Competing in a "Challenge" is not for the faint of heart. While Paula, Johnny Bananas and Robin have made near-careers out of bruising both their body parts and egos on the show, there are plenty of people, such as David Giuntoli, who gave the game a go and never looked back. Then, there are those who gave it several goes, said they were done and wound up right in front of TJ Lavin not long after.
"Rivals" champ Evelyn took to Twitter Monday to announce that her most recent win will likely be her last and that she's finally ready to hang up her all-terrain cross-trainers. If "Challenge" history is any indication, though, there's a very, very good chance too much time away from jumping off buildings and chowing down on cockroaches will leave her itching to return. By this time next year, Ev might just be exactly where we're used to seeing her--wading through the game's politics and fending off all the big, barking dogs that try to psych her out.
The game is surely addictive. Take a look at past players that swore they were done with it but eventually came running back:
Mark: Mr. 40-And-Still Sporty said "Gauntlet 2" was his last go-around after his team of Vets lost out to the Rookies in pretty embarrassing fashion during the final mission. A few years later, Mark showed up on "The Duel 2," getting a third place-finish and a pocketful of cash as reward for his return. It's no wonder why he's back to throw down in "Battle of the Exes."
Tonya: After finally being named a champion as a badass on "Inferno 3," Tonya told cameras--on "True Life," no less--that she was absolutely, positively a retiree no matter what happened to her in Australia. Welp, her plan obviously went south. Tonya has since competed on "The Island" and "The Ruins," and has failed to match her victory on either.
Katie: The feisty Vet told buddy Derrick that when "The Ruins" came to a close, so would her career as a Challenger. Maybe it was her hasty elimination at the hands of almost-champion Sarah that made her thirsty for revenge, but Katie wasted no time getting back into the game and wound up on "Cutthroat" without taking an iota of a break.
Wes: The Wes we saw on "The Duel" was one we hadn't seen before, and haven't seen since: A nice, stand-up guy who was bent on winning cash to save up for a family with then-girlfriend Johanna. And he did just that after beating out a wave of heavy hitters to earn the show's championship belt. Wes said the win meant we'd never see him again because he wanted to end on a high note. Sadly, things didn't quite happen that way, and the guy has only come as close as second place on a number of "Challenges" since.
Ev: Yup, turns out she's threatened to leave twice! While she didn't technically retire before, she did mention in a "Fresh Meat II" web exclusive that the only way she'd return to the game is if it were a third "Duel" installment and she could play all alone. Then, she joined the cast of "Rivals." But hey, Ev's choice to eat her words certainly worked in her favor.
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Photos: Rene Cervantes, MTV.com