m3g1c4n

The Challenge’s Wes Bergmann Wants Classic Reality TV Show to Return, But Fans Aren’t Sure

Posted on by Vaseline

the challenge star wes bergmann face shot from all stars 3 spinoff
Wes Bergmann wants to see the return of a popular reality TV show on MTV. Photo credit: MTV

Wes Bergmann is one of The Challenge’s top performers and is considered an MTV OG due to his start on the network.

The two-time winner of MTV’s The Challenge and All Stars 3 spinoff winner made his acting debut on 2005’s The Real World: Austin. His castmates included fellow future Challengers Nehemiah Clark and Melinda Stolp.

After multiple seasons on The Challenge, Wes announced his retirement from the franchise during CBS’ USA 2 spinoff. He was not among the cast members revealed for MTV’s season 40.

Still, he’ll likely be cheering on his original castmates from The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, including Johnny Bananas, Nehemiah Clark, CT Tamburello, Jonna Mannion and KellyAnne Judd.

They all have in common that they started with the now defunct reality series The Real World.



Get updates on the latest news and more from Monsters and Critics straight to your inbox.

Wes says it’s time for someone to bring the iconic reality show back to life, although fans have had mixed reactions to it.

screenshot of wes bergmann tweet about bringing back the real world
Photo credits: @westonbergmann/X

Fans Explain Why The Real World May No Longer Work

While Wes’ idea will appeal to many fans, others weren’t sure it would work in the current reality.

“I can totally get behind this, Wes. I’d love to see a real reincarnation of traffic rules,” one fan said.

Another said: “It could never be what it was. Same as the challenge. Well, it could, but they would never make it like that again.”

Another commenter said the concept “wouldn’t work now” because everyone would be clamoring for a cast member to be canceled after “one fight.”

Twitter screenshot as fans react to Wes Bergmann's real tweet
Photo credits: @westonbergmann/X

Another fan said it would be “so dope” to see the show return. However, they suggested it “seems pretty much impossible these days” as cast members are likely selected based on their social media following. Additionally, they said spoilers leak online ahead of episodes.

“Yes, but it wouldn’t be the same. People are so desperate to be famous on social media that I doubt they would be authentic,” wrote another commenter.

Twitter screenshot shows fan reactions to Wes Bergmann's tweet about the real world
Photo credits: @westonbergmann/X

The Challenge 40 brings back many former Real World stars

As mentioned, Battle of the Eras is bringing back OG cast members who haven’t been on MTV’s The Challenge in years. Many of the cast members got their start on the network’s old-school reality TV shows Road Rules, Real World, and Fresh Meat.

There are 40 cast members, divided into four teams based on the eras in which they appeared on The Challenge.

Era 1 features three former Real World stars: CT, Brad Fiorenza, and Aneesa Ferreira. Half of Era 2 is made up of former Real World stars with Bananas, KellyAnne, Nehemiah, Emily Schromm, and Derek Chavez.

Era 3, however, features the most former Real World cast members, with seven including The Real World: Portland’s Jordan Wiseley, Averey Tressler and Nia Moore.

With Era 4, the shift in recent casting for The Challenge is clearly visible, with cast members from CBS’s Big Brother and Survivor, as well as Love Island and other reality shows not associated with MTV.

The last season of The Real World was in 2019

The final Real World season on MTV aired from October 2016 to early January 2017, with Season 32, Real World Seattle: Bad Blood.

In 2019, The Real World: Atlanta became available for streaming on Facebook Watch. However, the concept was unpopular and short-lived, and there have been no further seasons of The Real World since.

In 2021, Paramount+ introduced a three-season spinoff, The Real World Homecoming. Each season reunited former cast members from iconic seasons of MTV’s The Real World: New York, San Francisco and New Orleans.

In 2022, Wes appeared on Paramount+’s The Challenge: All Stars 3 with two former Real World: Austin castmates, Nehemiah and Melinda. At the time of writing, it is unclear if they will have any more Real World Homecoming seasons on Paramount+.

The Challenge: Battle of the Eras premieres Wednesday, August 14 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.