On paper this should be a good team considering Ashley is a 2x Challenge Champion and Chase is a big, tall and fit male specimen, yet somehow, they still lack flavor and sizzle. Which is crazy considering Ashley is basically a bowl of spicy gumbo with about ten servings of cayenne peppers thrown in.

Whenever I see Chase on my TV, I just yawn, he is boring and milquetoast. Chase comes from the Bachelor world, was considered to become THE Bachelor, and thus holds himself in high regard. He believes he should be the center of attention whilst remaining quiet and laid-back. Chase… this is the Challenge, a show which contains a boatload of interesting personalities and you need to make yourself stand out. Ideally, we will watch him lose his mind while Ashley threatens to quit every other day.

On that note, didn’t Ashley’s first episode of War of the Worlds feel like Rivals 3/Dirty 30 Ashley? After winning the million dollars on FR and appearing on seven seasons, including regular and spin-off seasons, Ashley must be getting a good appearance check. She is all over the place and it doesn’t feel like she has the same hunger to win at all.

Let’s break this down:

Physical Ability/Vitals Category:

Chase McNary: 29 years old, 6'3, 205 lbs* (guesstimate)

Ashley Mitchell: 29 years old, 5'8, 121 lbs

Ashley is underrated as an athlete. She is a tall girl with long limbs, is quite nimble on her feet, and is ready to play dirty. She is performs mostly average as an athlete but has a great brain that can quickly adapt to carnival game challenges/eliminations. Chase is a fitness instructor who worked out a ton on Ex on the Beach 1. He is tall, fit, and strong. Physically, Chase looks awesome. I cannot find anything about him playing any sports at a high level which could be significant considering the show cast multiple former pro- and college-athletes. Chase is a wild card who will determine how highly they rate.

Physical: B-

Daily Challenges/Eliminations:

Ashley Mitchell: 4 seasons, 2 wins, 2 finals, (2–1 elimination record), 7 daily challenge wins

In four seasons, Ashley has only participated in 18 daily challenges where safety was on the line, astounding considering she is a two time Champion. She only won one daily challenge with Hunter as her partner and does not perform great in them overall. As the veteran, she will have to lead her team, though it is a bit hard to envision Ashley keep her composure, let alone lead a grown man.

She has competed in three eliminations and none have really given us a good inclination towards her ability in them. Her best elimination performance came on Champs vs Pros when she took on Ashley Kelsey in Balls In and showed she could win a headbanger type elimination (though it doesn’t count on the career record). Chase has the size to take on any of the bigger men in elimination, but can he keep cool under pressure? Can he think on his feet?

Daily Challenges: C-

Eliminations: B-

Social/Political Potential:

Chase could have put his team in a great spot by hooking up with Nany, though he proved a little too insecure early on as he was enraged by the fact that she sat on Johnny Bananas’ lap. He needs to realize this is a Challenge house and you need to be less rigid. Chase had multiple girls going after him on Ex on the Beach and he truly wasn’t interested in any of them. This is not a EOTB house, it’s a Challenge house, and you need to realize you’re not a star player as a rookie, you need to make an impact to get that level of attention.

Generally, Ashley is a great political player despite her massive amount of meltdowns. However, she has multiple enemies in this house this season: Cara Maria, Bananas, DaVonne, and of course Hunter. With all these people ready to throw her in, Ashley has her work cut out for her. Stealing the million dollars hurts her social game a lot. Nobody wants to see the person who won a million dollars win it again.

Social: D

Political: C+

How Entertaining Will They Be?

There is a baseline level of entertainment this team will bring due to Ashley. She can hookup or fight with anyone and any given second, and she gives some hilarious confessionals as well. Meanwhile, Chase is a major snorefest. If he can rekindle something with Nany it would make him ten times more interesting.

Entertainment: B-

How afraid are the other teams of them/Winning Potential:

This would not be another team’s first choice to face. However, Ashley does not quite have the clout of a two time champion. People do not fear her quite like they do Cara Maria, and part of it is because she is not known for being physically dominant. If Chase can prove to be a top competitor early, then his physical size and Ashley’s brain should intimidate people. If Chase can’t, then they will not be feared.

Ashley is holding a 50% win rate in main seasons, and was only eliminated on her rookie season. Yet, it feels way more likely that she quits rather than wins this season. The entire Challenge cast does not want her to win the money again and Hunter is going to make it his goal to have her eliminated. I’m not liking their chances of winning or making the final. It would put them at 30 to 1 odds to win and then 15 to 1 odds to make the final, not impossible, but a bit of a stretch.

Fear Factor: C-

Winning Potential: C-

Final Potential: C+

Overalls:

Ashley 87/100

Chase 73/100

Team 79/100