NattyB, a fellow mod on r/MTVChallenge, posted this gif to celebrate Christmas over on our sub. So many people were commenting that it’s the most random collection of Challenge alumni ever, and I initially agreed. But turns out it’s the original players on Bloodlines, without their relatives.

It got me thinking about the Season 27 cast and how it was chosen. And after some reflection, it makes sense — there are some casting stalwarts there, some old school returners, exciting new debuts, and a couple random picks. Except who ultimately made it on was limited because half the cast was made up with their relatives… Who were mostly flops. And with the long break between Exes II & Bloodlines (March-Dec 2015), it was NOT a stunning cast.

Sidebar: I just finished Survivor 27 for the first time, which happens to be the same idea — Survivor alumni playing with their loved ones, in Blood vs. Water. What a funny coincidence... Or is it? It wouldn’t be the first time The Challenge ripped off Survivor.

Anyhow, the relatives on BvW were superior to those on Bloodlines. Ciera, Brad, Hayden, Vytas, Marissa, and John were all great choices/ competitors/ characters. Caleb was sweet, at the very least. Rachel and Katie were the only real duds. But outside of Nicole MF Ramos, the Bloodlines weren’t great.

So, what if MTV never went the relatives route and just cast Challenge 27 as they normally would? For hypothetical sake, let’s say the format would be similar to Free Agents and Dirty 30, so casting isn’t restrictive.

Breaking down the possibilities for the Season 27 cast if bloodlines weren’t invited

Of course, the people who were actually cast would make the cut, so that’s:

Men: Casting stalwarts Johnny + Leroy; old-school return Abram + Cohutta (even tho he was on Free Agents, 2 seasons prior); sophomore season Thomas; exciting debuts Cory and Tony; and a random Dario from AYTO2

Women: Stalwarts Nany, Camila, + Cara; OG returners Kellyanne + Aneesa (even though she was also on FA); sophomore season Jenna; and a random Christina from AYTO2

Then we can dive into those who were alternates or almost cast, so:

Men: OG returners Brad Fiorenza and Mark Long; a sophomore Jay Gotti; Derek Chavez (accepted calls for Bloodlines and Rivals 3), Layton Jones (AYTO2)

Women: Nia Moore (initially cast but then production went in a different direction), a sophomore Brittany Balderassi, OG returner Mandi Moyer (accepted calls for Bloodlines and Rivals 3), Emilee Fitzgerald (they were really trying to make her happen, huh), Jessica Andreatta (AYTO2 — she was also nearly cast on Ex on the Beach US 3)

Marie Roda and Laurel Stucky initially accepted but then declined, so that would be the same result anyway.

That brings us to 13 men and 12 women.

Next we can critically add people who were active or willing at the time (roughly between Rivals 2 and Rivals 3) that likely would’ve accepted a call and been cast if the format weren’t Bloodlines. These could be:

Men: Wes Bergmann, Johnny Reilly (were both on the seasons before and after Bloodlines), Adam Kuhn (was on Exes 2 and then AYTO Second Chances soon after Bloodlines), and those who accepted their calls for Exes 2 but weren’t cast: Darrell Taylor, Trey Weatherholtz III, and Brandon Swift

Women: Averey Tressler, Jess McCain, Simone Kelly (were all on the seasons before and after Bloodlines), Theresa Gonzales, and those who accepted their calls for Exes 2 but weren’t cast: Rachel Robinson, Laura Waller, and Shanley McIntee

This brings us up to 18 men and 18 women, which is a large cast, so some would be made alternates.

Next we should consider people from the RW and AYTO seasons they were casting from for S27 — so, Ex-Plosion, Skeletons, and AYTO1 and 2 — that ended up on The Challenge later anyway. So other possibilities are:

Men: Bruno Bettencourt (Skeletons, who accepted for Rivals 3 but dropped out, then was cast on Invasion), Anthony Bartolette (AYTO2, later debuted on Invasion and was on Ex on the Beach 3), Nate Siebenmark and Brandon Tindel (AYTO2, debuted the next season)

Women: Ashley Mitchell (Ex-Plosion, debuted the next season), Nicole Zanatta (Skeletons, later debuted on Invasion), Sylvia Elsrode (Skeletons, who accepted for Rivals 3 but dropped out, then was cast on Invasion), Briana LaCuesta (AYTO2, debuted the next season), Violetta Milerman (Skeletons, was Tony’s original partner on the next season but was replaced by Camila)

..

So now the analysis comes in. Who would make the cut — in terms of being fan favourites; OG returners; sophomore players; and debuts, exciting or not?

