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4 Big Brother 26 players who we would like to see on MTV’s The Challenge

Big Brother 26 provided us with some of the most athletic players we have seen in the civilian version of the CBS franchise, so which of the 16 Houseguests from this past season would most likely be the best fits for MTV’s The Challenge?

ByJames Kevin Stott|
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After 90 days at Stage 18 at Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles playing on Big Brother 26 we saw the first unanimous (7-0) women’s winner when 27-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California resident Chelsie Banham won $750,000 on October 13, 2024.

It was one of the better Big Brother seasons in recent memory and one which brought us four pretty good Houseguests who were athletes in high school along with one of them who went on to play football in college at the Division 1 Level.

With many past Big Brother players like winners Kaycee Clark and Josh Martinez, and other players like Paulie Calafiore, Faysal Shafaat, Bayleigh Dayton, Chris Williams, Da'Vonne Rogers, and Kyland Young, having all been asked to compete on MTV’s The Challenge. It leaves us wondering which BB26 alums may be the best fit to be the next candidates.

Matt Hardeman

He may have been the first player voted out on Big Brother 26, but Matt Hardemann would be a great candidate to see on MTV’s The Challenge in the future. Dubbed “Crazy Eyes” and targeted early on by Angela Murray, Matt was put up on the block on Day 7 when PoV-winner Lisa Weintraub used the veto on herself and Angela named Matt the replacement nominee.

In the first competition in the AI Arena in the Big Brother season, Matt, Kenney Kelley, and Kimo Apaka competed in “Glitch in the System” on Day 10, with Kimo winning and taking himself off the block. Matt, a 25-year-old tech sales rep from Georgia, was then voted out by an 8-3 vote.

So why would he be a good pick for The Challenge? First off, Matt didn’t really get enough TV time, and the natural chemistry between him and housemate Makensy Manbeck was endearing with the two tallest contestants in Studio City vibing early on before Angela went full beast mode.

The second, and most important reason why Matt would be a great addition to The Challenge, which has seen a recent trend of bringing past Big Brother players on board, is because of his athleticism and past experience as a varsity football player and a junior varsity baseball player at Loganville Christian Academy in Loganville, Georgia.

At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Matt has the height and the weight to compete with the big boys on The Challenge, and as a middle linebacker, offensive tackle, and fullback for his high school, he was pretty darn good and was named the defensive player of the year for the Lions in his senior season in 2016.

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