With another season of MTV’s The Challenge expected to begin filming this month, spoilers have been arriving about the cast.
Insiders have leaked the Season 39 cast details online, with many fans speculating about the theme.
With each new season, fans hope to see some of their favorites return to the show, such as former finalist Joss Mooney or two-time champion Ashley “Millionaire” Mitchell.
Ashley has been on a break from the show for several seasons, ever since her mysterious exit during an episode of Spies, Lies & Allies. Rumors suggested it was due to an explosive altercation with her castmate that didn’t make it into any episodes.
With the most recent cast reveal, Ashley gave her thoughts about the upcoming season of the competition series, replying to fans and even picking her favorite to root for.
This report may contain minor spoilers for The Challenge Season 39, expected to start filming in June.
Ashley ‘Millionaire’ Mitchell reacts to The Challenge 39 rumors
In a spoiler alert, The Challenge Season 39 cast in its current form doesn’t include any former champions or longtime vets returning for the show. Instead, it consists of newer stars, most of whom have done three or fewer seasons of MTV’s show or a few of the spinoff shows.
With that in mind, fans have speculated about the season’s theme, and Ashley seemed to share similar sentiments that many expressed.
“obviously an invasion repeat imo,” she tweeted on Friday as the Season 39 cast leaks were circulating online.
“oh… it might be VETS, not champs,” she said in another tweet about the show’s theme.
Invasion of the Champions was the 29th season of MTV’s The Challenge, which took place in Krabi, Thailand, in 2017. It started with 18 cast members who had yet to win the show, and then eight champions arrived to join the competition.
Ashley won that season as a rookie for the women while invading champion Chris “CT” Tamburello was the men’s winner. Runner-ups included newer stars Nelson Thomas, Cory Wharton, and Nicole Zanatta.
Based on the list of cast members for Season 39 that has arrived at the Vevmo forum thread and in various social media posts, none of the individuals have ever won the show. Only three have reached a final during their time on the show.
Meanwhile, Ashley has been enjoying life in Costa Rica, and while she said she’d had calls to return to The Challenge, it appears she hasn’t been quite ready to go back to an often dramatic and stressful game.
Ashley comments on her absence and who she’s rooting for
While it remains to be seen if Ashley is right about the Season 39 theme, she clearly agrees with many of her fans that her return would bring much more to the show.
One fan suggested production would put her on a flight to bring her in “halfway through filming,” and then she’d win her third season.
“and give you more confessionals, “reality”, entertainment, and honesty than y’all have had in seasons,” Ashley tweeted, adding, “in half the time these others have had.”
When it comes to who she might root for to win it all, Ashley admitted she didn’t know many of the faces in the cast reveal online. However, she picked Tula “Big T” Fazakerley since they’ve done several seasons together.
“yes i like her!!! i just honestly haven’t really paid attention to all the updates!!! I like her she’s a little beast! i always root for the smaller girls,” Ashley replied.
Melissa is one of three former finalists currently listed among the rumored Season 39 cast members. She could be an early favorite based on her experience on the show and the fact that she already has a few strong allies in the cast.
Unfortunately, based on Ashley’s tweets, she might not be among those cast members invading the newer competitors’ show. However, she also might be doing her best to swerve people’s expectations and not ruin any surprises.
The Challenge Season 39 premiere date is TBA for MTV. The Challenge: USA 2 premieres Thursday, August 10 at 10/9c on CBS.