Devin Walker of The Challenge has become well known for his puzzle-solving skills and witty banter, which has instigated arguments with more than a few castmates. These skills were clear on Double Agents.
Despite having some strengths, including puzzles, he recently revealed that he had to work on some things to prepare for Season 37 of The Challenge, aka Spies, Lies & Allies.
The former finalist shared what his strategies included as he got ready to return for another run at making The Challenge final.
Devin Walker reveals items he bought, training he did for Season 37
The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies cast will once again be put to the test physically and mentally with various daily challenges, and of course, eliminations. Devin will be amongst 15 Challenge vets returning for the show.
During his Double Agents season, Devin was a winner in two of the daily challenges, both of which included puzzles. He’d also claim a Gold Skull by defeating his friend Wes Bergmann in a physical elimination.
Surprisingly, he’d lose later on to Darrell Taylor in an elimination that featured a tangram puzzle, something many people believed Devin would excel at.
Devin said the elimination loss motivated him to go home and order three different versions of the same tangram from Amazon. In addition, he picked up some other tangram books and “math cheat codes” to help him prepare for more puzzles.
His preparation also included getting ready physically to remove the target off his back as some competitors might view him as someone to call out.
“In addition to just kicking up my cardio and trying to put some mass on, because I am a little sick of everybody looking at me and thinking, ‘All right, physical elimination, we’re calling him out.’ Fine, if you want to feel that way, you’re going to have to move a big boy now,” Devin said in an EW interview.
The Challenge star also did a 10-day ‘silent retreat’
Devin’s mouth hasn’t been his best asset in The Challenge, as it has gotten him into verbal and physical altercations with castmates. However, Devin said that after Double Agents, he realized he needed to work on that too.
“At the end of last season, the only thing I could think of that would have propelled my game in a better direction is to bite my tongue. In an interview after my elimination, I said, ‘I don’t know what I need to do. Maybe I should go to a silent retreat.’ Well, I did just that. In preparation for season 37, I did a 10-day, fully silent retreat in an attempt to learn to bite my tongue,” Devin shared with EW.
“I went ahead and learned how to just shut right up,” Devin admitted as part of the skills he worked on after Season 36.
Double Agents featured a few instances where Devin got into it with Big Brother stars Fessy Shafaat and Josh Martinez. However, it appears Devin and Josh worked out their differences right after exiting the show and might even be ready to work together as allies on Season 37.
That doesn’t mean Devin won’t bring his trademark commentary, but it might mean he’s not the one involved in the biggest arguments, especially with his other veteran castmates.
Spies, Lies & Allies will be Devin’s sixth season on the show. During his five previous appearances on The Challenge, Devin is 4-2 in eliminations and has four daily wins. He also reached the final as a rookie, coming in third place in the Rivals III season.
Based on all of his special preparation, it appears Devin is looking to continue to build his resume and advance further by keeping quiet more often if that’s truly possible.
The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies premieres Wednesday, August 11 at 8/7c on MTV.