Challenge War of the Worlds Team Preview: Cara Maria Sorbello & Theo Campbell
This season will be Cara Maria’s 13th season of the Challenge. She has now appeared on more Challenge seasons than any other female competitor. She is the female face of the franchise and the most popular cast member on social media with an entire cult following. The little underdog is now a megalith and a Challenge brand. Besides the season appearance record, Cara could break/tie the all-time elimination wins record (13), or her own record of finals appearances by a female (7). Other records on the line are tying Johnny Bananas for most finals appearances ever (8), and tying the wins record for female competitors (3). She can also break the record she is tied for currently for most final losses (5).
Cara has a lot cut out for her this season with a stacked female cast. Kam, Mattie, Morgan, and the Nolan twins out-size her. Amanda and Natalie perform better than her in the daily challenges, Nany and Jenna have multiple allies, and Ashley is a 2x Champion. She was able to capitalize on some wins when the female cast was a bit lower in quality, but this season Cara must play at her peak level to make the final. Last season’s format and her partner Marie was friends with Lavender Ladies allowed Cara to skate to the final. She was not on her A-game due to all the drama with Kyle and Paulie. Her emotions were not in the right place and it noticeably affected her. Based on the first episode, Cara Maria is obsessed with her new boyfriend/ex boyfriend Paulie, everything she said evolved around him.
Meanwhile, Theo is trying to make a name for himself while surrounded by the Cara/Paulie/Kyle typhoon. Based on clips from Love Island, some google searching, and his first episode of WOTW, Theo loves to stir the pot and be the center of attention. Theo will throw out statements he might not believe in, that will draw reaction and then just smile as the other person will either laugh or get enraged. In other words, he is a professional instigator. Considering he is a former/current professional track athlete (sprinter), Theo should be a top competitor as he has a great mix of size, speed, athleticism, and endurance.
Let’s break this down:
Physical Ability/Vitals Category:
Theo Campbell: 27 years old, 6'5, 175 lbs
Cara Maria Sorbello: 32 years old, 5'4, 128 lbs
Individually, Cara and Theo are great physical specimens. Cara is a small girl with massive guns and a strong core. Theo is tall and is hands down the fastest guy on the cast. The amount of lifting and strength sprinters have is usually underrated, but in order to get explosive speed, your calves require a ton of power and drive. He looks like a stick, but he can push a massive amount as long as he’s able to use his legs. This is the team you do not want to face in a final because they can run.
They may struggle due to the massive height difference between them as there are often challenges where two players have to work together and be in sync. Having a foot difference in height will affect their team in some challenges, sometimes assisting them, other times being to their detriment. Anyone who has ever dealt with a massive size difference in the bedroom can attest.
Physical: A
Daily Challenges/Eliminations:
Cara Maria Sorbello: 13 seasons, 2 wins, 7 finals, (13–6) elimination record, 27 daily challenge wins
Cara Maria has not been good at daily challenges during individual or pair seasons. The exception is Dirty 30 where she was often paired with CT (and lost every time she wasn’t). Cara is not a great leader. She is a strong individual competitor who can keep up with other strong players, but she lacks the natural communication skills to lead. At the end of the day, she is an introvert.
This team will kill the strictly physical daily challenges. Unfortunately, unless Theo is a natural when it comes to strategizing and adapting during carnival games, they will likely be average to below average in non-physical daily challenges.
Nobody should want to see this team in elimination. Cara has the most eliminations wins in Challenge history and Theo is probably the most athletic guy on the cast. Even though she failed on the first puzzle of the season, Cara has solved puzzles in eliminations, redemptions, and a final to win Vendettas. Cara and Theo are deadly.
Daily Challenges: B-
Eliminations: A
Social/Political Potential:
If Cara Maria allows Paulie to dictate too much of her game, she will be put in a tough spot. Cara Maria has multiple male allies in CT, Bananas, Zach, and Leroy, and a female ally in Natalie. However, if all she cares about is Paulie and making the final with him, then she may burn bridges with her established veteran alliances. Cara already has enemies in Amanda, Ashley, Kyle (?), and Wes — she does not need more.
If Theo has an alliance with Bear and Ashley Cain, it could create strife between Cara and Paulie, especially because Kyle will probably be on great terms with the British rookies. Their political game could be strong and it could be super messy.
Social: C-
Political: B
How Entertaining Will They Be?
Based on the trailers, Theo is trying to hookup with Kam, which Leroy did not seem okay with. Meanwhile, Cara Maria lives in her own love triangle of Paulie and Kyle. Not only is Cara infatuated by her new boyfriend, she still somewhat cares about Kyle as you can see it on her face whenever he talks.
Even though Cara says she is there for competition, she always finds a way into the middle of drama, especially on social media. Theo likes to cause controversy.
Entertainment: A
How afraid are the other teams of them/Winning Potential:
Cara Maria has only been voted into elimination once in her last three seasons. She has clout and people are afraid of facing her in one on one eliminations. Now she has a 6'5 track star as her partner. Even if they are dysfunctional, they are not the team you want to take on one on one.
Are they the favorite to win? I would say yes. I think the duo of Kam and Ashley is very scary, but this team is more built to run a final. This team is far from balanced overall, but they can rely on the fact they are athletic, have allies, and are feared due to their pedigree.
Fear Factor: A+
Winning Potential: A
Final Potential: A-
Overalls:
Cara Maria 90/100
Theo 85/100
Team 91/100
