For Nam Vo, his two seasons competing on The Challenge have ended in disappointing fashion. His rookie debut on Double Agents made a strong run for the former Ultimate Beastmaster star to potentially compete for the season’s championship.
His run ended due to an unfortunate back injury, as the competitors were nearing the finals. His anticipated return for Spies, Lies & Allies ended even quicker, with Nam leaving after the first episode.
However, there will likely be a Season 38 of The Challenge, and that has fans wondering if they’ll see Nam try again to advance in a game he seems ready to play. The two-time competitor shared his thoughts on any plans to return.
Nam comments about return to The Challenge
With his debut on Double Agents, the 30-year-old Nam Vo has shown himself to be an impressive competitor, as he went face-to-face with Challenge legend Chris “CT” Tamburello and nearly won several daily missions.
Nam never got a chance to earn a Skull that season in elimination, as castmates made sure others got theirs before the likable Nam had a chance. He also had a stressful partnership with Olympic athlete Lolo Jones.
He was eventually dismissed in Episode 11 after getting a nagging back injury checked out, which flared up during several daily missions.
In his return for Spies, Lies & Allies, Nam had a quicker (and this time, unexplained) departure from the show after just one episode. That may have left fans wondering if Nam’s likely to return to The Challenge.
Based on his recent Instagram Story Q&A reply, he appears more than willing to make a return and has a major goal in mind.
“I will always come back whenever they ask,” Nam replied to a fan’s question, adding, “I still have a job which is not done yet.”
“And also to take the ‘W’ and bringing home the title is a personal GOAL no matter how long it will take,” he shared.
Nam amongst mystery deactivations in Season 37
The theme of the recent Challenge shows involved the mysterious and daring worlds of spies and agents. It certainly upped the intrigue when Season 37, aka Spies, Lies & Allies, arrived on MTV.
That wasn’t due to any special format or twists for the season, but instead, several deactivations that happened with no further explanations given.
After appearing in a Global Activation Launch Special for the season, Nam was in the first episode. He rescued American Survivor star and Challenge rookie Michelle Fitzgerald, making them teammates.
However, the potential superteam got disbanded when host TJ Lavin revealed later at the Arena elimination site that Nam had to go home and could no longer continue in the game.
Rumors surfaced about his deactivation, with many suggesting Nam had to leave the show due to contracting COVID-19 as he became seriously ill. That speculation lines up with the production for Season 37 having to shut down due to COVID-19, with cast members and crew quarantining for a while before they could return to filming.
Following that rumored COVID-19 scare for Nam, he appears to be much healthier after sharing an update several months ago that he was battling back from adversity.
In addition to Nam’s Season 37 exit, viewers learned barely-on-screen rookie Lauren Coogan got deactivated in Episode 2, with Double Agents winner Amber Borzotra arriving as her replacement.
Much later in the season, two-time Challenge winner Ashley Mitchell was absent from the group when the rest of her castmates went to vote for elimination nominees. It was revealed later at the Arena that she had to go home and couldn’t continue for the season.
Online spoilers and insider speculation suggest that it was due to an altercation Ashley had with castmate Josh Martinez. However, neither of the supported parties in that fight has shared exactly what happened.
Of the three Spies, Lies & Allies stars that were mysteriously deactivated, it seems Nam has the strongest chance to return for Season 38, although “Millionaire” Mitchell is a serious draw.
If and when Nam gets to return to The Challenge, it also appears he’s more than ready to show what he’s got. The third time’s a charm, right?
The Challenge is currently on hiatus on MTV. Season 38 is expected to arrive in 2022.