‘The Challenge’ Controversies Through the Years

Credit: MTV (3)

'The Challenge' Controversies Through the Years

With so many personalities, there's bound to be drama — even behind the scenes. That's definitely the case for MTV's The Challenge. The reality show debuted in 1998 and was originally titled Road Rules: All Stars, then Real World/Road Rules Challenge, before simplifying its name. Ever since, the cast has been one to watch — and one that fans Google afterward to find out what really happened. One of the biggest controversies came in 2020 amid the Black Lives Matter movement. Dee Nguyen, who was competing on her second Challenge at the time, tweeted racially-charged remarks, which were flagged to the network. Not only did MTV release a statement, but they also ended their relationship with her completely and edited her out of the rest of the season. “As a result of Dee Nguyen’s offensive comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, we have severed ties with her,” the competition series announced at the time. “Out of respect for our Challengers, we’ll air our season as planned. We strongly condemn systemic racism and stand with those raising their voices against injustice. We stand united against racism and urge you to join us in taking action to end racism, discrimination, and systemic violence.” The Geordie Shore alum, in turn, released multiple apologies. “The last 24hrs have made me realised [sic] what is important and that is forgiveness. I would like to offer my sincerest apology to my colleagues to whom I have hurt directly and indirectly due to my insensitive remarks,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “Let me be clear I am a POC that cares about BLM. I believe in this movement and I’m stepping away from social media to focus on my wellbeing and mental health. This is not a goodbye, it’s a I will see you again." In a more formal statement, she added that she'd "love to take it back" but knew she couldn't, apologizing to the cast and crew of the show. "What was stated wasn’t meant to be hurtful or discriminatory in any matter. It was a knee jerk of a reaction and it’s certainly not the way that I feel nor what I meant," Dee said. "I would love to take it back. But it is out there and to set to record straight. Racial intolerance is intolerable and unacceptable. Having had to deal with racism my entire life, ironically through all this, there is a warm feeling I have with the fact that humans are standing together to call out unacceptable comments and behaviors that in the past were rarely called on. Again, we are shown that you can be judged in a second on all social media platforms." Dee's controversy was one of many. Scroll down to look back at some of the most shocking scandals on The Challenge:

Credit: Courtesy of Rachael Kari Starkman/Facebook; Courtesy Kenny Santucci/Instagram

Evan Stark and Kenny Santucci vs. Tonya Cooly

Two years after The Ruins aired in 2009, Tonya Cooley sued MTV, Bunim/Murray Productions, Kenny Santucci and Evan Starkman, claiming the men sexually assaulted her while she was passed out after drinking. The case went to court, but was settled privately and parties are not allowed to publicly disclose information. Kenny, Evan and Tonya are all banned from the show.

Credit: MTV (2)

Camila v Leroy

After a night out on Dirty 30, Camila Nakagawa said racially-charged comments to Leroy Garrett. The next morning, he asked her if she had anything to say, prompting her to apologize, but nothing further was done. In 2021, he detailed how much the incident affected him in an Instagram video, and she, in turn, went Live to apologize again. MTV also released a new statement, expressing regret for not stepping in.

Credit: Courtesy Cara Maria Sorbello/Instagram; Courtesy Danielle Maltby/Instagram

'Bachelor' Meets 'Challenge'

When Paulie Calafiore and Cara Maria Sorbello met on Final Reckoning in 2018, he was dating Bachelorette alum Danielle Maltby. He later admitted to hooking up with Cara after filming ended, blindsiding Danielle. Months later, he began seeing Danielle again behind Cara Maria's back. In an exclusive podcast interview with Us Weekly, the women joined together and detailed the affair. In response, Paulie apologized and begged Cara Maria to give him another chance. The pair got back together the following month when he went to visit her in Montana in January 2019.

Credit: Courtesy Georgia Harrison/Instagram

Georgia Harrison Wears Blackface

While War of the Worlds 2 was filming in 2019, a photo resurfaced of Love Island alum Georgia Harrison appearing to be in Blackface makeup. A rep for the reality star called the claims that she was racist "disgusting and really worrying" at the time.

Credit: MTV

Dee Nguyen Is Fired

In 2020, Dee's social media activity got her cut from the MTV show, while Total Madness — which she was on — was airing. She was edited out of the remaining episodes as much as possible. She has since apologized multiple times for her tweets, which included racially-charged comments amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

Credit: Courtesy Natalie Anderson/Instagram

Pregnancies (Natalie Anderson)

Natalie Anderson left season 36 after finding out she was pregnant. She opened up exclusively to Us in January 2021, following the episode's airing, and revealed she had suffered a pregnancy loss upon arriving home.

The following season, Bettina Buchanan shared that she found out she was pregnant in 2021, shortly after being eliminated from Spies, Lies and Allies. 

Credit: MTV

Lauren Coogan Leaves

During Spies, Lies and Allies in 2021, Lauren Coogan was suddenly missing from the game. She later explained why via an Instagram Story Q&A, claiming that she had been "gaslit and scapegoated." MTV never commented on the claims.

Credit: MTV

Ashley Mitchell Randomly Exits

Ashley Mitchell was randomly "deactivated" from the competition during Spies, Lies and Allies in 2021 for breaking a "rule" in the house. No further information was provided, but she later apologized for her actions via Twitter and explained that she was in "anger management" for her mistakes.