Ranking Every Hall Brawl in Challenge History
A little over a year ago, I did an article where I ranked every use of the game Pole Wrestle in Challenge history, as well all its variations and name changes.
After being suggested to do so many times, I have ranked every use of the elimination game Hall Brawl. Hall Brawl is one of the simplest challenge eliminations; run through a hallway and make it to the bell before your opponent does. It is a simple formula which has created many great outcomes… and then some not great outcomes. Let’s go:
13 Cara Maria vs LaToya Free Agents
This elimination is mostly forgotten as it is overshadowed by Cara Maria’s other eliminations from the season. In the re-branded “Oppenheimer”, players had to go through a fenced circular path to get to their bells in best of 3.
Cara won 2–0. It was not a blowout, but not close either. It was an anticlimactic ending for LaToya as she was reduced to a vessel for Cara’s underdog storyline that season.
12 Camila vs Jemmye Dirty 30
This elimination is remembered because Jenna voted in Camila instead of Tori with the double cross. After Camila’s racial tirade against Leroy, Jenna was smart to distance herself, especially since Kailah had voted to purge Cara a week earlier. Camila then cursed out Jenna.
This version of Hall Brawl involved players running through a doorway where the outside was paper but the inside was plastic. They would then make a lap around and come back through the doorway to make it to their bell and win. In this round, Camila and Jemmye battled with the door. While Jemmye had a size advantage, Camila was faster and a bit more fit. Camila won 2–0 and returned to the house.
11 Zach vs Brandon Free Agents
Similar to Cara and LaToya, this is probably one of the forgotten male eliminations. Zach won with ease. In the first round, Brandon tried to outmuscle Zach. Instead, he got flung and quickly realized “well fuck, I’m going home.”
The eliminations on Free Agents were size-based. Zach was able to feast as nobody wants to run down a circular hallway with him.
10 Dunbar and Tyrie vs Derek and Robb
A 2–0 win for Derek and Robb in Hall Pass where one player acts as a blocker and the other runs down the hallway and tries to hit the bell first. This elimination is known for Dunbar diving and missing the bell, giving Derek enough time to hit his bell while Dunbar scrambled to get it on the second attempt. The reason this elimination ranks so low is because Dunbar threw the elimination. He did not want to be on the show, especially after learning who his partner was. Dunbar shit on Tyrie every second he got, and didn’t even try in the daily challenge or elimination, despite Tyrie actually doing a great job of blocking in the second round.
9 Preston vs Cohutta Free Agents
This was a good elimination between the two most underrated players from Free Agents. Preston finishing seventh on a stacked individual season is quite impressive. In a game of Oppenheimer, he got to face Cohutta. This was a battle of 6'4 versus 5'7. In the first round, Cohutta got low, got a good hit on Preston and earned himself the first point. During the second round, Preston was further into the maze when the two collided and should have gotten the point, but his helmet slipped off and he tripped on it. Cohutta got the second point and won 2–0.
It was a frustrating loss for Preston and a good win for Cohutta. I was personally gutted to know that one was getting eliminated. This was Preston’s last appearance on the Challenge and he left on a good note.
8 Wes and Theresa vs Leroy and Nia
If you are a Bananas fan, a Leroy fan, a Nia fan, or a Wes hater, you love this elimination. If you are none of those, this is one of the toughest eliminations to watch. After dominating all season, Wes and Theresa were forced into elimination against Leroy and Nia where they had a good shot of winning as long as it didn’t play to Leroy and Nia’s strength, raw physicality.
