MTV’s The Challenge has been handing out prize money to hopefuls for over two decades, and one reality television star stands above them all as the show’s top earner.
At first glance, one may think that Johnny Devenanzio (best known as “Johnny Bananas”) would hold the title considering he’s won and competed in the most iterations of The Challenge. But, instead, it’s the man who holds the second-place spot for championships and appearances that sits in the illustrious position: Chris “CT” Tamburello.
The hulking and charismatic athlete has cashed several checks in his nearly 20-year run with the franchise. And as it currently stands, CT has made $1,365,000 in earnings, whereas Johnny Bananas clocks in at $1,184,720, per Looper’s accounting. Counting his two spin-off victories, CT’s earned seven Challenge championships and finished on the podium in five other seasons. The million-dollar figure couples his victories on MTV’s main series with his finale placements and some money he’s gotten from select daily challenges.
So, let’s explore how CT became The Challenge’s cash king.
CT didn’t win until his 9th appearance on ‘The Challenge’
CT joined the reality television universe in 2003 when he starred in The Real World: Paris at 22 years old. And he made his debut on the competition series the next year back when the franchise was coined Real World/Road Rules Challenge. His first stint was on season 8’s Inferno and he placed second alongside his Real World teammates. He returned for season 10’s Inferno II and once again took the runner-up spot after crossing the finish line with his “Badd Asses” counterparts. He earned cash and prizes during both shows and then came back for season 13’s The Duel, but was eliminated right before the final challenge after he was disqualified in an elimination match against Brad Fiorenza (it was a round CT was dominating but he illegally ripped a flag off a carabiner).
It marked his third Challenge without a championship and a grand prize check. And unfortunately for the reality television star, he’d have to endure five more seasons before winning his first show — and he was kicked off of two of them for fighting. He was immediately booted off from season 14’s The Inferno 3 after punching Davis Mallory in the face during episode 1.
After notching his third second-place finish on season 15’s The Gauntlet III, he got into a wild physical altercation with his fellow Real World: Paris co-star Adam King on season 17’s The Duel II. The fight, which still stands as the most intense of any season of The Challenge, sent both competitors packing, and CT went on a hiatus.
He briefly took part in season 20’s Cutthroat as a mercenary brought in to face Bananas and Tyler Duckworth in The Gulag — the season’s elimination battleground. It was then that CT created potentially the most famous moment on The Challenge ever. Tethered back to back with Bananas, CT lifted and carried him like a backpack, which led to Bananas’ elimination. Although it was a massively impressive feat, CT once again left The Challenge without a hefty grand prize check.
CT joined season 21’s Rivals as a normal cast member but fell short of the final challenge alongside Adam, his teammate. Then, season 22’s Battle of the Exes saw CT landing on a podium for his fourth time. He placed second with his partner, Diem Brown, and lost to Bananas and Camila Nakagawa.
Even with eight seasons and four finals under his belt, CT still hadn’t won the big money — but, at least he earned thousands in daily challenge and finalist paydays, as well as in prizes.
Nonetheless, his losing streak would finally come to an end in his next outing. And all in all, he’d beat out his competition in five of his next 11 appearances on MTV’s mainline series, starting with season 24’s Rivals II.
CT won ‘Rivals II,’ ‘Invasion of the Champions,’ ‘War of the Worlds 2,’ ‘Double Agents,’ and ‘Spies, Lies & Allies’
In what was a powerhouse team, CT and Wes Bergmann crossed host TJ Lavin’s finish line before the other remaining pairs on Rivals II. As mentioned, the 2013 season marked CT’s first time hoisting gold and the newly minted Challenge champion took home $62,50 (plus another $500 from a daily challenge win) — splitting the $125,000 pot with Wes.
CT wouldn’t see a final for three more seasons after that, however. He was eliminated by Johnny Bananas ahead of the Free Agent’s finale. And in the following season, CT left early when his partner, Diem, was medically unable to continue on Battle of the Exes II; she tragically passed away from cancer in 2014, before the season aired in 2015.
