Viewers haven’t seen former The Challenge finalist Hunter Barfield on the MTV show since his second-straight appearance in the show’s final five seasons ago.
It concluded with another disappointing finish for the Are You The One? 3 stars, who went home penniless once again.
He’s appeared in four seasons, with his debut arriving in 2006’s Invasion of the Champions, where coincidentally, he nearly reached the final with two of his Young Buck allies.
With no wins in the final and no appearances on the MTV show for the past five seasons, it’s made it seem Hunter was potentially done with The Challenge.
The 30-year-old has proven himself to be a tough competitor in the game and one many fans might want to see back on the show.
Hunter recently reacted to a fan’s comment suggesting they’d like to see him back on the competition series.
Hunter responds to a fan suggesting he return To The Challenge.
As fans have seen over the years, stars from The Challenge have gone away from the show for years or several seasons and will later show up as surprise cast members.
Hunter hasn’t done so since his appearance in War of the Worlds, where he was teammates with the UK’s Georgia Harrison.
However, a recent comment may suggest the door is open for a call to return to the show, as Hunter praised the classic Hall Brawl elimination event, which arrived for The Challenge: World Championship Episode 11.
That prompted one individual to mention the two-time finalist is “missed” by fans of the show, and they hoped to see him again on the show.
“would love to be back one day!” Hunter replied in the comment section.
As mentioned, Hunter became a father following his last appearance in The Challenge, Season 33. In 2019, he welcomed his first son, Kohen Brian Barfield, whom he has likely been spending lots of time with since his hiatus from The Challenge.
“Being a first-time parent, the process was an emotional roller coaster, but it was the most beautiful moment I’ve ever experienced. I’m a crier, so I definitely cried a little bit! I never knew I could love something so much so fast, but he’s already my best friend!” Hunter said after his son’s birth.
“I’m just ready to play catch with my little dude and take him to his first baseball game,” he also said, per People.
Hunter was part of that memorable Final Reckoning moment
Many longtime fans will likely remember a few infamous moments from season finals on The Challenge where a pair of teammates won, but one of the two individuals got to decide if they’d split the money with their partner. In those moments, the deciding partner said they were taking all the money.
One of the first was Rivals III, where Johnny Bananas shocked his partner Sarah Rice by keeping all the first-place prize money for himself, despite working alongside Sarah all season.
Several seasons later, the same happened to Hunter, as he teamed with Ashley Mitchell for Final Reckoning. The duo won the final, but Ashley chose to leave Hunter without any of the prize money due to how he treated her throughout their season.
“TJ, all those things you said about those other partners is true. But this guy’s belittled me, slut-shamed me and also threatened my life and my family’s life. I’m keeping the money,” Ashley said
At the season’s reunion, she spoke further about making that decision which left Hunter speechless.
It also sparked more arguing between the former teammates, as Ashley explained herself, and footage was shown to prove Hunter made hurtful comments towards his partner on the show.
Hunter wasn’t banned from the show after his behavior on Final Reckoning. He returned for War of the Worlds, where he reached his second-straight final.
However, Hunter ended up in a grueling nighttime elimination purge, which saw him ousted from the game earlier than he wanted due to a struggle with endurance.
Since then, MTV has done five more seasons with War of the Worlds 2, Total Madness, Double Agents, Spies, Lies & Allies, and Ride or Dies. Hunter hasn’t appeared on any of them, and it’s unknown if he’s getting calls to return, but he definitely seems eager.
The Challenge has spawned spinoff shows with All Stars and The Challenge: USA in recent years, giving Hunter a few additional options he might be able to appear on. However, the flagship show on MTV tends to bring a higher payout to the winners.
As of this writing, MTV is rumored to be finding their official cast members for Season 39, so stay tuned.
The Challenge: World Championship episodes arrive Wednesdays on Paramount Plus.