Challenge Mania

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Gus Smyrnios.Gus Smyrnios (@GusSmyrnios) is one of the stars of Floribama Shore. He recently made his Challenge debut on War on the Worlds, where he and Jenna made it all the way to episode 8. Gus joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to talk about landing his own show, when the cast found out exactly what show they were cast for, making the transition from Floribama to The Challenge, almost getting his teeth knocked out, aligning with Wes & Hunter, battling with Bear, what's in store for his future on both shows and MUCH MORE!For MORE Challenge Mania including weekly bonus episodes each Wednesday where we break down that night's episode of War of the Worlds, head over to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and become a Maniac-level patron for access to THE WAR ROOM!The Challenge Mania Shop is always open. Head over to www.ChallengeMania.Shop to see our latest designs and pick them up on a whole slew of products, from sweatshirts to tank tops and

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by The Nolan Twins, Liz & Julia.Liz (@_LizNolan) and Julia (@JuliaNolan_) Nolan competed on Big Brother Season 17 pretending to be one person for several weeks, tricking their fellow housemates and switching places in the diary room, where they would download each other on the particulars and specifics necessary to keep up the charade. They were eventually allowed to play the game separately and revealed the "Twin Twist" to the house after they passed the initial test. When it was all said and done, Julia came in 6th and Liz came in 2nd place on the season, coming just short of the $500,000 prize.War of the Worlds marked both of their debut on The Challenge. Liz went home in the first purge challenge, so her time was very limited. Julia however, stuck around for a few weeks with her partner CT. The twins join Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) for a super fun chat about competing on both shows together, what it's like having a twin in life and on T

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Big Brother 20's Brett Robinson.Now that The Challenge is bringing over cast-members from Big Brother, why not get ahead of the game and start interviewing standouts from that series before they're even legally allowed to jump ship. Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) thinks Brett (@BB20Brett) was tailor-made for The Challenge and that he should be at the top of MTV's wishlist later this year. Brett joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott to discuss how he got cast on the CBS show, where his game went wrong, why he'd be better suited for a Challenge house and more!Check out our Patreon, where we do tons of Bonus Content and even review Survivor and Big Brother in addition to The Challenge. www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaCheck out www.ChallengeMania.Shop to grab your podcast swag and rep your favorite cast-members!BetterHelp provides quality counseling and they are giving our listeners 10% off at BetterHelp.com/MANIA with the code MANIAPlay in DraftKings' March Madness Contest by

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Weston Bergmann.There is no sugar-coating it, Wes (@WestonBergmann) has been crushing War of the Worlds so far. He returns to Challenge Mania to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) why his plan has been going so well, what alliances and vendettas he's developed along the way, whether he thinks this season marks a changing of the guard, why he'd never align with Bananas on a future season and a whole lot more!For MORE Challenge Mania, including our exclusive post-show breakdowns of War of the Worlds called THE WAR ROOM, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and consider becoming a patron today. Among many perks, it comes with a boat-load of bonus content and we're going to need a bigger boat.The Challenge Mania Shop is open as always. Head to www.ChallengeMania.Shop to support the podcast and look good doing it.Play in DraftKings' March Madness Bracket for free at dkng.co/challengemania - 21 and over - eligibility restrictions apply, see site fo

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Cara Maria Sorbello.Cara Maria (@CaraMariaMTV) is always one of our favorite guests, but it has been quite some time since she's been on the podcast. She returns to the show to talk to Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) about her recent "Block Party", how she and Paulie got through the rough patch a few months back, how they're doing today, where she stands with her Final Reckoning partner, Marie, how it feels to have so many people rooting for her downfall, what her biggest regrets are, who stands out to her among the Season 33 rookies and what she thinks of Johnny Bananas at the moment.For MORE Challenge Mania, including weekly episode breakdowns called THE WAR ROOM, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaHead to the www.ChallengeMania.Shop to pick up your CHALLENGE MANIA gear and tons of Cara Maria Swag!Play in our Free Draft Kings Basketball Contest on Friday 3/15 at dkng.co/challengemania - Terms and Conditions apply. See site for details.Spend

