The Challenge Season 38 trailer and cast were revealed several weeks ago, with fans seeing plenty of familiar faces participating in the newest installment of MTV’s competition series.
Among them were veteran stars, including Johnny Bananas, Aneesa Ferreira, Laurel Stucky, Veronica Portillo, Darrell Taylor, and Jordan Wiseley.
Recent seasons also featured multiple Big Brother stars, and that’s the case with Season 38. Recent champs Kaycee Clark and Amber Borzotra, multi-time finalist Fessy Shafaat, and rookies Analyse Talavera and Tommy Bracco are all in MTV’s upcoming season.
Someone fans may have noticed missing from the familiar BB stars in the show is Josh Martinez, who has appeared in five-straight editions of The Challenge.
Everyone appearing in Season 38 will have a specific teammate with whom they share a close bond. For example, Big Brother friends Analyse and Tommy are partners for the season.
Josh recently took some time to address not appearing in The Challenge: Ride or Dies and shared who his teammate might’ve been if he’d done the season.
Josh speaks about not appearing in Season 38
Josh has become well known by fans of MTV’s The Challenge due to his emotional scenes and outbursts during several seasons. Viewers won’t see any of that from Josh in Season 38 because he’s not in the Ride or Dies cast.
Taking to his Instagram Story earlier this week, The Challenge regular and Big Brother winner spoke about his decision not to appear in the upcoming season of MTV’s show. He indicated it was difficult initially but said it was “probably” for the best.
“No, guys, I will not be on this next season of The Challenge. To be real with you, at first, it was really hard how everything went down. It was depressing, but now that I look at it, it was probably the best thing for my mental health. I needed a breather. I needed a little bit of a break. So it’s good,” he said in a clip posted on his IG Story.
In additional video clips on his Story (below), Josh talked about struggling with anxiety. He said some days are better than others, then listed things that help him. That includes physical activities like running or working out, as well as meditating, praying, and spending time with family.
Josh regularly shows his fans and followers some of his intense workouts on his social media. A few months ago, fans reacted to The Challenge star ‘looking jacked” as he showed off his grueling workout at the gym.
Josh shares who his Ride or Dies teammate would’ve been
With MTV’s upcoming Ride or Dies season, cast members are in pairs, with one man and one woman working together. Each set of teammates shares a bond of some type, bringing the Ride or Dies theme into play.
Those bonds include husband and wife like Sam Bird and Kailah Casillas, boyfriend and girlfriend like Chauncey Palmer and Amber, or friends like Tori Deal and Devin Walker.
There are also family members teaming up. The Challenge and Big Brother winner Kaycee is partners with her brother, Kenny Clark.
Based on a slide he shared on his IG Story, Josh was going to bring a family member along, or at least that’s what production wanted. Josh ultimately decided against it, as he said he “would’ve felt so guilty if the experience would’ve affected her mental health.”
“My family is my world, and I protect that over everything,” Josh said on his slide.
Josh has been a main cast member in MTV’s The Challenge since debuting in Season 33, War of the Worlds. In his most recent season, Spies, Lies & Allies, viewers watched as he and his friend Fessy got into a heated altercation inside the house, ultimately leading to minor physical contact between the two.
It resulted in Fessy getting kicked off the season for pushing Josh’s face away, something Josh was visibly upset by when host TJ Lavin announced the decision to the cast. Despite his role in the altercation, Josh remained part of the season. He was eventually eliminated by Kyle Christie a few episodes before the final.
It was among several altercations or arguments that Josh got involved in over several seasons, with others involving castmates Devin and Paulie Calafiore.
He’ll now relax on the sidelines as he roots for his friends in MTV’s Season 38. Several months ago, Josh tweeted about his decision to take a break from The Challenge, calling it “the best thing that has happened for my mental.”
The Challenge: Ride or Dies premieres Wednesday, October 12, at 8/7c on MTV.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
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