The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras Player Preview: KellyAnne Judd

Flat out, KellyAnne Judd is one of the Top 5 greatest female competitors in Challenge history without the title of Champion. Since her original debut, KellyAnne has always been a quality competitor and has literally finished as the #1 overall placing female on a season. On top of being a great competitor, KellyAnne has been an authentic reality TV character. She’s messy, she’s stubborn, she’s fun, she’s charismatic, and she leaves it all on the field.

No matter the format, The Challenge always needs some KellyAnne and I’m glad she’s on Season 40.

KellyAnne’s Cheat Sheet

Introducing KellyAnne:

Originally from Texas, KellyAnne made her reality TV debut at the age of 20 on the Real World Sydney. She immediately caught attention with her looks, energetic personality, and the fact she was also willing to pop off on people. Which we saw translate to her Challenge debut on The Island. Along with Evelyn, KellyAnne was the most vocal person on The Island about how poorly Kenny & Johnny were treating the women. They were an army of two against the misogynist mob.

KellyAnne was also just as much as bite as she was bark, as she immediately proved herself as a competitor from the jump by defeating the legendary Rachel Robinson (and Robin) in an intense endurance-based Island face-off. It was especially impressive as Rachel would go on to dominate The Duel 2 the very next season. Unfortunately, KellyAnne would go on to have her Key stolen by Ryan before the Final in an extreme display of cowardice by him. In the last face-off, KellyAnne was one of many to lose to her new best friend, Evelyn. After this, we’d see KellyAnne go on to have one of the most drunk and explosive Challenge reunion performances.

After appearing on The Island, KellyAnne began seriously dating Wes Bergmann outside the house following his split from Johanna, and they were maybe even living together. They went on The Ruins, where Wes was Public Enemy #1, which made KellyAnne Public Enemy #2. People tried to make their lives hell inside the house. By Episode 2, they pitted KellyAnne and her best friend Evelyn against each other, resulting in Wes and Evelyn’s throwing one of the biggest tantrums in Challenge history. We then got a very awkward elimination where Evelyn showed everyone she could beat KellyAnne if she wanted to, then threw it to her friend. Regardless, Kellyanne was still a solid competitor on a bad Challengers team. She defeated Veronica in elimination and then ended up going to the Final. KellyAnne and Sarah gave the Champions a run for their money with a walk across a balance beam and a puzzle ultimately being what stumped them.

Also, KellyAnne’s boyfriend Wes had his game and legendary elimination win streak ended by her Real World Sydney friend and ex-Cohutta. They would later break up at some point before/after Fresh Meat 2. Rumor is once KellyAnne found out about him & Theresa, she threw a party at Wes’s house.

Despite two great seasons, we wouldn’t see KellyAnne on The Challenge for another seven years. Following Diem’s passing, KellyAnne decided to give The Challenge another shot, and she returned for Battle of the Bloodlines, where she competed alongside her cousin Anthony — who I’m not sure if they were actually blood-related at all. What’s funny is that they were on opposite sides of the house politically as Anthony was a Bananas minion, and KellyAnne was siding with the rookie guys/was anti-Bananas. She also had an under-the-radar showmance with Dario Medrano and then a beef with Aneesa. This season, KellyAnne proved she was still a strong competitor as he beat Nany in an endurance elimination — which you have to remember, Nany was coming off a 2nd Place Finish on Free Agents and a ton of redemption wins on Exes 2. KellyAnne almost got through the team phase of the game before barely losing a dizzy puzzle-stacking challenge against Jenna in elimination.

One of my more obscure Challenge theories is that if KellyAnne’s puzzle had not fallen, I think she and Anthony would’ve likely won Bloodlines. He was an engineer and a cross-fit guy, so he likely had the puzzle skills for a Final; meanwhile, KellyAnne has excellent cardio and eating skills and is generally competent across the board. Considering how poorly Cara & Jamie and Cory & Mitch performed in that Final…I could imagine a world where they win. Also, in this world you assume that Cory & Mitch still sweep the final two dailies and try to go for Bananas/Vince & Cara/Jamie as the biggest Final threat.

KellyAnne went back for Rivals 3 with Cara’s cousin Jamie. You would think they’d make for a strong pair with him as the reigning Champion. They weren’t. They struggled in a majority of daily challenges as they had no communication skills. Their lone accomplishment was beating Nelson and Amanda in a frozen water bath and puzzle elimination. The following week, they got bounced by Wes and Nany in a blind soccer elimination, where Nany manhandled KellyAnne.

While I wouldn’t say Kellyanne’s two-season return was the best, I still thought she brought an incredible personality to the show and had those glimpses of being an elite competitor. She said yes to doing Vendettas and was shockingly made an alternate. There were so many opportunities to bring back KellyAnne over the years that the fact it took until All-Stars 1 was shocking. On All-Stars 1, KellyAnne was clearly one of/if not the top female players as she consistently crushed the daily challenges and won the final daily to guarantee her spot in the Final. In the Final, KellyAnne shit the bed a bit in the first two portions, narrowly escaping getting Purged to start and finishing 4th in portion two. KellyAnne then swept every other portion of the Final and was the top-placing female in the last marathon-esque hiking trek, where she tied with Jonna for #1 Overall among women. I’ve said it many times, I hate one-winner formats. To me, KellyAnne & Jonna both deserved the title of Challenge Champion, and with that last portion being purely individual, I would argue that KellyAnne deserved the title more, even though Jonna had a much better and more emotional story.

