Why Did 'The Challenge' Veteran Melinda Collins Come Back for 'The Challenge: All Stars 2'?

One of the most beloved cast members in the Real World and The Challenge franchise history is Melinda Collins. Melinda was first introduced to audiences when she appeared on The Real World: Austin in 2005. She had a very serious relationship with Danny Jamieson that played out on screen, and the two went on to be featured on several of MTV's reality shows.

After the RW wrapped, Melinda moved to Boston to be with Danny, and the pair got engaged during their reunion show. The happy couple tied the know in 2008, but by the time she was a competitor on The Challenge: Cutthroat in 2010, they were headed for divorce.

Melinda has appeared on several seasons of The Challenge. Aside from Cutthroat, she has competed on Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet III, and Battle of the Seasons.

While she hasn’t been on the series in about 10 years, Melinda is back for The Challenge: All Stars Season 2. Keep reading to find out why Melinda turned down the opportunity to appear in Season 1, and why she's coming back now.

Melinda Collins is back on The Challenge to prove to herself that she's a "good competitor." In an interview with Us Weekly ahead of Season 2 of All Stars, she talked about her time competing on Challenge shows and why she returned. "Back in the day when I would do the Challenges, I feel like I kind of doubted myself and what my capabilities were, and I went home to some very, very strong competitors," she revealed.

Melinda added, "So, I feel like I went into All Stars wanting to prove to myself that I am a good competitor. I'm an athlete." She also said she was nervous before entering the house. "So it was a lot of that, like, nerves, because it's like, 'Oh, will you be able to hold up against these people who've done these and people who've won?' I was nervous about that. [I was] anxious and excited about seeing people I haven't seen in a long time and just kind of being a part of this again," she continued.

The 38-year-old had been contacted about competing on Season 1 of The Challenge: All Stars. Initially, Melinda was pretty interested in making her return to reality TV but had to decline because she was pregnant. Unfortunately, a few months into her pregnancy, Melinda had a miscarriage. She was contacted again about the opportunity to be a part of Season 2, and this time, she agreed to return to The Challenge.

In the same Us Weekly interview, she shared, "I would say three weeks after that, one of the talent coordinators had contacted me and said, 'I know that you're really going through something, but is this something you'd be interested in doing?'" Now, the mother to 23-month-old son Camden, who she shares with husband Matt Collins, is ready to give it all she's got and battle it out for the whopping $500,000 grand prize.

The Challenge: All Stars Season 2 is available to stream on Paramount Plus, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.