The Challenge finalist Jay Starrett debuted a new look, which some fans seem to love and others criticized.
When he appeared on Season 39 of MTV’s competition series Battle For a New Champion, the former Survivor star received plenty of backlash.
That was due to his connection to an alliance orchestrated mostly by his friend Michele Fitzgerald that included many cast members as part of the arrangement.
However, Jay didn’t protect his friend Nurys Mateo late in the game, leading to multiple elimination appearances for Nurys before she could advance to the final.
That led to a falling out between Nurys and Jay, as well as tea spilled during the Season 39 reunion about Jay and their castmate Olivia Kaiser.
Castmates claimed the Season 39 stars had a makeout session on a bus ride despite Jay having a girlfriend off the show.
All of the above left many fans unhappy about Jay’s latest appearance on The Challenge, and critical comments continue to arrive, including some slamming him about his new cut.
Jay shows off his new haircut from Venice Beach
Earlier this week, Jay uploaded a shirtless shot of himself carrying a surfboard under his arm. However, the main point of the Instagram carousel post was to debut his new haircut, which saw him get a shorter cut than he was rocking in Season 39.
There are two additional photos, including Jay on the beach in a wetsuit with his surfboard and another of him leaning out of what appears to be a lifeguard tower or other structure on the beach.
“Time to switch things up 😁 #stayloco,” he wrote in his caption, which also credited photographer Brian Clevesy for the images.
During his appearance on Season 39, Jay had longer locks. He was primarily featured wearing a hat, helmet, bandana, or other head covering while on-screen.
His Battle For a New Champion promotional headshot showed the drastic difference in his previous hairstyle, as he wore a dark bandana or headband wrapped around his head.
That trend continued in Season 39, where Jay kept his head covered up. The former Survivor star wore a backward dark baseball cap as part of his attire.
He was featured in several big moments during the reunion, including Nury sharing when she thought her falling out with Jay happened. However, Jay denied that it had anything to do with her starting to date Horacio Gutierrez.
Fans reacted to The Challenge star’s new look
As mentioned, many fans still aren’t happy with Jay after his comments and actions during The Challenge Season 39.
An Instagram post from @challengeteaa showed Jay’s brand-new haircut, and many individuals still slammed him in the comment section.
“Please can we just never see his face on a challenge again tho? Haircut or no haircut – stay home!” a commenter wrote.
Another asked, “Now can he reveal a new personality?”
One commenter suggested Jay “Still looks 40. Brutal,” while another suggested that Jay changed his look to “get rid of all the negative energy he put out on the last season.”
“Karma doesn’t work like that,” the commenter wrote.
Jay hasn’t revealed his intentions to return for another season of The Challenge yet. Season 40 is filming as of this report, and spoilers have already leaked about who’s in the cast.
Based on the comments above, many viewers hope that the Battle For a New Champion finalist won’t be on their screens, although it still seems he could return to MTV for another shot at the win.
The Challenge: All Stars 4 premieres Wednesday, April 10 on Paramount+.