With a cast brimming with CBS reality stars, only six MTV stars represent the flagship show on The Challenge: USA season 2. And Cory Wharton is one of three men to do so.
Cory joined John “Johnny Bananas” Devenanzio, Tori Deal, Wes Bergmann, Jonna Mannion, and Amanda Garcia on the CBS spin-off, and the network (as well as Paramount Plus) is currently airing episodes on Thursdays and Sundays.
Several of the MTV veterans on USA 2 are champions of The Challenge. But, like Amanda, Cory has yet to summit the proverbial mountain top. Although winless, he remains a fan favorite after competing in several franchise additions.
So, let’s get into the father-of-three’s reality competition career since Challenge fans became acquainted with him in 2015.
Cory made it to two finals in his first 3 seasons after starring on The Real World
Cory entered the reality television realm as a 22-year-old cast member on The Real World: Ex-plosion in 2014. The powers that be liked his appearance on the MTV staple, which led him to The Challenge’s 27th season, Battle of the Bloodlines.
As part of the season’s theme, Cory stormed into the franchise alongside his cousin, Mitch Reid. It was clear from the start that Cory had three major attributes that could make him a mainstay: his physicality, entertaining commentary through confessionals, and the knack for creating fun and sometimes dramatic television — and usually with a female.
What further cemented a second call from Bunim/Murray Productions is his performance on Battle of the Bloodlines. He and Mitch notched several daily challenge wins and made it to the final challenge before placing second overall. They picked up one elimination win inside “The Pit.” With how the format worked, Mitch went in alone against Raphy Medrano and came out on top.
That was the last time we saw Mitch on The Challenge. But for Cory, it was just the beginning.
He returned for the series’ next installment, Rivals III, when he was partnered up with Ashley Mitchell, someone he helped vote out of The Real World: Ex-Plosion. Although they mounted one daily challenge win, they were unable to survive their first elimination match of the season. They were booted out of the game by dropping their “Jungle” match-up to Christina LeBlanc and Nate Siebenmark.
This ended up being a minor setback for Ashley, who’d go on to win her next season while Cory was unable to capture gold again. They both represented the “Underdogs” team on Invasions of the Champions. After two elimination wins, Cory ran his second final and finished third behind Chris “CT” Tamburello and runner-up Nelson Thomas, a man who would be continuously be his number-one ally in future seasons.
With three seasons under his belt and podiuming twice, it seemed inevitable that Cory’s destiny to become a Challenge champion was already determined. But, what was to follow was four consecutive early exits.
Cory didn’t make it to a final challenge in his next 4 appearances on The Challenge
After Invasion of the Champions, Cory had stamped himself as a Challenge regular; he was one of the few competitors to appear in the trilogy that made up seasons 30, 31, and 32.
In what was billed by longtime host TJ Lavin as the “dirtiest” season ever, Cory joined a cast of conniving competitors in Dirty 30 — one of the most stacked seasons ever. In it, Cory had to compete against the likes of Challenge champs Johnny Bananas, CT, Jordan Wiseley, Darrell Taylor, and Derrick Kosinski.
And although he had his “Young Bucks” alliance members Nelson and Hunter Barfield with him, Cory had a rough go. He found himself in the bottom group of the opening challenge. But, because he was the top competitor once the dust settled, he was given the power to eliminate three male contestants.
After sending out Darrell, Shane Raines, and Devin Walker, Cory found himself in “The Presidio” opposite Derrick Henry in episode 3. He won, but that wouldn’t be the case when Hunter defeated him in his next elimination game a few episodes later. Luckily for Cory, the “Redemption House” twist was in play, and he had an opportunity to get back into the game.
But, once again, Hunter dashed his dreams and Cory was officially out of the running for a share of $350,000.
Cory then made his first and only spin-off appearance (up until this USA 2). But, it was a quick stint. Representing the “Champs” team (“Champs” was a loose term, obviously) on Champs vs. Stars 1, Cory was the first man to go out as Wild ‘n Out’s Matt Rife triumphed in their loser-go-home battle during episode 1.
