The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras Player Preview: Theo Campbell
Few people have come in hotter to begin their Challenge career than Theo Campbell. In two seasons, Theo Campbell had a close second-place finish, completed the hardest Final in Challenge history, compiled a 4–1 elimination record, and got into so much drama that he could’ve had 8–9 future rival pairings. You would’ve thought Theo would soon be popping bottles to celebrate multiple future Challenge Championships.
Instead, it was a champagne cork incident that left him permanently partially blind in one eye, derailing both his life and Challenge career. After more than four years off the show, Theo finally got to return on World Championships and now he’s back for Season 40 trying to make up for list.
Theo’s Cheat Sheet
Introducing Theo:
Before he was on Reality TV, Theo Campbell was a professional sprinter with aspirations of making it to the Olympics. While Theo never made the Olympics, he was quite good. He once posted a 400-meter dash time of 46.02 seconds, which is less than three seconds off the world record. To suffice: he fast.
He made his Reality TV debut on Love Island Season 3, the same season that brought us Georgia Harrison and Gabby Allen. Theo did not have a long run on this show, making him cheap and easy to cast on The Challenge. He debuted on War of the Worlds 1 as part of the massive rookie crop and made an immediate contender. After finishing 3rd among prospects in the opening draft, Theo got rewarded as somehow Cara Maria slipped to third, and by taking her, they were an immediate power duo. I’ll say this: Theo had a bit of tentativeness in the opening daily challenges where he didn’t seem like a natural with heights or have the natural knack for the wackier carnival game stuff.
It didn’t matter, though, because Theo’s raw athleticism, fitness, and intelligence carried him — and having a strong partner in Cara helped. Together, they made it into 4 out of 8 Tribunals, and nobody dared to call them out for elimination. Had the game stayed pairs, I feel comfortable saying they would’ve been the favorites to win. On WOTW 1, Theo also formed a UK alliance with Ashley Cain, Georgia, and Redacted, and together, they succeeded in getting some big names out early in the game. On top of the game, Theo got into a ton of drama throughout the season. He immediately found himself in a feud with Ashley and Amanda, got into it with Nany at one point, and even had a bit of a thing going on with Leroy partly because Theo had begun a showmance with Kam. Theo also had an ongoing rivalry with Wes, where he continually called him Wesley, which always made me chuckle because his name is actually Weston.
When the game hit the individual portion, Theo won an opening immunity at Final 7 and then went into the last male elimination after Kyle called him out for a Hall Brawl. It was an interesting Hall Brawl. While Theo was taller and much faster than Kyle, Kyle had more experience in headbangers, and with the setup of a Hall Brawl, he could easily get low on Theo. It was a close 2–1 battle where Theo toughed it out, and his athleticism won out. He got to the Final as a Rookie, and in the hardest Final in Challenge history, Theo won Day 1 and put up a good overall performance, except on Day 2, he faltered in an eating portion and the last math/kayak portion. Turbo sneaked out the win, and Theo finished in 2nd Place. Looking at how stacked the male cast of War of the Worlds is, finishing 2nd Place in the hardest Final is nothing to scoff at. Hell, I’d rank Theo’s 2nd Place Finish above 80% of Challenge Championship wins. Looking back…I personally believe Theo was the better overall player than Turbo, and he fucked up in some big spots. Also, I think the franchise would’ve been in a better place had Theo won the season.
Theo returned for War of the Worlds 2 as part of Team UK. Unfortunately for Theo, he was on the wrong side of the numbers from the jump and thus got thrown into elimination after elimination. Theo first defeated Johnny Bananas in an elimination where they had to move while inside tiny cages — with how lanky Theo is, the elimination felt built for Bananas, and still, Theo pulled off the win. Theo then beat Kyle with relative ease in a cardio/endurance elimination and proceeded to destroy Idris in a puzzle elimination, even with Idris getting help from the crowd.
We also saw Theo getting in multiple big blow-ups. He had an ongoing rivalry with Rogan; he had a fight with Paulie where Paulie basically kissed him and even talked shit to CT. None of it was fake bravado either — when Theo asked to see CT in elimination, he genuinely thought he could beat him.
I do think Theo made an error by refusing to turncoat to Team U.S. after any of his eliminations. Then again, he was actively fighting against both the U.S. Team and his own team. It was a two-front war for Theo. Theo’s game ended after he lost to Jordan in a sledgehammer elimination — a similar elimination that Jordan had proven to excel in.
