Challenge Double Agents Player Preview: Kam Williams
Timing matters so much. Right now, Kam might have the best timing in the world because, as it stands, she has a shot to make the Challenge her show. The past couple of years, Kam has been a top female player and a significant part of the show when on, but as much as some of her fans love her, she’s still been behind the Bananas, Cara, and Wes train that MTV will always prop up. Bananas and Cara are gone, Wes is losing some zest. It feels like a potentially new era where she has the tenacity and ability to make this game hers and to own this era as the Killa Kam Dynasty potentially. That’s a lot of pressure, and if she fails, then it’s okay, very few players in the show’s history can fill that seat, and I’ve made the argument for a long-time that the guy who filled it (Johnny Bananas) sucked at it.
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I do want to warn Kam fans that your favorite being the face of the franchise means scorching hot hatred coming her way. If you ever thought Kam was hated before, if she steps up and fills that role, like the trailers are showing she might, it’s going to grow exponentially. Once the magnifying glass in you, that pressure hits hard, and some people crumble. Kam’s journey will be arduous as both a woman and a person of color.
Introducing Kam: Her original reality show is Are You The One? Season 5, the AYTO season where the cast did not win any money, included multiple racists, and sexual assault. Kam’s experience on the show got truncated because she and Eddie Williams (Vendettas) were confirmed perfect match by the truth booth, thus having to go live in the “honeymoon suite” for half the duration of filming. Unfortunately for Kam, Eddie hooked up with Alicia Wright the night before leaving for the honeymoon suite, which tarnishes a honeymoon. The upside of this is that MTV loved Alicia and was an avenue for Kam’s casting onto the show as her vendetta.
On Vendettas, Kam made a name for herself by winning three eliminations in her rookie season, including two wins against mercenaries in Tori Deal and Ashley Mitchell. Kam was immediately a power player and had a showmance with Leroy that was unfortunately not given much screen-time. I’d say the one negative about her performance was Kam never won a daily challenge. Even with coming up short in the daily challenges, I’d still probably rank Kam at the top when it comes to performance, based on her eliminations alone. In the final, Kam got dealt lousy luck. She received a punishment in the over/under card game where she had to bury a literal log during the final, allowing Kailah to edge her out for second place female on day one, and no chance of winning. Had Kam not been set back, it’s realistic that she comes in at least third, maybe second place ahead of Zach. I don’t think she beats Cara because Cara’s short-term memorization skills are off the chart, and that final part is something she’s won in different variations multiple times.
For Final Reckoning, Kam got partnered initially with Melissa, and then Melissa fought with Kailah, leading to their DQs. This gave Kam a new partner in Kayleigh, a downgrade in fitness/athleticism, but probably someone who might have been easier to work with from a social game standpoint. Regardless, Kam shined brightest as Kayleigh’s partner as she coached her teammate up and supported her in such a powerful way. They went 3–1 in eliminations and finished 6th place together, a colossal overachievement in my opinion and is a testament to Kam’s brilliance. The only flaw is they got purged twice. On War of the Worlds 1, Kam was the #1 pick in the draft and partnered with Ashley Cain. They seemed like a strong team on paper as they were physical beasts and had a huge UK alliance that had their back. Yet, they didn’t make many tribunals and got eliminated before the individual player twist.
War of the Worlds 2 did not allow Kam to shine as a competitor since all the challenges were team-focused. She was a powerful political player, and her relationship with Kayleigh swayed many of the opponents’ votes. While Paulie and Cara were the figureheads for their alliance, Kam had to be the adult and keep many people stable and intact. Holding down’s Kayleigh’s vote was critical to Joss and Rogan’s votes, to which Rogan’s vote was crucial for Dee’s vote, whose vote was directly related to Ninja’s. Likewise, she was critical to getting Leroy to fully flip over to their side, which was important once Josh and Laurel blindsided Wes, who was the mega alliance’s original creator. Kam was quickly the best female on Team USA during the final, and of course, the Challenge gods threw a puzzle at her that she had trouble with and purged her from the final.
She took a season off after doing four in a row, and now more than ever, fans want her back.
Player Vitals
Kam Williams: 26 Years Old, 5'8, 150–160 ish lbs, 4 Seasons, 2x Finalist, 7–2 Elimination Record, Highest Finish: 3rd Place Female Vendettas
Skills and Physical Strength: Her biggest strengths have always been her size and physicality. Kam thrives in a headbanger. She has big muscular calves to push off of when sprinting, the shoulder/hips to body-check someone, and a desire to win in her that you don’t see in most challengers. If we throw out War of the Worlds 2, where Team USA completely dominated, Kam’s history in daily challenges is not great. Some of that isn’t her fault as she worked with Kayleigh as a partner on Final Reckoning, and the same group of people dominated the wins on Vendettas. Still, I expected her and Ashley Cain to win more of War of the Worlds 1. The only challenge they won was the one where players wrestled in the mud pit over balls, and Kam could use her size to her advantage. Even though she isn’t winning many challenges, I wouldn’t describe her as having obvious weaknesses. She has shown to be capable with heights, had great cardio/endurance during WOTW 2 final, and has strong communication skills.
Swimming is a fault of Kam’s, and it is something she needs to improve on.
SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game: You could make the argument that Kam going into 9 eliminations in her first three seasons is indicative of a bad political/social game. Then again, the only other person in Challenge history to go into 9 eliminations their first three seasons is Wes, the guy most associated with the political side of the game. Both are elimination ringers, and both are willing to take swings in the game and hold themselves at a higher level. In her most recent season, War of the Worlds 2, she finally felt in control of the game, and if she has the numbers this time around, it could be similar. Entering the game, she has her #1 in Leroy and good relationships with Nelson, Josh, Aneesa, and Nany. For Kam, the key is to win some challenges to gain power and use it to take out the more significant physical threats (Lolo, Natalie, etc.).
From a mental standpoint, Kam has shown a decent ability in puzzles/memory challenges. I’d rank her above average. Yes, she lost the final purge of War of the Worlds 2, but I’d consider everyone on that US Team to be above average in puzzles, with some being elite. Even Ashley wasn’t in the top four.
Eliminations & Winning Potential: Her elimination record speaks for itself at 7–2. It’s one of the best records in Challenge history and is the second-best record by a female record through 9 eliminations (Laurel’s 9–0 being first). She’s only two wins short of Laurel, Camila, and Aneesa for second all-time in female wins at 9. Kam has won headbangers, carnival games, and mental competitions.
Can Kam win? The final would require no swimming portion. Add in the fact that people with better cardio can’t be in that final either. Kam has to make big moves and knock out more significant physical threats to win, and she knows that. Someone like Theresa might want to work with Kam and Leroy because she was partners with Leroy on a past season, but Kam would need to cut that off because Theresa is a huge threat in a final. If Kam can pull off a win here, then this show is hers.
Kam’s Overall Rating: 93/100 (+6 from Final Reckoning)
Final Reckoning Rating: 87/100
Vendettas Rating: 75/100