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Johnny Bananas.War of the Worlds has been the highest rated season of The Challenge in quite some time. It is also the first time a season has begun with four Challenge champions eliminated in the first four episodes. After Ashley Mitchell went home in the first elimination of the season, Johnny Bananas (@JohnnyBananas) followed, having been thrown in by his lifelong rival Wes and defeated by his presumed ally, Zach. Johnny returns to Challenge Mania to talk to Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) about the slew of new talent entering the game, what went wrong for him this season, why his alliance with Zach fell apart, why he still believes Zach was working with Wes even after seeing Zach call out and be defeated by Wes this past week, whether he and Morgan are currently dating, who did and didn't impress him out of the rookies this season and MUCH MORE!For MORE Challenge Mania including our exclusive bonus podcast series THE WAR ROOM, where we break

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Josh Martinez.The Challenge has widened it's landscape and brought in new faces from a variety of Reality TV platforms. Over the past few seasons, we have had quite a few representatives from the long-running CBS series, Big Brother. Josh Martinez (@JoshMBB19) is the first Big Brother WINNER to cross over to The Challenge, making his debut on the current season of War of the Worlds.Josh joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss making the transition from Big Brother to The Challenge, why he should have made his debut even sooner, how his game differs between the two shows, what it's like being partners with Amanda and tons of other interesting tidbits from his time on both shows. For MORE on War of the Worlds, including our weekly bonus podcast series THE WAR ROOM, where we break down each episode of The Challenge immediately after they air, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaRobinhood is giving Maniacs a FREE Stock when they sign up at

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by "Ninja" Natalie Duran.For the past few seasons, The Challenge has opened the floodgates and welcomed newcomers from shows like Big Brother, Ex on the Beach, Geordie Shore, Vanderpump Rules & Bad Girls Club. War of the Worlds has gone a step further, inviting rookies from an even wider and more international pool of applicants. Among them is Ninja Natalie (@Ninja_Natalie), the lone representative from the popular series domestically, American Ninja Warrior, a show that might present the best possible preparation for the unique competitions that one endures on The Challenge. Natalie joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to talk about her casting story, how she became a "Ninja", how she feels about people contesting her inclusion in The Challenge, why she chose Paulie as a partner, what War of the Worlds has been so far, what last week's tribunal was like, if she could tell what was going on it that mud challenge, where you can find her on the w

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Survivor standout Davie Rickenbacker.In this special BONUS EPISODE of Challenge Mania, Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) switch it up a bit and bring on someone who has never been on The Challenge. Davie Rickenbacker (@ITweetDavie) IS however a lifelong Challenge fan, and is one of the most well-liked contestants in Survivor history. With Survivor: Edge of Extinction premiering this Wednesday, February 20th, an hour before War of the Worlds airs on MTV, we thought it would be fun to catch up with Davie, discuss his time on Survivor, how he became a fan of The Challenge, what parallels and differences there are between the two shows and bounce back and forth between the two. For Survivor fans, this episode has tons of inside info on Survivor: David Vs Goliath, where Davie came in 6th place on what was regarded widely as one of the best seasons in the show's recent memory. For Challenge fans, this should still be fun, as Derrick gets introduced to a

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Chase McNary.Chase (@CBMcNary) might have had a short-lived run on The Challenge: War of the Worlds, going home in the first head-to-head elimination, but he managed to make his mark along the way, getting briefly involved with Nany and making it a tough battle for Hunter and Georgia. He drops by the show to talk about his road from The Bachelorette, where he came in 3rd, to almost being selected as The Bachelor to the following season, to Ex on the Beach and finally to The Challenge. He tells us about the differences between the shows, whether he wants to come back, what we didn't see between him and Nany and what he attributes he and Ashley's loss to. Just like this season of The Challenge, this episode has a little of everything. Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) take the opportunity to learn about shows that we don't typically get an inside look at. This is one of those episodes you are going to want to reserve judgement on. Although he did not