After that, he went on another hiatus from The Challenge, missing out on season 27’s Battle of the Bloodlines (he filled the role as a mercenary for one elimination, however) and season 28’s Rivals III.
CT made his grand return on season 29’s Invasion of the Champions where he ascended to the top. Along with fellow male Challenge champions Johnny Bananas, Darrell Taylor and Zach Nichols, CT joined the game halfway through — hence the name. After beating out the season’s rookies, CT won a total of $112,500 along his with second first-place trophy.
CT placed third on season 30’s Dirty 30, earning him some more dollar bills before dropping back-to-back Challenge seasons post-final. CT and partner Veronica Portillo were the third pair taken out in season 32’s Final Reckoning, and he was eliminated early in season 33’s War of the Worlds as well.
But what came after that was CT’s most successful run in his Challenge career; a run he’s still on. He’s nabbed three championships in his past four seasons.
The Massachusetts native competed in season 34’s War of the Worlds 2 as part of Team U.K., and after avoiding elimination all season, CT crossed the finish line with teammates Dee Nguyen, Jordan Wiseley, and Rogan O’Connor, beating Team USA. Splitting the $1 million pot, CT left Thailand $250,000 richer.
CT had a quick exit in the subsequent show: season 35’s Total Madness. But, he returned for season 36’s Double Agents and earned a crisp $450,000 — his biggest payday to date — by winning the final. Amber Borzotra also captured $450,00. And then, for the first time in his Challenge journey, CT won his second consecutive season. Returning to the show in tip-top shape for season 37’s Spies, Lies & Allies, CT and partner Kaycee Clark made $400,000 each.
CT could’ve won even more money on ‘Spies, Lies & Allies’
CT actually had the opportunity to walk away with even more cash during his last outing. After TJ announced he and his partner Kaycee had won the $1 million grand prize on Spies, Lies & Allies, TJ gave them the opportunity to carve off some of their winnings for their fellow finalist duos: second-place players Tori Deal and Kyle Christie, and Emy Alupei and Devin Walker, who came in third.
Although they didn’t have to spare a dime, CT and Kaycee elected to hand over $100,00 to each team, meaning Tori, Kyle, Emy, and Devin all walked away with $50,000 apiece. That left CT and Kaycee with $400,000 each, making that CT’s second biggest check behind his Double Agents payday.
He’s also won thousands of dollars for charity in 2 ‘Champs vs. Stars’ seasons
CT has appeared in three Challenge spin-offs during his tenure, winning two of them for charity. MTV released the Champs vs. triology, a three-season charity mini-series that ran from 2017 through 2018 — CT popped up on all of them. In the first show, Champs vs. Pros, CT hung around until episode 6 before he was eliminated. He raised $5,000 for Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine.
He then battled in the 2017 and 2018 seasons of Champs vs. Stars for F.I.G.H.T. CT won $55,000 for the charity alongside Johnny Bananas and Emily Schromm during 2017’s Champs vs. Stars. And then in the final show, he wrote F.I.G.H.T. a check for $52,950 after he and Tony Raines snagged the trophy.
All in all, CT has competed on The Challenge 22 times, which includes being cast on 19 seasons of MTV’s mainline series and in all three Champs vs. iterations. But, at 42 years old, it’s unclear whether the beloved challenger will return to his stomping ground.
Will CT look to capture another title on ‘The Challenge’?
Since his victory in season 37, several showcases of The Challenge have come and gone, including season 38’s Ride or Dies, All Stars seasons 2 and 3, and The Challenge: World Championship. However, the franchise’s biggest earner has been MIA.
I had the opportunity to interview CT last year when he was promoting The Most Dangerous Game, an action movie he starred in. It was released in August 2022.
The reality-star-turned-actor was also around a year removed from his Spies, Lies & Allies championship. And when I asked him about a potential return, he didn’t commit to one. But, he replied: “Never say never.”
“The only person I compete against is myself,” CT continued. “And I think that’s important. Every day I try to be better than I was yesterday, and that was the main reason I kept coming back for so long.”