He didn’t fare much better in season 31’s Vendettas either; Cory was the second male eliminated (Eddie Williams voluntarily left). He only lasted until episode 3 when — in a common theme — Cory was forced to face off against an alliance member. In this case, it was Nelson.
Although Cory managed to not lose an elimination round in his next season, Final Reckoning, he was still booted off ahead of the final challenge. But that time, it was because he got into a physical altercation with Tony Raines after he threw Cory’s pasta out a window. Infuriated, Cory slammed Tony to the ground — something that wasn’t tolerated by the MTV brass.
Cory and partner Devin were given their walking papers due to the incident.
After six seasons in a row and an unceremonious exit in season 32, Cory elected to take a break from The Challenge. Although he didn’t capture a championship after ending his hiatus, he found more success than in his previous three attempts.
Cory made 2 finals in his last 3 Challenge shows
After missing out on War of the Worlds 1 and 2, Cory made his grand return to the franchise for season 35’s Total Madness. Rejuvenated, Cory had a solid season which included three daily challenge wins and one elimination triumph.
Total Madness was the first iteration to feature the “Skull” twist; an addition that forced competitors to win a least one elimination game to qualify for the final challenge. Cory obtained his “Red Skull” in episode 12 when he sent Big Brother 20 alum Christopher “Swaggy C” Williams packing.
Cory later descended upon his first final challenge since Invasion of the Champions. He ultimately fell short to The Challenge‘s most winningest player — Johnny Bananas — and finished in third place. Regardless, it felt like a successful comeback for Cory.
And he ultimately carried the momentum into next season’s Double Agents.
Like Total Madness, Cory had to find himself on the elimination grounds to earn himself a ticket to the final challenge. And, once again, he was the reason Darrell didn’t notch a fifth Challenge title. They faced off for a “Gold Skull” in the latter part of Double Agents and Cory left “The Crater” with the victory.
After the dust settled, Cory ran the majority of the final challenge with Kam Williams and they finished as runner-ups behind CT and Amber Borzotra — marking the second time CT bested Cory in a final.
Not to be deterred, Cory came back for season 37’s Spies, Lies & Allies. But, his season came to an abrupt end around the midway point when Logan Sampedro beat him in “The Lair.” He managed to pick up one win in The Lair before his undoing, however.
Cory plans to continue competing on The Challenge ‘until they stop calling’
After nine seasons battling on the flagship series, Cory seems more motivated than ever to accomplish his goal of becoming a Challenge champion. He spoke with Hollywood Life ahead of USA 2’s premiere earlier this month, and he made his intentions with the show clear.
“I’m hot hanging up my cleats until I win! Whether that’s this season — you’ll have to see — or next season,” Cory said. “Whatever it takes. I love The Challenge and will continue to do it until they stop calling me.”
Spies, Lies & Allies wrapped nearly 1.5 years ago, meaning Challenge fans hadn’t seen Cory on the reality competition show for a while. During his break, Cory kept himself busy.
But more so, he focused on his daughter Maya’s health. Born in June 2022, Maya’s undergone two open-heart surgeries after being diagnosed with Tricuspid Atresia — a type of congenital heart disease. Cory told the outlet that the “timing was right” for him to make his Challenge return, and he had the full support of his girlfriend and Maya’s mom, Taylor Selfridge.
“It’s hard to fill that void in your life,” Cory said about The Challenge. “You don’t really know what you have until you miss it. I did a boxing match, I did a movie, but none of those opportunities filled the void the way The Challenge did.”
“Our biggest thing was as long as Maya’s health was okay, then it was like, ‘Go do your thing.’ She was fully supportive. The timing was great and it all worked out. Someone’s gotta put food on the table!”
Through four episodes of USA 2, Cory has managed to keep himself out of elimination even though the Challenge veterans are the clear targets of the house. Can he fight his way through the block of CBS competitors en route to the throne? Only time will tell!