Challenge Mania

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Survivor standout Davie Rickenbacker.In this special BONUS EPISODE of Challenge Mania, Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) switch it up a bit and bring on someone who has never been on The Challenge. Davie Rickenbacker (@ITweetDavie) IS however a lifelong Challenge fan, and is one of the most well-liked contestants in Survivor history. With Survivor: Edge of Extinction premiering this Wednesday, February 20th, an hour before War of the Worlds airs on MTV, we thought it would be fun to catch up with Davie, discuss his time on Survivor, how he became a fan of The Challenge, what parallels and differences there are between the two shows and bounce back and forth between the two. For Survivor fans, this episode has tons of inside info on Survivor: David Vs Goliath, where Davie came in 6th place on what was regarded widely as one of the best seasons in the show's recent memory. For Challenge fans, this should still be fun, as Derrick gets introduced to a

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Chase McNary.Chase (@CBMcNary) might have had a short-lived run on The Challenge: War of the Worlds, going home in the first head-to-head elimination, but he managed to make his mark along the way, getting briefly involved with Nany and making it a tough battle for Hunter and Georgia. He drops by the show to talk about his road from The Bachelorette, where he came in 3rd, to almost being selected as The Bachelor to the following season, to Ex on the Beach and finally to The Challenge. He tells us about the differences between the shows, whether he wants to come back, what we didn't see between him and Nany and what he attributes he and Ashley's loss to. Just like this season of The Challenge, this episode has a little of everything. Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) take the opportunity to learn about shows that we don't typically get an inside look at. This is one of those episodes you are going to want to reserve judgement on. Although he did not

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Katie Cooley.One of our favorites, Katie Cooley (@KatieCooley26) returns to the podcast just a few days before joining us in Austin for Challenge Mania Live. Katie stops by to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) & Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) what she thinks he War of the Worlds, what reality shows she watches, who she sees herself in today, how Challenge standards have changed, what her favorite off-camera moments were, how she almost got Derrick an agent, who she hated on Inferno, why she doesn't approve of too much hooking up on TV and much more!If you want to be a part of our last live show and Meet & Greet of the season, head to www.ChallengeManiaTX.com and get tickets to be a part of Austin 2:16 this Saturday at the North Door in Austin, TX. We will be joined by Katie as well as Hunter Barfield, Nelson Thomas and Marlon Williams!To hear us break down each episode of War of the Worlds every week in our series called THE WAR ROOM, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMa

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Johanna Botta.Johanna Botta (@JohannaBotta) began her MTV career on the beloved Austin season of The Real World, and went on to appear on 4 seasons of The Challenge, taking home a group championship on The Gauntlet III. She has since put Reality TV in the rearview (for now) to pursue an acting and hosting career both stateside and in the UK, where she's lived with her family for the last few years. Johanna joins Challenge Mania to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) about how she came to be on Real World in the first place, what her life has been like post-Challenge, whether she'd ever return to the show, when the last time she got a call was, memories of her time on the show, what it's like living in the UK and MUCH MORE!For more Challenge Mania, including a weekly recap episode breaking down each installment of War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania! The head into THE WAR ROOM after each episode of The Challenge to take your

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by CJ Koegel.CJ Koegel (@CJKoegel) had strong showings on both of his seasons of The Challenge, Fresh Meat II and Battle of the Seasons. He joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss why we haven't seen him since, how he became a punter who almost made the NFL, what Real Wold Cancun was like, what he thought of the War of the Worlds Basic Training episode and whether we might see him back on the show in the future! We also spend some time at the top and back of the episode discussing the Season 33 Trailer in detail. For MORE talk about War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaWIN A TRIP to Challenge Mania Live by entering in our DraftKings Contest this Sunday, February 3rd. It's $5 to enter and you can win $1700 in prizes. Terms and Conditions apply. Play at dkng.co/challengemaniaRobinhood is giving Maniacs a FREE STOCK when they sign up at mania.robinhood.comwww.ChallengeMania.Shop is the best place to get YOUR Challenge Mania

