How to Win at The Challenge and Life

A Champion's Guide to Eliminating Obstacles, Winning Friends, and Making That Money

De: Sydney Bucksbaum

Narrado por: Cassandra Medcalf, Travis Tonn

You’ve seen the rivalries. You’ve witnessed the blood, sweat, and tears. You’ve celebrated the champions. But what does it really take to win MTV’s The Challenge? And what happens after the cameras stop rolling?

Since 1998, MTV’s The Challenge has tested competitors’ physical, mental, and emotional endurance. Some go on to become Challenge legends, going down in history as players who changed the game forever. But for each champion, there are dozens more who try and fail (over and over again) to earn the title.

In her time covering the show, pop culture journalist and Challenge superfan Sydney Bucksbaum has gotten to know many of the champs, gaining an insider’s knowl­edge of what goes into making a winning strategy—and how difficult it is to actually pull it off. Here, she profiles twenty-one of the most popular, successful, and infamous champions and reveals not only how they won The Chal­lenge but also how they applied the skills they learned from the experience to their personal lives and careers.

From seven-time winner Johnny “Bananas” Deve­nanzio, Challenge “Godfather” Mark Long, OG champ Veronica Portillo, elimination beast Emily Schromm to most-improved competitors Cara Maria Sorbello and Chris “C.T.” Tamburello, the best in the game look back at their decades of hard work, including the euphoric highs, devastating lows, and everything in between.

Eye-opening and inspiring, How to Win at The Challenge and Life is the must-have book for any and all fans looking to level up their own lives—and learn never-before-heard stories from the people who have dominated the show in every way.

©2022 Viacom International Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stories of Success and Strategies

A must read if you’re a fan of the show. Great strategic knowledge on how to deal with people in everyday life. Highly enjoyed.

Impressive Deep Dive into the Iconic Show

How to Win at The Challenge and Life by Sydney Bucksbaum is the perfect read for anyone as infatuated with The Challenge as I am. As someone who’s watched nearly every season (minus the ones lost to time or licensing), this book felt like a well-earned deep dive into the stories behind some of the show’s most iconic champions.

Even though the book came out fairly recently in 2022, it’s already a little outdated—especially with Jordan Wiseley, my favorite champion, racking up two more finals wins since then, bringing him to five total. That aside, most of the featured competitors’ stats have stayed the same, and the book still serves as a solid snapshot of their careers at that moment.

That said, I wish the scope had been a bit wider. While the book shines a light on several notable players, it would’ve been great to include more champs, especially those who defined earlier eras or had dominant runs. Turbo, for example, won arguably the hardest final the show has ever seen. Paula, Sarah, and Evelyn—who’s hands down one of the most dominant women in Challenge history—deserved mentions. And even competitors like Camila, Kenny, and Evan, who are now banned from the franchise, had undeniable impacts on the show’s legacy. Kenny alone made the final in 7 of his 8 seasons and walked away with two wins—he’s one of the best to ever do it.

Still, I loved this book. Hearing from legends like CT (an absolute menace in the best way), Landon (an all-time favorite I hope we see again), and Johnny (whose perspective made me respect him a bit more) made for a really enjoyable and nostalgic read. And Jordan? He’s the best competitor we’ve ever seen—mentally, physically, and strategically.

This book is a must-read for Challenge diehards. It may not cover everyone, but it delivers a great mix of insight, stories, and appreciation for what makes The Challenge such a uniquely intense and addictive reality competition.

Solid

I loved the storytelling, I felt like I was rewatching the show all over again. And great depiction of all the characters included.

nothing special

It's not a bad book. Also, a lot of repeating the same story from several perspectives.

I Expected So Much More

This really just felt like a compilation of all the Google-able information about a bunch of the winners. I was wanting…more. Maybe some stuff that you couldn’t easily find online, or maybe more intricate details about the show and behind the scenes. I am OBSESSED with The Challenge and have seen every single season AT LEAST once, and I was bored.

Just OK....

BIG challenge fan. I wish the format was a little different. Each chapter is about/interviews of a champion. But the the tv shows move so fast, it already feels outdated. Overall it was a quick listen and a must for any challenge fan. No major takeaways tho.