Challenge Total Madness Player Preview: Mattie Lynn Breaux
If you want to have a good time, then you have to invite Mattie to the party. Mattie is back for her second Challenge appearance after taking one season off to film Florabama Shore. Mattie was sorely missing from War of the Worlds 2. Her charisma, looks, and abilities as a competitor would have led to an exciting mix during last season. Would she have been Team Paulie/Cara or Team Jordan/Tori?
None of that matters now, because what matters is whether Mattie will improve upon her performance on War of the Worlds 1, where she made the Final, got 16 miles through, and eventually had to give up. I think it is rude to say Mattie quit due to poor cardio because she did more in her one final run than the S31-S32 finals combined. The big question mark for Mattie is whether she can handle the conditions of the show. She had a DUI between S33 and S35, and was sober before entering this season. It is tough to be on the Challenge when you are struggling with sobriety and alcohol usage. Especially considering the challengers will be entrapped in a location with no windows or doors for S35.
Introducing Mattie: Mattie is the first Challenge cast member to come from the canceled reality show Party Down South (it had five seasons!). During her first challenge season, she picked Kyle as a partner as she wanted a partner who was both decent in the challenges and available for hooking up. Together, they navigated through the game with a target on their back due to Paulie and Cara hating Kyle. They each won epic threeway physical eliminations and made it to the individual twist by getting clutch daily challenge wins. Mattie’s social savvy allowed her to coast to the final from there.
She is the girl you want to be friends with. Mattie brings good vibes, and if you get on her bad side for any reason, you better get ready to get take on a 6' girl with a legitimate athletic build. Part of me fears that Mattie takes a step back this season because she expects a final to be easy to reach after she made it on her first season while playing at about 70–80% of her potential. We saw Tori Deal have a fantastic rookie season where fans and production hyped her up. Then she went out early on her next appearance. However, she took that as a learning experience and is currently one of the top players in the franchise. I could easily see Mattie dominating the game, and I can envision her faltering because she assumes another final appearance will be in the bag.
Player Vitals
Mattie Lynn-Breaux: 30 Years Old, 6'0, 1 Season, 1–0 Elimination Record, 1x Finalist, Highest Finish: 7th Place War of the Worlds 1(3rd Place Female)
Skills and Physical Strength: At 6' with a muscular build, Mattie is easily the biggest female on the cast, and maybe the biggest in Challenge history. Laurel compares height-wise, but Mattie has a bit more muscle tone. She murdered Natalie Negrotti and Julia Nolan in their elimination — Julia is a legit 5'8 and is in shape, and Mattie rag dolled her in their elimination.
When it comes to raw physicality, it is hard to see any girl giving Mattie trouble. I could see Tori putting up a fight, maybe. However, the Challenge isn’t only Hall Brawl. It involves cardio, swimming, and muscular dexterity. Her height advantage will make most challenges easier for her, but it won’t do everything for her. Mattie underperformed in some of the challenges you wanted to see her excel in. She wasn’t able to complete the Final Purge of WOTW 1, and it came down to time between her and DaVonne of who got to a checkpoint faster. In the junkyard challenge, Mattie and Hunter lost despite looking like they would be able to carry the most weight.
In another world, Mattie could have finished in first place in all those challenges. It is about whether she is engaged and wants to push her limits as a competitor. 70% for Mattie is as good as a lot of girls 100%. It’s whether she has the desire to be the person who dominates her opponents.
SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game: Her social game is top tier. Mattie is fun and charismatic. She doesn’t take any bullshit either — which isn’t bad because her 6' frame does impose and intimidate. If you make Mattie angry, you’re probably the asshole.
Mattie’s sobriety could make things difficult. Being the person everyone wants to take shots with becomes a tough position when you are not drinking. Her ability in puzzles is sub-par. She did win the slider puzzle Mad Max challenge on WOTW 1, but she was unable to solve any other puzzles during the season and struggled mightily in both the plane puzzle challenge and the swimming/puzzle challenge from WOTW 1.
I respect Mattie’s political and strategic game. When the game became individual on WOTW 1, she cut a deal with Wes and Cara/Paulie to mutually assure safety. Even though that hurt Kyle’s feelings, she made a game move for herself. Mattie looked out for Mattie when so many others would let their friends take advantage of them. It’s not that she wasn’t loyal; it’s that she understood the value of loyalty to herself. She is willing to make the moves to guarantee herself a spot in the final.
Eliminations & Winning Potential: The eliminations we think of the most are the raw physical ones. Mattie should win Hall Brawl, Pole Wrestle, Balls In, and any Tug of War elimination. Not all eliminations are like that. I want to see how Mattie competes when under duress. We need to see her in a Carnival game elimination or a puzzle, and if she wins/does well, then everyone should be terrified. Jenna was able to do well on this show for a while because of a size advantage. Mattie is 4 inches taller, has 20–30 more lbs, and muscle.
Can Mattie win this season? It’s hard for me to imagine her beating Tori in a final right now. Tori is a better all-around competitor, and there’s no Pole Wrestle in the final. Likewise, some girls have better cardio (Jenny, Jenna, Ashley), and then you have Dee, who has run and won a final before. If Mattie can get to the final and make sure Tori isn’t there, then I can see her winning. If Tori and a few other favorites aren’t there, then her chance of winning becomes exponentially higher. In terms of making the final, Mattie has the best shot of any female. She is likable, physically too intimidating for a call out, and has all the tools to succeed.
