Evelyn Smith was one of the top female competitors ever seen on MTV’s The Challenge – a reality show where athletes, stars, and everyone in between takes on high-octane physical challenges to claim a cash prize. Now The Challenge: All Stars is bringing back previous competitors from over the years.
But among the many contestants spanning the show’s 25-year-run, few have been as fit, determined, and skillful as Evelyn Smith. Her incredible seven-season career spanned five years, where she appeared in four finals, winning three. Evelyn first joined The Challenge in its 12th season: Fresh Meat (2006). Already a promising athlete, she had been offered a softball scholarship by the University of Arizona, but turned it down to star in the show.
After she left The Challenge, Evelyn took up her studies, gaining a history degree from the University of San Diego. The university even did an extensive interview with her where she talked about her time with MTV: “I did it because it looked like a lot of fun… All told, I did quite well financially on the show. I got to spend my late teens and early twenties traveling the world and living like a rock star.”
But she has a low opinion of the world of reality shows, saying “I would hardly call it a career. It’s fun while it lasts, but you see a lot of washed up reality stars.” Evelyn went on to say that degrading oneself on national TV is “pathetic.”
After successfully getting her history degree, Evelyn gained a place at the prestigious Harvard Law School, and since graduating has done human rights work in Cambodia and even acted as an advisor to Kirsten Gillibrand and Pete Buttigieg’s ultimately unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaigns. More recently, she was appointed Special Assistant to the Office of the Administrator at USAID.
So will The Challenge: All Stars bring back Evelyn? With such a fulfilling legal and political career, viewers probably shouldn’t hold their breath.
