‘The Challenge’ Star Ashley Marie Kelsey and NFL Running Back Kerryon Johnson Expecting First Child
The Challenge star Ashley Marie Kelsey and Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson recently announced they are expecting their first child together. The couple has been dating for around a year and a half.
Ashley Marie Kelsey competed on ‘The Challenge’
In 2011, then 24-year-old model Ashley Marie Kelsey made her reality television debut on The Real World: San Diego. During her time on the show, she developed a relationship with Zach Nichols.
After a bad breakup, the two had to compete together, alongside other former roommates Frank Sweeney and Sam McGinn, in the competition spinoff The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons (2012).
Though the dysfunctional team argued often, they crossed the finish line first, each taking home $62,500. She returned four years later for Invasion of the Champions, where she entered the game during the fifth episode as part of a twist.
However, the former champ was thrown into elimination the following week, which she lost. While Kelsey hasn’t returned to The Challenge, she has competed on spinoff Champs vs. Pros (2017) for charity. However, she ended up becoming the second female eliminated.
Kerryon Johnson is an NFL running back for the Detroit Lions
Originally from Alabama, 23-year-old running back Kerryon Johnson performed well on his high school team, earning offers from several schools.
He decided on Auburn, where he backed up current Washington Football Team running back Peyton Barber and occasionally returned punts. By the time he became a junior, Johnson had established himself as the leading rusher, earning nearly three times more carries than the other players.
The running back ended his breakout season leading the SEC in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. The Alabama native chose to forgo his senior year and declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, where the Detroit Lions selected him in the second round or 43rd overall.
Johnson had an impressive rookie year but underwent knee surgery during his second season.
Kelsey and Johnson are expecting a child together
It’s unclear how Kelsey and Johnson met, but their first picture together on her Instagram dates back to June 2019 when they attended a wedding in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.
They also celebrated Halloween that same year as a couple in Detroit, Michigan, and he took her to her first college bowl game the following month. The couple also rang in New Years’ 2020 together and supported fellow The Challenge stars Taylor Selfridge and Cory Wharton at their gender reveal party.
After quarantining together during the COVID-19 pandemic, the two took a few trips, including a beach trip in May, before announcing they were expecting their first child together in December 2020.
The couple shared they were expecting by posting a video of themselves participating in their own gender reveal. After popping a can of confetti, the two realized they were having a baby girl. A couple of days after she posted the video, she uploaded her first picture proudly holding her pregnancy bump. The Challenge 36: Double Agents airs Wednesdays at 8/7 Central on MTV.
