amazon, part of Prime Video.   If you think you can beat my endurance time, let's go ...

Edited May 16 by millennium

[aghst]

I can see CT getting top billing because he's much younger and those well-known actors are mostly doing supporting roles now in their careers.

Maybe the producers thought CT would draw some younger audiences who watched The Challenge seasons.

I would hate to believe it was a vanity project.  Being a producer could mean he invested.  Or it could be a way to give him more money, being paid as cast and as a producer.

He's missed the last couple of seasons of The Challenge while making this movie?

So hope he got a good payday.

 

 

[AntFTW]

So I guess they're still together