‘The Challenge’ Godfather Mark Long Has Big Plans for the Show Past ‘All Stars’
The Challenge: All Stars still has one episode left to air — plus a reunion show — but fans are already asking for more. Will there be a second season?
According to self-proclaimed Challenge Godfather Mark Long, it’s possible. He says he has big plans for the show’s past “All-Stars.”
‘The Challenge: All Stars’ was Mark Long’s idea
Last year, Mark tweeted a question for Challenge fans that ended up going viral. He asked if they’d be interested in seeing an “all old school” two-week challenge with no “stars” needed. The answer was an overwhelming “yes.”
Mark had been thinking about an All-Stars season for a while, and the response to his tweet was proof he was on to something. After he took the idea to MTV and Bunim/Murray productions, it quickly went into development.
The show was cast and shot in a much shorter period of time compared to the original series. And, it made its debut on Paramount+ this spring.
According to Bunim/Murray production company president Julie Pizzi, the show went from eight episodes to nine because they had so much content from the finale.
Are more ‘All Stars’ seasons on the way?
Pizzi — who is also an executive producer for The Challenge: All Stars — told Heavy that they still have a lot of cast members that they “haven’t tapped into” who want to do the show. She says that her guess is they will continue to do the series for a while with more OGs. Then, they might “open it up as we go with success.”
She also revealed that more than 100 Real World and Road Rules cast members have reached out to her and expressed interest in season 2.
“People have reached out to us. It is, like, a wealth of great personalities that are willing to do it, because they thought it looked like a lot of fun,” Pizzi explained.
Mark Long has big plans for ‘The Challenge: All Stars’
Mark is an executive producer and contestant on The Challenge: All Stars. He’s thrilled that his idea has become a reality. But he’s not done yet. Mark wants a Challenge Super Bowl that features OGs versus newer cast members.
“This is my vision. [We knock] out probably five or six [All Star] seasons and then it’ll culminate with almost like the Super Bowl of OG’s versus newer show cast members. And it will be the most-watched show in reality competition history,” Mark shared.
Who was the Godfather most excited to see?
Before The Challenge: All Stars, the last time Mark had competed on the reality series was back in 2012 during Battle of the Exes. He told fellow contestant Aneesa Ferreira on MTV’s Official Challenge Podcast that he was excited to see two specific people in the first All Stars season.
“You know I’ve always felt like Derrick; I love the fact that he came, and he was on the first season, and hopefully we’ll see him on many more, but like, he’s like me. You know what I mean?” Mark said. “I love the show. I’m a product of the show. I did my first my Road Rules was in ’95, so you do the math there. This has been my life for 25-plus years.”
Mark also mentioned that he was excited to see Darrell Taylor. He had never worked with Darrell on the show before, but he “always had so much respect” for him.
Who is in Mark Long’s ‘The Challenge’ hall of fame?
Mark noted that fans were so excited about the fact that he was able to get Teck “Money” Holmes and Yes Duffy on All Stars, despite neither one being on the show for more than 17 years.
He also shared which competitors he considers part of The Challenge hall of fame. Yes, he includes himself.
“I’ve been asked this. I want to say it’s hard to answer, but it’s easy, I go CT [Tamburello], I go [Johnny] Bananas, I go Aneesa, I go Coral [Smith], and listen, I started this thing a long time ago, and if I’m not up on that platter somehow, something’s wrong,” Mark shared.
The Challenge: All Stars wraps season 1 on Thursday, May 27 on Paramount Plus.
