While MTV’s “The Real World” basically sucks now, it’s a pipeline for “The Challenge” which is my favorite show on the network. On Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 10:00 PM ET/PT, “The Challenge: Rivals II” (twitter hashtag #Rivals2) premieres. As in the first Rivals challenge, the competitors are being paired with someone they hate and have to compete for prize money.
From the Press Release…
“The Challenge: Rivals II,” hosted by TJ Lavin (@TJLavin), pits enemy alongside enemy and asks the question: What do you care about more— old grudges or big money? Some pairs like bad boy CT and master manipulator Wes have been going at each other for years, while others like Frank and Johnny have beef because of a Twitter war! All kinds of rivalries are here, from Challenge veteran Paula, who hooked up with her partner Emily’s ex, to Diem and Aneesa, former friends who betrayed each other on a past Challenge. But if you think the drama is in the past for these competitors, think again. The surprises start immediately when a twist sends shockwaves throughout the house, not to mention when a New Girl hooks up with CT right under his ex Diem’s nose. And that’s only the beginning for these Rivals.
I wonder who’s the “new girl” that sleeps with CT! And the twist?!! So excited for this season to get started!
Watch the trailer
Get More:
The Challenge (Season 24), Full Episodes
Check out the pairings below. The descriptions were taken from an MTV Press Release, and I added some notes in italics.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @Ifelicious so we catch live chat about the episodes, and subscribe my Twitter List called “MTV Fetish” which has all of these cast members and more. I’ll be using the hashtag #Rivals2 that I mentioned earlier.
Chris “CT” Tamburello and Wes Bergmann
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | NOTABLE CHALLENGE | |
| CT | Real World: Paris | Battle of the Exes | @TheOfficial_CT |
| Wes | Real World: Austin | Rivals I | @WesMTV |
note: this is the pair we’re all here to watch! oh, and CT is hot! i will forever have a cougar crush on him and blush if i ever meet him in person. i like the new zen CT after his brother died. wonder if that will carry into this Challenge as well, especially with Wes as his partner.
Wes and CT have hated each other for years, primarily because Wes always sees CT as a threat. These two power players make it their mission to get each other out of the game. Wes also accused CT of dating Diem just for the show.
Paula Meronek (aka “Paula Walnuts) and Emily Schromm
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Paula | Real World: Key West | Battle of the Exes | @paulawalnutsMTV |
| Emily | Real World: DC | Battle of the Exes | @EmFitMTV |
note: this team is going to be a force to reckon with for the girls. watch out! pow!
Paula hooked up with Emily’s ex on “Battle of the Exes,” which sets off a chain of events, involving Emily offensively imitating her ex and his involvement with Paula and ending with Emily taking Paula out of the game in an elimination round. Not to mention, the extremely athletic Emily would hate to be paired with the ball-of-nerves, emotional Paula.
Frank Sweeney and Johnny Devenanzio (aka “Johnny Bananas”)
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Frank | Real World: San Diego (S26) | Battle of the Seasons | @MTVFrankSweeney |
| Johnny | Real World: Key West | Battle of the Exes | @MTVBananas |
note: ugh! Frank! ugh! enough said…
Four-time Challenge Champion Johnny Bananas got into a huge twitter fight with Frank, claiming that rookie Frank’s win didn’t count since he didn’t have to compete against Johnny.
Sarah Rice and Trishelle Cannatella
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Sarah | Real World: San Diego (S14) | Battle of the Seasons | @SarahRiceMTV |
| Trishelle | Real World: Las Vegas (S12) | Battle of the Seasons | @TrishelleC |
note: i’m not offended that Trishelle unfriended me on Facebook during one of her cleanups. i am, however, offended that she does these challenges. there are way more people from her era that i would rather see return to the Challenge. oh, and someone please feed her a hamburger or two or three. she’s scary skinny to me.
i like Sarah in the Challenges. hope she can figure out make Trishelle not suck so much so they can go far in this Challenge.
Trishelle and Sarah became instant enemies on the last Challenge when Trishelle claimed that sweetheart Sarah was sleeping with her teammate Alton to manipulate team Vegas.
Leroy Garrett and Ty Ruff
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Leroy | Real World: Las Vegas (S25) | Rivals I | @RoyLee25MTV |
| Ty | Real World: DC | Battle of the Exes | @Ty_Ruff_MTV |
*note: Ty’s Twitter handle was not valid at the time I created this blog post…hmmm. also see my note down in the Theresa and Jasmine section. also, see my interview with Leroy — click here. i need to get another interview with him about this season so stay tuned!
After Ty gets Leroy’s partner sent home for violence and then sends Leroy home himself in an intense elimination battle, Leroy goes online to trash talk Ty.
Diem Brown and Aneesa Ferreira
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Diem | The Challenge: Fresh Meat | Battle of the Exes | @DiemBrownMTV |
| Aneesa | Real World: Chicago | Battle of the Exes | @AneesaMTV |
note: Diem is so lovable! f*ck cancer, girl and get your Challenge on!
On a Challenge, Aneesa promised her friend Diem that she would never put her up for elimination, but then went back on her word, surprising and hurting Diem and costing her the game.
Ryan Knight (aka “Knight”) and Preston Roberson-Charles
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Knight | Real World: New Orleans (S24) | Battle of the Seasons | @Knight_mtv |
| Preston | Real World: New Orleans (S24) | Battle of the Seasons | @PrestoMagicmtv |
note: see my note mentioning Preston down in the Jordan and Marlon section.
