Hello + Happy Halloweek!! 👻
This is the probable penultimate entry of my series on casting archetypes found on The Challenge, among other reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother. The other eight articles are:
- Spicy Latinas
- All-American Studs
- Feisty Black Women
- Weak Gay Men
- Alpha Women
- Southern “Gentlemen”
- Bubbly Blondes
- Dumb Jocks
Today’s is on the Wily Women Underdogs of The Challenge.
That is, female contestants who surpassed expectations with their no-quit attitude, despite their size disadvantage. They are often smaller / less muscular and thus immediately dismissed as weak or ineffectual… Only to show more heart or grit than people ever thought.
Like last week’s, this is less of a pure archetype but rather a fun categorization of Challenge competitors. So let’s hop to it.
Wily Women Underdogs
Veronica Portillo — originated on RR Semester at Sea; debuted on Challenge 2000. Impressive feat: landing the bullseye during skydiving on Challenge 2000; winning 2 Lifesavers on Gauntlet 1 and 3 on Inferno 1; won 2 seasons.
Susie Meister — originated on RR Down Under; debuted on Extreme Challenge. Impressive feat: 4–0 undefeated elimination record; won 3 Lifesavers on Inferno 3; won 2 seasons.
Elka Walker — originated on RW Boston; debuted on Battle of the Seasons 1. Impressive feat: won Seasons 1; won Snake Soup daily on Gauntlet 1
Ruthie Alcaide — originated on RR Hawaii; debuted on Sexes 1. Impressive feat: in the Inner Circle for all but 1 episode on Sexes 1 (and had the highest score); won 2 dailies for the Girls on Sexes 1 — including slaying the Maximum Velocity one to win cars for her team.
Sarah Greyson — originated on RR Campus Crawl; debuted on Gauntlet 1. Impressive feat: won 5 eliminations and the final on Gauntlet 1 despite being scapegoated by her team.
Katie Doyle — originated on RR The Quest; debuted on Gauntlet 1. Impressive feat: won 2 eliminations and the final on Inferno 1 despite being scapegoated by her team.
Casey Cooper — originated & debuted on Fresh Meat 1. Impressive feat: won 5 eliminations and made the final on FM1.
Svetlana Shusterman — originated on RW Key West; debuted on Duel 1. Impressive feat: won 2 eliminations and 2 dailies and got 2nd place on Duel 1.
Paula Meronek — originated on RW Key West; debuted on Duel 1. Impressive feat: 1st RW woman to win 2 seasons; won 4 dailies on Rivals 1 and 6 on Rivals 2.
Kim Alexander — originated on RW Hollywood; debuted on Duel 2. Impressive feat: beat Ruthie in a physical elimination and put up a great fight against Susie.
Sarah Rice — originated on RW Brooklyn; debuted on The Ruins. Impressive feat: made 5 finals (and could’ve made 2 more if her partners didn’t DQ her); won consecutive seasons.
Carley Johnson — originated & debuted on Fresh Meat 2. Impressive feat: won 2 dailies, didn’t give up in the arduous nighttime Exile, and beat Kenny/Laurel in the final on FM2.
Cara Maria Sorbello — originated & debuted on Fresh Meat 2. Impressive feat: beat Nia in a 1.5 hour physical elimination; best female elimination record; made 4 consecutive finals; won the first single-winner season.
Camila Nakagawa — originated on Spring Break Challenge; debuted on Cutthroat. Impressive feat: won 2 elims on Cutthroat despite being scapegoated by her team; won 3 dailies and the final on Exes 1; won XXX.
Jasmine Reynaud — originated on RW Cancun; debuted on Rivals 1. Impressive feat: won the 1st daily on Rivals 1; beat Sarah in a puzzle elimination; didn’t give up in her physical elim against Laurel.
(early) Nany Gonzalez — originated on RW Las Vegas 2; debuted on Battle of the Seasons 2. Impressive feat: won 4 consecutive Battles of the Ex-iled; was 10 minutes from beating Laurel on Free Agents.
Jess McCain — originated on RW Portland; debuted on Free Agents. Impressive feat: won 5 dailies on Free Agents; put up a great fight against a fit Cara in the Balls In elim.
LaToya Jackson — originated on RW St Thomas; debuted on Free Agents. Impressive feat: decisively beat Jemmye (who just won 2 dailies and made the final the season prior) in a physical elim after needing a medic in the preceding daily.
Brittany Baldassari — originated on AYTO1; debuted on Exes 2. Impressive feat: won 3 eliminations and very nearly a 4th on her debut season.
Nicole Ramos — originated & debuted on Bloodlines. Impressive feat: was 1 lucky cork draw away from the Rivals 3 final; won a daily on Rivals 3 and XXX; did shockingly well in the XXX Redemption Challenge.
Christina LeBlanc — originated on AYTO2; debuted on Bloodlines. Impressive feat: won a daily and beat Ashley/Cory in a physical elimination on R3.
Amanda Garcia — originated on AYTO3; debuted on Rivals 3. Impressive feat: slew the X-It sudoko daily; very nearly 2–0'd Nicole Z in a physical elim; lasted for 45 minutes against Jenna in the XXX Redemption Challenge; won 45% of the dailies she competed in on Final Reckoning.
Ashley Mitchell — originated on RW Ex-Plosion; debuted on Rivals 3. Impressive feat: won 2 out of her first 4 seasons; highest earner in Challenge herstory; won 2 eliminations and did shockingly well against a dual-sport Olympian on Champs vs Pros.
Sylvia Elsrode — originated on RW Skeletons; debuted on Invasion. Impressive feat: 5–1 elimination record with wins over Johnny, Tori Deal, and Kailah; the only woman to compete in every daily on FR; 40 seconds away from winning FR (and may have actually been the winner).
Natalie Negrotti — originated on BB18; debuted on Vendettas. Impressive feat: performed extremely well and won 4 dailies on Vendettas.
Kayleigh Morris — originated on EotBUK2; debuted on Vendettas. Impressive feat: won 2 elims and 1 Redemption Challenge and went deep on FR.
Da’Vonne Rogers — originated on BB17; debuted on Final Reckoning. Impressive feat: won 2 Redemption Challenges on FR; and won 3 dailies and 3 elims on WotW1.
Georgia Harrison — originated on The Only Way is Essex; debuted on War of the Worlds 1. Impressive feat: currently has a 4–0 elimination record; made 4 Tribunals and the final on WotW1.
Tula “Big T” Fazakerley — originated on Shipwrecked; debuted on War of the Worlds 2. Impressive feat: lasted 1.5 hours against Georgia, who won 4 dailies and 2 elims and made the final the previous season.
