The Challenge introduced plenty of stars to viewers throughout its 39 seasons, including Nany Gonzalez.
The beloved cast member debuted on MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas in 2012 and then became a regular on the competition series.
Her most recent appearance came during The Challenge: Ride or Dies, where she reached another final, this time alongside Johnny Bananas, the show’s winningest competitor.
Unfortunately, Nany and Bananas came up short, losing to eventual champions Tori Deal and Devin Walker.
Since then, viewers haven’t seen Nany on any version of The Challenge, whether it be MTV’s regular seasons or one of the spinoffs like All Stars.
Rumors have suggested that she may not be interested in a return to the franchise right now.
However, a producer recently praised the longtime cast member, indicating he knew she’d be a star despite being “rough around the edges” initially.
The Challenge producer praises Nany Gonzalez
She may not have won a season of The Challenge, but producer Johnathan Woodbeck indicated he’s happy to see how far Nany has come since her earlier days.
Woodbeck recently appeared on the Zach Nichols Podcast and opened up about various topics, including cast members he interviewed for reality television shows.
He mentioned his involvement in bringing Nany and Dustin to MTV’s The Real World and shared a favorite memory about Nany.
“Nany was on an Instagram Live or TikTok Live. She was enjoying herself and having a good time- probably a few drinks. She was saying, ‘I want to give that Woody guy a shout-out. He gave me a chance when no one else would give me a chance. He believed in me,'” Woodbeck shared.
“I really from the day that I met Nany, was like, that girl is meant to be a star,” he told Zach during the podcast.
Woodbeck said he didn’t think “she hit” with viewers at the start of her career on The Challenge or “was as loved as she is now.”
“She was a little rough around the edges initially,” he said, likely alluding to her feisty party-girl personality during her earlier seasons of the competition series.
Woodbeck said he was happy “to see her have everything she deserved” in her life after appearing on MTV for so long.
Zach contended that she was “polarizing” with the fans and castmates; some loved her, and others hated her, which helped her become a star.
He also mentioned that this was the case with himself and his The Real World: San Diego castmate, Frank Sweeney, as people either loved or hated them.
Is Nany returning to The Challenge?
Woodbeck’s comments about Nany arrive as there is speculation she might no longer be interested in The Challenge.
An insider who regularly shares tea, rumors, and spoilers about the show suggested that Nany was one of four cast members who turned down opportunities to appear on the show.
Adding to that are the online spoilers about Season 40 filming. In minor spoilers, Nany is not part of the epic 40-person cast representing 39 seasons of MTV’s show, but many of her famous castmates, who have also become stars on MTV, were included.
Nany’s future spouse, Kaycee Clark, has also appeared on the show more recently than Nany. Viewers saw her in The Challenge: World Championship spinoff and as a mercenary on MTV’s Season 39, aka Battle For a New Champion. Kaycee is a former winner, having captured The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies win with CT Tamburello.
As of this writing, Nany has yet to announce a retirement, but it sounds like she’s taken a necessary break from the show. As fans know, the All Stars spinoff seasons could be a future spot for her to return should she decide the grind of MTV’s season has become too much.
The Challenge: All Stars 4 airs Wednesdays on Paramount+.