Although he lost, Theo was prime to be a contender for seasons to come. That is until a freak champagne cork incident resulted in Theo basically losing vision in one eye. This injury made it difficult for Theo to get cleared insurance-wise for future seasons, especially with so many dangerous height challenges. Losing Theo from the show in his prime was a real shame as he was the total package: a shit-stirrer, an elite competitor, and always down for a hookup. Had Theo been on Total Madness, Double Agents, or Spies, Lies & Allies, he would’ve been a Top 3 contender to win on each season, especially with how weak the male casts were on those seasons in comparison to War of the Worlds.
Theo would later appear on Ex on the Beach alongside his ex and future 2x Champion Kaz Crossley. His name would get tossed around for seasons, and apparently, he & Georgia were in consideration for Ride or Dies, but we dropped two weeks before filming. They would’ve been a great addition to that season. Eventually, Theo got his chance at redemption as he got cast on World Championships, where he ended up partners with Sarah Lacina. When spoilers came out that they were paired and went to the Final, most assumed they dominated the season. Nope. Theo & Sarah were a lackluster team that did not win a single daily challenge until the last daily challenge, where they won by default as Jordan & Kaz had made a deal promising they would not win. It took Theo & Sarah an embarrassingly long time to win the daily, with Jordan & Kaz just sitting there and waiting to lose.
In the Final, Theo got injured, and they had to quit. It was an underwhelming run, and we didn’t get much of Theo all season. Hopefully, we will get a much more entertaining version of Theo this season and see him return to form as a competitor.
Skills and Physical Strength:
Theo’s speed and height are the two things that always stand out. Getting the first step on your opponent always gives you an edge in any physical elimination and even headbangers. Theo is tough to face in a Hall Brawl on the basis that he can make it 70% down the hallway before colliding with his opponent. His height comes in handy in little ways during certain daily challenges. It seems since his time off the show, Theo has added a bit more muscle in recent years.
Along with being fast, Theo’s cardio is spectacular as he completed that intense War of the Worlds 1 Final.
Let’s talk about red flags. Theo isn’t the strongest eater, which hurt him in the War of the Worlds 1 Final. Before his eye injury, Theo seemed a bit timid when it came to heights challenges, and now that his depth perception isn’t the same, I don’t expect him to do well in anything that requires balance/high-level coordination. To top off, Theo is below-average in the water as he ranked near the bottom in a swimming challenge on War of the Worlds 2. There’s a stunning amount of issues when it comes to Theo as a competitor that are often made up for by his raw athleticism.
SSMP (Social, Strategic, Mental, and Political) Game
Theo is a shithead. He enjoys getting on people’s nerves.
Most of his friends from his War of the Worlds era are simply not on this season. I don’t know if anyone on this cast has his back in a meaningful way other than Jenny. He is friendly with Jordan, but that’s not enough to carry him through the game. Theo has to make some friends on this cast, or he’ll have a big target. Based on social media, he and Olivia Kaiser are an item now, which I’m not sure is good for their game or not.
What should Theo do strategically? He should try to use any power he gets from winning a comp to make friends and deals because if not, he’ll be counting his days.
When it comes to the mental side of the game, Theo proved to be slightly above average with puzzles on WOTW 1 and 2. I do wonder whether his injury will affect his puzzle prowess. I’m not trying to say having bad vision makes you dumb, but I do think that in any memorization game or a comp where you have to recreate something , being able to see a diagram/code clearly is crucial.
Eliminations & Winning Potential:
Theo is 4–1 in eliminations, and his only loss is to Jordan. He’s done pretty damn good in the arena and done so with a resume of wins as he’s won a headbanger, an endurance elim, a carnival game, and a puzzle elim. I wonder how Theo would do in a headbanger because he’s so tall, so might it be a disadvantage? As a whole, I think Theo’s athleticism makes him dangerous in the elimination arena because he’ll always have the first and second step on his opponent.
Can Theo win? Of all the people on the cast, there’s nobody I have less of a gauge on than Theo. The guy I saw on War of the Worlds 1 would be a significant threat to win this game, even with a target on him. I just don’t know if Theo is that same guy ability-wise post-injury. Plus, you have to consider the fact that he’s going to have an uphill battle in this game politically. I’m going to say yes; he has a chance…IF Theo is still 90% of the guy from WOTW 1. Even then, the chance is slim.
