Wes Bergmann continues to watch The Challenge from afar and share his thoughts on the various seasons.
MTV is currently airing All Stars Rivals, which features pairs of castmates with a feud or history from The Challenge.
Among them are MTV OGs, including Frank Sweeney Fox, Veronica Portillo, Katie Cooley, and Shane Landrum.
However, some OGs continue to receive backlash for their specific strategies, which help them survive without going into eliminations and get closer to the final.
In a recent episode, viewers saw Amber Borzotra blast Frank after castmates voted her and her teammate, Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat, into the elimination event.
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Amber called out Frank for stirring up drama in the house to create mistrust amongst allies. He denied it at the nomination meeting, only to reveal later in the confessional that he controls the game.
Wes praised castmates and suggested ‘hazard pay’
According to Wes, if people like Veronica, Shane, and Frank weren’t part of The Challenge right now, the show would be “cancelled.”
“Yet next time they play, they will get persecuted more than everyone else,” he said regarding the strategies they’re using on All Stars Rivals and how it could affect them in future seasons.
Due to this, Wes suggested that all cast members get 25 percent less pay, and the additional money would go into a pot to distribute later.
“That pot pays out the 10% most mentioned cast members by the halfway point of the season. It would be paid as a bonus at the time of airing,” he said.
“So fine, if you want to play ‘optimally’, aka boring AF – go for it. You’ll be paid in a higher likelihood of winning (and perhaps more weekly bonuses),” Wes suggested.
He said the rest of the show’s cast members, whom he called the “television stars,” would be “paid accordingly.”
“We could call it hazard pay,” he wrote.
Wes won MTV’s The Challenge twice and the All Stars spinoff once. According to a Wiki Fandom page, he’s won over $300,000 from MTV’s show and $250,000 from All Stars.
He officially retired from The Challenge after losing an elimination on CBS’ USA 2 spinoff. He’s since appeared on other reality TV programs, including House of Villains 2 and The Traitors 3.
Fans reacted to Wes’ suggestion for a new pay system
Veronica, Shane, and Frank are still in the game with their teammates, Katie, Da’Vonne Rogers, and Sam McGinn, respectively.
Recent episodes revealed their strong alliance working behind the scenes. So far, they’ve set up situations to eliminate several strong teams from the game, including Fessy with Amber and Devin Walker with Leroy Garrett.
“Devin being eliminated changed the trajectory of the show – he plays so scared it ruins the show,” one commenter wrote.
“100% facts,” a commenter said, while another said, “I agree with you 100 percent.”
“Veronica is killing it but won’t ever win but we do because it’s good tv,” the latter commenter said.
Another individual wrote, “Facts, real world and road rules alumni still make the show worth watching,” referring to Frank, Shane, and Veronica.
While cast members’ specific salaries are unknown, All Stars Rivals features a prize purse of $300,000 for individuals who complete the final.
Based on the four Stars available and host TJ Lavin’s indication that teams need a Star to qualify for the final, at least four teams will likely participate in the event.
In addition to some fans complaining that the All Stars 5 season on MTV is not entertaining, others called out a recent elimination involving former champions as “pathetic.”
The Challenge: All Stars Rivals airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.