The Challenge: All Stars Rivals brought a variety of individuals back to the competition, including former Road Rules castmates Katie Cooley, Adam Larson, and Steve Meinke.
Due to the theme and format, Adam and Steve were partners, following Steve’s sly move to steal Adam’s Star in All Stars 4.
However, the duo co-existed fine on Rivals, endured repeatedly going into eliminations, and ultimately won the season’s grand prize.
They even correctly determined each other’s answer to host TJ Lavin’s twist about splitting or keeping the $250,000 prize.
Following the season finale on MTV, one cast member announced retirement from The Challenge.
Steve, 48, also revealed whether or not he feels he’ll compete again or ride off into the sunset after the big win.
Steve addresses possibly returning to The Challenge
With three seasons of All Stars, including the recent Rivals season, Steve officially appeared in more seasons of the spin-off than the flagship Challenge.
After appearing in MTV’s Road Rules: The Quest season, he only participated in The Gauntlet season of MTV’s The Challenge.
He and Katie were early eliminations from the Road Rules team, while Adam lasted to the end, winning alongside other Road Rules stars.
However, returning for the All Stars spin-off 18 years later seemingly woke up a competitive fire inside of Steve. Getting his first-ever win on Rivals made it worth it, as Steve almost didn’t return after All Stars 2.
He said he didn’t enjoy it initially, but his attitude changed after returning for more.
“It doesn’t seem like it, but I do enjoy the competition of it all. And now that I’ve gotten a grasp on what it takes to be successful, and I’ve improved every time I’ve gone on these last three seasons,” Steve told Parade’s Mike Bloom.
Steve said he was pleased with his competitive abilities on The Challenge compared to younger individuals.
In addition, Steve mentioned another reason he might return for more of the competition show: To further his winning streak with eliminations.
“I’d like to see how long that streak can go. Not that I want to go into elimination 3-5 times every season. A terrible pun coming, but, as long as the stars are aligned, I think I may have one or two in me,” he told Bloom.
What is Steve’s elimination streak and status with his Rivals teammate?
Steve’s eight-elimination win streak extends back to All Stars 4, when he went into three eliminations and returned to the house each time. Among castmates he eliminated were Tyri Ballard-Brown, Kefla Hare, and Jay Mitchell.
With All Stars Rivals, Steve continued his streak, this time with Adam as his teammate for pairs eliminations. The duo ousted Beth Stolarczyk with Jonna Mannion, KellyAnne Judd with Sylvia Elsrode, and Aneesa Ferreira with Ashley Mitchell.
They had several more eliminations before reaching the final. However, the teammates eliminated formidable foes, including War of the Worlds winner Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran with Nany Gonzalez and Ride or Dies winner Devin Walker with Leroy Garrett.
Steve also commented on how things are between him and Adam following their Rivals season and big win.
“We wish each other well, and trying to get back into our lives back at home,” he said of his castmate and teammate.
That may have included wishing his teammate well on his engagement. Adam proposed to their All Stars 4 castmate, Averey Tressler, during the Rivals finale, and she said “yes.”
The Challenge Season 41 is TBA on MTV.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
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