It's been a thrilling season of The Challenge: All Stars so far, as the fifth season of the spinoff series moved from Paramount+ to MTV and pitted players from against the eras against their rivals. Six episodes into the season and nearing the halfway point of the game, eight of the 13 rivals pairings remain and four of those eight pairings are star holders.
Unfortunately, some of the other non-star-holding teams will have a tougher time making it to the end and running the final. That's not to say that all of the star holders will be safe. Some of the star holding teams (Adam and Steve, Ashely K. and Dario, Nany and Turbo) have the ability to win both competitions and eliminations, while others (Frank and Sam) are in tricky spots.
In episode 6, the game got nastier than ever after Adam and Steve's big competition win kept them out of elimination for the first time and gave them the power to choose who would go against Ashley K. and Dario, the house vote. Unfortunately, their choice, Big T and Corey, couldn't beat the star holders to steal their star. Their loss sets an interesting precedent for future eliminations.
As we saw with Adam and Steve vs. Devon and Leroy, putting two star holders against each other changed the game in many ways, but it also opened the game up to become more volatile. The weaker non-star-holding teams have had to get wily with their social prowess, but that can also bite you in the you-know-what more than it can help you climb the ladder to the final
So, which teams are currently in the worst position possible to win in the end compared to other teams? Based on their ability to win and their standing in the social structure of the house, here are three teams that have the most difficult path to victory after episode 6.
Katie and Veronica
Obviously, it goes without saying, but Katie and Veronica aren't a strong physical threat in competitions and haven't been winning. As much as I would love to see them succeed as OGs and after struggling in their most recent seasons in the franchise, it's just not clicking for them in comps. They would need to either win a competition to remain safe or win an elimination to secure a star and then win more competitions to keep that star safe to make it to the end.
But as we saw in episode 6, Katie and Veronica were a name being tossed around to be voted into elimination. Veronica worked her magic by floating around the house and having conversations in order to keep them out of elimination. However, the house caught wind that that's what Veronica was doing and now they're on the radar. I fear if the tides don't shift onto someone else, Katie and Veronica's days could be numbered. Katie's masterclass only goes so far.
Nicole and Melissa
With this being a rivals season, very few of the teams are on the same page. It's hard to play as a pair on The Challenge, but it's even harder to play as a pair when you're trying to work with someone you don't really get along with. We have seen time and time again that Melissa and Nicole are very frequently not on the same page, rarely even in the same book. Nicole tends to talk, which puts the pair in situations they don't want to be in, much to Melissa's frustration.
Beyond just being a chaotic duo who are socially two sides of different coins altogether, they're really just not performing better than some of the other non-star holders. For starters, Amber and Faysal are the pair to beat, and they don't even have a star yet. It's only a matter of time before Amber and Fessy win a challenge and decide to take on a weaker team to earn a star. Melissa and Nicole aren't in the same position as Amber and Fessy and have a tough road ahead if they want to stick around.
Da'Vonne and Shane
Much like the two previous teams, Da'Vonne and Shane are in a similarly unstable boat. They are a team with a lot of heart and they have been giving each competition their all. But they just haven't been able to break out of the pack in order to beat the stronger teams. Socially, they are probably in a much better position than either Katie and Veronica or Melissa and Nicole, but you can only ride the middle for so long before those at the top start to take notice.
If Da'Vonne and Shane can continue to keep their heads down and stay off the radar — a.k.a. keep themselves out of elimination — they could very well prove me wrong and make it to the end. Right now, their best path would maybe be taking on Frank and Sam in elimination, beating them, and taking their star. But that's such a slim opportunity where everything else would have to go their way. I'd like to see them find success, but the way I see it, it's going to be hard fought.
The Challenge All Stars: Rivals airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.