'The Challenge: All Stars': Mark Long Shares His Vision For Future of Series
The third season of The Challenge: All Stars is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Wednesday. The series has been a major treat for longtime fans of the series, as it has brought back competitors such as Mark Long, Yes Duffy, and Jonna Mannion into The Challenge universe. However, amidst the hype for Season 3, there have also been rumors that it may be the last All Stars season. Long, who is not only a competitor on Season 3 but also a producer, recently spoke to PopCulture.com about the upcoming season. During the discussion, he addressed those very rumors and noted that he envisions All Stars being around for many seasons to come.
Long expressed that he did hear those rumors that Season 3 might be the last season of The Challenge: All Stars. But, it's something that he doesn't see happening. Not only did he say that it would be a "disservice to fans," but it would be a major loss for Paramount+, as this spinoff has paved the way for other Challenge programs. Long stated, "I think they (Paramount+) see the value in what we're doing." He went on to say that if the show was losing its "sizzle" or if cast members weren't interested in doing subsequent seasons, it would be a different story, but that's not the case. As a result, Long can see the series heading into a Season 4 and Season 5 down the line. If worse comes to worst and the show doesn't go past Season 3, the reality star has his own idea of how he can continue the All-Stars magic.
"If Paramount makes the mistake of not doing it, trust me, I have my own production company," Long said. "I can gather these kids and do something very similar somewhere else and have just as much hype and sizzle. So, I'm not worried about it either way. I love Paramount. They've been great to me. I love Bunim Murray. They've been fantastic to me. Hopefully, they'll see it just like I do and have this thing going at least a few more seasons because the fans love it."
In short, Long is confident about the future of The Challenge: All Stars. If the "Godfather" of The Challenge isn't worried about the show's longevity, it's a good sign that fans shouldn't fret either. He added, "You don't go out on top, especially when you're making TV ... You celebrate that and reward people for that. So, that's the way I look at it." New episodes of The Challenge: All Stars drop on Wednesdays on Paramount+.