Which MTV Challenge Competitor Is Your Favorite NFL Team in 2025?

The NFL season is ready to kickoff and to celebrate it, I decided to crack my knuckles, dust off my keyboard, and do a Challenge blog for the first time in over a month. As someone who has written nearly 1,000 Challenge blogs and is professionally paid to know sports, I decided to blend the two worlds and find an MTV Challenge competitor comparison for every NFL team entering the 2025 season. Now, I do want to make a few notes going in. First off, I was born in 1996. So while I could recite the history of the Super Bowl and all its winners & MVPs, most of my football knowledge & perspective on these teams comes from the last 20–25 years. Second, many of my comparisons of these NFL teams to the Challengers quickly devolve into comparing QBs to the Challengers. This is because, in large part, an NFL team’s identity typically becomes whoever its starting QB is at the time. And third, I had to stretch my imagination because there isn’t always a perfect fit for all 32 teams.

Also, I’ve excluded Season 41 rookies from this list to avoid any spoilers for that season, and because I haven’t watched a full episode of Season 41 yet either. Now, let’s jump into this blog where I might piss off a bunch of you because I shit on your NFL team or gave your favorite team a Challenger you might hate!

New England Patriots — CT

Both originating from New England, the Patriots & CT each existed for a long time before winning their first championships and have since won numerous titles. The Patriots have won 6 Super Bowls in contrast to CT’s 5 Challenge Championships. Half of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins came in the 2010s during an era where people kept waiting for them to fall off, and instead, they hit a second gear. Likewise, CT, in his “post-prime”, racked up 3 Challenge Championships in the late 2010s/early 2020s. Additionally, CT’s most iconic seasons — The Duel 1 & Rivals 1 — were seasons he lost, which is eerily similar to the Patriots losing the Super Bowl during their undefeated season.

The Sun has finally set on the Patriots’ dynasty as they come off three straight awful seasons, and the Bill Belichick era is over. CT lost unceremoniously in Season 40 and is in worse physical shape in Season 41. Somehow, CT’s relationship and crashouts with his adult film star girlfriend, Catalina, look tame compared to Bill Belichick’s relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson.

Buffalo Bills — Kam Williams

When Josh Allen first came on the scene, he immediately made his mark as an athlete, physically, as he made plays with his feet and occasionally threw a crazy deep ball. The question mark was whether he could be accurate and run a proper offense. When Kam came on The Challenge, she dominated in the elimination arena, and we wonder whether she could do more. Over time, Kam flexed political prowess and improved significantly as a daily challenge competitor.

Both Josh Allen and Kam have had MVP-level seasons, and they have the respect of most critics, yet both have been unable to break through to a Championship. That said, Bills Mafia rides hard, and Kam’s stans put their queen on a pedestal. I would love to see the Bills, Josh Allen, and Kam to finally win one; if they don’t, they’ll be regarded as one of the best franchises and players to never win.

Miami Dolphins — Nurys Mateo

When Mike McDaniel first gained notoriety, his quirky & irreverent style earned him a lot of fans & social media clout. When Nurys first appeared on The Challenge, her confessional looks & personality garnered her some attention. Then we saw McDaniel’s high-powered offense with Tyreek Hill and Nurys’ puzzle skills in full force on Season 39, and they each looked like potential mega stars. Unfortunately, there have been flaws in each of their systems & the way they play the game. McDaniels’ Dolphin teams have struggled against elite physical squads and have had difficulty converting in short down situations. On The Challenge side, Nurys has a lack of swimming ability and got murked in a Hall Brawl against Olivia. McDaniels’s irreverent interview style and Nurys’s social media behavior began to earn them backlash once they started losing, and they’re no longer the darlings they were just 1–2 years ago.

I will say, I’m probably one of the few who still believe in both.

New York Jets — Brad Fiorenza

The Brad & Jets comparison might throw some off — well, they’re both very notable franchises that only have one championship under their belts. Brad owning elimination wins over Landon, CT, and Frank eerily reminds me of Mark Sanchez having playoff wins over Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Phil Rivers, and yet, the Jets never won the Super Bowl those seasons, and neither did Brad. Mark Sanchez had the butt fumble and Brad had the atomic wedgie.

