MTV’s The Challenge’s thirty-eighth season, The Challenge: Ride or Dies, was a hit when it premiered in 2022. Like its predecessor, The Challenge: USA, the new season brought together alumni from multiple reality TV competitions, including Survivor and Big Brother, to compete in a number of extreme challenges for a chance at walking away with a whopping $1 million cash prize. The new season also featured seasoned vets like Johnny Bananas, Aneesa Ferreira, and Tori Deal, and Laurel Stucky competing against rookies like Tamara Alfaro and Ravyn Rochelle.

However, unlike previous seasons, contestants were paired up with an ally chosen ahead of filming for the entire duration of the competition. Evidently, the strength of these partnerships, rather than individual contestants, factored heavily into the season’s final outcome. So, which Ride or Die partnerships have the longest history and, presumably, are least prone to breaking down along the way?

Updated September 2024: This article has been updated to reflect the most recent information regarding "The Challenge: Ride or Dies" that premiered on October 12, 2022. The most recent season of "The Challenge" premiered on August 14, 2024. Many of the same contestants from "Ride or Dies" appeared on "The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras".

8 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio And Nany Gonzalez

Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio and Nany Gonzalez dated in 2011

Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio and Nany Gonzalez are arguably the most formidable pairing on this season of The Challenge. The two dated briefly following Nany Gonzalez’s season of Real World: Las Vegas.

The Challenge: Ride or Dies marked the second time Johnny and Nany competed as a unit. The duo first partnered-up on The Challenge: Battle of the Exes, where they clinched victory and walked away with $75,000.

On Ride or Dies, the two walked away in second place with $76,000 to split.

7 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Chauncey Palmer And Amber Borzota

Chauncey Palmer and Amber Borzota had been dating for one year when The Challenge: Ride or Dies premiered

The Challenge: Ride or Dies featured the return of seasoned vet Amber Borzota. Amber will be hoping to add a second victory to her belt after emerging victorious on The Challenge: Double Agents.

Amber was teamed up with her boyfriend and fitness trainer, Chauncey Palmer, who made his challenger debut this season.

Amber and Chauncey had a daughter together in May 2023.

6 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Analyse Talavera And Tommy Bracco

Analyse Talavera and Tommy Bracco competed on Big Brother together

Analyse Talavera and Tommy Bracco struck up a friendship on Big Brother’s 21st season, which aired in 2019. The two have remained close friends since their Big Brother days and will both made their debut on The Challenge this season.

Despite being rookie challengers, Tommy and Analyse were quite formidable as a unit on Big Brother. The two had a better team dynamic than veteran challengers who have not worked together in the past.

5 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Devin Walker And Tori Deal

Devin Walker and Tori Deal have know each other since 2017's Are You The One: Second Chances

Devin Walker-Molaghan and Tori Deal have known each other since 2017, when they appeared as rivals on Are You The One: Second Chances. The two have since put their bitter rivalry behind them and built a solid friendship.

The Challenge: Ride or Dies was Tori and Devin’s second attempt at partnering-up, following the rather chaotic ending to their partnership in The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies. This partnership proved to work since the duo walked away victorious from Ride or Dies with $772,000 cash prize to split.

4 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Nelson Thomas And Nurys Mateo

Nelson Thomas and Nurys Mateo met on the second season of Ex on the Beach

Veteran Nelson Thomas made yet another comeback on The Challenge alongside his ex-girlfriend Nurys Mateo. The duo first met when filming MTV’s second season of Ex on the Beach. Although their romance didn’t last past filming, the two have remained close friends.

Although Nurys has been in the reality TV game for quite a while, The Challenge: Ride or Dies will be her rookie season. The Are You The One alum will, therefore, certainly benefited from being teamed up with Nelson, who has nine appearances on The Challenge under his belt.

3 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Jakk Maddox And Laurel Stucky

Jakk Maddox and Laruel Stucky met on Ex on the Beach: Peak of Love

Laurel Stucky has been a force to reckon with since making her challenger debut in 2006. Laurel has had one win and three final runs since her debut, making her one of the highest-ranking female challengers in the show’s history.

Laurel made her eighth comeback on The Challenge alongside her longtime friend Jakk Maddox, whom she met in 2019 while filming Ex On The Beach: Peak of Love.

2 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Darrell Taylor And Veronica Portillo

Darnell Taylor and Veronica Portillo have competed on several seasons of The Challenge together

Darrell Taylor and Veronica Portillo will go down in history as the oldest and most accomplished competitors on The Challenge: Ride or Dies. The two have been appearing on the iconic show since season three and have a combined 20 challenges and seven wins under their belts.

Although Darrell and Veronica had not teamed up in the past, they appeared on multiple seasons of The Challenge together, including The Challenge All-Stars and The Ruins.

1 The Challenge: Ride Or Dies: Kailah Casillas And Sam Bird

Kailah Casillas and Sam Bird are married

Another seasoned vet that made a comeback on The Challenge: Ride or Dies is Kailah Casillas, who was teamed up with her husband, Sam Bird.

Sam and Kailah started dating in January 2020 before getting engaged in August of the same year. As a married couple, Kailah and Sam’s partnership is did not fall prey to the pressures of the game, which gave them a bit of an edge over their competitors.

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