They got Double Hall Brawl. The men had to run down the hallway and tag in their partner where the women would then go down the hallway and hit the bell for the win. Wes had already lost to Leroy in a physical elimination three years earlier. Since then, he had lost about 15–30 lbs, most of it muscle. He had no shot in this one. In the first round, Wes slid into the ground to stop Leroy, Leroy went straight through, tagged in Nia, and she was 4/5 of the hallway down by the time Theresa collided with her, making it an easy win as Theresa had no momentum. Wes was down on the ground with a potential neck injury. He continued on, did worse the second time around, but Theresa actually fought super hard on this one and pushed Nia back for a while, ultimately losing 2–0. Leroy and Nia got the win. Theresa would win the following elimination with Leroy and they’d finish 2nd in the final.
7 Aneesa vs Laurel Free Agents
Aneesa hated Jordan and Laurel and everything they stood for. Laurel and Jordan were overachievers who Aneesa did not vibe with. Laurel never thought she would lose and Aneesa was not backing down from a fight. In Aneesa’s two previous individual seasons, she had gone 6–1 in elimination. Now, she faced Laurel in a headbanger elimination. In a game where both players fought hard, Laurel won 2–0. Laurel was shocked to see how physically strong Aneesa was. Overall, I think the elimination is a bit overhyped. I think both players end up looking good from the exchange, it’s just when you lose 2–0, there isn’t really an argument to be made that it was super close. It wasn’t a blowout, but still.
Sidenote: here are some fun facts about Free Agents. Aneesa held the female elimination win record entering the season with 7, Cara was second with 6 (Camila as well). When Cara eliminates Nia, she ties Aneesa for first, and then breaks the record the next episode by winning her eighth career elimination against LaToya. Aneesa later eliminates Jonna, tying Cara for the record again. Cara takes the all-time record again with 9 by beating Jessica later in the season. Laurel doubles her total from 4 wins to 8 during the season (eliminating Cara, Aneesa, Theresa, and Jasmine in the process) and ties the record for second most elimination wins by a female. Cara holds the record still, as she’s bumped her total to 13 total eliminations and is second all-time overall.
6 Bear vs Joss War of the Worlds 2
I think in terms of Hall Brawl, this was the best version of the game. Forcing the players to scramble through five hallways and forcing them to do a best of 5 is super intense and actually tests players endurance, agility, and strength. I don’t know if you have ever watched football, but running in a straight line versus being able to hit a z route on a dime is two different things.
In this version, we saw Bear use his speed to his advantage. He was able to trip up Joss, test him a bit, and even get a point. Eventually though, Joss used his physicality to his advantage. Bear could only take so many hits before being simply overpowered.
The format of this elimination was perfection. The two people in it were not.
5 Wes and Lacey vs Big Easy and Cara Maria
Cara beat Lacey 2–0, that doesn’t matter. We’re here to talk about Wes vs Big Easy. This was the first game of Hall Brawl in Challenge history and man, what a way to start it. Big Easy fucking ran Wes straight into the bell. This is the closest we have been to another Backpack situation since Cutthroat. The most fascinating part about this elimination is the players only have about 10 feet of the difference at max before they charge at each other. Wes and Hall Brawl equals a bad time for the Bergmann household.
4 Hunter vs Leroy Dirty 30
Leroy and Hunter played the same game that Camila and Jemmye did, except theirs was much more exciting. This is a stripe earning moment. Hunter went from a muscled up dude who talked a big game, to proving himself on the field against one of the most elite elimination competitors in Challenge history. Leroy had feasted on short cocky white boys in elimination in the past, and he was ready to beat Hunter’s ass after Veronica, Britni, and Tony had voted him into elimination after a burn vote debacle.
Instead, Hunter took it to Leroy. Hunter became a human ball of muscle, got low, and was able to squeeze through first. While Hunter’s cardio might be lacking, he can beat most other competitors in a sprint. There is something about this elimination, it felt like a boxing match between an old veteran and an upcomer where the young buck stuns the former great. Just two heavyweights going at it. Sadly, Hunter broke his wrist in this elimination and it cost him his shot at the final.
