"Wanted to focus on authentic rivalries" — The Challenge All Stars' showrunner Emer Harkin on Rivals’ casting

Emer Harkin, the showrunner of The Challenge All Stars spoke about the show's fifth season in an interview with Variety. Emer said that she wanted to do justice to the fan favorite season with the Rivals theme, which first appeared in 2011 and returned in 2013 and 2016. The theme was followed in season five as well and it featured 13 teams of two and aimed to deliver authentic rivalries.

This time, some players were paired with new rivals, while others were matched with long-time opponents. The pairing of Steve Meinke and Adam Larson, who fell out on a previous season is one such example. It is similar to the pairing of Veronica Portillo and Katie Doyle, who clashed on The Inferno in 2004. Exes Ashley Kelsey and Dario Medrano, who hadn't spoken in years, were also paired together.

"We went through every relationship, all the nuances, all the ups, the downs, the highs and lows, for virtually every cast member across the entire franchise. It’s an enormous undertaking. We really wanted to focus on authentic rivalries," stated Emer.

Emer told the publication the intention behind the pairing and noted that she reviewed all the relationships between the franchise before choosing the pairs.

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The Challenge All Stars showrunner on pairing up rivals and casting fan favorites

Emer Harkin explained why the "Rivals" theme was brought back for The Challenge All Stars instead of the main show. She noted that the team wanted to revive the theme for a long time but they were waiting for the right moment, which she said arrived after The Challenge 40. It was a massive season for the show and featured many all-star players. The team decided to use Rivals to make All Stars stand out even more, bringing back a fan-favorite format.

"We’ve all been dying to do Rivals for so long. We’ve been waiting for the most opportune moment," explained Emer.

Emer also revealed that the team behind The Challenge All Stars focused on pairing up rivals rather than selecting individual players first. She chose duos that had a history of conflict as she wanted pairs that were interesting but had rivalries that fans didn't know about.

The Challenge All Stars showrunner also considered rivalries that had played out publicly, either recently on social media or years ago on TV.

Emer Harkin was also asked why Ashley Mitchell was brought back for The Challenge All Stars after being noticeably absent from The Challenge 40. Harkin revealed that she wasn't involved in the casting process for The Challenge 40, and thus couldn't comment on that decision.

However, she did express joy about having Ashley back on All Stars. She felt it was the perfect time to bring Ashley back in a way that was true to her personality.

Emer kept up with cast members as they competed on other shows like The Traitors. She added that she felt proud seeing familiar faces like CT Tamburello, Trishelle Cannatella, Johnny Bananas, and Wes Bergmann shine on other platforms.

Emer believed this exposure showcased the talent and quality of The Challenge cast, demonstrating that they were among the best in the business.

However, she also discussed how she had a tough time choosing just one exciting returnee. She was eager to see Melissa Reeves and Nicole Zanatta, knowing their reunion would be intense. The rivalry between Nany Gonzalez and Turbo was also highly anticipated.

Other notable returns on The Challenge All Stars included Veronica and Katie, a duo Emer described as "TV gold." The reunion of exes Ashley K. and Dario was also significant, marking the first time they'd seen each other in years.

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The Challenge All Stars: Rivals premiered on January 29, 2025, on MTV.