Several reality stars have built successful entertainment careers for themselves through MTV’s The Challenge, like John “Johnny Bananas” Devenanzio, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, and Chris “CT” Tamburello. But, one man who remains synonymous with the reality competition franchise is longtime host T.J. Lavin.
MTV’s flagship series and its spin-offs have had several hosts through its 25-year run. But, Lavin stands among them as the franchise’s longest-serving frontman.
The highly successful BMX star first appeared on-screen as host of The Challenge (known as Real World/Road Rules Challenge back then) in December 2005 for season 11’s Gauntlet 2. Lavin’s fellow extreme sports athletes, Jonny Moseley and the late Dave Mirra, had alternated hosting duties for the past few seasons before Lavin’s debut.
And the rest was history.
Lavin became the series’ first (and last) mainstay presenter and hasn’t missed a mainline season since. Season 39 Battle for a New Champion is set to premiere on Oct. 25, and Lavin’s back in the driver’s seat.
All in all, it’s been 18 years since Lavin joined the Challenge universe. And it doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere, anytime soon.
For years, Lavin was constantly prepared to lose his hosting gig by anticipating the series’ cancellation
I had the opportunity to interview Lavin ahead of the franchise’s debut on CBS for The Challenge: USA season 1 in July 2022.
So, when I asked him what it meant for his own hosting profile to be appearing on CBS, Lavin shared that he couldn’t believe he found himself in the position of appearing on the new cable TV juggernaut nearly two decades after taking the job as a gig.
“I still can’t believe it, Stephen,” Lavin said. “I had no idea — I didn’t plan on this. I was just a BMX dude from [Las] Vegas, a little desert rat doing my thing. And I just got into this, literally fell into it. And now here we are 17 years later, and like, I just can’t believe it. I really can’t — it’s insane to me.”
Like most longtime fans, Lavin resided in the Challenge universe in the times when the show’s viability and future were uncertain. And he opened up about being shocked every time a new season was ordered by MTV.
Lavin said that until about five years ago, he and others on The Challenge’s crew weren’t sure if the series would be renewed. But, low and behold, executive producer Justin Booth always came to Lavin with another opportunity.
“He was like, ‘I’ve got another season,’ and I was like, ‘No way,’” Lavin recounted. “Every season he’d be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know how much longer it’s going to last.’
“He always set you up for the big failure. But then, it just never came. We just kept going, and then it was the same. It’s like, ‘Dude, another one?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah. No, five.’ I’m like, ‘What?!’ He’s like, ‘They ordered five,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s a lot of work. That’s a lot, how are we going to do all that, you know?’ So we just did it.
“And here we are and it’s crazy. It’s just really lucky.”
Lavin’s quotes have been edited for clarity.
Lavin has only missed out on a few Challenge spin-offs
As mentioned, Lavin has appeared in every flagship season of The Challenge since his start, which is 29 additions altogether. But, Lavin skipped out on the franchise’s first true spin-off series. The Champs vs. trilogy dropped seasons in 2017 and 2018, and it featured Champs vs. Pros, Champs vs. Stars I, and Champs vs. Stars II. Lavin was subbed out for two different hosts.
In the first season, former NFL wide Victor Cruz receiver took over the task. And for its last two iterations, The Miz returned home and hosted.
Lavin’s been a part of almost every spin-off series since. He’s appeared on all three seasons of Paramount Plus’ All Stars where he’s reconnected with the franchise’s OGs. Lavin also took his craft to CBS for both seasons of The Challenge: USA (season 2 had its finale on Oct. 19), and he also led the charge for Paramount Plus’ World Championship earlier in 2023.
The only other spin-offs Lavin didn’t lend his talent to were the three other international versions of the show that made up World Championship (The Challenge: UK, The Challenge: Australia, and The Challenge Argentina: El Desafío).
Lastly, Lavin has nothing to do with reunion shows — the likes of TV presenter Maria Menounos or The Miz have filled that role through the years.