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Top 25 Richest Challengers from The Challenge

25 of the best players from MTV's The Challenge.

By Dylan DeckardPublished 9 months ago Updated 10 days ago 13 min read
Top 25 Richest Challengers from The Challenge
Photo by Florian Schmetz on Unsplash

The Challenge is one of the longest reigning reality TV shows in the world. Originally a spin-off of MTV's Road Rules this show has different reality stars battle it out for a cash prize. The difference with The Challenge is that they have to eliminate each other in a competition instead of just voting someone off. There are huge cash prizes for this show and some players have won over $1,000,000. Here is the top 20 highest grossing challengers.

All records are combined between the flagship, All-Stars, and World Tournament.

1. Jordan Wiseley - $1,536,000

Jordan Wiseley / Photo by @thechallenge on Instagram

Original Show - The Real World: Portland

Daily Wins: 29 (Flagship) 0 (All-Stars) 1 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 10-5 (Flagship) 1-1 (All-Stars) 1-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships:

- Exes II ($125,000)

- Dirty 30 ($450,000)

- War of the Worlds II ($250,000)

- World Championship ($250,000)

- Battle of the Era's ($405,000)

Other Money Won:

- Rivals II (3rd Place) - $8,000

- Ride or Dies (3rd Place) - $38,000

- Battle for a New Champion (Won Mercenary Elimination) - $10,000

There is an argument to be made that Jordan Wiseley is the best challenger of all-time. He is definitely the most efficient. Jordan has won 5 Championships and got 3rd place twice. The two 3rd place finishes were when he was partnered with someone else. If Jordan gets to a final he is the betting favorite to win it. In all he's won over 1.5 million dollars on the show.

Total Money Won: $1,536,000

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2. Chris "CT" Tamburello - $1,375,000

Chris "CT" Tamburello / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - The Real World: Paris

Daily Wins: 56 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 6-6 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 5

- Rivals II ($63,000)

- Invasion of the Champions ($112,250)

- War of the Worlds II ($250,000)

- Double Agents ($450,000)

- Spies, Lies, & Allies ($400,000)

Other Money Won:

- The Inferno (Team Real World Bank Account) - $11,000

- The Inferno II (Team Bank Account) - $10,000

- Rivals (Winning Sync or Swim Challenge) - $1,000

- Exes (2nd Place) - $52,500

- Dirty 30 (3rd Place) - $15,000

- Battle for a New Champion (Won Mercenary Elimination) - $10,000

CT is one of the fan favorites. His journey from bad guy to love-able hero has been amazing to watch. He has been on our screens for over 2 decades. The crazy thing is he didn't win until his 9th season of The Challenge. Now I will say there will be some seasons where he was disqualified for fighting. CT has to be one of the favorites to win every season he's on.

Total Money Won: $1,375,000

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3. Johnny Bananas - $1,247,720

Johnny Bananas / Photo by MTV

Original Show - The Real World: Key West

Daily Wins: 70 (Flagship) 3 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 15-14 (Flagship) 1-1 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 7

- The Island ($75,000)

- The Ruins ($52,970)

- Rivals ($52,000)

- Exes ($76,250)

- Free Agents ($125,000)

- Rivals III ($276,000)

- Total Madness ($500,000)

Other Money Won:

- The Inferno III (Money from Good Guys Bank Account) - $10,000

- Rivals II (2nd Place) - $17,500

- Ride or Dies (2nd Place) - $38,000

- Battle of the Era's (3rd Place) - $25,000

Johnny Bananas is the face of The Challenge. He is so well known that he has performed in other reality shows like House of Villains on E Network and The Traitors on Peacock. He has also won the most seasons with 7 wins. Johnny Bananas' record shows how much The Challenge has changed and how high the winning prize has increased.

Total Money Won: $1,247,720

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4. Ashley Mitchell - $1,121,250

Ashley Mitchell / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - The Real World: Ex-Plosion / Back to San Francisco

Daily Wins: 19 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 4-5 (Flagship) 0-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Invasion of the Champions ($121,250)

- Final Reckoning ($1,000,000)

The first female on the list is Ashley "Millionaire" Mitchell! Ashley was the first one to hit $1,000,000 actually when she took the money from Hunter Barfield on Final Reckoning. Final Reckoning was supposed to be $500,000 for each side of the partnership but since Ashley had the better score she decided to take all of the money and leave her ex hanging.

