I entered MTV’s “The Challenge” and learned a lot of things behind the scenes about the show. During the casting process, I was surprised by how much the directors knew about me. I found that I wasn’t going to get paid as much as I thought, but quit my job anyway to be on the show. Loading Something is loading.
Back in 2010, when I first entered MTV’s “The Challenge,” I never imagined that the casting process would be so brutal or that I would be recognized for my time on the show.
I competed in the “Fresh Meat II” and “Cutthroat” seasons in 2010, “Rivals” in 2011, “Battle of the Seasons” in 2012, and “Free Agents” in 2014.
Here are 10 things that surprised me when I entered “The Challenge” that even die-hard fans may not know:
I never imagined how long and brutal the casting process would be
The casting process of “The Challenge” was very thorough. MTV
Even though I went through the casting for MTV’s “The Real World” and made it to the final call, I didn’t think this process would take months. My fear was off the charts and the questions were brutal.
As a fan prior to casting, the show seems to be a ton of fun, but getting to “The Challenge” was definitely a drag. “Trust the process,” as they say.
I was surprised by how much casting directors knew about me
Even though I went through the casting process before platforms like Instagram and Snapchat were popular, the directors were still able to really dig into my background. They knew things about me from years before that I forgot.
It was then really digging deep and it felt like a higher level job interview.
I really didn’t realize how big the production was until I got to the set
When you walk out of an apartment in Arkansas to a huge production and you’re considered talented, that’s the best feeling in the world.
While it’s not all glitter and gold, it gives you a lot of power to be considered a talent and can put a lot of things into perspective. Ultimately, you are part of a show that is built around you.
You are just as important as the people around you and for the most part you are treated as such.
There is a lot of rush and waiting
Since I had never been in a production like this before, I was definitely not prepared for the ‘hurry up and wait’ mentality on set.
We only had two Challenge days a week and because of the location, setup and the sun shining on us we had a super early call time to get up and get ready… only we had to wait three more hours before we could even compete. And this was after the two hour drive to the location.
This process didn’t really bother me though, as I was just eating some snacks, taking a nap or listening to the divas complain – you know who they are.
Before going to the show I assumed everything was paid for
During my time at “The Challenge” I discovered that not everything was paid. Viacom Media Networks
I was wrong. This isn’t a big deal, as the essentials have been taken care of, but watching “The Challenge” from your couch makes the experience look a certain way.
When production allowed us to go to the club or bar, we paid for our own stuff. They may have hooked us up with food from time to time, but drinks were ours.
Competitors aren’t supposed to talk to production, but I can see they have their favorites
It has been made very clear from your first season that you are not allowed to talk to the production crew.
But after a few seasons under my belt, I saw familiar faces, and whether they admit it or not, they have their favorites.
In my experience unless you win you really don’t make that much money
I made less money than I thought for ‘Fresh Meat II’. Viacom Media Networks
After watching reality shows for so long (thanks, Mom!) I just assumed that if you’re on TV, especially MTV, you’re rich and famous. I was wrong about one side of it.
Yes, more than 10 years later, base pay has gone up — and it can vary depending on who you are — but I was very surprised to learn what I’d be getting for my first season, “Fresh Meat II.”
The pay was bad – really bad – but I just wanted the experience so much that I quit my tech support job at Verizon Wireless.
Traveling the world is one of the biggest benefits of the show, and I learned a lot
Being on the show is a blessing because we get to travel the world. For example, we shot “Fresh Meat II” in British Columbia and “Battle of the Seasons” in Turkey.
I also learned a few things. In some countries, it may be considered rude to leave a tip at a bar.
It’s a lesson I learned the hard way. I wish America… never mind.
I was surprised when I was recognized in public after my first season
I didn’t expect to be recognized so much after my first season on “The Challenge”. MTV
After playing four episodes, I really thought I was done with ‘The Challenge’.
But after my episodes aired, people started making duplicates and asking me for pictures. It was very surprising, especially since I still lived at home and thought I knew everyone.
Now a lot of new people say they know me. I also learned that we all look bigger on TV.
Most of all, I can’t believe I got on ‘The Challenge’ once, let alone 5 times
And the most surprising thing about the show is that I actually made it.
Out of thousands who auditioned, I was deemed fit to be there five times – and who knows what’s to come.
This post I was on ‘the challenge’ 5 times – Interesting things about the show
was original published at “https://www.insider.com/the-challenge-things-you-never-knew-from-someone-on-show-mtv-2022”
