Partnered withDarrell Taylor,Aviv dominated challenge after challenge.
But in a shocking twist, Aviv disappeared from the franchise after that.
I never thought that would happen.
Aviv Melmed, ‘The Challenge’.MTV
AVIV MELMED:It’s crazy.
You might hold the record for the longest time in between seasons.
I think it’s the longest.
‘The Challenge’ season 40 cast.MTV
I know, I’ve had three lives.
Why didn’t you return after winning your rookie season?
So that’s mostly the reason why I didn’t come back.
Era 2, ‘The Challenge’.MTV
It feels like it’s changed a little bit.
Back then I was very quiet.
I was very nervous about what the response was going to be.
Smart, but silly.
So I didn’t talk very much.
As long as I didn’t piss people off, I should be in a better spot.
I was like, “I’m so cool and so fun and none of that showed.”
I think that they were more focused on people that made better TV.
Maybe you debuted in the wrong era.
Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see even after this [season].
This is definitely something that came out of the blue.
I definitely still stayed physically [fit].
I’ve always done races and stayed into physical fitness.
You said that you had gotten a call for one other season.
Do you remember what season that was?
I never got that far in casting and then that was it.
So I was like, “Well, that was a fun part of my life.”
I’m such a person that loves the unknown and challenges in life.
I was like, “This is not me.
I’m sick of it and I’m ready to do something for myself.”
And because I don’t understand why and it sounds like fun, I have to do it."
So I’m glad I did.
I’m also glad you did because you’re one of the most anticipated returns this season.
[Laughs] Well, probably for half of you.
The other half is like, “Who is Aviv?
Why don’t I know who she is?”
I love that though.
Since you didn’t have much notice, what kind of training or preparation did you do?
Good luck husband."
I don’t think we had trivia back then.
It wasn’t a thing, and it’s clearly a thing now that TJ’s very fond of.
you’re able to train but you’re able to’t really train.
You just don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you.
I got there and I was like, “What the f— am I doing?”
But it was awesome.
In the launch special, yourFresh Meatpartner Darrell said he was shocked to see you.
Did you two not talk before filming began?
I was really nervous.
I was very quiet about it.
Most of the people that were going didn’t know me.
I ended up telling him two days before.
I just was uneasy about telling people because I don’t want to ruin my chances.
What has your relationship been like with him since you won together 18 years ago?
We kept in touch a little bit at the beginning and we just lost touch.
It’s been 18 years.
After that we kept in touch again and we just reconnected, which was fun.
What was it like competing on separate teams this season?
I never felt that we were on separate teams.
I’m closer to Era 1.
This is a mistake."
We were still who we were then, just 20 years later.
You stayed out of the drama and were really under the radar in your first season.
Did you come into this season with the goal of doing the opposite?
Or did you still plan to play under the radar?
I didn’t want to get into the drama.
I just wanted people to know that I have a personality.
And if I was going to med school, who cares?
This is who I am.
Being an adult, you just don’t care anymore.
That’s really freeing.
I’m not worried about getting a job, I can just be who I am.
I really just felt disappointed, like I never had the opportunity to show my personality at all.
This time I was just like, “Have fun.
Just be yourself and don’t be afraid to talk.
You don’t have to go and badmouth.
You don’t have to cause drama.”
But it was almost like I was afraid of the camera my first season.
And it’s still really weird to go back and be on camera.
But the big thing is I was like, “I just want to be me this time.”
What can you tease about how this season goes for you?
I knew I had to make friends quickly.
Overall it worked out well for me.
It was pretty natural for me.
Yeah, there is quite a lot of bad blood on this cast.
Especially on your team.
I was like, “This is f—ing great.
That was a really fun part.
I was like, “What happened 10 years ago?
Wow, you’re still mad about that?
Do you have a therapist?
Tell me more.”
What shocked you the most about howThe Challengehas changed since you were last on?
There was more production involved.
When we did our shows back in the day, it wasn’t as organized.
It was kind of like, “Here are the cameras.
This is a lot more organized.
There’s a lot more pieces to production.
It seemed a lot more corporate.
And then the games themselves, it was hard.
It was really hard.
Could we see you return for more seasons after this?
That’s a question for them.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eraspremieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