Recently, it seems as though the Jets do their best when nobody expects it, and whenever they have expectations, they often disappoint greatly. The Jets’ Aaron Rodgers run felt similar to Brad going against a weak male field on All-Star 4 and putting up one of the worst seasons of his career.

After a series of recent losses, Brad finally seems to be in a better mental state. Brad has a new girlfriend, and the Jets have Justin Fields. Hoping for the best in each situation, although history is never on their side.

Kansas City Chiefs — Jordan

I know they lost the Super Bowl last year, and Jordan just won Season 40, but the Chiefs are still the top franchise currently in the NFL, just as Jordan is the top dog on The Challenge. The Chiefs have won 3 Super Bowls, gone to 5, and been to six straight AFC Championship games since 2019. In the same time span, Jordan has won three championships and advanced to four finals, including a Finals appearance alongside Aneesa as a partner.

Anyone who says Jordan isn’t the GOAT competitor of The Challenge is ridiculous. On that same note, anyone who doesn’t already include Patrick Mahomes as a Mount Rushmore QB is silly. Mahomes is a 2x MVP and has put up astronomical numbers running a high-powered offense where he’s pulled off some of the craziest throws I’ve ever seen. He has also proven to be a game-changer, winning with limited weapons. I understand that people get annoyed watching Mahomes manipulate the refs with the way he scrambles and will bait them into issuing unnecessary roughness/roughing the passer penalties. However, there’s an absolute science to the way Mahomes plays the game, and I tip my cap because he’ll do whatever it takes to win — just like Jordan does on The Challenge. Jordan will find whatever loophole or trick he can pull off to get the win against his opponents. Mahomes and Jordan are two of the most skilled athletes I’ve ever watched compete.

Sidenote: had the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year, Kelce would’ve proposed to Taylor Swift the same way Jordan did to Tori after his elimination win on War of the Worlds 2.

Los Angeles Chargers — Michaela Bradshaw

NFL film nerds & Chargers fans will yell at you that Justin Herbert is a true elite and one-of-a-kind QB. Likewise, Challenge scholars like myself have shouted similar things about Michaela Bradshaw and even compared her to the legendary Evelyn Smith. Both Herbert and Michaela have proven themselves with some impressive feats & moments early in their career. Herbert threw for over 5,000 yards in his second season, and Michaela won the most individual dailies on USA 2. Michaela won height-based dailies despite being afraid of heights, and Herbert won 11 games last year despite having limited weapons and Greg Roman as an offensive coordinator.

Despite all the flashes Herbert has shown, he’s still the guy who was on the losing side of a blown 27-point playoff lead and the guy who threw 4 interceptions against the Texans in the playoffs last year. On The Challenge end, Michael is still the girl who was a first boot her rookie season and technically DQ’d in the USA 2 Final.

Some people will already call Herbert & Michaela elite, while others need to see them earn those titles.

Las Vegas Raiders — Darrell Taylor

There is a history of Championships and winning behind the Raiders that has become far removed. Darrell was the first player to win 4 Challenge Championships, but he hasn’t won since 2006. I know Darrell is a Bay Area native, and he might be a 49ers fan, so apologies if I’m insulting him with this comparison.

Anyway, people still love the Raiders; the jerseys, colors, and logos are forever iconic. Physically, Darrell still looks as good as he did over twenty years ago when he was winning Championships. There’s always going to be people who believe in Darrell and the Raiders. And you know what, I love Pete Carroll’s old ass, I like Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, and Geno Smith is one of the only QB’s with the balls to throw down the field these days. So let’s fucking go.

Denver Broncos — Turbo Johnson

Turbo won the hardest season & Final in Challenge history without any understanding of The Challenge social or political game. The 2015 Denver Broncos were Super Bowl Champions and defeated the Patriots and a 17–1 dominant Panthers team despite having little to no QB or RB production. The Broncos have not been able to replicate the same success, despite having some strong defenses, as the QB question is always in the air. I’d argue Turbo’s run on Ride or Dies was reminiscent of the Nathaniel Hackett Broncos coaching tenure. Fast forward to present day. Bo Nix had a good rookie season, and Turbo went deeper on All-Stars 5 than in his most recent runs. Do you think Turbo can still win, and are you a Sean Payton/Boliever?

