‘The Challenge’ Star Bayleigh Dayton Reveals Why She Won’t Return to the Show
28-year-old Bayleigh Dayton competed on Big Brother and The Challenge, making her mark on both series. However, the model previously announced her retirement from reality competition shows. During a Jun. 2021 Instagram question and answer, the two-time BB player revealed why she wouldn’t return to The Challenge, even though she made it to the finals as a rookie.
Bayleigh Dayton initially competed on ‘Big Brother’
In 2018, former Miss Missouri Bayleigh Dayton debuted on Big Brother 20, where she quickly fell for Chris “Swaggy C” Williams.
The couple and a few other houseguests were a part of a dysfunctional alliance that turned on Swaggy C and evicted him during the second week.
Even though America awarded Bayleigh with a Power App following his eviction, she failed to use it as she told the wrong people about it, and they flipped on her. When the dominating alliance found out about her power, they convinced her not to use it and backdoored her, resulting in a heated exchange.
Bayleigh ended up going home that week in a 6-1 vote. Following her time on the show, she settled down with then fianceé Swaggy C for over a year before the two returned to reality television for the MTV competition series, The Challenge.
She made it to the finals as a rookie during ‘The Challenge: Total Madness’
Joining the 35th season of The Challenge alongside her partner and season 20 houseguests Fessy Shafaat and winner Kaycee Clark, the two performed well.
Bayleigh won several daily missions, keeping her and her alliance safe at critical moments, and sent home veteran and elimination beast, Aneesa Ferreira, earning her gold skull.
Even though her allies seemingly turned on her toward the end of the competition, Bayleigh made it to the finals as a rookie. However, she hurt her knee and chose to withdraw from the competition following the overnight portion to avoid further damage, placing third overall.
The former Miss Missouri returned for Big Brother 22: All-Stars, where she was evicted in Week 5.
Bayleigh on why she won’t return to the MTV series
Following her second time on BB, Bayleigh announced her retirement from reality television in a now-deleted Oct. 2020 Instagram post. While she thanked her fans for supporting her throughout her career, the former Miss Missouri explained she and now-husband Swaggy C wanted to “bow out” to focus on other projects.
Bayleigh ended her statement by noting the reality television producers she worked with treated her well and thinks she “will be back on TV in a different capacity.”
A few months later, in Jun. 2021, a fan asked the model if she planned on returning to The Challenge anytime soon. The former finalist answered on her Instagram that she wouldn’t compete on the series again as she called her rookie year experience “miserable” and admitted she was “depressed the whole time.”
Additionally, Bayleigh claimed she already has the money she could win on the show, so she would “rather keep my peace.” While the two-time Big Brother player wouldn’t return to competition reality television, she noted she would like to be on a show similar to Bravo’s Real Housewives.