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager break down the new cast of The Challenge 33: War of the Worlds.Some returning favorites, some fresh meat. Either way, we go over the entire new season, set to premiere on Wednesday, February 6th and everyone who is vying for that Challenge Championship in the War of the Worlds!Come watch the premiere with Scott, Kailah and Marie at the East End Bar and Grill in New York City. Just RSVP to ChallengeManiaPodcast@gmail.comFollow along and listen to all of our episode commentaries all season long over at www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaRobinhood is giving listeners a FREE STOCK when they sign up at mania.robinhood.comWe have a DraftKings Contest this Sunday for the SUPER BOWL where you can win 2 VIP M&G Tix to the Challenge Mania Live of your choosing and $1500 in travel expenses! Sign up to play for $5 at dkng.co/challengemania and enter up to 5 lineups to better your chances! T&Cs apply.

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Marlon Williams.Marlon Williams (@BlackZeusFit) made his debut on Real World Portland and only competed on one season of The Challenge on Rivals II, where he and Jordan made the final. He had an illustrious college football career at Texas Tech and recently began body building and personal training under the name Black Zeus. More than that, he wants back on The Challenge. He is the total package. He's got looks, size, athletic ability, personality and a chip on his shoulder. He drops by the show to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) why Rivals II was his last season, who he has his sights set on now, whether he follows the show, how he would up on The Real World, how he became "Black Zeus" and much more!For MORE Challenge Mania, including our 100+ minute cast breakdown for War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaMarlon will be with us at Challenge Mania Live: Austin, along with Hunter, Nelson and Katie Cooley on Saturday, Febru

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by CT Tamburello.For our 100th episode, there is really only one guest that could live up to the hype and was deserving of this momentous occasion. 2 Time Champion (plus 2 time Champs Vs Stars Winner) Chris Tamburello aka CT (@TheOfficial_CT) is on most people's Challenge Mount Rushmore. His name is synonymous with the franchise. Simply put, if you are not excited for this episode...you are not Challenge Maniac. CT joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to share his casting story, talk about fatherhood, what his favorite era of The Challenge has been, how he became one of the faces of the show, how he feels about Paulie, Bananas, Veronica, Ashley and The Young Bucks, who he'd like to see back on the show AND MORE!Play in our FREE Draft Kings Contest THIS SUNDAY at dkng.co/challengemania and win a FREE TRIP to the Challenge Mania Live of your choosing! Terms and Conditions apply. See site for details.Check out CT's new movie THE HABIT, in theaters soo

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are once again joined by Final Reckoning Champion HUNTER BARFIELD.Hunter Barfield (@HBarfield13) is a Challenge Champion. It's hard to remember that because even though he won The Final Reckoning season of The Challenge, he went home empty handed, thanks to a decision by his partner, Ashley Mitchell. Hunter joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss this entire process, coping with the loss of all that money, whether he has regrets, how he feels about Ashley today, what she said about him at the reunion and MORE!For MORE Challenge Mania, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaHead to www.TakeCareOf.com and use the code CHALLENGE50 to get 50% off your first month of custom and personalized vitamins sent to your door!Hunter will be with us at Challenge Mania Live AUSTIN, our ONLY stop in Texas this year! That goes down on February 16th and tickets are available at www.ChallengeManiaTX.comFREE SHIPPING at www.ChallengeMania.Shop until 1/22Play in our FREE Dr

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are once again joined by Marie Roda.Marie Roda (@Marie_TBD) had an amazing year in 2018. So much so that she was voted Funniest Commentary & Most Improved by both the patrons & the experts in the Challenge Mania Awards. Marie joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to learn about her big awards wins, break down The Final Reckoning Final, discuss the big moment at the end of the show, let us in on her dating life, explain what went down with her and Amanda, why she doesn't get along with Nelson and whether she was slated to be on Ex on the Beach.Marie will be with us at Carolines on Broadway along with Susie Meister and Kenny Santucci for Challenge Mania Live on Saturday, January 26th! A few tickets still remain over at www.ChallengeMania.LiveFREE SHIPPING CONTINUES at www.ChallengeMania.Shop until January 22nd! Don't wait!