Pittsburgh Steelers — Cara Maria Sorbello

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never had a losing season during the Mike Tomlin era, and as a franchise, they’ve won 2 Super Bowls since 2005, and they’re always a contender to make the playoffs. Cara Maria has won 2 Championships, and has the record for most female Final appearances. While the Steelers aren’t always a Super Bowl threat and Cara isn’t the strongest in Finals, they’re safe bets to be in the playoffs ever year. Notably, Cara Maria has surrounded herself with interesting personalities throughout her Challenge career and the Steelers have found themselves with questionable characters like Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Martavis Bryant.

Cara Maria is the most important female Challenger ever, and the Steelers have a legitimate claim as the greatest franchise in NFL history, considering their longstanding success. In 2025, they are both in interesting positions, as Cara is newly single and always a magnet for attention, given some of the content she posts & follows on social media, and the Steelers have entered the Aaron Rodgers phase, which will definitely end in some headlines.

Baltimore Ravens — Laurel Stucky

The Ravens have mostly been good for the majority of my life, just like their rivals, the Steelers. Laurel’s opening dominating run on The Challenge, where she was physically imposing and won 9 straight eliminations to start her career, reminded me of Ray Lewis and the 2000 Ravens and their historic defense. I’d say Laurel winning her second Championship on All-Stars 5 is like Ray Lewis getting his second chip as part of the 2012 Ravens — where he wasn’t quite the same player but still making an impact and was always intimidating.

In regard to the current-day Ravens, however, I do find similarities between Laurel and Lamar Jackson, as both have such high floors as players that the Ravens have a great chance to make the playoffs every season due to their sheer presence. Laurel is the greatest daily challenge & elimination female competitor in Challenge history, and Lamar is a 2x MVP with a career 70–24 record and could be the deadliest dual-threat QB in NFL history when all is said and done. There will always be questions about whether Laurel will hold up in a Final, and the same questions will get asked about Lamar’s abilities to come through in the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns — Aneesa Ferreira

This one is mostly self-explanatory. The Challenge has given Aneesa so many chances to compete and paired her with great partners, just like the Browns have received top picks, and neither has ever come close to winning. Between these two, there isn’t a safe shower or massage room.

Cincinnati Bengals — Cory Wharton

Staying on the same note of never winning, we gotta talk about Cory and the Bengals. Unlike Aneesa, Cory has been close to winning in the past and has achieved multiple 2nd-place finishes. As a franchise, the Bengals have appeared in three Super Bowls and lost, most recently in the 2021 season.

Last year, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase had massive seasons, putting up big numbers, and they still didn’t make the playoffs. On Season 40, Cory won three eliminations last season and was consistently a strong competitor, but didn’t make the Final. I really like the Bengals, but their current payroll is built entirely around Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and Hendrickson. The Bengals have paid for a Fantasy Football team, and this game is won in the trenches. You need a competent defense & offensive line, and the Bengals have eschewed that in favor of the high-profile names. Cory is a great athlete, but The Challenge is won these days with puzzles & cardio.

Houston Texans — Faysal Shafaat

The Houston Texans have existed for over 20 years now, but they are still the newest franchise in NFL history. Fessy has been around for a while to establish a resume on this show; however, he’s definitely not an OG, even if they put him on All-Stars. In their “brief” history, the Texans have made a bunch of playoff appearances, and Fessy’s made multiple Finals appearances. Fessy’s Finals performances have gone wrong in weird ways, similar to some of the Texans’ playoff forays. On Double Agents, Fessy’s partner, Kaycee, busted her knee, and in the early 2010s, Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart got her ready before the Texans’ first-ever postseason run. And before anyone scoffs at the name Matt Schaub, there was a 2–3 year span where he was a Top 5–10 QB. Then on USA 2, Fessy got screwed over by a random axe-throwing checkpoint just like the Texans got fucked by some penalties that Patrick Mahomes was able to draw during their Divisional Round game.