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Katie Cooley.One of our favorites, Katie Cooley (@KatieCooley26) returns to the podcast just a few days before joining us in Austin for Challenge Mania Live. Katie stops by to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) & Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) what she thinks he War of the Worlds, what reality shows she watches, who she sees herself in today, how Challenge standards have changed, what her favorite off-camera moments were, how she almost got Derrick an agent, who she hated on Inferno, why she doesn't approve of too much hooking up on TV and much more!If you want to be a part of our last live show and Meet & Greet of the season, head to www.ChallengeManiaTX.com and get tickets to be a part of Austin 2:16 this Saturday at the North Door in Austin, TX. We will be joined by Katie as well as Hunter Barfield, Nelson Thomas and Marlon Williams!To hear us break down each episode of War of the Worlds every week in our series called THE WAR ROOM, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMa

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Johanna Botta.Johanna Botta (@JohannaBotta) began her MTV career on the beloved Austin season of The Real World, and went on to appear on 4 seasons of The Challenge, taking home a group championship on The Gauntlet III. She has since put Reality TV in the rearview (for now) to pursue an acting and hosting career both stateside and in the UK, where she's lived with her family for the last few years. Johanna joins Challenge Mania to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) about how she came to be on Real World in the first place, what her life has been like post-Challenge, whether she'd ever return to the show, when the last time she got a call was, memories of her time on the show, what it's like living in the UK and MUCH MORE!For more Challenge Mania, including a weekly recap episode breaking down each installment of War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania! The head into THE WAR ROOM after each episode of The Challenge to take your

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by CJ Koegel.CJ Koegel (@CJKoegel) had strong showings on both of his seasons of The Challenge, Fresh Meat II and Battle of the Seasons. He joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss why we haven't seen him since, how he became a punter who almost made the NFL, what Real Wold Cancun was like, what he thought of the War of the Worlds Basic Training episode and whether we might see him back on the show in the future! We also spend some time at the top and back of the episode discussing the Season 33 Trailer in detail. For MORE talk about War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaWIN A TRIP to Challenge Mania Live by entering in our DraftKings Contest this Sunday, February 3rd. It's $5 to enter and you can win $1700 in prizes. Terms and Conditions apply. Play at dkng.co/challengemaniaRobinhood is giving Maniacs a FREE STOCK when they sign up at mania.robinhood.comwww.ChallengeMania.Shop is the best place to get YOUR Challenge Mania

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager break down the new cast of The Challenge 33: War of the Worlds.Some returning favorites, some fresh meat. Either way, we go over the entire new season, set to premiere on Wednesday, February 6th and everyone who is vying for that Challenge Championship in the War of the Worlds!Come watch the premiere with Scott, Kailah and Marie at the East End Bar and Grill in New York City. Just RSVP to ChallengeManiaPodcast@gmail.comFollow along and listen to all of our episode commentaries all season long over at www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaRobinhood is giving listeners a FREE STOCK when they sign up at mania.robinhood.comWe have a DraftKings Contest this Sunday for the SUPER BOWL where you can win 2 VIP M&G Tix to the Challenge Mania Live of your choosing and $1500 in travel expenses! Sign up to play for $5 at dkng.co/challengemania and enter up to 5 lineups to better your chances! T&Cs apply.

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Marlon Williams.Marlon Williams (@BlackZeusFit) made his debut on Real World Portland and only competed on one season of The Challenge on Rivals II, where he and Jordan made the final. He had an illustrious college football career at Texas Tech and recently began body building and personal training under the name Black Zeus. More than that, he wants back on The Challenge. He is the total package. He's got looks, size, athletic ability, personality and a chip on his shoulder. He drops by the show to tell Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) why Rivals II was his last season, who he has his sights set on now, whether he follows the show, how he would up on The Real World, how he became "Black Zeus" and much more!For MORE Challenge Mania, including our 100+ minute cast breakdown for War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaMarlon will be with us at Challenge Mania Live: Austin, along with Hunter, Nelson and Katie Cooley on Saturday, Febru

