The Challenge Season 39 cast is now known, with several of the game’s biggest legends returning to the MTV competition series.
On Tuesday, MTV unveiled a Season 39 teaser trailer and premiere date for the show, with cast members revealed soon after.
The show’s format will crown a new champion, as most of the cast consists of individuals who have never won The Challenge.
However, many former champions were also revealed as joining the Season 39 cast, headlined by five-time winner Chris “CT” Tamburello and two-time champ Cara Maria Sorbello.
CT last appeared in The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies, his fifth winning season. He then took a break from the show to focus on his divorce, acting career, spending time with his son, and other aspects of his life.
While CT hasn’t been on a lengthy hiatus, Cara Maria has, making her return to the MTV show a big deal with many fans.
CT and Cara revealed for Season 39 cast after time away
On Tuesday, @thechallenge Instagram began to share posts featuring the cast members who will appear in The Challenge Season 39.
CT and Cara are the first two individuals whose cast photos are shown. Other former champs join them, including Brad Fiorenza, Laurel Stucky, and Darrell Taylor. Ride or Dies winners Tori Deal and Devin Walker are revealed, as well as Spies, Lies & Allies winner Kaycee Clark.
The final two images include The Challenge: World Championship winners. They are three-time MTV Challenge champ Jordan Wiseley and his teammate on the spinoff, The Challenge: UK’s Kazz Crossley.
“To become a Challenge champion, you’re gonna have to go through them. 😏 The Challenge: Battle For A New Champion premieres WED OCT 25 on MTV. #TheChallenge39,” the IG caption reveals.
Other cast members revealed on @thechallenge IG posts are non-winners and mostly newer competitors, with a few former finalists included.
Total Madness finalist Melissa Reeves and fan-favorite Tula “Big T” Fazakerley were revealed as returning to the show after their hiatuses.
Others include Ride or Dies finalists Olivia Kaiser and Horacio Gutierrez, Nurys Mateo, Ravyn Rochelle, Big Brother’s Kyland Young, as well as Spies, Lies & Allies rookies Corey Lay, Ed Eason, and Emanuel Neagu.
Cara hasn’t appeared in The Challenge since Season 34
Cara’s return comes after several seasons away from the show. The two-time winner last appeared in The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 in 2019, where she was part of Team USA with her boyfriend, Paulie Calafiore.
The duo was part of a large alliance featuring cast members from Team UK. Although Cara and Paulie reached the final with several other teammates, they failed to win. Team UK’s Rogan O’Connor, CT Tamburello, Dee Nguyen, and Jordan Wiseley claimed the victory.
After that, Paulie and Cara didn’t return for four seasons: Total Madness, Double Agents, Ride or Dies, or Spies, Lies & Allies. Speculation ran rampant, with Paulie suggesting in several interviews that other castmates told the show’s production crew things about them to prevent them from being cast.
A year ago, they spoke with US Weekly (below) about the situation involving some of the “non-competitors” appearing in the recent MTV seasons. Paulie also brought up cast members going after him and Cara when they were not even appearing on the show.
“They’re really trying to keep us away,” Cara said during the interview.
Rumors persisted online that she and Paulie were blacklisted from the show due to issues with other cast members or controversies they created away from the show. Paulie and Cara also continued to talk about the show, whether answering fan questions or reacting to news.
Paulie was a surprising addition revealed for The Challenge: USA 2 cast, which began airing on CBS last month. He was among the CBS reality TV stars from Big Brother on the show. Paulie seemed to have a much calmer season than what viewers saw from him on MTV and got along with former rivals Johnny Bananas and Josh Martinez.
Cara’s return likely comes as a surprise for those who weren’t following spoiler reports. MTV has yet to reveal Cara, CT, or the other former show winners’ roles in Season 39 since it’s a first-time winner being crowned. However, they’re certainly welcome additions to the cast for many fans.
The Challenge Season 39 premieres Wednesday, October 25 at 8/7c on MTV. The Challenge: USA 2 airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.