Jordan Wiseley has scored first place on four seasons of The Challenge, and he’s far from finished writing his legacy on the reality competition series.
His fourth championship came during The Challenge: World Championship — the most recent iteration of the long-running franchise — which aired weekly episodes from March 8 until May 17 on Paramount Plus. Jordan, along with his Challenge: UK partner Kaz Crossley, made it to the final challenge after surviving an elimination round and picking up one daily challenge win.
The duo then dominated during the finale as they were consistently one step ahead of the other pairs: Tori Deal and Danny McCray, Kaycee Clark and Troy Cullen, and Sarah Lacina and Theo Campbell. Jordan and Kaz crossed host TJ Lavin’s finish line first, earning themselves the “World Champion” accolade along with their share of the $500,000 grand prize.
I had the opportunity to speak with Jordan after he became a four-time champ. Along with discussing the ongoings of his professional life, like his pursuit of becoming a contending professional race car driver and his starring role in Helmet, we also talked about the Challenge season and his goals moving forward with the franchise.
Check out my full interview with Jordan via the embedded YouTube player below:
Jordan’s goal with ‘The Challenge’ is to continue excelling over his competition while keeping his ‘reputation intact.’
I asked Jordan if his main goal with The Challenge was to surpass John Devenanzio’s championship record; “Johnny Bananas” has won seven seasons of MTV’s staple series along with one spin-off show: 2017’s The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars. In short, Jordan doesn’t feel compelled too. “Nah,” Jordan answered about surpassing Johnny Bananas’ record. “You know, records are whatever. I’d have to do a lot [and] that guy doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down either. So, there’s no telling; I definitely don’t think I have 20 seasons in me.”
Bananas, 41, has competed on over 24 iterations of The Challenge compared to the 33-year-old reality TV star’s 10 (which includes three spin-offs).
Instead of overtaking Bananas’ score, Jordan wants to continue pushing past his own limits while taking on — and beating — all comers. Because of his athletic prowess, elimination record, and connections to other players, Jordan is well aware he’s viewed as a massive threat every time he’s on a season, and that he resides at the top of many competitors’ hit lists. But the competition is exactly what keeps him coming back for more — that, and the opportunity to keep his bolstering his legacy.
“I love competition,” Jordan continued. “And The Challenge is so special in that it’s very mental; it’s like being in prison when you’re there, the way we’re cut off from everything. And then, the finals. The finals are what I’m addicted to.”
“Every time I get onto a show, I sit there and pray every night that this is the hardest final we’ve ever done. I pray that TJ is actually telling the truth every time that this is the hardest final we’ve ever done. Because the harder it is, the better I will be. I go because I want to know how far I can go, you know? And I think you have to have that mindset nowadays with the challengers that we have and the finalists, and the way that everyone’s preparing now. You’ve got to have that mindset. That’s what Johnny does, and that’s why the dude’s got seven [championships].
“I just want to compete and I want to keep my reputation in tact. I’m not handing out no easy wins, and if I show up, you can bet your a** that I’m looking — I expect — to win.”
Jordan has been participating on ‘The Challenge’ since he appeared on ‘The Real World: Portland’
Like most of the old-school contestants who appear on The Challenge, Jordan made his realty TV debut on MTV’s The Real World. He was on the Portland edition back in 2013, which then led him to his first appearance on The Challenge: season 24’s Rivals II. Jordan and fellow Real World: Portland alum Marlon Williams had a strong showing in their debut; they made it to the final challenge and placed third.
Jordan then returned for season 25’s Free Agents but was sent packing by Bananas in an elimination round. However, he reedemed himself in a big way. He earned back to back to back Challenge championships, placing first in season 26’s Battle of the Exes II, season 30’s Dirty 30, and season 34’s War of the Worlds II. Jordan didn’t make it to the final in his next two shows: season 35’s Total Madness and The Challenge: All Stars 3. Then, he placed third alongside teammate Aneesa Ferreira on MTV’s most recent season: 38’s Ride or Dies.
The Challenge: World Championship broke Jordan’s losing streak, and he’s confident that he can keep the momentum going.
