Hey y’all.

I’m back from my gaycation and ready to deconstruct yet another casting archetype apparent on The Challenge, along with other MTV shows (Real World, Road Rules) and reality TV shows in general (Big Brother, Survivor).

The previous 6 entries are:

If you’ve been following along with this series, you know by now that I am not advocating for such reductionism, synedoche, and pigeonholing, but rather critically analyzing casting and the decisions for whom to include on what seasons.

You also probably know that Season 35 of The Challenge starts filming very soon (next week!), so speculation about who will make the cast began a month ago and has been poppin’ as of late.

(Spoiler alert for the likely cast and for this article) And what I find fascinating is how Melissa Reeves only became very likely to appear after Georgia Harrison declined her offer. Which is super fkn apropos for this article.

Which brings me to the subject — the Bubbly Blondes. These are women who, obviously, are bubbly and blonde (either natural or by a bottle). Most often, they are upbeat, carefree, likable, sweet, and not known for their intellectual capacity. That is, in common parlance, the Bubbly Blondes = dumb blondes / ditzes / bimbos.

As far as competition goes, and their role on the show — they are good sidekicks, members of showmances, and used for entertainment, comedy, and/or drama. They are typically good enough at competing but not elite, and are not known for being scrappy, confrontational fighters or politicians.

Sugar Kiper comes to mind for Survivor, along with all the forgettable blondes (Purple Kelly, Gabon Kelly, WA Kelly, Hope, Allie….). Kelley Wentworth and Andrea B would be rulebreakers.

Let’s get to it!