Right now, the Texans are a decent bet to make the playoffs, and Fessy is a likely to go to the Final on any season. Picking either to win is the stretch. It’s believable based on a talent standpoint; it’s unbelievable based on a history standpoint.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Leroy Garrett

The Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship game during their second season as a franchise, and Leroy began his career with a trip to the Finals. One would’ve expected both to be on the past to a Championship soon after, and it’s never happened. It’s also never going to happen. Leroy has been given golden opportunities & chances, and just never really comes that close. While he’s made multiple Finals appearances and the Jags have made playoff appearances, they’ve never led in the Final or reached the Super Bowl. The Challenge is about puzzles & cardio, and those are never going to be Leroy’s forte — on top of that, he’s always lacked a killer instinct. The Jaguars as a franchise lack a killer instinct, and this is reflected at the top of the organization. They have an owner who mismanages his team and has no football instincts. Leroy can’t even get it done while going against weaker All-Stars casts, and the Jags can’t take advantage of a weak AFC South; it’s utterly disappointing.

There was a point in time when Leroy was an elimination king, and there was a time when the Jags had great running backs, including Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. However, even those times have passed.

Indianapolis Colts — Frank Sweeney

In the 2000s, the Colts won the most regular-season games in the NFL with Peyton Manning at the helm as quarterback. While Frank Sweeney’s initial run on The Challenge was much shorter, he was undefeated, he ran the house the same way Peyton ran the offense, and each brought home a Championship. Watching the Colts try to compete in 2025 with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson as their QB’s reminds me of Frank coming back and having to compete with Sam as a partner on All-Stars 5.

Hand up, this isn’t the strongest comparison — the Colts have just been a weird franchise the past decade.

Tennessee Titans — Nany Gonzalez

Nany came so close to winning early in her Challenge career on Free Agents, just like the Titans came up short against the Rams in 2000 (yes, I know they were the Oilers before). Ever since then, Nany’s had some interesting runs that typically end in calamity. The Titans had a 13–3 season with Kerry Collins, which reminded me of Nany’s unlikely yet great partnership with Turbo on War of the Worlds 1, which ultimately got blown up by a twist involving the dissolution of partners. Nany had a serious relationship with Kaycee that led to some successful seasons, during which she went to three straight Finals. Meanwhile, the Titans had some runs with Ryan Tannehill, making multiple playoff appearances, but in neither case did they feel like a truly elite team. It was a boring and succesful tenure.

While she isn’t a Champion, Nany has had numerous exciting & interesting hookups throughout her Challenge tenure, similar to the Titans have had exciting players — ranging from Steve McNair, Vince Young, Chris Johnson, Eddie George, and Derrick Henry. And now, we have a newly single Nany, and it’s Cam Ward time for Tennessee!

Dallas Cowboys — Johnny Bananas

Unlike Johnny Bananas, the Cowboys do not have the most championships in NFL history, and they haven’t been to the NFC Championship game since 1996. Meanwhile, Bananas has gone to the Final in 4 of his last 6 seasons and won Total Madness as recently as 2020. Love ’em or hate ’em, though, the Cowboys are the most famous team in the NFL, and Johnny Bananas is the face of The Challenge. You could compare the Tom Landry era to the Bananas JEK era, where Landry (Evan & Kenny) was at the time bigger than Bananas & The Cowboys. When Bananas was “on his own”, he ripped off a bunch of wins, just like the 1990s Cowboys.

Ever since then, Jerry Jones has ridden that 90s era and touted it the same way Johnny Bananas still brings up stealing the money from Sarah on Rivals 3 a decade ago. Jerry Jones believes that as long as the Cowboys are being talked about, it’s good business. Johnny Bananas knows that as long as people are talking about him, then he is “The Challenge”. There are even some similarities between current Bananas and Dak Prescott. People constantly slight Bananas & Dak’s abilities, and yet Bananas beat Jordan & Fessy in eliminations on Ride or Dies, and then Dak led the NFL in Passing TD’s in 2023.

Philadelphia Eagles — Jenny West

The Eagles and Jenny West are both reigning Champions — additionally, they’ve both semi-recently won 2 Championships. Going into this next season, I think the Eagles are the favorites out of the NFC, and if Jenny were to be on any future season, she’d be the prohibitive favorite.

