Are Moriah and James From 'The Challenge' Still Dating? Here's What We Know
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Published Feb. 8 2024, 11:30 a.m. ET
Contestants in reality competitions like MTV's The Challenge typically don't enter this cutthroat game expecting to meet a romantic partner. But more often than not, they do.
During Season 39 The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, we saw a relationship blossom between Horacio Gutiérrez Jr. and Nurys Mateo. We also saw some chemistry between Moriah Jadea (real name Moriah Jade Andrychowski) and James Lock. So, did Moriah and James start dating after the show? Here's what we know.
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Are Moriah and James from 'The Challenge' dating?
Sparks flew during The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion when Florida native Moriah Jade met London-based competitor James Lock.
Fresh off her experience from Season 38 The Challenge: Ride or Dies, this was Moriah's second time entering the competition. Meanwhile, James brought his experience from competing on The Only Way Is Essex, Celebrity Ex on the Beach UK 2, and The Challenge: UK.
During the season, audiences got a few glimpses into their romance as they cozied up to one another in the house. Although, it seemed most viewers were not rooting for them. "Are we tired of this James x Moriah storyline yet?" wrote one user on X.
So, did they start officially dating after the show or did they let the haters get to them? Well, it wasn't the haters per se, but it appears that Moriah and James are not exclusive and did not start officially dating once the cameras shut off. Moriah gave an update on their relationship status on an episode of MTV’s Official Challenge Podcast.
“Me and James, we literally talk almost every day,” she explained. “We talk on the phone a few hours, we catch up. But, in reality, he lives in London. So far. Yes, he’ll come here and hang out, but, it’s really hard. You can’t make anything progress when you live so far. It’s just too long of a flight. But, do I really care for James and think he’s a great guy? Yeah. Me and him are good.”
Before the season aired, James spoke to The Sun, where he mentioned he had a showmance on Season 39, but explained it was difficult with them being in different countries. When asked if he was in love, he said, "Love is a strong word — I don’t throw it around easily."
Prior to getting involved with James, Moriah had a showmance with Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio which also fizzled out shortly after filming wrapped.
Watch The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.