The Top 10 Earners on MTV’s The Challenge were all Crowned in the Last 6 Seasons*
Tags: Reality TV, Television, The Challenge, MTV, TV

The Top 10 Earners on MTV’s The Challenge were all Crowned in the Last 6 Seasons* NovaRogue Dec 19, 2019·5 min read

(with 1 exception)

updated November 2020 — no spoilers for Double Agents

Another season of MTV’s The Challenge has come to a close, crowning 1 new champ, Elite Jenny West, and somehow giving a seventh damn win to Johnny Devenanzio 🍌

The previous season coronated 2 new champions — Rogan and Dee — and heralded 2 competitors into the vaunted 3+ Win Club: Jordan and CT.

Now this impressive feat has only been achieved by 8 other people — Johnny, Darrell, Kenny, Landon, Evelyn, Veronica, Derrick K, and Jamie M.

Not all wins are created equal, however, especially when it comes to the prize purse. The money won has increased exponentially since Season 30, the first to have $1,000,000 up for grabs. And because of this, the Top 10 Earners on The Challenge were all crowned in the last 6 seasons (with 1 exception 👨‍🦰).

This is especially surprising considering the seasons in the 30s only represent 17% of the overall show. And 3 of these high earners have only been on 3 seasons or fewer — they were Rookie Champions — and the second richest achieved that feat on their 3rd full season as well.

In fact, if you only counted from Season 30–35, these people would be the highest earners without the 1 exception. Actually — fully HALF of the Top 10 Highest Earnests were crowned in the past TWO seasons. That’s how much the prize money has increased. Cwazy 😵

So who are these “rich bitches,” and who are the other 2?

And what would happen if there were no steal-your-money twist?

1. Johnny “Bananas” Devananzio — $1,184,720

won $500,000 on S35 Total Madness

won $276,000 on S28 Rivals III ($275k for first place and not sharing the money + $1k for a daily)

won $125,000 on S25 Free Agents

won $17,500 on S24 Rivals II (second place)

won $76,250 on S22 Battle of the Exes ($75k for first place + $1,250 for a daily)

won $52,000 on S21 Rivals ($50k for first place + $2k for 2 dailies)

won $52,970 on S17 The Ruins ($32k for first place + $20,970 for his individual bank account)

won $75,000 on S16 The Island

won $10,000 on S14 Inferno 3 (team bank account)

2. Ashley Mitchell — $1,121,250

won $1,000,000 on S32 Final Reckoning

won $121,250 on S29 Invasion (100k for winning the final + 21,250 from the Underdog team bank account)

3. Jordan Wisely — $833,000

won $250,000 on S34 War of the Worlds 2

won $450,000 on S30 Dirty Thirty

won $125,000 on S26 Battle of the Exes II

earned $8,000 on S24 Rivals II ($7,500 for third place + $500 for a daily)

4. Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran — $750,000

won $750k on S33 War of the Worlds 1

5. Cara Maria Sorbello — $602,250

won $378,750 on S31 Vendettas ($370k from first place + $8,750 from individual bank account)

won $35,000 on S30 Dirty Thirty (second place)

won $125,000 on S27 Battle of the Bloodlines

won $17,500 on S24 Rivals II (second place)

won $26,000 on S21 Rivals ($25k from second place + $1k from a daily)

won $20,000 on S20 Cutthroat (from team bank account)

6. Camila Nakagawa — $561,250

won $450,000 on S30 Dirty Thirty

won $27,500 on S29 Invasion (second place)

won $76,250 on S22 Battle of the Exes ($75k for first place + $1,250 for a daily)

7. Chris “CT” Tamburello — $514,750

won $250,000 on S34 War of the Worlds 2

won $15,000 on S30 Dirty Thirty (third place)

won $112,500 on S29 Invasion ($100k for first place + $12,500 from team bank account)

won $63,000 on S24 Rivals II ($62,500 for first place + $500 for a daily)

won $52,500 on S22 Battle of the Exes ($50k from second place + $2,500 for 2 dailies)

won $1,000 on S21 Rivals (from a daily)

won $10,000 on S10 Inferno II (from team bank account)

won $11,000 on S8 Inferno ($10k from team bank account + $1k for a daily)

8. Jenny West — $500,000

won $500,000 on S35 Total Madness

9. (exception) Wes Bergmann — $233,000

won $5,000 during the Throne Off daily on S35 Total Madness

won $50,000 on S33 War of the Worlds (third place)

won $63,000 on S24 Rivals II ($62,500 for first place + $500 for a daily)

won $25,000 on S21 Rivals (second place)

won $150,000 on S13 The Duel

won $10,000 on S12 Fresh Meat (third place)

10. Dee Nguyen — $255,000

won $5,000 during the Throne Off daily on S35 Total Madness

won $250k on S34 War of the Worlds 2

Honourable Mentions

Hunter Barfield — $0 / “$500,000”

won S32 Final Reckoning but his partner chose to keep his $500,000

Sarah Rice — $173,700 / “$311,200”

won S28 Rivals III but her partner chose to keep her $137,500. still earned $1,000 from a daily

won $125,000 on S26 Battle of the Exes II

won $10,000 on S23 Battle of the Seasons (third place)

won $20,000 on S20 Cutthroat (team bank account)

won $17,700 on S17 The Ruins (team bank account)

If there were no Steal-Your-Money Twist

The Top 10 Earners would be

1 Johnny Bananas — $1,047,220

2 Jordan Wisely — $833,000

3 Turbo Camkiran — $750,000

4 Ashley Mitchell — $621,250

5 Cara Maria Sorbello — $602,250

6 Camila Nakagawa — $561,250

7 CT Tamburello — $514,750

8 (tie) Hunter Barfield — $500,000

8 (tie) Jenny West — $500,000

9 Sarah Rice — $311,200

10 Wes Bergmann — $298,000

thereby leaving Dee-leted out of the Top 10. #justiceforSarah #justiceforHunter #bringthemback