by Gina Scarpa

 

The plan was simple... sort of. All Evan and Nehemiah had to do was intentionally lose on The Challenge: Rivals so that they could go up against CT and Adam in the jungle. When Kenny and Wes DQ'd though, things changed and they ended up calling out Ty and Brandon instead. In a rope climbing challenge, Brandon fared well in round one but was exhausted by round two, ultimately losing to Wes. Today, we talked to Brandon in an exclusive interview about his partner, if he's got more challenges in him, and what the heck is going on with Kenny.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You've done a few challenges now. What keeps bringing you back?
A. Brandon: Well, I'm really competitive as it is. They do a good job of making me look like a saint on these shows. I do get mad and I have outbursts. I've played sports all my life, even in school. I always wanted to be the best and wanted everyone to like me. You have these people you've watched for years and you have the same skills they do. You just wanna get in there and show other people what you can do. Plus, there's money involved and that's always a good thing! We're on tv and who doesn't wanna be on tv? Even if it weren't taped, I'd wanna go. You get to travel the world.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you found out the concept and that Ty was your partner, what was your reaction?
A. Brandon: Initially, I was very skeptical. I didn't care for him too much on Cutthroat. He does outlandish stuff on purpose. I thought that he was a pretty decent athlete. He looks like he's in shape. I had mixed emotions but didn't have much choice.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I think it was kind of a crappy move for Kenny and Wes to call you guys out on last week's episode. They had no problem having CT and Adam go in, when they thought it would be Evan and Nehemiah facing them. Are they scared of CT or what?
A. Brandon: There's a lot of stuff that never makes it to air. There are signals and gestures to let everyone know what the vote is going to be. We were walking away from the challenge and Wes walked by me saying, "We're gonna go for red," meaning Leroy and Mike. I was like, "Okay, cool." I go home, crack open a beer, take a shower, and by the time I get out, Cara Maria and Mandi are running to my room saying they have to talk to me. They said they weren't going to vote for me so I go to find Wes. He masterminded the whole damn thing. Flat out, he's scared of CT. Everybody is scared of CT! I was cool with him. I'm not scared. He's not gonna kill me. My whole thing is: just be straight up. Saying that to Wes though is like asking to grow wings and fly.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Why do you think it was you and Ty that went in, as opposed to Leroy and Mike?
A. Brandon: They weren't gonna go for Evan and Nehemiah, they're scared of CT and Adam, and they wanted to keep Leroy and Adam around knowing they could beat them later. There weren't any other real options. Plus, Wes just thinks he's better than everyone and anyone anyway. I wish we got the football thing in the jungle.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Yeah speaking of, I thought you were going to take Wes in that rope challenge but you were tired by the time the second round came. Is that tough to watch back?
A. Brandon: Yeah, it's really frustrating. I did what I could do. The first time I was on a rope was in Canada for the combine before Fresh Meat 2. I didn't even know how to attack it. I was like, "Get your ass up there as fast as you can." I opened my eyes and I was the first one to finish. After that, I was dead tired. The second round, I was already tired and it would've been nice... I feel like I don't have an excuse but I have a buffer in that Ty didn't do his part. On that second one, they should've made the losers go again. I don't know! I gave it my all.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You were on Fresh Meat 2 with Kenny when he was at his best. What is going on this season with him?
A. Brandon: There was a different vibe for everyone in the house. I hated Costa Rica the most of everywhere we've gone. It was miserable. Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity but there was no air conditioning and we were in an open air villa. Everything was outta whack. Usually, we have a lot of time to be in the house partying and this time, we really didn't have that luxury. We were always hurrying up to do something else. Kenny had a serious girlfriend and it was the first time he was away from her, the food sucked, and he was paired with Wes. He really hated Wes . You wouldn't catch them outside of the show having a beer. At the same time, no excuses.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Are there more challenges in your future?
A. Brandon: Fourth time's the charm! I just made that up, that's stupid. No, but I'd definitely come back. I'd definitely get into a swimming pool beforehand and climb some ropes. On Rivals, I think I showed that I'm a pretty decent competitor. I was just in a bad situation. I think people see that. If we had beaten Kenny and Wes, that would've changed the whole game. I think I could've gotten some numbers to get Johnny and Tyler in there and then Evan and Nehemiah out next. Then, there would be a more even playing field. There's a lot of people who go knowing they're not going to make it to the finals. You can boost somebody's confidence getting rid of those people. If they get me back and bring Leroy back - that's my boy. We can change some minds.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you up to now?
A. Brandon: Right now when I got back from fiming, I moved to Vegas. I'm currently moving at this club called the Cathouse. It's a boutique ultra lounge type thing. I just got promoted and they made a position for me because I do a little bit of everything. It's draining me! I'm still trying to find that fine line between partying and actually working. I'm also doing The Vegas Bash. It started out as a Big Brother bash and now it's evolved into The Vegas Bash. A couple hundred of us from reality tv... we party and have a good time and chill with our fans. It's gonna be September 16th-18th and I'm helping out with that because I'm living here. I also have my own live stream podcast every Thursday at 4pm PT, realtalkwithbrandon.com. You can watch me sit in a studio and people call in or come in. This past week, I had Kenny on and we had a really good interview. I'm trying to do a little bit of everything. Kenny and Leroy and I have this t-shirt idea we're batting around. Hopefully, people will want to buy a couple of them. I'm keeping busy!

 

The Challenge: Rivals airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on MTV.

 

(Image courtesy of MTV)

 

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