The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 will feature one team of players from the United Kingdom and one team from the United States. While many of the U.K. players have become staples on the show over the last two years, some are less known. Rogan O’Connor is one of those, although he’s not technically a rookie — you just might not remember him from his first short-lived stint on the show! Rogan is hoping to make much more of an impression this time around, so here’s more to know about him ahead of the season 34 premiere:
1. What was his first season of ‘The Challenge’? Rogan first came to The Challenge during season 31, The Challenge: Vendettas. This was the first time players from the U.K. were introduced to the show, and he was one of just five players to come from across the pond. However, his time on Vendettas was extremely short-lived. The first challenge of the season required players to race up the Rock of Gibraltar during a grueling two-day race, after which the slowest male and female competitors would automatically be eliminated. Rogan suffered a back injury during the race and was forced to leave the show.
2. He was on the U.K. version of ‘Ex on the Beach.’ Rogan made his reality TV debut on season two of the U.K.’s Ex on the Beach in 2015, during which his ex was reality star, Jemma Lucy. He had no trouble scoring ladies on the show. Then, he returned for season three with his ex, Anita Kaushik.
3. He has a best friend in ‘The Challenge’ house. Even though Rogan didn’t get a chance to mingle with The Challenge vets on Vendettas, he already has a strong ally coming into War of the Worlds 2 — he’s best friends with Joss Mooney, who’s also from the U.K. This will be Joss’ third season of the show, so he’s a bit more well-versed in the game.
4. He’s a male stripper. Rogan is a member of the male strip group called Dreamboys. The group tours the U.K. as part of a Magic Mike-style show.
5. He’s had a number of public relationships. Rogan previously dated Jessica Shears from Love Island, and they infamously have a sex tape together. He was also once linked to Jess Impiazzi, who’s also from Ex on the Beach. Before that, he dated Chloe Francis — a fitness model and personal trainer — but they split in 2016. In 2018, he had a ling with Bianca Gascoigne.