3 Kyle vs Theo War of the Worlds 1
The rare elimination where both players earn their stripes. Kyle floated through Vendettas on an amazing social game. When he lost three eliminations on Final Reckoning while partnered with Brad, everyone thought he got lucky the first time. During War of the Worlds, he was consistently doubted and people attributed his success to Mattie carrying him. Kyle worked his ass off to prove himself because everyone would attribute his success to his partners. After almost dying in the junkyard daily challenge, Kyle went up against the pro sprinter Theo in Hall Brawl.
Theo had never been in an elimination before. Kyle took advantage of this fact in the first round and used his physicality to his advantage. Kyle got low pushed Theo back and was able to get the first round win. In the second round, Kyle seems to have it, that is until Theo drags Kyle’s leg and then arm before sprinting off to get the second point. The third round is an immediate collison with the two players wrestling one another for an extended period. Because Theo is an actual professional sprinter, Kyle knows he needs to push Theo back significantly or he’ll be out run. In the end, Theo gets it, he wins 2–1. Everyone watching knows Kyle has heart, and that Theo is a force to be reckoned with.
2 Jordan and Marlon vs Leroy and Ty
I wrote about this elimination and the #1 elimination literally last week. Also, Leroy has played Hall Brawl three times. MTV, maybe give him a puzzle every once in a while.
This elimination was perfect for these men. They played the same game as Derek/Robb vs Tyrie/Dunbar. Jordan and Ty were lined up to sprint against each other. Marlon was an All Big 12 football player on a legendary Texas Tech team. He was set to block against Leroy, who on Rivals 2 was still in prime shape and was built like a brick-house. When you watch this elimination, you really wonder how someone like Leroy did not have a college football career or spend some time in the octagon. Leroy in his prime could go toe to toe in strength with some of the toughest guys in Challenge history.
In round one, Jordan’s speed catches them off guard and the rookies get the first point. During the second round, Leroy puts on the gas and pushes both Marlon and Jordan hard, allowing Ty to get the second point and tie it up. In round three, Leroy does the exact same thing, only Ty is held back right near the bell by Marlon. Leroy had gotten Jordan almost back to the starting position, but Jordan hits the X button for a spin move and gets enough room to sprint for the bell and pull out the victory.
This is pure unadulterated testosterone. Jordan and Marlon are the only two in the building not stunned by the win.
1 Zach and Sam vs CJ and Jasmine
I was considering flipping this elimination with the previous one despite ranking this elimination higher in the previous article. Partially to fuck with people, and partially because these two are truly neck and neck.
Sam and Jasmine have their battle in this elimination where Sam picks up an easy 2–0 win. This matters though, because CJ beats Zach, and it forces a sudden death overtime. However, let’s breakdown the first round between Zach and CJ real quick. CJ, a former college football punter, remembers his tackling drills and just takes out Zach’s legs before he gets a chance to put a hit on CJ. CJ uses the lack of space in the hallway to his advantage. He picks up two rounds in easy fashion and forces the overtime. The best part about this is after Zach loses, he begins hyping up CJ in the confessional by noting “CJ is an MMA fighter, he’s older than me…” Zach knows that you at least want to lose to someone who looks impressive.
In the first overtime round, CJ gets low once again, takes a point and he’s almost done it, he’s almost eliminated Goliath twice. Now, I’m gonna quote my previous article to describe what happens after:
“TJ blows the horn for the second overtime round, and Zach leaps over CJ when he attempts to hit him low. I was still very new to the Challenge when I watched that elimination the first time, and let me tell you, my jaw dropped. The concept of one big male jumping over another grown man in a tiny hallway never crossed my mind until it happened. CJ expects Zach to repeat the same strategy the next round, Zach does not go for a leap, and out-muscles CJ to get the third point and eliminate Team Cancun.”
The game is over and man, what a comeback. It’s one of the weirdest feelings ever, because CJ was the guy. This is the most the Challenge has ever felt like Game of Thrones (not S8). Nowadays, the closest we get to Game of Thrones is Bear fucking his cousin.
