When it comes to which The Challenge alum is the true male “GOAT” of the show, there’s an argument to be made for several different people. Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio has the most overall wins and has become a centerpiece of the entire franchise. Darrell Taylor has the record for most consecutive wins at four seasons and is regarded as the OG of OGs. Chris “C.T.” Tamburello is one of the most-winning veterans, too, and has won the hearts and minds of millions with his fiery personality for two decades. And, last but certainly not least, Jordan Wiseley has won the most cash in the reality competition show’s history and never let his lack of a left hand hold him back.
With both C.T. and Bananas returning for The Challenge Season 42, Wiseley has apparently gotten a bit of FOMO and has been showing off his training regimen on social media with the hashtag #43 to indicate his desire to come back for the next season. His posts echo a bit of what Tamburello himself did to get back on The Challenge for this season after a miserable showing in the previous season.
Jonne Roriz / Paramount+
So, when TV Insider caught up with Tamburello to discuss the action ahead, we had to ask how he feels about Wiseley’s efforts to pull off what he did and stage a big comeback.
“At least he’s training for it. I’ll say this: I honestly do believe if Jordan never took breaks, he would [break records],” Tamburello said. “I don’t know if he would beat Darrell’s record of four in a row. But I’ll say this: If anybody was going to do it, it would probably be Jordan or at all these new kids.”
However, Tamburello also said with a laugh, “But f**k Jordan, that’s all.”
Tamburello also admitted that he may have overestimated his own abilities when he said, upon exiting the arena in Season 41, “I will come back. Wait ’til you see me next time.”
“That was a bold-faced lie. I was just trying to get recast. I mean, we all know that,” Tamburello said. Instead of being quite as fit as he has been in earlier seasons, though, “What I tried to do was rely heavily on the new kids like Will [Gagnon] and Izzy [Fairthorne]. I figured if I can butter them up, make sure I get them to work after the show, they’ll keep me around for a little bit longer.”
We’ll see how that strategy paid off for Tamburello when The Challenge premieres for Season 42.
The Challenge, Season 42 Premiere, August 5, Paramount+