Total Money Won: $1,121,250

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5. Turbo Camkiran - $775,000

Turbo Camkiran / Surivvor Turkey 8

Original Show - Survivor Turkey 8

Daily Wins: 13 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 0-1 (Flagship) 2-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 1

- War of the Worlds ($750,000)

Other Money Won:

- Vets & New Threats (2nd Place) $25,000

Turbo won the hardest final in the history of The Challenge. Sometimes I watch the show and think to myself, "I could do that." I know for a fact that I couldn't do the final on War of the Worlds. He won $750,000 for his effort which gets him to 5th place.

Total Money Won: $775,000

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6. Jenny West - $737,500

Jenny West / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Survival of the Fittest

Daily Wins: 11 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 5-1 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Total Madness ($500,000)

- Battle of the Era's ($237,500)

If Jenny does 2-3 more seasons she will be the Greatest Female Challenger of All-Time. She is indestructible. I know she lost an elimination to Tori Deal on War of the Worlds II but she even said her head wasn't in the game. If she's in competitive mode she is the person to beat. Rachel tied her for 1st place on Battle of the Era's but that was just based off of the votes. If it was just the competition then Jenny would have won 1st easily and been #5 instead of Turbo.

Total Money Won: $737,500

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7. Cara Maria Sorbello - $627,250

Cara Maria Sorbello / Photo by MTV

Original Show - The Challenge: Fresh Meat II

Daily Wins: 44 (Flagship) 1 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 14-7 (Flagship) 2-0 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Bloodlines ($125,000)

- Vendettas ($378,750)

Other Money Won:

- Cutthroat (2nd Place) $20,000

- Rivals (2nd Place) $26,000

- Rivals II (2nd Place) $17,500

- Dirty 30 (2nd Place) $35,000

- All-Stars 4 (2nd Place) $25,000

We have seen Cara Maria go from a young kid to a challenge beast. It's surprising that she only has 2 Challenge Championships. She won Bloodlines with her cousin, Jamie, and then she was the solo winner of Vendettas. Having five 2nd place finishes though helps her get to the #7 spot on the list.

Total Money Won: $627,250

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8. Camila Nakagawa - $566,250

Camila Nakagawa / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Spring Break Challenge

Daily Wins: 16 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 9-4 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Exes ($76,250)

- Dirty 30 ($450,000)

Other Money Won:

- Spring Break Challenge (Spin-Off) - $5,000

- Rivals II (3rd Place) - $7,500

- Invasion of the Champions (2nd Place) - $27,500

Camila is now banned from The Challenge and MTV. She had a racist tirade on Dirty 30 and then stole a golf cart and punched a production assistant in the face on the spin-off, Champs vs Stars. Camila will never come back to the show so eventually she will go down this list but as of right now she is #8.

Total Money Won: $566,250

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9. Wes Bergmann: $553,000

Wes Bergmann / Photo by MTV

Original Show - The Real World: Austin

Daily Wins: 25 (Flagship) 2 (All-Stars) 4 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 14-9 (Flagship) 1-0 (All-Stars) 1-2 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 3

- The Duel ($150,000)

- Rivals II ($63,000)

- All-Stars 3 ($250,000)

Other Money Won:

- Fresh Meat (3rd Place) - $10,000

- Rivals (2nd Place) - $25,000

- War of the Worlds (3rd Place) - $50,000

- Total Madness (Won a Specific Daily) - $5,000

Wes Bergmann is one of the faces of The Challenge. It's crazy that before his win on All-Stars 3 he would have been #19 on this list. Wes is always a threat to win but he doesn't know how to play a low-key game so he's targeted early and often.

Total Money Won: $553,000

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10. Yes Duffy - $511,254

Yes Duffy / Photo by Yes Duffy Instagram @yesoneverything

Original Show - Road Rules: Semester at Sea

Daily Wins: 10 (Flagship) 3 (All-Stars) 2 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 0-0 (Flagship) 0-1 (All-Stars) 0-1 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Challenge 2000 ($11,254)

- All-Stars 1 ($500,000)

Yes Duffy is such a great guy. I've had him on my podcast twice now. He only won $11,254 in his first win on Challenge 2000 but that was also 25 years ago. With his $500,000 win on All-Stars 1 he makes the top 10.

Total Money Won: $511,254

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11. Jonna Mannion - $500,000

Jonna Mannion / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - The Real World: Cancun

Daily Wins: 7 (Flagship) 4 (All-Stars) 1 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 2-6 (Flagship) 2-1 (All-Stars) 0-1 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 2

- All-Stars 2 ($250,000)

- All-Stars 3 ($250,000)

They call her "500k Jonna" for a reason. Jonna is the queen of All-Stars. She should have won All-Stars 1 as well as she was the highest placing female. Jonna didn't start her career off well with Rivals, Battle of the Seasons II, and Rivals II but when she came back after Exes II she showed that she is here to win.