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by CT Tamburello.For our 100th episode, there is really only one guest that could live up to the hype and was deserving of this momentous occasion. 2 Time Champion (plus 2 time Champs Vs Stars Winner) Chris Tamburello aka CT (@TheOfficial_CT) is on most people's Challenge Mount Rushmore. His name is synonymous with the franchise. Simply put, if you are not excited for this episode...you are not Challenge Maniac. CT joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to share his casting story, talk about fatherhood, what his favorite era of The Challenge has been, how he became one of the faces of the show, how he feels about Paulie, Bananas, Veronica, Ashley and The Young Bucks, who he'd like to see back on the show AND MORE!Play in our FREE Draft Kings Contest THIS SUNDAY at dkng.co/challengemania and win a FREE TRIP to the Challenge Mania Live of your choosing! Terms and Conditions apply. See site for details.Check out CT's new movie THE HABIT, in theaters soo

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are once again joined by Final Reckoning Champion HUNTER BARFIELD.Hunter Barfield (@HBarfield13) is a Challenge Champion. It's hard to remember that because even though he won The Final Reckoning season of The Challenge, he went home empty handed, thanks to a decision by his partner, Ashley Mitchell. Hunter joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss this entire process, coping with the loss of all that money, whether he has regrets, how he feels about Ashley today, what she said about him at the reunion and MORE!For MORE Challenge Mania, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeManiaHead to www.TakeCareOf.com and use the code CHALLENGE50 to get 50% off your first month of custom and personalized vitamins sent to your door!Hunter will be with us at Challenge Mania Live AUSTIN, our ONLY stop in Texas this year! That goes down on February 16th and tickets are available at www.ChallengeManiaTX.comFREE SHIPPING at www.ChallengeMania.Shop until 1/22Play in our FREE Dr

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are once again joined by Marie Roda.Marie Roda (@Marie_TBD) had an amazing year in 2018. So much so that she was voted Funniest Commentary & Most Improved by both the patrons & the experts in the Challenge Mania Awards. Marie joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to learn about her big awards wins, break down The Final Reckoning Final, discuss the big moment at the end of the show, let us in on her dating life, explain what went down with her and Amanda, why she doesn't get along with Nelson and whether she was slated to be on Ex on the Beach.Marie will be with us at Carolines on Broadway along with Susie Meister and Kenny Santucci for Challenge Mania Live on Saturday, January 26th! A few tickets still remain over at www.ChallengeMania.LiveFREE SHIPPING CONTINUES at www.ChallengeMania.Shop until January 22nd! Don't wait!

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Natalie Negrotti.The first time Natalia (@NataliaNegrotti) or Natalie, depending who who is asking, came on #ChallengeMania, it was early into her Challenge career and a few episodes into Vendettas. Now she has 2 seasons, a Redemption House, a 3rd place finish on The Final Reckoning, 2 Elimination of the Year nominations and a Rookie of the Year nod in the Challenge Mania Awards under her belt. This is a new Natalie Negrotti. This is Natalia Negrotti. Natalia joins Derrick (@DerrickMTV) and Scott (@SHOTOFYAGER) to discuss The Final Reckoning, Redemption House, her eliminations Vs Brad and Kyle and Johnny and Tony, the lasting impact some of those battles took on her, getting lost during the final, whether Paulie would have taken the money from her, their move to turn on Joss and Sylvia and break their word and MUCH MORE! This a podcast that covers it all and you do not want to miss it!For more Challenge Mania, including bonus podcasts, head to www.Patreon.com/C

Derrick Kosinski & Scott Yager are joined by Jemmye Carroll for Part II.On Part II of this massive semester of Jem Class, Jemmye casts her (unofficial) votes for the Challenge Mania Awards, theorizes what could have been if Camila was still a force on The Challenge and how that would have affected the trajectory of other female competitors and she breaks down the multi-layered internet beef between her Group Text known as "Forever Petty", Kailah and Marie and Angela, Amanda and Nelson that kicked off the "December to Remember" in the Challenge world.This Sunday, January 6th you can win tickets to the Challenge Mania Live event of your choosing AND $1500 in travel expenses to get there, courtesy of DraftKings! Head to dkng.co/challengemania to play. T&Cs apply. See site for details.FREE SHIPPING through 1/22 over at www.ChallengeMania.Shop if you spend $45 or more!We are coming to Carolines on Broadway in NYC on January 26th. Tickets available at www.ChallengeMania.LiveOn February 9th, we make our debu