‘The Challenge’: Ashley Mitchell Says Female Castmates Have ‘Internalized Sexism’
After winning twice, Ashley Mitchell has gotten targeted early in subsequent seasons of The Challenge. In a recent podcast, she pointed out the lack of going after male champions the same way, calling it “internalized sexism.”
Ashley Mitchell has gotten targeted early after her win
The Real World star Ashley Mitchell has won two seasons of The Challenge and might have been on her way to a third had she not gotten removed from Spies, Lies, and Allies for breaching the rules.
In a February 2023 episode of the podcast Most Likely Two, the West Virginia native addressed her frequently getting targeted early in competitions.
For example, she was eliminated by the second episode following her Final Reckoning win as Hunter Barfield got revenge. Following her finals appearance in War of the Worlds 2, partly due to her massive alliance, Ashley was the second female eliminated in Total Madness after becoming the house vote.
The MTV alum returned for Double Agents, where she and champ CT Tamburello were the first team voted into elimination. She returned in episode 5 as a replacement, but Kam Williams sent her home by the end of the next episode. It appeared Ashley turned her luck around in Spies, Lies, and Allies, but she got removed a few challenges before the finals.
Ashley thinks female castmates have ‘internalized sexism’
During the podcast, she explained why she thinks she gets targeted early. The two-time champ admitted she thinks several female competitors have “internalized sexism” who don’t want another girl to win.
She pointed to the seven-time winner and the winningest player, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio’s ability to make it to the end multiple times, noting others would rather suck up to him than go after him.
The West Virginia native continued, claiming that returning female winners aren’t treated the same as men because it seems as though they’re not immediately targeted.
She also called out the network as part of the problem, pointing out that when Kailah Casillas cheated on her then-boyfriend “Mikey P” Pericoloso with Stephen Bear during Total Madness, it became a focal point of the season. However, Ashley admitted that she knows several guys who have cheated in the Challenge house but got swept under the rug.
Tori Deal thinks Ashley shouldn’t return due to ‘Spies, Lies, and Allies’ disqualification
Some cast members don’t want Ashley to return due to her interaction with Josh Martinez, which resulted in her Spies, Lies, and Allies disqualification.
For example, Tori Deal disagreed with Josh in a live taping of the podcast Challenge Mania, who thinks the two-time champ should come back, pointing out that Ashley’s comments also “offended” the producers.
Additionally, she thought her co-star went too far in the heated exchange, adding, “you’re not the narrator of someone else’s story.” On the other hand, the Big Brother winner admitted he thought Ashley should return for a future season, citing her status as a current champion and belief that she’s a good addition to the series as reasons.
Even so, Josh shared that her words hurt him, claiming she brought up something and went too “low.” Additionally, the veteran called it the “hardest thing” he’s gone through in the Challenge house. The Challenge is available to watch on MTV and Paramount+.
