The 38th season of MTV’s The Challenge brings a brand new theme featuring teammates with a strong bond, such as boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, family members, or friends.
Ride or Dies is the latest installment in MTV’s popular franchise and along with a group of seasoned vets introduces newcomers to the competition series.
Among them is Jakk Maddox, who debuts as a rookie competitor on The Challenge: Ride or Dies.
He’ll bring previous reality TV experience, has ties to other Challengers, and has the advantage of teaming up with a former champion from MTV’s franchise.
However, that former champ could have a target on her back as other competitors look to take out their toughest opponents before the final.
Here are more details about Jakk, including his reality TV background, partner situation, and where to find him on various social media.
Who is Jakk Maddox on The Challenge: Ride or Dies?
Jakk is a 26-year-old reality TV, adult film star, author, and personal trainer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He makes his debut on The Challenge in Season 38, called Ride or Dies.
He initially appeared on MTV’s Ex on the Beach Season 4. That EOTB season, called Peak of Love, took place in Queenstown, New Zealand, and aired from late 2019 into early 2020.
Jakk arrived in Episode 2 as Adore Delano’s ex. Adore was known for appearing in RuPaul’s Drag Race and American Idol. Jakk officially left the season in Episode 9, but among his hookups that season was former Challenge star, Marlon Williams.
After his season, Jakk’s Fandom Wiki page indicates he became an adult film star using the name Trent Marx. In addition, he wrote a book called Post Traumatic Sex Disorder, which uses poetry to talk about his life experiences.
Among Jakk’s other EOTB castmates were Sam Bird and Challenge stars Jemmye Caroll, Nicole Zanatta, and Laurel Stucky. Laurel and Jakk will be Ride or Dies teammates, as the two have remained close friends beyond their season of EOTB.
That may give Jakk an advantage in his rookie season, as Laurel is among the champions appearing in Ride or Dies. She reached the final in her first four seasons and was a winner on MTV’s The Challenge: Free Agents in 2014.
With that experience, it may put a target on Jakk and his teammate’s backs, as other cast members will possibly want to get rid of Laurel, one of the strongest competitors in the game.
As of this writing, MTV hasn’t released a promotional video featuring Laurel and Jakk, but glimpses of the cast arrive in The Challenge: Ride or Dies trailer (below).
Where can you find Jakk on social media?
Fans can follow Jakk on his official Instagram, where he has the handle @jakkofheartss. He currently has over 10,000 followers and 292 posts on the platform.
On September 15, he shared the big announcement regarding his appearance in The Challenge: Ride or Dies season, giving a shoutout to his teammate.
“Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who came and never left your side… And no one rides for you like @laurelstucky ?,” Jakk wrote in his caption.
In terms of relationships outside of reality TV, Jakk is engaged. Based on an Instagram post, Jakk got engaged in March to boyfriend Daryn Marquis, whom he had dated for some time.
Along with Instagram, fans can follow Jakk on his TikTok, @jakkofhearts. He’s also on Twitter using the handle @jakkofheartss.
A few days after sharing the news of his rookie debut coming to The Challenge 38, Jakk retweeted a video clip someone shared featuring his teammate Laurel.
“Now that’s my best friend,” he wrote with a heart emoji for his partner.
As episodes arrive, fans are likely to see and hear more from Jakk about his experiences with MTV’s competition series on his Instagram and Twitter.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies premieres Wednesday, October 12, at 8/7c on MTV.