‘The Challenge’: Wes Bergmann Says He’s Taking a Break After Season 36; Here’s Why
14-time competitor and two-time champ Wes Bergmann returned for The Challenge: Double Agents seeking his third win. However, he quickly found himself on the bottom after he and his partner, rookie Natalie Anderson, landed in the first elimination. Following the second episode, Bergmann appeared on co-star Fessy Shafaat’s Instagram Live and announced a break from the franchise.
Wes Bergmann debuted on ‘The Challenge: Fresh Meat’
In 2005, then 19-year-old Wes Bergmann appeared on The Real World: Texas before making his debut on the competition spinoff series, The Challenge: Fresh Meat (2006).
He quickly proved himself a player to watch by making it to the finals as a rookie before winning his sophomore season, The Duel (2006). The reigning champ went home early in the following two seasons he competed before reaching the end again in Rivals (2011), where he placed second, earning $25,000.
Again, Bergmann had two lackluster seasons until winning Rivals II (2013), pocketing $63,000. The two-time champ has since reached the finals once more in War of the Worlds (2019), in which he placed third, taking home $50,000.
Throughout his 13-season career, the veteran player has earned $303,000.
Bergmann returned a 14th time for ‘The Challenge: Double Agents’
The Kansas native joined the cast of season 36, seeking his third win and the half-million grand prize. Even though he chose Survivor champ Natalie Anderson, arguably one of the strongest female rookies in the house, as his partner to work alongside during the competition, the duo found themselves thrown into the first elimination.
The cast wanted to start the season off by sending a message and selected former winners CT Tamburello and Ashley Mitchell to compete for their ticket to the final, a gold skull.
Therefore, winning duo Fessy Shafaat and Aneesa Ferreira, who earned the ability to pick the team to face off against the house vote, selected Bergmann and Anderson. However, the plan to blindside Tamburello backfired when it ended up being a girls’ elimination.
The two-time champ learned the others wanted to throw him in again the following week and fought to stay out of the ring. Ultimately, it paid off, and the duo didn’t compete in that elimination.
Bergmann says he’s taking a break from the franchise
After watching the first episode air, the Real World star shared screenshots of text messages with Ferreira, who apologized for how the vote went down. However, the conversation went left when Bergmann expressed his frustration for her sending him in without a valid reason for him.
Following the second episode, the two-time champ made an appearance on Shafaat’s Instagram Live and vented about the others selecting him and Anderson for the group vote.
He claimed that although it would “hurt his heart” and make him “jealous,” Bergmann would take a break from the competition series. The two-time winner explained he watched people he considered friends vote him in for “zero reason.”
Therefore, he wants time to allow things to “calm down” and believes missing at least one season “is the recipe.” The Challenge airs Wednesdays at 8/7 Central on MTV.