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Natalie Negrotti.The first time Natalia (@NataliaNegrotti) or Natalie, depending who who is asking, came on #ChallengeMania, it was early into her Challenge career and a few episodes into Vendettas. Now she has 2 seasons, a Redemption House, a 3rd place finish on The Final Reckoning, 2 Elimination of the Year nominations and a Rookie of the Year nod in the Challenge Mania Awards under her belt. This is a new Natalie Negrotti. This is Natalia Negrotti. Natalia joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss The Final Reckoning, Redemption House, her eliminations Vs Brad and Kyle and Johnny and Tony, the lasting impact some of those battles took on her, getting lost during the final, whether Paulie would have taken the money from her, their move to turn on Joss and Sylvia and break their word and MUCH MORE! This a podcast that covers it all and you do not want to miss it!For more Challenge Mania, including bonus podcasts, head to www.Patreon.com/C

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Jemmye Carroll for Part II.On Part II of this massive semester of Jem Class, Jemmye casts her (unofficial) votes for the Challenge Mania Awards, theorizes what could have been if Camila was still a force on The Challenge and how that would have affected the trajectory of other female competitors and she breaks down the multi-layered internet beef between her Group Text known as "Forever Petty", Kailah and Marie and Angela, Amanda and Nelson that kicked off the "December to Remember" in the Challenge world.This Sunday, January 6th you can win tickets to the Challenge Mania Live event of your choosing AND $1500 in travel expenses to get there, courtesy of DraftKings! Head to dkng.co/challengemania to play. T&Cs apply. See site for details.FREE SHIPPING through 1/22 over at www.ChallengeMania.Shop if you spend $45 or more!We are coming to Carolines on Broadway in NYC on January 26th. Tickets available at www.ChallengeMania.LiveOn February 9th, we make our debu

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Jemmye Carroll.One of our favorites, Jemmye Carroll (@JustJem24) to walk us through everything going on in the Challenge world. This interview went so long that we decided to break it into two parts. Here in Part 1, Jemmye explains some of her recent twitter altercations and comments and takes YOUR questions! Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our chat with Jem!This Sunday, January 6th you can win tickets to the Challenge Mania Live event of your choosing AND $1500 in travel expenses to get there, courtesy of DraftKings! Head to dkng.co/challengemania to play. T&Cs apply. See site for details.FREE SHIPPING through 1/22 over at www.ChallengeMania.Shop if you spend $45 or more!We are coming to Carolines on Broadway in NYC on January 26th. Tickets available at www.ChallengeMania.LiveOn February 9th, we make our debut in Chicago at the Chicago Improv. Tickets available at www.ChallengeManiaCHI.comThe following week on February 16th, we are in the Lone Star State

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Challenge Host TJ LAVIN!Who better to ring in the New Year with us at Challenge Mania than the host of The Challenge, TJ LAVIN!? TJ (@TJLavin) returns to the podcast for the first time in almost a year with a ton of new material to unpack. He tells Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) what fans can expect from the upcoming season, without giving too much away of course! He shares his thoughts on Ashley's million dollar decision, whether Hunter is still to be considered a Challenge Champion, what he thinks of equalizers, what OG he wants to see back, his thoughts on pasta-gate, why Sylvia didn't get sent home for her head-butt on The Final Reckoning and best of all, TJ even casts his vote for a bunch of the Challenge Mania Awards Live on the air! If this podcast is a sign of what is to come in 2019, the sky is the limit!For more Challenge Mania, bonus podcasts, special contests and other perks, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and consider becomi

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Susie Meister to reveal the Challenge Mania Awards nominees.Our good friend Dr. Susie Meister (@Susie_Meister) of the Brain Candy Podcast (@BrainCandyPod) joins us to go through all of the nominees for the first ever Challenge Mania Awards. We use the nominations as a blueprint for discussing the entire year of The Challenge with Susie, who watches every episode with Sarah Rice on their live Q&A's at www.Patreon.com/Brain Candy.We go over the nominees for Comeback Player of the Year, Most Improved, Male & Female Rookies of the Year, Elimination of the Year, Funniest Commentary, Best Performance by the "Star", Male & Female Competitor of the Year, Male & Female Cast-member of the Year & Challenger of the Year. We also explain what criteria is being considered and playing a factor for each of these awards. To VOTE in the first ever Challenge Mania Award, become a patron before January 2nd. Every patron gets a vote! www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMan

