The Challenge Reunion Recap: Which Relationships Survived the Madness?
This season on The Challenge, an unexpected new bromance blossomed, but not every relationship made it out alive. Though the champions had already been crowned, the Total Madness cast still had plenty of tea to spill in the series’ first-ever virtual reunion, giving us the real scoop on what happens when friends stop being polite and start getting real.
Hosted by former NFL star Vernon Davis, the reunion kicked off with Bananas and Jenny reflecting on how it feels to be a champ. “Over the past few seasons, doubt really started to creep into my head,” said Bananas. “I started questioning whether or not I would ever see a final, let alone win one.” Though Jenny remained humble about coming out on top and only having one career win thus far, the cast reassured her that she’s a champ for life.
More from TVLine
Here’s some of the dirt from Wednesday’s Zoom-tastic 90-minute special:
* Melissa confirmed what Twitter and Reddit uncovered long ago: She was four months pregnant while running the final. Kyle joked that he changed his name and moved to another country, due to rumors that he and Melissa had hooked up; those rumors, he says, are totally false. (Cue the footage of these two getting super friendly.) Melissa did note that Kyle tried to get with her the first night they met, but he was rejected. Can’t blame a guy for trying!
*While Nany admitted to crushing hard on Kaycee, Kaycee was adamant that the two never kissed. (She did cop to “friendly flirting,” though.) Nany was peeved that Aneesa didn’t check in with her that drunken night and instead approached Kaycee about the situation. Aneesa defended herself by saying that Kaycee was the one in a relationship back home with something to lose. (Nany, as we know, called Aneesa a “ho,” in addition to a “corny, old ass b–h.”) “I did not deserve what you said to me,” said Aneesa. “I’ve never said that to anyone who I would call a friend… I would never put my hands on somebody I cared about like that.” And in pure Challenge-reunion fashion, Nany de-mic’ed and walked away from her laptop. (It’s not a proper reunion unless someone makes a completely unnecessary and dramatic exit. Kudos, Nan’.)
*Bayleigh shared with the class that she and Kaycee had a flirtmance in the Big Brother house, but when it came down to her former friend voting against her: “It sucked for me.” Kaycee said she heard Bayleigh was throwing her name under the bus during an interrogation, which prompted Bayleigh to say that Kaycee should’ve called her out, as a friend. As for their friendship? They haven’t spoken since and are completely dunzo.
*The cast reflected on the Bananas/Wes alliance, which some, but not all, knew about. Wes said he doesn’t regret throwing himself into elimination against his new pal and alliance member. Based on the information he had at the time, he was worried about getting eliminated for not earning his red skull. Looks like these are two peas in a pod, who could potentially work together again in the future.
*When Ashley took the hot seat, Bananas said that at least with his game, people know where he’s coming from. But Ashley is a “snake” who tries to scheme and never owns up to what she’s doing. Ashley defended herself, saying that her socializing (which had been called out for being strategic) is for her own mental well-being. Despite not being besties, the back-and-forth banter was all in good fun between these two.
*CT doesn’t regret going head-to-head against rookie Jay, despite taking a shocking loss. “I was lucky enough to get a shot at a red skull… that’s all I can ask for. I blew it. Can’t take anything away from Jay. He wanted it more, and he beat me fair and square,” the vet said.
*When asked about her fling with Bear, Kailah said, “The bunker was really boring, and Bear being there kept me really entertained.” Davis then asked her if being bored was a reason to cheat (shots fired!), to which she replied, “I was unhappy in the situation I was in back home. I did a lot of reflecting in the house, Bear was being persistent… in my head, it was a way out.”
*Zach refused to speak on what he found in Jenna’s DMs that set him off, and he doesn’t regret how he handled the situation. (Unimpressed Viola Davis GIF here.) The two still plan on getting married next year.
What did you think of the reunion? Weigh in on all the juicy drama by dropping some comments below!
Launch Gallery: 12 Forgotten Reality Shows That Deserve a Second Chance
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