Total Money Won: $500,000

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12. Tori Deal - $469,000

Tori Deal / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Are You The One? 4

Daily Wins: 31 (Flagship) 6 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 7-3 (Flagship) 1-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Ride or Dies ($386,000)

Other Money Won:

- Dirty 30 (3rd Place) $15,000

- Spies, Lies, & Allies (2nd Place) $53,000

- Battle for a New Champion (Mercenary Elimination) $10,000

- Battle of the Era's (Won Specific Daily) $5,000

Tori Deal has become the female face of the show since Cara Maria took a few season break. There's moments where I think Tori can be the best of all-time and then there's moments like when she lost to Aneesa Ferreira on Double Agents where I question things. She has quite a few 2nd and 3rd place finishes and if she would have won those she would definetely be in the top five. She also gave some of her money to 2nd and 3rd place on Ride or Dies which shows her kindness.

Total Money Won: $469,000

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13. Devin Walker - $461,500

Devin Walker / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Are You The One? 3

Daily Wins: 13 (Flagship) 1 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 6-3 (Flagship) 0-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Ride or Dies ($386,000)

Other Money Won:

- Rivals III (3rd Place) $12,500

- Spies, Lies, & Allies (3rd Place) $53,000

- Battle for a New Champion (Mercenary Elimination) $10,000

Devin Walker has become a mainstay on The Challenge the past few seasons and I don't hate it. He plays a good strategic game but he will never be the best athlete or the most physical guy on the show.

Total Money Won: $461,500

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14. Amber Borzotra - $455,000

Amber Borzotra / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Big Brother 16

Daily Wins: 2 (Flagship) 2 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 5-2 (Flagship) 0-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Double Agents ($455,000)

Amber came in and won her rookie season. She absolutely destroyed the Double Agents final with her partner, Chris "CT" Tamburello. Amber is a runner and has great stamina. She struggles with math and puzzles but if she can get to the final she is always going to be a threat to win it.

Total Money Won: $455,000

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15. Laurel Stucky - $451,000

Laurel Stucky / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - The Challenge: Fresh Meat II

Daily Wins: 22 (Flagship) 5 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 10-3(Flagship) 0-0 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 2

- Free Agents ($125,000)

- All-Stars 4 ($250,000)

Other Money Won:

- Fresh Meat II (2nd Place) $30,000

- Cutthroat (2nd Place) $20,000

- Rivals (2nd Place) $26,000

I don't even know where to start with Laurel. At one point she was the most dominant challenger ever having never been eliminated. She then lost 3 straight seasons of Invasion of the Champions, War of the Worlds II, and Ride or Dies. She bounced back on All-Stars 4 but Laurel could really be over the $2 million dollar threshold if she dedicated her life to The Challenge. She's that good.

Total Money Won: $451,000

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16. Kaycee Clark - $413,000

Kaycee Clark / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Big Brother 20

Daily Wins: 21 (Flagship) 4 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 3-3 (Flagship) 0-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Spies, Lies, & Allies ($403,000)

Other Money Won:

- Battle for a New Champion (Mercenary Elimination) $10,000

I'd make an argument that Kaycee currently has the best social game on The Challenge. She made the final on Total Madness and Double Agents but didn't walk away with any money. Kaycee is also a daily challenge beast having 21 wins on 5 flagship seasons. She is not great at finals though. I don't think she should won Spies, Lies, & Allies since she was in last place and had to go into elimination and then got to pick Chris "CT" Tamburello as a partner. I'd love to see how she would do in another solo final like the Total Madness final.

Total Money Won: $413,000

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17. Rachel Robinson - $373,055

Rachel Robinson / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Road Rules: Campus Crawl

Daily Wins: 26 (Flagship) 0 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 3-2 (Flagship) 1-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 3

- The Gauntlet ($25,555)

- The Duel II ($100,000)

- Battle of the Era's ($237,500)

Other Money Won:

- The Inferno II (2nd Place) $10,000

Rachel is on the female Mount Rushmore of challengers. With that being said I don't think she should have won Battle of the Era's. She was in 3rd place behind Jenny West and Michele Fitzgerald respectively. She got 1st place because she got the most votes from the eliminated players. Rachel is a beast but her era didn't have the same high monetary prize as the current seasons.

Total Money Won: $373,055

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18. Kaz Crossley - $311,432

Kaz Crossley / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Love Island UK 4

Daily Wins: 3 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 1-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 2

- UK (50,000 Pounds which transferred to around $61,432 at time of filming.)

- World Championship ($250,000)

Kaz is an interesting one because she has never been on the flagship. If you watched her on UK or World Championship though you know she can compete. Kaz won $250,0000 with her partner, Jordan Wiseley, on World Championship. UK was a smaller season and she didn't see any eliminations but she did win 50,000 British Pounds which translated to around $61,432 at that time.