KellyAnne went back for All-Stars 3. She and Kendal were a unit after forming a bond and friendship on All-Stars 1. That bond and the fact that they were good competitors put a target on them. KellyAnne’s journey this season was up and down, where she kicked ass in some daily challenges and then looked awful in others. She also developed a rivalry with Sylvia & Kailah from this season. KellyAnne avoided elimination partly because All-Stars 3 had so many women who got injured or quit. Including Veronica’s toe injury, which saved KellyAnne from facing Kailah in a Pole Wrestle in the final elimination of the season. KellyAnne went to the All-Stars 3 Final, and she laid an egg. She came in last after Day 1 and was given an opportunity for a clean slate if she could beat Kailah in a geography crossword puzzle elimination. KellyAnne couldn’t do that, so she got purged out, finishing in 4th.

While KellyAnne still did not have the title of Champion, production decided to bring her in for The Challenge World Championships. KellyAnne was the last woman selected in the draft by the UK’s Tristan Phipp, and they followed that up with a disastrous first daily challenge performance where they barely beat Nelson & Jujuy in a puzzle. We saw KellyAnne fall off the rails and play a messy political game after the poor showing, and then she got thrown into elimination by her supposed friend & ally Jonna. This led to a schism and the beginning of a beef/rivalry between the two.

KellyAnne & Tristan faced off against Nelson & Jujuy, and as poorly as Nelson & Jujuy performed, KellyAnne killed the elimination for their elimination. It was a moment where, among the chaos, you can see why KellyAnne got the invite for this season. Throughout the rest of the World Championships, KellyAnne proved to be a badass player who was willing to make moves politically, who was winning daily challenges, and who held her own with some of the best. In a cast filled with some of the strongest players in Challenge history, there were moments on World Championships where KellyAnne looked just as good if not better than some Champions. Again, though, she also had moments where she’d look frazzled and out of her depth. The KellyAnne variance is high. Ultimately, that season ended for her as she & Tristan lost an elimination to the power duo of Darrell & Kiki — which is an entirely respectable loss.

Season 40 will mark KellyAnne’s first MTV season in 8 or 9 years. It’s long overdue, and it will be tough sledding against such a strong cast. Still, KellyAnne is a badass and a fun reality personality to watch.

Player Vitals & Stats

KellyAnne: 38 Years Old, 5'4*, 7 Seasons*, 3x Finalist, 6–5 Elimination Record, 1st Place Female on Challenge All-Stars 1

* = includes stats from All-Stars & WC

Skills and Physical Strength:

The obvious red flag for KellyAnne is her size. She’s super petite and does not weigh very much, so in any competition that comes down to raw size, lifting, or a headbanger, KellyAnne will get outmatched by a decent amount of this cast. KellyAnne is scrappy, has great muscular endurance, and is strong for her size. I could imagine KellyAnne holding her own in a Pole Wrestle against a slightly bigger competitor than her, like Averey, Nurys, or Tina, because she’s got so much heart and grit. Even then, I’d expect KellyAnne to lose to anyone in the upper half of physical competitors.

KellyAnne’s size does come with its advantages, though. She has outstanding core strength, flexibility, and mobility. If any challenge involves a player having to lift their own body weight, KellyAnne is at a distinct advantage. Additionally, she’s a solid swimmer, is excellent in heights challenges, and is quietly one of the best eaters in Challenge history. KellyAnne’s eating ability gave her & Sarah an edge in The Ruins; she crushed a bug-eating challenge on Bloodlines, and her ability to devour a giant plate of gross meat on All-Stars 1 allowed her to make a comeback in the Final. Looking back, had she gotten to Part 2 of the All-Stars 3 Final, KellyAnne’s eating ability would have given her an edge over Jonna and maybe even the win.

SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game:

I don’t know if there’s even been a more volatile player when it comes to puzzles than KellyAnne. Sometimes, KellyAnne will figure out a puzzle that is troubling everyone else like nothing, and other times, she’ll throw a tantrum and a fit over a 3rd-grade puzzle. I have noticed KellyAnne does pretty well with memorization and more deconstructive code-like puzzles. Where she struggles is with 3D puzzles and tangrams. When KellyAnne has to build something, she panics.

The social and political game is typically an issue for KellyAnne. Even though she’s incredibly fun to party with and super charismatic, KellyAnne always seems to be on the opposite end of the major alliance, no matter who that alliance seems to be. Entering this season, KellyAnne will likely be anti-Bananas as she’s been for 15+ years, which can be a problem as Bananas wields a decent amount of power in this game. She also has enemies in this game, such as Jonna, Aneesa, Tori, and Kaycee. The deck is looking stacked against KellyAnne. Cara Maria & Paulie are friendly with KellyAnne, although those two might have big targets on their back, so the association isn’t the best.

Eliminations & Winning Potential:

KellyAnne’s career elimination record is 6–5, and I think that number is perfectly indicative of the player she is. She is definitely better than average, but she is also just hit or miss. She thrives in elimination, which comes down to endurance, core strength, or carnival games.

Where KellyAnne struggles is anything where she can get bowled over physically or involves something mental where she might panic.

Can KellyAnne win? I hate to say no. KellyAnne was my prediction to win on both All-Stars 1 and All-Stars 3, and I’d say one of those panned out. She’s one of the best female competitors never to win, and she has the cardio & heart required to win a Final. However, this is a stacked cast, and KellyAnne’s path in this game is never easy. She has so many enemies and opponents that she’ll need to overcome to win that I don’t see it happening. If it does, KellyAnne will pull off one of the greatest wins in show history, and then we begin evaluating whether or not she’s a Top 10–15 all-time female competitor.

KellyAnne’s Overall Rating: 84/100

Previous Ratings I’ve Given KellyAnne:
All-Stars 3: 84/100