Over the 36 seasons of MTV’s The Challenge, there have been some brutal eliminations, but many fans and cast members would probably say Hall Brawl tops the list in terms of brutality.
A recent countdown video showing several of the “most intense” Hall Brawls in the show’s history arrived online and brought in reactions from fans and several cast members.
That included competitors from recent regular seasons and even All-Stars, who have never stepped foot inside of the Hall Brawl but reacted to the brutality of the event. Some even want to try it out for themselves, if at all possible.
Most intense Hall Brawls video spotlights elimination event
In the seven-minute video that arrived on MTV’s The Challenge Instagram, two specific Hall Brawl events are showcased. In the first, viewers are treated to CJ Koegel going u p against Zach Nichols.
The two competitors battled it out in Hall Brawl on Battle of the Seasons back in 2012. In the event, Real World: San Diego’s Zach was teamed up with Sam McGinn as they took on CJ and Jasmine Reynaud of Real World: Cancun. It was a fierce battle, but Zach ultimately smashed through to break a tie, sending the Cancun stars home.
The No. 1 Hall Brawl shows the more recent elimination involving Nelson Thomas versus Fessy Shafaat on Double Agents. Nelson and many fans felt that Fessy played dirty, allowing him to get the win. It was also a blindside moment where Nelson wasn’t expecting his supposed friend or ally to volunteer himself for the elimination on the spot.
While the Instagram video only shows off those two eliminations, MTV also posted a video of over 30 minutes on YouTube (below). It includes four other Hall Brawls in their countdown of the most intense ever.
The Challenge stars react to Instagram video
The video above features some all-time greats and champions from The Challenge including Zach, Jennifer West, Rogan O’Connor, and Amber Borzotra. However, several Challenge competitors who never competed in the Hall Brawl reacted to the Instagram video.
That included Hunter Barfield, who competed in something similar against Leroy Garrett. In their event, the two competitors were running through paper walls at each other trying to race around a pole and back through a second paper wall. It was amazingly close both times, and Hunter picked up the win over the veteran star.
“All good ones! I prefer haul brawl over going through a paper wall blind,” the Final Reckoning winner commented.
Hunter hasn’t appeared on The Challenge for several seasons now, and neither has former competitor Idris Virgo, who has been involved in the professional boxing world. However, Idris also seems itching to return and get into Hall Brawl.
Another competitor who has never been in Hall Brawl during his Challenge career is Laterrian Wallace. However, fans saw him return for the All Stars spinoff and defeat Ace Amerson during the first elimination, a Pole Wrestle. Latterian famously treated Ace and the pole like a plunger in All Stars Episode 1.
The Challenge fans weigh in on Hall Brawls
The Hall Brawl has become quite popular with fans over the 36 seasons of The Challenge so far, prompting debates about who would win in certain matchups, or about whether certain competitors haven’t played fairly.
The Nelson vs. Fessy matchup brought that controversy and one fan commented suggesting they don’t ever want to see the former Big Brother star on their TV again.
Another fan weighed in, suggesting that Fessy’s biggest strength on The Challenge is that his football background helps him win Hall Brawl events. The fan asked production to “stop giving Fessy the Hall Brawl” during his appearances on the show.
The Challenge Season 37 cast has yet to be revealed, so it’s unknown if the two-time finalist might be involved in any more Hall Brawls in the near future.
Not to be lost in the various comments about Fessy was some praise for the man he defeated on Double Agents, Nelson. He appeared twice in the full YouTube video, with the other appearance his elimination loss to Rogan O’Connor. Despite the losses, it’s still clear Nelson gives his all to the battle.
Another fan mentioned how impressive Zach is as a competitor. He showcased that in the win against CJ Kogel as he used his size and power, and smarts to win despite looking like he was about to get eliminated.
Zach has not appeared on The Challenge since War of the Worlds 2, where he was part of Team USA in the final. However, he was featured on Season 35, Total Madness, during clips showing him and then-girlfriend Jenna Compono talking over their relationship issues via video calls.
The two have since married and are now expecting their first child in the coming months. So while they will be quite busy, it still seems possible fans could one day see Jenna and Zach return to compete again.
The Challenge Season 37 premiere date is TBA for 2021 on MTV. The Challenge: All Stars episodes are available on Paramount Plus.
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