The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras Player Preview: Kyland Young
To get included in Season 40 when you made your MTV debut on Season 39 means two things: 1. You’re a great competitor, and 2. You better make some fucking noise. Kyland Young checks the first box for sure, and based on his history, he should check the second. The guy is simultaneously a game bot whose goal is always trying to figure out the best strategy in every challenge and just a genuinely passionate and emotional competitor; he always gives 110% and has a real desire to become a Champion. All the while…The guy is messy. Kyland is rumored to have had hookups with many people within the reality TV sphere. We’ve also seen him cuddled up with multiple people on our TV screens. He’s gotten into some tiffs (not just Mitchell) and arguments with cast members, where each time, Kyland’s had a big grin on his face while people are cursing him out or yelling at him.
Kyland is not your typical Reality TV cast member, but he achieves most of what you want with a Challenge personality and competitor. He’s a welcome addition to the franchise. He’s already made some history, and let’s see if he can continue to make some more.
Kyland’s Cheat Sheet
Introducing Kyland:
Originally from Southern California, Kyland made his Reality TV debut on Big Brother 23. Prior to Big Brother, Kyland was working in a 9–5 job as an account executive and spent many years complaining about random specific things on Twitter. On Big Brother, Kyland was part of the famous Cookout alliance, where six black competitors aligned and steam rolled the game socially, strategically, and competitively — to say they succeeded would be an understatement, as all six of them got to the final six, guaranteeing the show would have its first black winner. Kyland was a key figure in the alliance as he won 3 HOH’s, 3 Vetoes, and sat on the block multiple times. Without Kyland crushing comps, the Cookout might not have been anywhere near as successful. That said, there are weaknesses in Kyland’s social game, and there was criticism about how he talked to women in the house. Eventually, he got voted out at the Final Four, and during his exit, Kyland threw a stray at his alliance mate Xavier by mentioning Xavier’s nephew. It was the messiest moment of the season that basically stamped Kyland as a future Challenge personality.
Kyland, along with Xavier, Tiffany, Azah, Derek X, and Alyssa Lopez from his Big Brother season, would debut on The Challenge USA — the CBS spinoff featuring no previous MTV competitors. Going into this season, Kyland used ChatGPT to try and learn as much of The Challenge as he could before going in. Challenge USA was an almost immediate disaster for Kyland, as he & Azah partnered for the first daily challenge, where they came in last place, thus putting them directly into elimination. They had to face Love Island’s Cely & Javonny in Knot So Fast. In this elimination, we saw Kyland shine, as he immediately had strategies to tie his ropes, communicated with Azah well, and had a non-stop motor where he was even carrying her at times. Kyland & Azah won the elimination, and we continued to see him thrive.
Following Tyson winning the opening daily challenges back-to-back, Kyland won the next two back-to-back, first an endurance/mental comp with Angela as his partner and then crushing the trivia challenge with Alyssa Lopez as his partner. With the power he gained from these moves, Kyland made some interesting political decisions. He joined an alliance with Tyson & Angela, where he wanted to run the Final alongside the other best players; a naive move, especially as it felt more like they were using him. Additionally, after his win with Alyssa, he went with her plan to get revenge on Xavier for Big Brother, where they threw him & Azah into an elimination that they ultimately lost. It was a bit of a short-sighted petty move, as Xavier & Azah would’ve been allies, and it reduced their Big Brother numbers, giving Survivor players a stronghold. A couple of weeks later, Kyland and his partner (Love Island’s Kyra) got thrown into the final partners’ elimination, where they got upset in a funky trivia/physical elimination against Alyssa Lopez and Amazing Race’s Leo Temory. It was a brutal loss for Kyland as he lost to a much weaker guy.
Had Kyland won that elimination, I am confident he would’ve gone to the Final even if he had gotten thrown into the last two eliminations, as he would’ve destroyed any one of David, Enzo, or Domenick in a Hall Brawl or Balls. If Kyland had been in the Final, I don’t think he would’ve beaten Danny — but I do think if he had been there and the women in the game had another strong male to be their partner in portions, they ended up having to do alone…Then I think we might’ve had a different female winner on USA 1.
Kyland was then made an alternate for Challenge USA 2 and The World Championships. Getting left as an alternate for USA 2 ended up being for the better, as it allowed him to do Season 39: Battle For A New Champion, where he really made a name for himself. Going into the BFANC, Kyland was facing an uphill battle where there was not a single person on the cast with whom he had done a show with prior. When Kyland arrived, he was told there would be a “United States alliance”; really it was a Ride or Dies/Spies, Lie & Allies alliance. For those people in the game, Kyland was part of their alliance when it was convenient, and when it wasn’t, he was the enemy. Kyland also put a target on his back by having a showmance with Melissa, who was politically on the outside, along with Big T. We saw Kyland talk some shit to Asaf in defense of Melissa in a way that was messy and entertaining and made the target on him even larger. Also, Melissa might’ve had a boyfriend at home who was looking after her kid while she and Kyland were hooking up, which made it a bit more interesting.