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Kayleigh Morris.Kayleigh Morris (@KMorrisX) was one of the many TV stars from the UK to migrate over to The Challenge on Vendettas. Although her initial season was short-lived, she more than made her mark on The Final Reckoning, where she and Kam came a few eliminations away from the final and their chance at a million dollars. Kayleigh joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to talk about how her TV career started, what her experience in the UK has been like, why she got kicked off Big Brother, what her history is with the other UK Challengers like Melissa, Joss, Rogan and Kyle, what it was like watching Joss take on Derrick, what made her want to go home on Vendettas as well as thoughts on Natalie, Johnny Bananas, Nelson and much more! This is one podcast you do not want to miss! We also reveal the next city we will be heading to for Challenge Mania Live in 2019!For more Challenge Mania, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania - Not only do we rel

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Nehemiah Clark.Challenge champion Nehemiah Clark (@NehemiahMTV) drops by the show to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) what he's been up to since his final Challenge season, Rivals. He talks about how his faith was portrayed on the show, what the story was with him and Beth, who he'd want to play with today, whether he's looking to come back and what was so special about Real World: Austin.For MORE Challenge Mania, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaRobinhood will give you a free stock if you head to Robinhood.com/MANIAOnYourOwn.Org/ChallengeMania is a great please for financial guidance! Come check us out in NYC on 1/26 at Carolines, tickets available at www.ChallengeMania.Live and in AUSTIN, TEXAS at The North Door on 2/16, tickets available at www.ChallengeManiaTX.com

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Tori Hall.Tori Hall (@ToriFiorenza) is a two-time Challenge Champion. She joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to talk about how she got started on Road Rules, why her season, Viewers Revenge, should not be considered an actual season, what memories she has of her time on The Challenge, why she and her then husband Brad walked away from the show and what it was like seeing Brad make his return after all these years. Tori sheds light on a few recent back-and-forths between her and Britni Nicol and breaks down the current crop of female competitors on The Challenge. Tori is a great guest and this is not an episode you'll want to miss!If you want even MORE Challenge Mania, including a special breakdown of the CT Getting Married Wedding Special with CT's Best Man, John Hickey, head over to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and consider becoming a Challenge Mania Patron. You get tons of bonus content each month and it's also the only way to vote for the

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Jasmine Reynaud.Jasmine was always a fan favorite since her big personality made her stand out on her debut season of Real World: Cancun. She has remained a favorite of Challenge fans over the years with her commentary on social media. Now a mother of two, Jasmine still keeps up with the show, and as she tells Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER), still has ambitions of returning to the game. Jasmine joins us for a fun chat about The Final Reckoning, how mothers are treated on the show, whether she'd have kept the million dollars like Ashley did, who her favorite cast members are these days and MUCH MORE! This is a really great episode you do not want to miss!For even MORE Challenge Mania, make sure to head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania - Consider becoming a patron of the show and not only do you help support the free content we put up on iTunes and everywhere you get your podcasts, you'll also get bonus podcasts including special interviews and w

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are once again joined by the newly engaged Tony Raines.Normally we wouldn't have a guest on so soon after their last appearance. Unless they're Cara Maria. Just kidding. But in all seriousness, Tony popped the biggest question of his life when he proposed to his then girlfriend, now fiancé, Alyssa Giacone, at The Final Reckoning Reunion. Now, this was taped back in October, but since it hadn't aired, the last time Tony was on the show, he was hesitant to go into detail and ruin the moment we all enjoyed collectively on Tuesday night, closing out what was an otherwise hectic and heated reunion. Tony (@TonyRaines) returns to the show to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) what went into the proposal, if he was nervous, whether it affected his demeanor during the rest of the show, his thoughts on how others acted, how he feels about Johnny Bananas and some of the ways in which he treats people, whether he and Alyssa would be open to a wedding special and MORE! P