Challenge Fan Friday: Brad Fiorenza’s return?
With Derrick, Shane, Darrell, and Veronica’s comebacks, the next anticipated comeback is Brad Florenza’s. The Challenge champion is recently separated (similar to Shane and Derrick) and wants to jump back into the franchise to kick ass.
The last Challenge he appeared on was Season 20, Cutthroat — where he earned his sole Challenge victory. Since then he was rumored to be on Rivals 1 with Darrell, but he ultimately declined. His name was also tossed around for Exes 1 and Exes 2, with Tori — they decided not to, as they were married. The most realistic shot for Brad’s return was on Free Agents (a season that returned a ton of faces from the past). Brad had accepted the availability call for the season, however he and Tori decided against it as they did not like the path in which the show was going.
It’s not known whether Brad accepted the call for Invasion of the Champions, however, considering that Derrick K did not make the official cast after campaigning, Brad’s chances as a Champion were not that high either. He was working as a public school teacher while Dirty 30 was filming — can’t get out of that job with that short notice. At this point, it seems as if he is ready and prepping.
This was a Twitter reply to a fan asking if he would do another Challenge. Brad not only wants to do another, he wants to do two! He is ready to push himself to the next level. He may, or may not, be dating someone at the moment. This summer, Hollywood Life reported that KellyAnne Judd and Brad are currently in a long distance relationship. It would be fun to watch Brad be back as a bachelor on these shows after the long delay, and it would also be fun to watch him on with KellyAnne.
From a physical standpoint, Brad has been an excellent competitor on these shows. He may have only won 1 Challenge during his run, but he finished second on both Duels. The Duel is the ultimate Challenge format — the game focuses on an individual and they only have themselves to rely on. You might not have the best partner in the daily challenge, but in the Duel it’s you and your opponent (who either you picked or someone who thought they could beat you). Brad’s is 4–0 in the Duel, he’s knocked off literal heavyweights like MJ and Big Easy, as well as Challenge legends CT and Landon. It angers many fans that he won on technicalities — a win’s a win at the end of the day. The only people that truly hate Brad are Landon fans; and that’s only because Brad kept Landon from winning 4/4 Challenges.
For a long time, Brad’s career on the Challenge was associated with the word “almost”. He was so close to becoming the greatest competitor to never win a Challenge, that it felt right that he finally got the Champion title. Not many competitors get to walk out on top like Brad did. Nobody wants to end their career like Evan (bloated and blown away by CT), Alton (sulking all season and quitting), Coral (quitting), or Timmy (injured). It’s part of the reason why Darrell and Derrick have made comebacks. As competitors, their stories were not finished because it didn’t end on a happy chapter, they still have business they want to take care of.
Brad is not going to be playing for fun or adventure. He’s not looking to travel, he is looking to be a man again and win. There’s no other show quite like the Challenge. Survivor and Big Brother are more mental and social games, where the Challenge is a complete game that pushes your physical limits more than anything. Getting into Spartan Races and CrossFit competitions are fun. However, they are never going to give you the same satisfaction that winning a physical elimination will. You’ll never get the same adrenaline high as standing atop a volcano with a check for 100k dollars. This is what Brad needs in his life.
How would he do? The Challenge has become a bit more of a political game. Brad was a solid political player, mostly due to his strength in the social aspect of the game. Everyone seemed to get along with Brad from the Duel 1 and onward. We have seen people like Shane Landrum assimilate with the younger competitors with ease. However, there’s a bigger difference, in that Shane began playing with group of all younger players, and with no kids at home, Shane was able to be a lot crazier than Brad will ever get.
From a physical perspective, Brad looks great. He recently made some club appearances with Cara Maria in Tampa — His chest looked shredded, Brad’s abs looked like Sylvester Stallone’s after training with Apollo in Rocky 3. During his prime, Brad’s physique was characterized by his big chest and massive arms. He looks thinner and more agile these days. He’s gotten into the functional fitness. Many of the challenges rely muscle memory. If you keep yourself in alright shape, experience at tackling all the events is what matters most. Darrell had some cobwebs during his first daily challenges back in the game and wasn’t fully transitioned till Champs vs Pros. Brad has all the experience needed to return and kick ass.
With the return of the OGs, it would be fun to watch him and Wes play another season together. They’re good friends who only got to do two Challenges together — one being the Duel, the other being on opposing teams (the Ruins).
It will be exciting to see Mr. Fiorenza back in the game. Whether it’s Challenge 31 or later, his comeback is welcomed. And if he reads this, can you please let us know why you’re always using the Bee emoji.
Edited by Lyndon Zass
