6th Evelyn Smith — Rivals 1

5th/4th Emily Schromm & Chris CT Tamburello — Rivals 2

These can be categorized as the completely dominating wins that are still somewhat boring. Easily one of the greatest players in Challenge history, Evelyn showed that with a competent partner that she’s one of the scariest players ever. She carried Paula in most of the missions, and was able to get Paula her first ever win (an unimaginable feat at the time). Winning 50% of the missions is quite a feat.

Which gives Emily the edge for being able to winning 60% of the missions on Rivals 2. She physically intimidated the rest of the girls, and even had the guys wanting her and Paula’s votes. CT’s win on Rivals 2 was more sentimentality than it was impressive towards the overall CT career performance. He was a better player on the Inferno 2 and Rivals 1. Him winning this season is impressive because of the way he beat two stacked teams in the final. Whether it was swimming, running, eating, or puzzles, CT was the best person in every single portion of the final. Rivals 2 CT against Dirty 30 Jordan in a final would be a fantastic show.

3–1

3. Sarah Rice — Battle of the Exes 2

What puts Sarah’s season over others is the pure social and political dominance of the game. Before the season started, Sarah mapped out her alliances to perfection. She knew to politically hug the line between Wes and Bananas as the two sides of the house, while also knowing that her partner had loyalty from Zach and Reilly. In the early game she made a point of not creating any dissonance by nominating rookies. Playing the perfect game in the Challenge is predicated on timing, and that’s what Sarah and Jordan had. They politically got themselves to the end, and won when it mattered. Every single competition to the two participated in from their elimination with Zach/Jonna to the final, they won. Being clutch is more important than being consistent on the Challenge.

Anyone mad about Sarah “betraying” Bananas, she made a game move to win, and the end of the day she earned that power by winning the same challenge that Bananas lost.

2nd Johnny Bananas — Free Agents

He managed to only be in the Draw twice all season, and won when it mattered most. He won the final daily mission and nominated CT (leading to LeRoy’s elimination), won the final elimination against CT, and had over an hour lead going into the last part of the final. To top it all off, Bananas eliminated Jordan. Bananas winning three eliminations and the final with the strongest alliance against him in an individual game proved his elite status. For any Bananas detractors there are, Free Agents is the season where Bananas showed he can win the game on his physical merits.

1st Laurel Stucky — Free Agents

She only saw the Draw three times (two of which she pulled the Kill Card). On Free Agents she not only won the final, but she eliminated all of the biggest threats to her winning in the process: Theresa, Cara Maria, and Aneesa. There was no wiggle room to it, she faced all three of them 1 v 1 in different arenas and came out on top each time. Nany ended up being close to her in the final, except it wouldn’t have been if Zach didn’t die atop a mountain, holding her back by 30–40 mins. Laurel finished first in every portion of the final besides where Zach held her back. In an individual game, Laurel proved to be if not one of, the most dominating player in Challenge history.