The two clashed on their Real World season over sexual preferences and lifestyle, and their animosity only intensified when they were paired together on a challenge.
Camila Nakagawa and Jemmye Carroll
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Camila | Spring Break Challenge | Battle of the Exes | @CamilaMTV |
| Jemmye | Real World: New Orleans (S24) | Battle of the Seasons | @JemmyeMTV |
note: my Ifelicious crystal ball predicts that Jemmye and Jessica will be a southern belle besties. Camila annoys me, but she’s a tough competitor so i have to give her that.
When former champion Camila claims that nobody around her on “Battle of the Seasons” is a true competitor, Jemmye gets enraged and the two hotheads engage in a vicious screaming match.
Derek Chavez and Robb Schreiber
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Derek | Real World: Cancun | Battle of the Seasons | @MTVDerek |
| Robb | Real World: St. Thomas | Battle of the Seasons | @RobbMTV |
note: i like Derek. would be nice to see him get far in this Challenge.
Robb’s girlfriend gets into a fight with Derek, leading Robb to come to her rescue—ripping off his shirt and getting in Derek’s face.
Heather Cooke (aka “Cooke”) and Naomi Defensor
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Cooke | Real World: Las Vegas (S25) | N/A | @CookeMTV |
| Naomi | Real World: Las Vegas (S25) | N/A | @NaomiMTV |
note: Cooke is a soccer chick like me, so i’ll always be a fan of hers. 😎
When new girl Cooke joined “The Real World: Las Vegas,” Naomi felt that Cooke was trying to steal her man and the tension culminated when a pissed off Naomi woke up Cooke in the middle of the night to scream at her.
Jordan Wisely and Marlon Williams
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Jordan | Real World: Portland | N/A | @JordanWiseley** |
| Marlon | Real World: Portland | N/A | @JDeezyMTV |
**note: Jordan’s Twitter handle was not valid at the time I created this blog post…hmmm. oh, y’all need to read my blog post where i talk about Jordan and Marlon (click here to read it). i can’t wait for the veterans to put his cocky ass in check. wonder if Marlon will finally come out of the closet and hook up with Frank…eww, not Frank…Preston! that would be waaaay better! i’m also happy to see him man whore it out with the girls, too. why discriminate? 😉
When Jordan got into a heated and racially-charged fight with one of his female cast mates on “The Real World: Portland,” Marlon was incredibly offended at the things Jordan did and said, and a fight erupted between the two. Marlon despises Jordan’s know-it-all personality.
Nany González and Jonna Mannion
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Nany | Real World: Las Vegas (S25) | N/A | @NanyMTV |
| Jonna | Real World: Cancun | Battle of the Seasons | @jonnamtv |
note: i hope Jonna rocks her ‘fro a few times throughout the Challenge like she did on Rivals I. i think she’s prettier without extensions
When Jonna and Zach broke up after “Battle of the Seasons,” she felt that her former friend Jonna chose Zach’s side over hers.
Dunbar Merrill and Tyrie Ballard
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Dunbar | Real World: Sydney | Battle of the Exes | @DunbarMerrill |
| Tyrie | Real World: Denver | Battle of the Exes | @TyrieBMTV |
note: i’m still getting over that hook up between Tyrie and Jasmine in Rivals I. wtf? lmao!!!
Tyrie has never liked Dunbar, thinking he is an undeserving player in the game. Dunbar was completely oblivious to the fact that Tyrie hated him and was on a vendetta to eliminate him.
Jessica McCain and Anastasia Miller
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Jessica | Real World: Portland | N/A | @MTVJess |
| Anastasia | Real World: Portland | N/A | @QueenBirdness |
note: shoot me now! …then join me in a drinking game over the course of the season (or however long she lasts). 1 shot for every time that Anastasia say ‘pure evil.’ bet you won’t be sober at the end of the episode! LOL! as i recently blogged about (click here to read it), i can’t stand Anastasia. i’m sure she’ll whining for world peace through her rose colored glasses.
On “The Real World: Portland,” Anastasia thought that Jessica was annoying, entitled, and immature and even coldly told Jessica, who only wanted her friendship, that she simply does not like her and does not want to be her friend.
Trey Weatherholtz and Zach Nichols
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Trey | Real World: St. Thomas | Battle of the Seasons | @MTVtrey |
| Zach | Real World: San Diego (S26) | Battle of the Seasons | @ZachMTV |
note: Zach drives me nuts, both in Rivals I and on his Real World season. oy! …but their cast photo is my favorite 😀
Zach claims Trey is full of shit and despises his personality. The two intensely hate each other and have even blocked each other on Twitter.
Theresa González and Jasmine Reynaud
| NAME | FIRST APPEARED | Notable Challenge | |
| Theresa | Real World: Cancun | Rivals I | @JazMTV |
| Jasmine | The Challenge: Fresh Meat II | Battle of the Exes | @TheresaMTV |
note: ooh! i love me some Jasmine in the Challenges! she’s such a tiny spitfire.
After Theresa kept forgetting Jasmine’s name, Jasmine and Theresa got into a shoving match that got Jasmine so angry she punched and shattered a mirror.
TAKE MY POLLS
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