The Challenge: World Championship will decide which of the Legends and MVPs are the best of the best in a global competition.
The MVPs are winners and finalists from The Challenge spinoffs for USA, UK, Argentina, and Australia.
Meanwhile, the Legends in the cast include finalists and winners from MTV’s longtime franchise and Paramount Plus’ All Stars spinoff.
Among them is Nelson Thomas, who first arrived in MTV’s Are You The One? before debuting on The Challenge.
He’s yet to win a season of the competition series but has shown plenty of competitive ability, loyalty, and heart in the game.
The former Challenge finalist recently shared why he believes he belongs with the other Legends in the upcoming spinoff.
The Challenge’s Nelson speaks about why he’s among Legends
Ahead of the premiere episode of The Challenge: World Championship, the various competitors appear in promotional videos.
Nelson will be among the 14 MTV Legends appearing in the show, and he shared thoughts about his Challenge journey in a recent clip.
During his remarks, he talks about being “the kid from Inglewood, from juvie, that’s been looked down on.”
“I’m standing right here, living proof that anybody in my situation can come out of it. So that’s what makes me a Legend,” he says to start the video.
He calls his Challenge journey “one helluva roller coaster” with “ups and downs” throughout his seasons.
During his Challenge career, Nelson experienced those ups and downs through his showmances, hookups, and friendships. Among those he counts as his friends are Fessy Shafaat, Cory Wharton, and even Johnny Bananas, who he refers to as a “frenemy.”
“I would’ve never thought that this day would come that I could call him my true friend,” Nelson shared of his Challenge castmate, mentioning their previous clashes on the show.
“We’ve crossed paths. We’ve never been on the same side. We’ve even gotten into altercations where security had to come between us,” he said.
Nelson’s Challenge career included a near-winning season
Nelson’s reality TV career started on Are You The One? 3 in 2015, before he jumped to MTV’s competition series, The Challenge.
His debut season was Rivals III, followed by Invasion of the Champions, which was his first-ever appearance in a final. His second appearance came in Season 37, which was Spies, Lies & Allies, and featured him losing to castmate Kyle Christie in an elimination.
He’s appeared in nine seasons, with Ride or Dies as his most recent appearance. The former AYTO star holds a 9-6-1 record in eliminations and has won 12 daily challenges. Over his time competing on the show, he’s racked up $36,250 in prize money.
In addition to Bananas, Nelson mentioned another of The Challenge greats during his video: Chris “CT” Tamburello. That’s because Nelson calls The Challenge Season 29, aka Invasion of the Champions, the one he will never forget. Nelly T finished as a runner-up to CT in that final by just a few minutes.
CT won’t be among his castmates for The Challenge: World Championship, but other greats, including Wes Bergmann, Jordan Wiseley, and Bananas, will be there vying for the top prize so they can call themselves the show’s first-ever world champion.
The Challenge: World Championship premieres Wednesday, March 8, on Paramount Plus.