Throughout the game, we saw Kyland kickass in elimination. Hughie called him out for an early elimination, and Kyland beat him in a carnival game elimination. When the game hit the second phase, we saw Kyland win not one but TWO mercenary eliminations. He defeated Darrell by a decent margin in a highly physical game of skill, balance, and coordination. And then Kyland blew the brakes off of Brad harder than Tori Hall’s divorce lawyer did in an agility/cardio elimination.
Following Melissa’s exit, we saw Kyland get a little flirty with Ravyn, and then he had an alliance/camaraderie with Horacio, Zaza, and Nurys. Eventually, we saw Kyland pitted against Horacio & Zaza in a three-way elimination that allowed for two winners — Horacio came in 1st, and Kyland came in 2nd. Technically, this gave Kyland his 4th elimination of the win, which made only the third male in Challenge history to win 4 solo eliminations in one season, with Derrick on Gauntlet 2 and Chris Underwood on Challenge USA being the other two. I believe he was also only the 12th player in Challenge history to win four in a season, though it’s getting hard to track with all the spinoffs, redemptions, yadda yadda.
On top of all that, Kyland also might’ve had a fling with Olivia after Melissa was gone. Which made Olivia burning him, Horacio, and Nurys hurt extra hard. Kyland & Horacio lost to Nurys in that iconic three person. Had Kyland won that elimination, he would’ve had a pretty decent shot to win that Final. Although, he would’ve likely gotten thrown into every elimination during that Final.
Skills and Physical Strength:
There’s something about Kyland where I’m never overwhelmed by his athleticism, yet he is clearly a very good and capable athlete. He’s around 6' and has a broad build, perfect for lifting heavy weights and doing physical damage. As we saw him in his elimination with Brad, Kyland’s cardio is ridiculous, and he has what it takes to run a Final. I keep holding my breath, waiting to see what Kyland’s flaw is physically or as an athlete, and I haven’t seen one. Again, when I watch Kyland, I don’t get the vibe that he’s on the level of a Landon or a CT, but I also think he’s more able than the Tony’s & Leroy’s. Honestly, that kind of puts Kyland in the Johnny Bananas territory.
Which is a great territory to be in. I can envision Bananas beating most players in a Pole Wrestle by using his strength but also his brain, and then losing to the physical powerhouses. Kyland fits a similar bill.
I want to see Kyland compete in a true headbanger on S40. We’ve never seen him in one, and I think he’ll do well in it — nonetheless, I need to see it so I can gauge what type of player he is.
SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game:
Each season Kyland’s played, he’s tried to go with the simple strategy of aligning with the other top players in the house. There is a hubris to him where he believes he can beat anyone in a Final. It’s not worked either season, and I’d say his goal should be to make a Final before deciding he wants to beat the best. Kyland’s focus needs to be on making authentic, strong connections in the house. He also needs to make sure that he doesn’t get lost in the sauce. Kyland is known for hooking up a ton in the Reality TV world, and he had 2–3 hookups last season alone. His focus should be on making friends first — polidicking is a real strategy; being a guy just trying to get it in can damage your game and reputation in the house.
I will note that Kyland has been put in a tough situation where the only people he’s done a season with before are Horacio, Nurys, Michele, and Olivia. That’s only 4 out of 39 people. This means Kyland has actively reach out and make some friends. We know Horacio & Nurys have his back at least.
The mental side of the game is where Kyland typically thrives. He does a great job of seeing a daily challenge or elimination and figuring out the most efficient strategy. At the same time, Kyland will occassionally get fixated on a certain strategy and show an unwillingness to adapt. His mind is what can lead him to victory or a devastating loss. Kyland is generally good with puzzles and math, although the free-draw tangram on BFANC is what did him in.
Eliminations & Winning Potential:
Kyland is 5–2 in eliminations, and he’s played in games of endurance, strategy, carnival games, and mini-final exiles. He’s done well in most of them — even his loss on USA 1 came down to random trivia. If there’s any problem-solving aspect in the elimination, Kyland has an edge over most of his opponents. Again, as I mentioned above, I would love to see Kyland compete in a headbanger to get a sense of what he can do. He’s around 6', 200 lbs, and played high school football, so my inclination is that he’d do pretty damn well.
Can Kyland win? On paper, Kyland has the cardio, theoretical puzzle skills, and the heart/drive necessary to win. Kyland is on an upward trajectory, and I can picture him winning. However, my brain says that a person who has NEVER run a Final before beating potentially multiple Champions seems like a massive leap of fate. I think Kyland has a shot to win — it’s just not super likely. A good amount of people don’t even have a shot, though.
Kyland’s Overall Rating: 88/100
Previous Ratings I’ve Given Kyland:
Battle For A New Champion: 84/100
