Josh Murray made it to the finals of The Challenge: Champs Vs. Stars along with his teammates, Justina Valentine and Michelle Waterson, but lost to the Champs (Johnny Bananas, CT Tamburello and Emily Schromm) during the Jan. 9 finale. However, Josh told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that he loved his time on the hit MTV show…especially in comparison to what he previously went through on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. “This was definitely more my element,” Josh laughed. “The Bachelor shows, oh my goodness. I enjoyed this much more. I liked the people and it was more real for me. It’s a very, very different atmosphere.”
Bachelor nation fans watched Josh get engaged to Andi Dorfman on The Bachelorette in 2014. When that didn’t work out, he appeared on Bachelor in Paradise in 2016 and got engaged to Amanda Stanton, but they split by the end of that year. Before that, Josh played minor league baseball for five years, as well as college football, so the competitive and athletic aspect of The Challenge was obviously right up his alley. “I really appreciated and enjoyed the whole atmosphere and competition [of The Challenge],” he explained. “The other shows were competitive, but it wasn’t this kind of competitive. [On The Challenge], you could have fun, you could enjoy people, get intense, do you. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed my castmates. I really, really did.”
So, would he come back again? “Possibly,” he revealed. “The thing that put me over the edge for this challenge is that we were competing for $150,000 for charity. It’s near and dear to my heart and I just wanted to give back to the kids in some way. That really pushed me over the edge, or I don’t think I would’ve done it. But after having a great time, I wouldn’t close the door on it. I’d think about it. Right now, I have a lot going on in my life, which is amazing. So…possibly.” Josh was playing for the charity ESP (Extra Special People).
The Challenge: Champs Vs. Stars may be over, but you can still get your Challenge fix with The Challenge: Vendettas, which airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on MTV!
HollywoodLifers, are you surprised that Josh chose The Challenge over The Bachelorette?