Part of being on reality television is being in the spotlight and open to harsh criticism from viewers.
Cast members from The Challenge get plenty of critics who call out entertainment and athletic skills and those who don’t like the personality they present on TV.
Among recent cast members to face fan backlash and complaints are Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat and Josh Martinez, who got their starts on CBS’ Big Brother.
The 30-year-old Tori Deal, initially an Are You The One? 4 cast member on MTV, has become a Challenge regular and, as of Season 38, a champion alongside her friend, Devin Walker.
Despite reaching multiple finals and winning the Ride or Dies season, Tori still receives a lot of criticism, some of which might be downright nasty.
A fan recently asked her how she deals with all the “nastiness” on social media, and based on Tori’s response, she believes it’s helping her out.
Tori Deal explains why her haters are ‘good for a network’
Tori revealed that as a “polarizing” member of The Challenge, people keep her relevant by constantly talking about her on social media.
“I just laugh at the hate now,” she said on her Instagram Story, adding, “Because I keep getting cast because people talk about me in general.”
She said, “it’s good for a network because people have conversations about me, which keeps eyes on me, and the shows I’m on.”
Tori said she’s okay with those people constantly hating on her because they are helping her to keep getting cast for the MTV series and its spinoffs.
How many seasons of The Challenge has Tori done?
Sometimes cast members might overstay their welcome with a show’s fans. Some Challenge fans might want a break from Tori on their screens after appearing in so many consecutive seasons.
She’s appeared in seven seasons, with her debut coming on Dirty 30, where she reached her first final. Tori returned for Final Reckoning but failed to make the final as she was teamed up with her ex-boyfriend, Derrick Henry. Joss Mooney and Sylvia Elsrode eliminated the duo in Episode 7.
Tori’s third season, War of the Worlds 2, was her second time in a final. She reached TJ’s final as part of Team UK after defecting along with her boyfriend and later fiance, Jordan Wiseley. Jordan was part of the winning team. However, Tori missed out on winning the season due to an early purge in the final which eliminated competitors from Team USA and Team UK.
She returned for Total Madness and Double Agents but was eliminated in those seasons, failing to reach another final.
Spies, Lies & Allies brought her third final. Tori came close to the win, although she and teammate Kyle Christie finished behind the winners, Chris “CT” Tamburello and Kaycee Clark.
It took her sixth season, Ride or Dies, for Tori to finally win a final. She teamed up with her “frenemy” Devin, and the duo was able to outlast and outperform Johnny Bananas and Nany Gonzalez en route to the $1 million prize money.
In addition to her six regular seasons of The Challenge, Tori has appeared in both Champs vs. Stars on MTV and the recent World Championship spinoff on Paramount Plus. Tori reached the final with The Challenge: USA winner Danny McCray for that season, but they lost to Jordan and his teammate Kaz Crossley.
Will Tori be featured in any new seasons?
As of this writing, there are no confirmed reports that Tori will be part of the upcoming Challenge shows. The next show is The Challenge: USA 2, which will premiere on Thursday, August 10, on CBS.
The teaser trailer for USA 2 indicated MTV Legends will join the spinoff. Tori was among MTV Legends with Johnny Bananas, Wes Bergmann, and Jonna Mannion on The Challenge: World Championship. With that in mind, Tori could be an MTV Legend for the CBS show.
As of this report, the 39th season of MTV’s The Challenge is filming overseas. Based on Season 39 spoilers, the season has a unique cast and twist, which may or may not include Tori.
Tori has previously mentioned she’d take a break from the show. However, based on her history and the constant chatter about her on social media, she’ll likely be back for more seasons in the future.
The Challenge: USA 2 premieres Thursday, August 10, at 10/9c on CBS. The Challenge Season 39 is TBA for MTV.