The Challenge: All Stars premiered season 5 on January 29, 2025, featuring the theme of 'Rivals.' Host TJ Lavin welcomed a variety of players from previous seasons, some of whom were recently featured on the Battle of the Eras. He then paired contestants who had long-standing animosity, stirring equations. Among them was Ashley Kelsey, who was partnered with her ex, Dario Medrano.
They met while filming 2017's The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions and started dating. However, their relationship failed to last beyond the show, and they parted ways soon after. As a result, it put the former partners in a difficult position when TJ Lavin announced they would team up for the series.
"There is no greater rival than someone you dated, lived with, and now call an ex. Dario come on down," TJ Lavin told Ashley K.
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While playing the daily challenge in the season premiere, Ashley K took to a confessional to reveal that Dario not only heightened her nerves but also looked as good as he did back when they dated. Despite their difficult equation, the pair managed to secure a star in the daily challenge, which served as a ticket to the final.
The Challenge: All Stars fans took to X to comment on Ashley K and Dario's chemistry. While many claimed they might reunite, others were impressed by their compatibility as players.
"Ashley K and Dario look fantastic. Showmance 2.0 alert," a fan wrote.
"Dario and Ashley are funny together," another fan commented.
"Ashley K clearly still likes Dario," a netizen tweeted.
Many fans of The Challenge: All Stars approved of Dario and Ashley K's chemistry.
"Why did Ashley and Dario kinda eat up that premiere like they were serving the both the s*xiness and comic relief needed with all this drama," a user reacted.
"Shirtless Dario…. Casting approved #TheChallengeAllStars5 Him and Ashley K are lowkey one of the hottest pairs they’ve ever had," a person commented.
"Ashley K is still absolutely stunning. Dario is hot as f**k, what a gorgeous couple. Their pairing is legit too- exes that were messy & haven’t talked in years. I’m happy to see them both back!" another fan wrote.
Other fans of The Challenge: All Stars praised their performance as a team.
"Ashley and Dario sneaky strong team," one user posted.
"If Ashley K and Dario are gonna provide what they provided tonight all season, this will be an EPIC one. They were penciled in as two of the more boring people on the cast but I was thoroughly entertained by both!!!!" a person reacted.
However, one fan questioned their appearance on the show.
"why is dario there and why did they bring this random ex?" a netizen commented.
Who else won stars in The Challenge: All Stars season 5 episode 1?
In the first daily challenge of the competitive reality series, titled Frenemies, the pairs had to race their opponents and complete three checkpoints — Mudbath, Ice Transfer, and Ball-Ance Gurney. At the Mudbath checkpoint, the competitors had to transfer mud from one bucket to another using only their bodies. Amber and Faysal outperformed the rest and advanced to Ice Transfer first.
At the Ice Transfer checkpoint, Amber and Faysal lost their top spot to Adam and Steve, who maintained their lead throughout the race, emerging victorious. Consequently, they received a star. Devin and Leroy, and Nany and Turbo also received stars upon finishing the race in second and fourth place respectively.
The exes, Ashley K and Dario came in third position, earning themselves a star in the first episode of The Challenge: All Stars. While they were at the Ball-Ance Gurney checkpoint, Ashley K said:
"Working with my ex, I can feel my nerves rising. He still looks just as good as he did and I'm like, 'What the f**?' I just love, like, a man, who takes the lead. Oh lord."
While speaking to The Challenge: All Stars cameras, Dario mentioned that although Ashley K wanted him to take the lead, he struggled to get a word in when she spoke, noting how she talked over him.
As they reflected on their past relationship, Ashley K revealed that she did not like him after their breakup, whereas Dario admitted leaving her "in the dust," and added that he was a "dirtbag."
"She's still hot and I don't know what to do," Dario said.
While Ashley K and Dario celebrated their victory, many were left fearing for their positions in the game. The next episode will reveal which teams run the danger of facing the arena.
The Challenge: All Stars season 5 airs every Wednesday at 8 pm ET only on MTV.
