To be a champion, you’ve got to beat a champion — a mantra in combat sports and The Challenge’s 39th season Battle for a New Champion. With MTV releasing the trailer ahead of its Oct. 25 premiere, fans are already catching glimpses of the Challenge legends who’ll appear in the season.
Battle for a New Champion pits 24 returning contenders against each other with the mission of capturing the first-place trophy. None of the challengers have ever summited the proverbial (and sometimes literal) mountaintop to achieve Challenge champion status.
To do so, they’ll have to contend with 10 battled-tested veterans, all of whom are carrying around at least one championship belt.
Although the day-to-day workings of Battle for a New Champion haven’t been revealed, we know that if a contender finds themselves in an elimination round, it’ll be opposite one of the 10 champions. “This season, mental and physical limits will be pushed further than ever before as contenders must face off against rotating vets in surprise eliminations,” the show’s synopsis reads.
So, who are these 10 returning veterans? From the man who has won the most prize money in Challenge history to the return of a former face of the franchise, MTV’s casting of champions did not disappoint.
Cara Maria Sorbello, Jordan Wiseley, Tori Deal and Brad Fiorenza are among the 10 Challenge champs
Let’s take a brief look at each of the 10 vets defending their thrones.
The women
Cara Maria Sorbello
For years, Cara Maria was the face of the franchise on the women’s side. With 14 Challenge seasons under her belt, she’s made it to the final challenge on nine occasions. She’s the champion of Season 27’s Battle of the Bloodlines and Season 31’s Vendettas, and she also came out on top of the Champs vs. Pros spin-off. Fans haven’t seen Cara Maria on The Challenge since she placed second in Season 34’s War of the Worlds 2 in 2019.
Laurel Stucky
Perhaps the most physically imposing female we’ve seen on The Challenge, Laurel is considered one of the greats. She’s a one-time champion (Season 25’s Free Agents) and has seen a final in four of seven appearances. With a 10-3 elimination record, Laurel’s been a force on the series since her debut on Season 19’s Fresh Meat II in 2010. She made her Challenge comeback last season during Season 38’s Ride or Dies but was eliminated before the halfway point.
Tori Deal
Tori’s taken Cara Maria’s place as the current female face of The Challenge. Around five years after being anointed “Rookie of the Year” by cast members from Season 30’s Dirty 30, Tori became a Challenge champion by finishing first alongside Devin Walker (spoiler alert: he’s part of this cast list, as well) on Ride or Dies. Like Laurel, Tori’s made four finals in her seven flagship seasons. She’s also appeared in several spin-offs. Every Thursday, fans can watch Tori represent the MTV veterans on CBS’s The Challenge: USA Season 2.
Kaycee Clark
Kaycee Clark has the bragging rights of being the only former Big Brother winner to also wear a Challenge crown. Kaycee has been dominant since her franchise debut during Season 35’s Total Madness. She’s only been eliminated once before the final challenge in her four mainline appearances and won Season 37’s Spies, Lies & Allies with Chris “CT” Tamburello (another name on Battle for a New Champion). We last saw her earlier this year on Paramount Plus’ World Championship when she placed third.
Kaz Crossley
Although MTV-only fans may not know Kaz, she’s the only player on this list who hasn’t been eliminated from The Challenge. Actually, Kaz has won each time she’s been on. The Love Island UK 4 star won The Challenge UK spin-off, which earned her a roster spot in World Championship. Paired up with another individual showing up on Season 39, Jordan Wiseley, Kaz beat out the rest and placed another trophy on her mantel. Battle for a New Champion marks the first time Kaz crosses over to MTV.
The men
Chris “CT” Tamburello
If ever a Challenge Mount Rushmore is carved into the side of a mountain, CT’s face will be there. He’s one of the true legends of the long-running franchise. Besides winning the most prize money, CT holds the second-most championships behind John “Johnny Bananas” Devenazio with five flagship titles. The 19-season veteran is riding the momentum of back-to-back wins on Season 36’s Double Agents and Spies, Lies & Allies.
Jordan Wiseley
Jordan has proven time and time again that he’s one of, if not the, most well-rounded players to grace The Challenge. All in all, Jordan’s triumphed in four Challenges since coming off of The Real World: Portland in 2013, winning Season 26’s Battles of the Exes II, Dirty 30, and War of the Worlds 2. As mentioned, Jordan and Kaz won World Championship, and he’s made it to the final challenge in five of his seven flagship appearances.
Darrell Taylor
An OG of The Challenge, Darrell has been around the scene since winning Season 7’s The Gauntlet in 2004. The Road Rules: Campus Crawl alum won the first four seasons he played on (The Gauntlet, Season 8’s The Inferno, Season 10’s The Inferno II, and Season 12’s Fresh Meat). Whether it’s a spin-off or the mainline series, Darrel’s frequently popped up on our television screens, and he even snagged gold in 2017’s Champs vs. Pros with Cara Maria.
Brad Fiorenza
Although Darrell and CT are the longest-tenured Challenge competitors on Battle for a New Champion, Brad is right behind them. After filming 2004’s version of The Real World: San Diego, Brad joined the cast of Season 9’s Battle of the Sexes. He made it to the final challenge three times in his first seven Challenge stints, but it was on his eighth try that he earned the illustrious accolade. Brad was part of the winning “Red” team on Season 20’s Cutthroat in 2010. We’ve watched Brad on two flagship seasons since then. But most recently, he competed on Paramount Plus’ All Stars 2 and 3, and he was the runner-up on the latter show.
Devin Walker
Devin is the only challenger on the male side of this list to win his first championship this decade. As mentioned, Devin conquered the final challenge with Tori on Ride or Dies last year. Although he had been labeled as a “lay-up” during the early part of his Challenge career, Devin’s impressed in his recent outings. Besides his victory in Season 38, he podiumed in third place during Spies, Lies & Allies. He’s also added big names to his 6-2 elimination record by defeating the likes of Johnny Bananas and Wes Bergmann.
