MTV ‘The Challenge: Battle of the Exes’ – meet the cast, watch the trailer

My favorite MTV reality TV show is back!  The 22nd Challenge is called “Battle of the Exes” debuts on January 25, 2012 at 10/9c.

What I love about this challenge is that they’ve brought back some of the original dons that we haven’t seen in quite a few challenges.  Plus, imagine all of the drama that will undoubtedly unfold when you mix old flings, competition, and money.  I hyperventilate with excitement and am already lining up interviews with several of the cast to be posted here!

*NEW* Director’s Cut of first 15 mins of Ep. 1

Just released today (Jan 17, 2012) as the result of over 5000 “#exes” hashtag tweets.  Read also the related article on the MTV Remote Control Blog.

Trailer

Keep up with “The Challenge: Battle of the Exes” on Twitter @BattleOfTheExes, using the hashtag #BattleOfTheExes, following me @ifelicious and subscribing to my awesome list of everything MTV @ifelicious/mtv-fetish-7; Facebook- The Challenge; and on MTV.com- Battle of the Exes.  As always, Vevmo.com has all of the underground gossip and spoilers.

Let’s meet the cast.  Thank God, “Star Slight” on AbsolutePunk.net has already saved me the heavy lifting by writing a short summary of each couple and how they’re connected.  I’m just reposting the info below and have added in their Facebook and Twitter handles.

Abram Boise and Cara Maria Sorbello

• Facebook:  Abram G Boise, Cara Maria Sorbello
• Twitter: @AbramBoise, @MissCaraMaria
• “The two met on Cutthroat and began to show affection for each other throughout the entire season of The Challenge. After the show ended, the two continued to date, and Abe provided moral support to Cara Maria over the phone during her stint on Rivals, but have since separated.”

CT Tamburello and Diem Brown

• Facebook: Chris “CT” Tamburello, Diem Brown
• Twitter: @TheOfficial_CT, @DiemBrown
• “CT and Diem met on The Duel where CT instantly developed a crush on Diem, who was at the time dealing with the side-effects of her chemotherapy. CT had helped Diem to feel confident with herself by the end of her time on The Challenge, and the two began dating after. The two were still dating as of The Gauntlet III, but due to how Diem felt she was treated on that season she broke up with him prior to the reunion.”

Dunbar Merrill and Paula Meronek

• Facebook:  Paula Meronek
• Twitter: @DunbarMTV, @PaulaWalnuts
• “Paula and Dunbar had a relationship based upon fighting with each other, and kissing and making up through out The Island and The Duel II. It was revealed on the reunion that the two did have sexual intercourse after leaving New Zealand. After feeling betrayed by Dunbar before her elimination on Cutthroat, Paula felt as if she could no longer trust him, and Dunbar stated that he was done with Paula.”

Dustin Zito and Heather Marter

• Facebook:  Dustin Zito (Real World XXV), Heather Marter (Real World: Las Vegas)
• Twitter: @DustinZito, @HeatherMarter
• “Dustin and Heather were season sweethearts on their season of The Real World: Las Vegas (2011) and dated, until shocking revelations about Dustin’s past tore their relationship apart. They later got back together in an on-and-off relationship.”

Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and Camila Nakagawa

• Facebook: Johnny Devenanzio, Camila Nakagawa
• Twitter: @MTVBananas, @CamilaMTV
• “Camila had stated that she had a crush on Johnny and that she would marry him on Cutthroat, but nothing much was shown happening between the two of them. A possible fling was hinted at during the season’s S#!% They Should’ve Shown special, where Johnny and Camila were suspected of hooking up in the house bathroom and averting detection by having Camila possibly leave through the room’s window. Johnny was in a relationship at the time, and in interviews for the special, he and Jenn denied any fling between Johnny and Camila [4], however RW: Cancun alumna Jonna Mannion hinted on Derrick Kosinski’s podcast that a fling between the two did occur during Rivals.”

Leroy Garrett and Naomi Defensor

• Facebook: The Leroy (Roylee) Garrett, Naomi Defensor Real World Las Vegas
• Twitter: @RoyLee25, @NaomiMTV
• “Leroy and Naomi were “friends with benefits” during their season of The Real World: Las Vegas (2011), but only got together at night if neither had found someone else that day.”
• Also, read Ifelicious Thoughts– Interview: Leroy Garrett from MTV’s ‘Real World: Vegas’ and ‘The Challenge: Rivals’ and MTV Real World Vegas cast member Naomi Defensor to star in Dylan Dilinjah of Making the Band’s ‘Over You’ video