Total Money Won: $311,432

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19. MJ Garrett - $276, 666

MJ Garrett / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - The Real World: Philadelphia

Daily Wins: 10 (Flagship) 1 (All-Stars)

Elimination Record: 2-2 (Flagship) 1-1 (All-Stars)

Challenge Championships: 2

- The Gauntlet II ($26,666)

- All-Stars 2 ($250,000)

MJ is an old-school player through and through. The reason he is so high on this list is because he won an All-Stars season and they pay well. I don't think MJ is as good of a player as other challengers on this list but you can't argue with his bank account.

Total Money Won: $276,666

20. Dee Nguyen - $255,000

Dee Nguyen / Photo bt MTV

Original Show - Geordie Shore 17

Daily Wins: 12 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 3-2 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 1

- War of the Worlds II ($250,000)

Other Money Won:

- Total Madness (Won Specific Daily) $5,000

Dee Nguyen is another challenger who is currently banned. I wouldn't be surprised if they try and bring her back eventually but she is banned currently for her actions during 2020. Dee had a chance to be the face of the show as she was heavily promoted during War of the Worlds II and Total Madness but after her actions on social media she will not be going up this list anytime soon.

Total Money Won: $255,000

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21. Sarah Lacina - $254,500

Sarah Lacina / Photo by CBS.com

Original Show - Survivor: Game Changers

*Sarah was originally on Survivor: Cagayan but won Survivor: Game Changers.

Daily Wins: 2 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 2-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 1

- USA 1 ($254,500)

Sarah Lacina is a beast. Her final on USA 1 wasn't her best performence but every other competitor quit so she ended up winning. Sarah showed out on World Championship and got back to the final. I do think she could move up this list if she chooses to ever do the flagship on MTV but I don't think that will ever happen.

Total Money Won: $254,500

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22. Emanuel Neagu - $253,000

Emanuel Neagu / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Survivor Romania 1

Daily Wins: 9 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 1-1 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Battle for a New Champion ($250,000)

Other Money Won:

- Spies, Lies, & Allies (Won Specific Daily) $3,000

Emanuel won the season with no champions and has shot his way to the top 25. If Emanuel keeps doing seasons I could see him winning more and fighting his way up the list.

23. Olivia Kaiser - $250,500

Olivia / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Love Island USA 3

Daily Wins: 10 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 5-2 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 1

- Vets & New Threats ($212,500)

Other Money Won:

- Ride or Dies (4th Place) $38,000

Olivia just won season 41 with Yeremi Hykel. She only recieved $212,500 for winning but she also won $38,000 on the final of Ride or Dies. Olivia just had a baby, but if she comes back I could see her climbing this list.

Total Money Won: $250,500

24. & 25. (Tie) Rogan O' Connor - $250,000

Rogan O' Connor / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Ex on the Beach UK 2

Daily Wins: 5 (Flagship)

Elimination Record: 2-1 (Flagship)

Challenge Championships: 1

- War of the Worlds II ($250,000)

Rogan won War of the Worlds II with Dee Nguyen but he is a little lower on the list due to the daily challenge she won on Total Madness that rewarded her for $5,000. I think Rogan's best season was actually Total Madness where he made the final but lost in an elimination in the final to Johnny Bananas. If he comes back I could see him eventually climbing this list.

24. & 25. (Tie) Chris Underwood - $250,000

Chris Underwood / Photo by MTV

Original Show - Survivor: Edge of Extinction

Daily Wins: 5 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 4-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 1

- USA 2 ($250,000)

Chris Underwood absolutely dominated USA 2 and no one was even close to competiting with him. He won 4 eliminations and dominated the final. I'd love to see him on the flagship against competitors like Jordan Wiseley and Chris "CT" Tamburello though. If Chris decides to come back he will definetely be moving up this list.

Total Money Won: $250,000

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24. & 25. (Tie) Desi Williams - $250,000

Desi Williams / Photo by MTV.com

Original Show - Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers

Daily Wins: 6 (World Tournament)

Elimination Record: 1-0 (World Tournament)

Challenge Championships: 1

- USA 2 ($250,000)

Desi probably would have won USA 1 as well but her partner in the final, Enzo Palumbo, quit and she was forced to be disqualified. I'm just waiting for Desi to show up on the flagship.

Total Money Won: $250,000

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About the Creator

Dylan Deckard

Chillin with Dylan Podcast on all podcast platforms.

Charleston, South Carolina

@thedylandeckard on Instagram

@dylan.deckard on TikTok

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