Jenny reminds me of both Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts. Early into last season, Nick Sirianna was on the “Hot Seat” and people were speculating about him being the first coach fired because the Eagles were 2–2 and he was shaving his head as a “meltdown move”. Jenny’s asthma surfaced as an issue during her elimination with Aneesa, and people began writing her off, despite her having dominated the Total Madness Final and consistently ranked in the Top 3 in most of the endurance daily challenges. As both a competitor and personality, Jenny doesn’t get the respect she deserves from fans or production the same way Jalen Hurts doesn’t. Everyone slept on Jalen Hurts because he lost his starting QB job in college at Alabama to Tua, and people weren’t ever able to shake that. Although he had an excellent college career, people looked at Hurts as damaged goods and someone with a limited ceiling. Jenny came into The Challenge as a 33-year-old rookie, and after that Hall Brawl loss to Tori, people slept on her the same way people overlooked Hurts.

There are constant conversations about what Jalen Hurts can’t do and that this Eagles system elevates him. It’s not his fault that the Eagles have drafted well and have talented players around Hurts. At the same time, Hurts has already proven to be one of the most deadly dual-threat QBs in NFL history, and there’s an outside chance that nobody is talking about that Jalen Hurts could retire with the most rushing TDs in NFL history. In four full years as a starter, Hurts has racked up 52 rushing TD’s — 13 a season. If he keeps that pace for another four seasons, he’ll be at 98 TDs; and then if he drops down to 8 TDs per season for the next eight after, he’ll be at 162, just two shy of Emmitt Smith. That was a big tangent, but if Jenny gets on another season, she’s one win away from tying for the most wins as a female competitor and could crush the record if she keeps going.

Washington Commanders — Horacio Gutierrez (specifically after Ride or Dies)

Prior to Season 41, we haven’t had a season with rookies on it since Ride or Dies. Thus, it isn’t easy to compare the upcoming sophomore season of Jayden Daniels to anyone currently in The Challenge world. So I will compare the Commanders & Daniels to Horacio right after Ride or Dies, where he looked like Landon 2.0 and was destined to be a future Champion. Sadly, Horacio has lost two straight seasons, one of which felt like it was made for him (Battle For A New Champion) and the other was a quick exit on Battle of the Eras. Now, it’s a question of whether or not we will ever see Horacio on The Challenge again.

There’s a real chance that the Commanders’ best season ever with Jayden Daniels was last year. They went 12–5, beat a strong Bucs team, and then demolished the 1-seed Lions in the playoffs. Last year was a special season, and with how tough it is to win in the NFL and with how injuries can change things in the blink of an eye, the Commanders might not pan out the same way they didn’t for Horacio.

Despite all of that, if you put a gun to my head, I’d say that Jayden Daniels does magical things on a football field, and even though they have a tough schedule this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl.

New York Giants — Ashley Mitchell

The New York Giants won two Super Bowls in a 5-year span from 2007–2012, which reminds me of Ashley Mitchell winning two out of her first main Challenge seasons. She was an unlikely champion in each outcome, especially in her first season of Invasion, where she faced a historically stacked female cast and yet came out on top, just as the Giants took down the undefeated Patriots. The fact that she won again so soon on Final Reckoning, with a million dollars on the line, felt like someone had hit the lottery twice. As I type that, it does seem bit as though I’m overlooking Ashley as a competitor, and yet at the same time, nobody rates those Giants Super Bowl Championships as one of the greatest teams ever to win. However, they are easily a couple of the most iconic wins, and I think the word icon is synonymous with Millionaire Mitchell.

The Giants and Ashley are teams of extremes, where going into any season, it feels like it’s either going to be boom or bust. She is either is flaming out early or going for a potential Championship run. Even on the seasons where Ashley loses early, she stills brings us memorable moments — just like the Giants giving us an Odell catch, Daniel Jones tripping during an open downfield run, or Tommy DeVito lighting it up. With Season 41, there are many reasons to doubt Ashley, but she also possesses puzzle-solving skills & cardio that can carry her to a win, and the Giants have one of the scariest defensive lines in NFL history right now.

Detroit Lions — Kyland Young

The current Dan Campbell era of the Lions reminds me a lot of Kyland’s foray into The Challenge, even though I think those men are diametrically opposite personalities. Many people were hesitant about Dan Campbell as an NFL Head Coach because they thought he was too much of a “meathead”. People wondered whether Kyland was too robotic to do well in a Challenge atmosphere. After a rough 2021, the Lions had a fun run in 2022 where they finished with a winning record and came up just short of the playoffs. I’d say Kyland’s Challenge USA run was similar — where he won multiple dailies and had an impressive Knot So Fast elimination win before getting taken out before the Final. Then in 2023, the Lions emerged as a playoff team and went to the NFC Championship — meanwhile, Kyland went on Season 39, won 4 eliminations, including defeating two mercenaries before Nurys pulled off the upset of the century to beat him & Horacio.

