With The Challenge Season 39 expected to begin filming this month, speculation has ramped up about the potential cast for the MTV show.
Fans always hope to see former cast members on a brief hiatus from the show return to the competition.
Online insiders regularly provide spoilers about who will appear in the upcoming Challenge seasons, and that’s been the case for The Challenge Season 39 cast.
However, the list of potential cast members can change quickly, and sometimes fan favorites end up not being part of the final cast.
While the Season 39 cast appears to be stacked with some fan favorites, former finalists, and returning rookies, several individuals have been removed from the potential cast.
Recently, former finalist Joss Mooney, 34, discussed his availability for the show after a spoiler account initially indicated he’d appear in Season 39.
Joss responds to The Challenge Season 39 rumors
As leaked lists of cast members arrived for The Challenge 39, Joss was initially among the names mentioned, bringing plenty of excitement to fans.
However, that quickly changed to disappointment as online insider @mtvchallengeinsider (GamerVev) revealed that Joss and Spies, Lies & Allies rookie Bettina Buchanan got dropped “very last minute.”
That brought Joss to comment about the situation, indicating he has previously spoken to the individuals handling casting for the show.
“Not sure how I’ve ended up in this convo I’ve told them I won’t be doing the challenge again guys FYI but thank you for thinking of me haha!” he wrote with a smiley face and hands-up emoji.
Joss appeared in three seasons of MTV’s The Challenge after initially appearing in Ex on the Beach UK 1. His memorable Final Reckoning appearance had him team up with Sylvia Elsrode.
The duo reached the final together, defying the odds. However, that was the season Ashley “Millionaire” Mitchell won with Hunter Barfield before leaving Hunter penniless due to a final twist.
Joss also had that all-time great elimination matchup against Derrick Kosinski, which ranks among the classics and has fans still talking about it to this day.
He nearly reached the final in War of the Worlds 2 but was eliminated in a daily challenge purge ahead of it. That was the final season of The Challenge Joss appeared on, airing on MTV in 2019.
Joss says it wouldn’t make financial sense to return
Fans replied to Joss’ Instagram comment, with many wanting to see him return, and some even asked why he said he wouldn’t return to the show.
He eventually clarified that it wasn’t anything to do with cast members or production issues, but it wouldn’t make sense for him to do so.
“honestly, my business It wouldn’t be financially beneficial to be locked up for 10 weeks even if I did win haha! I love my job,” Joss said in his reply.
Interestingly, Joss isn’t the first former cast member from The Challenge to mention the financial aspect of staying away. Monsters and Critics previously reported about former Big Brother and War of the Worlds star Morgan Willett, saying she’d lose money if she went on the show.
The prize money has been quite substantial in recent seasons, with winners typically splitting $1 million before taxes. While the finalists haven’t had any prize money in the past few seasons, the winners also hooked them up, generously giving other finalists some of their winnings.
The Challenge Season 39 is TBA for MTV. The Challenge: USA 2 premieres Thursday, August 10, at 10/9c on CBS.