Season 35 of The Challenge: Total Madness includes 21 heavy hitters and seven rookie players. While four are recognizable — Bayleigh Dayton, Christopher Jordan “Swaggy C” Williams, Kaycee Clark and Faysal Shawn “Fessy” Shafaat competed on season 20 of Big Brother — not everyone is as familiar.
Jay Starrett got his start on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and later appeared on Ex on the Beach, and Jennifer Lee is a model who appeared on season 29 of The Amazing Race.
That leaves Asaf Goren, who may be a new face for some. The star has appeared any many shows before but very few in the U.S. But will he make an impact on The Challenge?
In one trailer, it appears that the contestant, 28, could be finding love while competing, as he kisses longtime vet Nany Gonzalez. Plus, one vet told Us Weekly exclusively that while the entire returning cast is stacked, the rookies are not to be slept on.
“I’m not one to ever underestimate people in the house because you just never know these people are bringing,” Johnny Bananas said on the latest episode of the “Watch With Us” podcast. “Big Brother is a tough show to be on. I mean, it takes certain mental and intestinal fortitude. Survivor is the same way. So, you never know when people are coming in. I will say that the rookies definitely seemed like they were going to bring it the season.”
This season is also all about the individual game and brings the competition to an entirely new level.
“One of the knocks lately is, like, we just want The Challenge to get back to its roots and what made it amazing. I think this season, it really does focus on the game and the strategy,” the 37-year-old champ added. “There’s obviously drama that comes along with it and the politics but this is more about people showing up [and] competing for the love of the game.”
So, where have you seen Asaf before? Scroll through the gallery for more about the competitor.