It felt like the natural step up from there would be a Super Bowl and a Championship. Well, the Lions had their best regular season in franchise history, and Kyland put in a historic season where he won 2 eliminations against Champions and won multiple individual daily challenges, including the mini Final. Then the Lions and their injury-depleted defense got their asses kicked by the Commanders, and Kyland’s chances of winning sank in a water-heavy final. Heading into 2025, the Lions are still quite good — except they enter the year without coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, so there are a lot of question marks around them. Kyland didn’t even get the chance to compete on 41 as production went in a different direction, although maybe he’ll be able to win The Amazing Race.

As a whole, I’d say Dan Campbell has been a great NFL Head Coach with a ton of guts & heart, but he’s underrated as a football mind & strategist. Kyland is a super robotic & analytical competitor who doesn’t get enough credit for the athlete that he is. These two start on different ends of the spectrum and meet in the middle.

Chicago Bears — Aviv Melmed

When you bring up the Bears, you talk about two things: 1. the 1985 Bears were Super Bowl Champions due to their legendary defense, and 2. they’ve never had a QB throw for over 4,000 yards or 30 TDs. When Challenge fans bring up Aviv, it’s two things: 1. She won Fresh Meat 1 and 2. Has never appeared on The Challenge in a meaningful way again.

Maybe Aviv can paint her toenails for Johnny Bananas’ attention.

Green Bay Packers — Zach Nichols

I think Zach’s Challenge career is comparable to both Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Favre, Rodgers, and Zach all won their Championships very early in their careers and then never were able to replicate the same postseason success. After winning a Super Bowl/Championship, they all had MVP-level seasons, putting up big numbers and proving to be excellent athletes. All three were prodigal talents who thought they were smarter than they actually were and were incredibly stubborn & difficult to work with, especially whenever they had to make an exit. I know it happened on the Jets, but Brett Favre was sending dick pics to sideline reporters, and Zach was getting caught on Bumble & calling Jenna the wrong name on phone calls home. Aaron Rodgers became more of a TV personality than a player, and Zach is now a full-time podcaster (he’s much better as a podcaster & personality than Rodgers).

If you’re a Packers fan, you have to hope Jordan Love follows in their footsteps because it means you’re getting at least 1 more Super Bowl. Sidenote: I like the Packers’ chances to win the NFC this year after the recent Micah Parsons deal.

Minnesota Vikings — Tori Deal

Tori now has a Challenge Championship, and the Vikings do not, so this comparison doesn’t hit perfectly. I’m still going with it because Tori always does her best on The Challenge when people count her out and she’s facing adversity. The Vikings went 13–3 and 14–3 in the last decade in seasons where they had Case Keenum and Sam Darnold as their QBs. Last season, Bananas was gunning for Tori, and she won daily after daily to keep herself safe. Then the Final went sideways just like it did for Darnold in the playoff game against the Rams. Still, Tori and the Vikings had an outstanding regular season.

The Case Keenum year with the Minnesota Miracle felt like when Tori won the Hall Brawl against Jenny on War of the Worlds 2, only to get purged out. The following season, everyone thought Tori was primed to become a Champion, and expectations for Minnesota were high as they signed Kirk Cousins — both flamed out. Anyway, I believe in Tori and Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell as regular season threats for any season going forward — I just need to see each perform better in the playoffs/Finals.

J.J. McCarthy is a check-down king, and it’s hard for Tori to turn down a check from The Challenge. I’ll be here all week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Devin Walker

The Buccaneers are still one of the most recent Super Bowl Champions, and Devin is still a recent Challenge Champion. I would draw a comparison between Devin’s Challenge & reality TV career and Baker Mayfield’s football career. Devin didn’t have the physical look of someone who would be a great challenger. When you looked at Baker Mayfield’s size, he didn’t seem like a #1 pick. But then Baker lit it up in college, and Devin had his run on Are You The One? that led them to making a hit or miss splash with their NFL/Challenge debuts. Both of their initial runs were roller coaster rides of early success and failures. For a good minute there, it looked like the best moment of Baker Mayfield’s NFL career was going to be leading the Browns to a playoff win, and that Devin’s best moment would be defeating Johnny Bananas in an elimination.