TL;DR — Challenge 27 Cast if bloodlines weren’t invited

Here’s what I think, and why

Women

Cara Maria Camila Nany Aneesa Kellyanne Jenna Christina LeBlanc Averey Tressler (she was cast on Exes 2 + Rivals 3) Simone Kelly (she was cast on Exes 2 + Rivals 3) Theresa Gonzales (she was cast on Rivals 2, Free Agents, + Exes 2 + was in the casting process for Bloodlines 2 with her brother, before S31 switched to Vendettas) Rachel Robinson (she accepted for Exes 2 + was heavily pursued for Invasion but was pregnant and couldn’t film S29) Shanley McIntee (she accepted for Exes 2 + was cast on AYTO Second Chances + Ex on the Beach 1) Sylvia Elsrode (she initially accepted for Rivals 3 + was cast on Invasion) Jess Andreatta (she accepted for Bloodlines + was deep in the running for Ex on the Beach 3)

alternate: Emilee Fitzgerald (she was close to being cast on Bloodlines and was flown to location as an alternate for Invasion, but she doesn’t have existing relationships with the cast); Jess McCain (she was cast on Rivals 2, Free Agents, Exes 2, + Rivals 3 but was an early out on Exes 2 and likely was only cast to get Reilly on R3)

Men

Johnny Bananas Leroy Cohutta Thomas Tony Cory Dario Abram Wes (he was cast on Exes 2 + Rivals 3) Johnny Reilly (he was cast on Exes 2 + Rivals 3) Jay Gotti (he accepted for Bloodlines + cast for Dirty 30 but later dropped because of prior commitments) Adam Kuhn (he was cast on Exes 2 + AYTO Second Chances) Layton Jones (he accepted Bloodlines) Anthony Bartolette (he was cast on Invasion + Ex on the Beach 3)

alternate: Bruno Bettencourt (he initially accepted for Rivals 3 + was cast on Invasion, but production is always more interested in Sylvia and Tony); Derek Chavez (he accepted but was an alternate for Bloodlines + Rivals 3)

Why this cast is better

Production always seems to cast with built-in drama and old relationships in the mix. With some exceptions (like Jenny West), they won’t cast people if they don’t have existing connections to others on the show.

Their decision to have the Bloodlines season, and adding AYTO alumni the season prior, suggests they were aching for new talent. So there are a large amount of rookies (both debuts + sophomores) on this cast — exactly half of it. And considering they were all on reality TV previously, it’s probable they wouldn’t be duds (wallpaper and/or bad competitors) like most of the Bloodlines (Rianna, Larissa, Candice, Stephen, Anthony, Mike, Emily).

Debuts: Christina, Shanley, Sylvia, Jess A, Tony, Cory, Dario, Layton, Anthony (9). Sophomores: Averey, Simone, Thomas, Reilly, Jay, Adam (6).

What was the drama or previous connections? Let’s explore.

A f*cking love octagon between Leroy, Theresa, Wes, Kellyanne, Cohutta, Nany, Reilly, and Averey

between Leroy, Theresa, Wes, Kellyanne, Cohutta, Nany, Reilly, and Averey Other previous relationships between Jay/Jenna, Aneesa/Rachel, Shanley/Adam, Bananas/Camila…

Grudges between Bananas/Kellyanne, Sylvia/Tony, Anthony/Layton over Jess A, Nany vs Theresa and Averey…

Existing relationships for the debuts: all the AYTO2 alumni; Ex-Plosion (Cory knows Tom); Skeletons (Tony, Sylvia, Bruno)

Why certain people didn’t make the cut

Didn’t include Mandi, Violetta, Laura, or Trey because they weren’t cast on numerous seasons they were eligible for. Mark, Brad, and Darrell didn’t make the cut because they already had two Old School competitors in Abram and Cohutta, and Mark and Brad could’ve been easy picks for Invasion and the Champs vs. spin-offs but weren’t chosen for them. Darrell wasn’t cast for Exes 2 despite being willing and didn’t make it on Rivals 3 either, even though his grudge with Kellyanne is deeper than the bad blood between her and Jamie. Production had other decisions. Same with not going through with casting Nia, after what she said and did to Jordan on Exes 2.

I feel many people cast for Rivals 3 were chosen for the enemies they had, and would not have made it on if it were an open invite. This includes Smashley, Brandon T, Nate, Cheyenne, Nelson, and Amanda (not that the AYTO3 people were eligible for Season 27). So they weren’t included here either.

Legacy of this change

A lot of the pairs for Rivals 3 would be different, because Jamie, Vince, and Nicole R wouldn’t exist in the Challenge universe. This season would definitely have fights that could be the basis for Rivals pairings, but if not — Kellyanne could be with Darrell, Dario could be with Nany, and Jenna might not even be cast, considering she doesn’t really have enemies and was a last-minute replacement Bloodlines, Invasion, and Dirty 30.

Depending on the format of this season, Cara might not have won, so she would likely be on the next season, paired with Wes. Johnny/Sarah would actually have some competition if that were the case.

Viewers would have more respect for AYTO competitors if this were the cast. Shanley would be elite and confrontational. Adam Kuhn had an impressive debut season and would likely continue on this one. Layton is strong. Dario wouldn’t bump his twin and eliminate themselves. Anthony might actually be popular (which he was on AYTO2 but weirdly not on Invasion and EotB3). Jess A would bring the drama and hookups.

And then we have Simone and Christina… But they were cast numerous times anyway, so whatever, you take the good with the bad.