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 for Men, Women and Children! Brumate is the best way to keep your beverages cold ALL the time. We love their product and you can get 15% off by going to www.Brumate.com and using the code MANIA.

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 TV, who they liked and didn't like on The Challenge, which Challenge Vet that one of them has a romantic past with and MUCH MORE! Cue the air horn!If you want MORE Challenge Mania, check out www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania where we drop Bonus Episodes every week. Last week we dropped a 2+ Hour Bonus Podcast that includes a special 20 minute guest appearance by Cohutta Grindstaff.The Challenge Mania Shop is always open at www.ChallengeMania.Shop - It's the best way to support the podcast while looking good doing it!Robinhood is giving Maniacs a FREE STOCK at www.Mania.Robinhood.comBrooklinen is giving Maniacs 10% OFF their first order AND FREE SHIPPING if you go to www.Brooklinen.com and use the code MANIA. These sheets are utterly amazing. Incredibly comfortable. That's a shoot!

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 going to dkng.co/challengemaniaQuip makes our favorite electric toothbrush. They are giving Maniacs a refill pack for FREE at GetQuip.com/Mania

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 for details.BetterHelp is offering premium online counseling. For 10% off, head to www.BetterHelp.com/MANIAQuip is our new favorite electric toothbrush and we encourage you to GET QUIP by going to www.GetQuip.com/MANIA

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 $25 at www.HogansBeachShop.com and get a Free Bandana with the code CHALLENGE.

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 down each episode of War of the Worlds right after it airs, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and consider joining THE POD SQUAD!Play in our FREE BASKETBALL CONTEST this Friday, March 15th over at DraftKings and win cash from DK as well as a limited edition Challenge Mania shirt you cannot buy at our Shop! Play at dkng.co/challengemania - Terms and Conditions apply, see the site for details!Speaking of our shop, you CAN BUY a ton of other Challenge Mania swag all day, every day at www.ChallengeMania.ShopSpend $25 at HogansBeachShop.com and receive a FREE HULK HOGAN BANDANA if you use the code CHALLENGE! Meet Hulk at Hogan's Beach Shop in Clearwater, FL on Saturday, March 23rd from 12pm - 2pm.Care/Of Vitamins are giving Maniacs 50% off their first order. Just go to www.TakeCareOf.com and use the code CHALLENGE50.BetterHelp is an affordable online counseling option. They are giving our listeners 10% OFF at www.BetterHelp.com/MANIA with the code MANIA.

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 www.Mania.Robinhood.comHulk Hogan is doing a Meet & Greet at Hogan's Beach Shop in Clearwater, Florida on March 23rd and when you head to www.HogansBeachShop.com to get your tickets, if you use the code CHALLENGE, Hulk will hook you up with a FREE HULK HOGAN BANDANA!The Challenge Mania Shop is ALWAYS OPEN! Head over to www.ChallengeMania.Shop to see what new designs have been added and to pick up podcast merch and to support your favorite cast-members like Mark, Cara Maria, Darrell, Jemmye, Marie, Kailah, Shane, Devin, Paulie & more!

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 weekends and MUCH MORE!We can't wait to talk to ALL the rookies from War of the Worlds but we were particularly excited to speak to Natalie, who as you'll hear, as a really interesting backstory and is way more than just a Ninja.For MORE Challenge Mania, including weekly recap and commentary podcasts immediately following each episode of War of the Worlds, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and consider becoming a Maniac-level patron. Robinhood is giving Maniacs a FREE stock when they sign up through www.Mania.Robinhood.com

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 world he doesn't truly understand and Davie shares memories of his early time as a Challenge viewer and sheds light on the new format of War of the Worlds.For MORE Challenge Mania and even more Survivor content, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania where we break down each episode of War of the Worlds in The Warm Room and Scott & Lindsay break down Survivor as well.The Challenge Mania Enamel Pins go on sale on Wednesday at 12pm at www.ZombieSailor.com

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 spend a lot of time on The Challenge (so far), his vast experience on different shows gives Chase a truly unique perspective, one he was kind of enough to share with us today.The Challenge Mania Enamel Pin goes on sale this Wednesday, February 20th at www.ZombieSailor.com beginning at 12pm EST! Each comes on signed, numbered cardback and there are only 100 available. Poshmark is giving Maniacs $5 off their first order. Use the code CHALLENGEMANIA when you download the Poshmark App!BetterHelp is the place to go for top notch online counseling. They will give you 10% off if you go to www.BetterHelp.com/ManiaThe Challenge Mania Shop is open as always! www.ChallengeMania.ShopFor MORE Challenge Mania including weekly episodes dedicated entirely to that week's War of the Worlds, which we call THE WAR ROOM, head to www.Patreon.com/ChallengeMania and become a Maniac-level Patron!