MTV's long-running reality show The Challenge has featured many contestants throughout the course of its run. Some of them manage to stand out in one way or another, for good or bad reasons. However, one of the biggest prizes for a player is the respect of the audience.
Despite the fact that it doesn't provide a benefit in the competition itself, being respected and becoming a fan favorite makes returns more likely, and also gives that player a lasting fame. Still, there are plenty of players who fans feel deserve more audience respect.
Amber Borzotra
Although Amber gets crushed on by Challenge fans a lot because of her looks, that's no reason to underestimate her ability to compete in the show. For Redditor MrSuperMac, when compared to Spies, Lies & Allies' finale, Amber's performance in the previous season's finale looked a whole lot better.
"I know a lot of people don’t like her," MrSuperMac its. However, "if you compare what Amber did to what happened in tonight’s final that woman’s stock just risen substantially." Sometimes, even outside The Challenge, a decision or strategy only looks smart in comparison or in hindsight, and for this Redditor, that's exactly what was needed.
Aneesa Ferreira
It's definitely easier for a player to be memorable when they've appeared on many seasons, and since Aneesa has the third-most season appearances on The Challenge, it's no surprise that she has plenty of fans pulling for her. "I for one am growing weary of this narrative that Aneesa holds back Fessy or any partner she’s ever had," says Redditor jujuubeans.
Feeling that this narrative was started by Johnny Bananas, and that this fact alone should make the idea questionable, jujuubeans insists that Aneesa "deserves more respect than she’s getting from this fandom" and that this idea of her being a weak point is ridiculous. Looking at the argument this Redditor presents, it's hard not to agree.
Kaycee Clark
When Kaycee won Spies, Lies & Allies in December 2021, the adoration for her and her win was far from universal, and this earned the ire of Redditor luddwood: "I wish people would stop discrediting Kaycee's win," they said. Acknowledging that Tory was a fan favorite, and was even appreciated by them, luddwood's frustration is clear.
On top of this, as luddwood points out, Kaycee made it to every final and proved herself to be an adept physical competitor. That's just it, though: it's not always down to who's the best competitor, but who gets the audience on their side. It seems that Kaycee had some difficulty in that regard, even though she managed to get her win in the end.
Kyle Christie
Redditor benbrown226 said they "don't know why [Kyle] isn’t given more respect" when it comes to the show, pointing out that between eliminations and finals Kyle had beaten more than 9 formidable opponents in Double Agents and, up to when the post was made, had managed to stay safe in the competition.
"I honestly don’t see any of the guys in the house right now beating Kyle in a final," benbrown226 continued. Of course, Kyle ended up eliminated in Episode 17, but that was due to a medical injury that made him unable to continue, and this was the last episode before the final. Taking that all into , and the fact that benbrown226 made this prediction after only Episode 2, it was pretty accurate.
Natalie Negrotti
Coming off of Big Brother 18 when she first ed The Challenge in Season 31: Vendettas, Natalie Negotti was both a physical and mental force ready for the competition. It was, in fact, her initial appearance on Big Brother that got Dolphinz811, a "BB fanatic ... [who] stanned her so hard in BB18", to start watching The Challenge.
itting that they're biased because of their love for Natalie's Big Brother performance, Dolphinz811 also said they "gained a lot more respect for her," aware of her cut-throat nature but not of her physical ability to the extent she performed. The Challenge thrives on bringing together groups from different competition shows, and Natalie was a perfect fit.
Nelson Thomas
Many fans of The Challenge, and reality shows like it, come for the drama, and being able to generate drama is one way to stand out on this kind of show. However, being dramatic is not appealing to every fan of the show, which is exactly why Redditor Feast_5 has so much respect for Nelson.
"Nelson needs to start getting more respect on [the subreddit]," they say, pointing out that at the time of posting, during Final Reckoning, he was "7-1 in eliminations and mostly stays out of the drama." Feast_5 was also annoyed at how both Kyle and acted like Nelson owed them anything. It's nice to see that in some people's eyes, non-dramatic guys don't finish last.
Paulie Calafiore
Although Paulie didn't have that many seasons to make an impression, he made the best of what time he had, and should return for The Challenge's Season 38. For Redditor givemehanborger, however, Paulie seemed like a very distasteful person... until they met him in person by chance at a bar.
"I gotta be honest, this dude was AWESOME. ... He handled [the meeting] with sincere gratitude and grace." Considering how much of a distance there actually is between reality TV show participants and the audience, it's definitely refreshing to see a real-life encounter not only go well, but garner Paulie a lot of respect from a viewer for it.
Tina Barta
It may seem strange to praise someone for leaving the competition when the entire focus of The Challenge, and therefore the fanbase, is on that competition and how players (try to) win. For Redditor BuddhaMike1006, however, this is exactly what gets Tina, who voluntarily left All Stars 3, so much respect in their eyes.
"I actually have a lot of respect for Tina's decision" to bow out, they say. Tina realized that she didn't like the person she was becoming on the show, and so decided to leave. The decision to leave, they say, "is actually a decision only a mature person could make." Sometimes it takes more strength to it a weakness than to avoid it.
Veronica Portillo
Veronica is one of the best players on The Challenge, and the show's 30th season, Dirty XXX, marked her 9th appearance; it wouldn't be her last on the show, either. But Challenge fans haven't been especially kind to Dirty XXX, and Redditor ILoveManNipples was there to defend both the season as a whole and Veronica in particular.
"As for Veronica, this was a great return for her! ... and had better stats than Kailah and Jenna", pointing out that Veronica has played the game well in several appearances, including this one and Dallas, and that "She deserves more love." It may be an unpopular opinion, but this Redditor makes the case well, for Veronica and the season as a whole.
Wes Bergmann
Amber isn't the only player that Redditor MrSuperMac is pulling for. In another post, MrSuperMac makes the case that Wes also doesn't get the respect that he deserves.
"Love or hate him, [Wes] needs more respect on his name," they post, calling him an "all time great" for The Challenge. MrSuperMac makes the case with Wes's long list of impressive accomplishments. There's definitely a reason why Wes is a veteran who ought to return in Season 38 or even beyond, even if, as MrSuperMac its, "his political game is his asset and problem." Complicated, but true.