Mark Long and Robin Hibbard

• Facebook: Mark Long’s Fan Page (The Mark Long Show),
• Twitter: @TheMarkLong, @RobinHibbardMTV
• “Mark and Robin met on Battle of the Sexes 2, where the two began a relationship that lasted even after the season had ended. On the The Inferno II, Robin and Tonya got into an argument over Mark. In the first episode of The Duel, Robin revealed that she was single, and was no longer dating Mark.”
• Watch my on-camera interviews with Mark on YouTube– Mark Long at FOX Really Awards After Party (2009) and Mark Long: Reality Bash 2010 red carpet interviews

Nate Stodghill and Priscilla Mendez

• Facebook: Nate Stodghill (Real World: San Diego), Priscilla Mendez (Real World: San Diego)
• Twitter: @MTVNate, @PriscMTV
• “Due to Priscilla’s underage status during her time on The Real World: San Diego (2011), she was unable to enter the bars and clubs with her 21+ year old roommates, and one night, Nate stayed home with her and the two made out while alone in the house. Nothing more occurred after this instance, despite an attempt by an intoxicated Priscilla during a group trip to Cabo San Lucas.”

Rachel Robinson and Aneesa Ferreira

• Facebook:  Rachel Robinson, Aneesa Ferreira
• Twitter: @Rachel_Fitness, @AneesaMTV
• “The two met on Battle of the Sexes and developed a relationship after the show, which was unknown to most viewers until this relationship was revealed during The Duel II, where tension occurred between Aneesa, Rachel, and Rachel’s newest partner at the time, Jenn.”

Ty Ruff and Emily Schromm

• Facebook: Ty Ruff, Emily Schromm
• Twitter:  @The_Ty_Ruff, @EmilySchromm
• “Ty and Emily quickly connected and hooked up on their season of The Real World: DC, but during the season the relationship turned bad when Ty’s behavior became too much for Emily to handle and she became wary of entering a serious relationship with him. Ty and Emily later got into a tumultuous argument on Cutthroat.”

Tyrie Brown and Jasmine Reynaud

• Facebook: Tyrie Ballard-Brown, Jasmine Reynaud
• Twitter: @TyrieBMTV, @JazMTV
• “Tyrie and Jasmine hooked up in the first episode of Rivals, despite Jasmine having a boyfriend at the time.”

Vinny Foti and Sarah Rice

• Facebook: Vinny Foti, Sarah Rice
• Twitter: @VinnyOfMTV, @Sarah_Rice
• “Vinny and Sarah were partners on Fresh Meat II, and began hooking up in the first episode. On Cutthroat, after Sarah stated that she would be voting Vinny into the Gulag, he expressed that he was done with any kind of friendship with her.”

Wes Bergmann and Mandi Moyer

• Facebook: Wes Bergmann, Mandi Moyer
• Twitter: @BergmannWes, @MandiMoyer
• “Wes and Mandi were teammates on Fresh Meat II, but would later hook up on Rivals after CT no longer expressed any interest in Mandi.”

More about “Battle of the Exes”

“Some of them have dated. Some of them were in long-term relationships. Some of them have just hooked up. But they’ve gone their separate ways…until now.

What happens when former lovers are reunited?…Set against the exotic backdrop of the Dominican Republic, each former lover will be partnered with their ex — as their one and only teammate for the entire game. In order to claim their share of a massive $300,000 prize, these brokenhearted exes must find a way to make their failed relationships succeed — or at least until they cross the finish line.

…Teams will do whatever it takes to avoid being sent into “The Dome” – a physically and mentally demanding elimination round. Here’s how it works: after each challenge, the team that performs the worst will automatically be sent into the dreaded ‘Dome.’ And the team that performs the best will become the Power Couple. The Power Couple will be safe from elimination and have the unprecedented advantage of casting the one and only vote for a team to face off against the worst in ‘The Dome.’ No more alliances. No more bandwagon votes. The two unlucky teams will battle it out in ‘The Dome’ for survival. The winners will remain in the game. The losers will be eliminated.” (source: MTV.com Battle of the Exes homepage)

Read all of my blog posts about The Challenges – including cast member interviews – CLICK HERE

Read all of my blog post about The Real World – CLICK HERE

Related Links

• The Celebrity Cafe– Interview with MTB The Challenge: Battle of the Exes, Dunbar
  
• Reality Wanted– The Challenge: Battle of the Exes, Exclusive interview with Diem Brown and Camila Nakagawa
  
• US Weekly– Camila Nakagawa: Girl Scout songs got me through ‘Battle of the Exes’
• MTV Remote Control Blog– Could 40-Year-Old Mark Long be the next ‘Challenge’ champ?
• MTV Remote Control Blog– That’s What You Said…About the next ‘Challenge’
• Huffington Post– MTV premieres ‘The Challenge: Battle of the Exes’ trailer (video)
• US Weekly– Camila Nakagawa: Girl Scout songs got me through ‘Battle of the Exes’