Baker flamed out of Cleveland, didn’t last a full season in Carolina, and had a fun little stint with the Rams — from there, nobody knew what was going to be his future. After Devin’s dismissal on Final Reckoning, we didn’t see him on The Challenge for a couple of years. Then, suddenly, we emerge from the pandemic, and Devin is on Double Agents. He makes some waves, grows as a player, forms the Vacation Alliance over time, and becomes a damn solid competitor and Challenge Champion. Baker Mayfield ended up in Tampa following Tom Brady’s semi-abrupt retirement, beat out Kyle Trask for the starting job, and he’s put up the two best years of his career. He beat the Eagles in a playoff game his first year, and then last year, I thought Baker deserved more MVP consideration than he got, as he was winning games with an injury-depleted team.

Public sentiment towards Devin has recently hit an all-time low. That said, I think how people feel about Baker now is similar to how some felt about Devin during his run in Double Agents/Spies, Lies & Allies. If Baker were to go to a Super Bowl and he began pumping his chest out again — then I think he’d gain more detractors like Devin has. Right now, though, everyone feels good for Baker, and the Bucs are a quiet threat to win it all — just like Devin has become an under-the-radar threat to win on any Challenge season.

Carolina Panthers — Berna Canbeldek

When Berna first came onto The Challenge, I thought she was going to be a strong competitor as she came from a fitness background and was a professional dancer & acrobat. Very quickly, I was proven wrong because it turned out Berna is a fucking mess of a human being. Changing lanes, the Panthers have a newish owner in David Tepper, who is almost as erratic as Berna, from firing multiple coaches to getting into it with fans. Just like I thought that Berna was going to be a great competitor, the Panthers thought they were drafting a star QB when they took Bryce Young #1 overall in the draft because he put up monster numbers in college and won the Heisman. Once in the NFL, Bryce’s lack of elite athleticism and the fact that he’s fucking 5'10 exposed him. Obviously, Bryce showed glimpses during his second season after he regained the starting job after being benched for Andy Dalton, and Berna made the Final and won some dailies on Battle For A New Champion. But if you take either the Panthers/Bryce Young or Berna seriously, then you’re out of your mind.

New Orleans Saints — Kaycee & Kenny Clark

Drew Brees led the Saints to a Super Bowl, and they were widely successful regular-season teams in the 2010s and early 2020s. Kaycee Clark is a 1x Challenge Champion and statistically one of the best competitors The Challenge has ever seen. As much as I respect each , I also thought they were boring. Yes, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, and Drees Brees himself were fantasy studs, but I never felt the same way watching them that I did about Todd Gurley, Julio Jones, and Patrick Mahomes. Objectively, Kaycee is very good at the game — I just never cared for them.

Fast forward to 2025, and the current Saints team is an absolute tire fire. They have Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough as their QBs. If you didn’t know much about Tyler Shough, he’s a soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie who only had one full season as a starting QB in college, where he went 8–4 for Louisville in a weak ACC. That guy probably shouldn’t even be in the NFL, let alone in contention for an NFL starting job — which reminds me of boring ass Kaycee’s even more boring brother Kenny making his debut at age 33 on The Challenge. This comparison makes a little sense now that Spencer Rattler has won the Saints starting job. Regardless, the Saints went from boring and good to a boring mess — just likely Kaycee, who has gone from an engaged Challenge Champ to begging people for money on TikTok every day.

One more thing, I lied; I never thought the 2010s Saints were boring. I just wanted to complain about Kaycee; Tyler Shough does remind me of Kaycee’s brother, though.

Atlanta Falcons — Theo Campbell

Theo was a math problem/eating portion away from winning War of the Worlds 1. Had Theo done so, he would’ve been Champion of the statistically hardest season to win in Challenge history, competing in the hardest Final ever against a stacked cast. Instead, he’s just the guy who came in 2nd. The 2016 Falcons had one of the most explosive offenses I’ve ever seen on a football field — they obliterated in the NFC Championship and were up 28–3 on the Patriots…Ever since that Super Bowl loss and that War of the Worlds, nothing has ever been the same for these two. The Falcons made the playoffs again the next year, and Theo had a strong showing on War of the Worlds 2, but everything on and off the field has gone haywire.

Theo continually hyping himself up on Twitter while struggling on the show felt similar to Falcons owner Arthur Blank inducting himself into the Falcons Ring of Honor. In Season 40, he was gassing out and struggling with daily challenges the same way Kirk Cousins was throwing meatballs last year. The hope in Season 41 is that Olivia can be the Michael Penix to reinvigorate Theo and take him to a new level, because whatever he’s doing right now isn’t working.

Arizona Cardinals — Paulie Calafiore

Kyler Murray set the NFL on fire a bit with his early run — he proved to be a true dual-threat QB and the Cardinals improved each of his three years there. When Paulie came on The Challenge, like Kyler, he was an undersized guy who wreaked havoc and did a little better each season. Since then, they have each been lightning rods for criticism, where many have written them off. I still think Kyler Murray is an above-average QB, and Paulie is an above-average competitor. No, they are not perfect, Paulie specifically is farther from perfect than most people can get — but gosh darnit, they are better and more entertaining than half the league competing right now.

Los Angeles Rams — Rachel Robinson

The Rams are one of our most recent Super Bowl Champions, yet it’s not talked about a ton and was brushed off a bit by the following season. Rachel just won Season 40, and nobody is going to give her credit for how it came to be. With the Rams, there is an aspect to consider: they won the only non-Chiefs Super Bowl in the last six years. Their team had a lot of mercenaries, and many of their big names from the win are already gone, including Cooper Kupp. They still have Sean McVay as their Head Coach, and even though he’s no longer the youngest NFL head coach, he’s still at the top of his game and looks damn good, just like Rachel. With Rachel’s fitness level and political game, she’s always a threat to win, the same way the Rams are with Stafford’s arm and McVay’s gameplanning.

While there are multiple women on The Challenge around the same fitness level as Rachel these days , from a historical standpoint, you could also compare Rachel to the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf days with Kurt Warner.

Seattle Seahawks — Amber Borzotra

The Seahawks won a Super Bowl a decade ago in blowout fashion on the back of an elite defense & competent QB play from Russell Wilson. Amber B won a Challenge Final, thanks to out-of-this-world cardio and CT’s clutch performance in solving puzzles for their team. I think Amber is very Russell Wilson coded, where they are this outwardly nice person, but they don’t fully resonate with everyone. Obviously, Amber being on the spectrum plays a factor in that. Also, I know Russell Wilson has been off the Seahawks for more than four years — still, he & Amber feel like kindred spirits. I also think Amber is a bit similar to Geno Smith. Geno had a great run with the Seahawks years after the Jets made him their starter & a 2nd round pick, just like Amber popped up on The Challenge many years after her Big Brother debut. Geno is gone now, too, and Amber is left with Sam Darnold, a man who struggles under pressure like Amber’s boyfriend, Chauncey. Don’t believe me when I say that? That dude miscounted how many letters were in his first name during a daily challenge.

San Francisco 49ers — Wes Bergmann

During Kyle Shanahan’s 8-season tenure as the 49ers Head Coach, he’s lost 10 games or more in half of them. Despite this, almost everyone still universally praises him as an NFL Coach and mind. Wes Bergmann has had so many Challenge seasons where he’s been an early boot and lost embarrassingly, and still, we all look at him as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Why do we hold both in so high regard? Because when these two are running their systems properly, it’s fucking magical. Shanahan has never won a Super Bowl, but he’s been very damn close. I would compare his two NFC Championship seasons to Wes’ performances on Exes 2 & War of the Worlds 1, where he didn’t win either, yet I might regard those seasons higher than his actual Championships.

Going into 2025, some people think the 49ers are a lock for 12 wins, and some think they’re going to win 5 — if Wes were on a season today, some would call him a favorite, and others could easily envision being an early boot. Now, unlike Shanahan, Wes does have 3 titles under his belt, although that is less than the 49ers, who have 5 from the Montana & Young days, so we’re meeting in the middle here.