‘The Challenge’ Godfather Mark Long Scores Deal For An ‘OG’ Season

What started out as a playful campaign on social media has now become a reality. Mark Long of The Challenge fame began reiterating fan’s sentiments on Twitter after they begged for some sort of OG season of the hit MTV series. The veteran began reaching out to his former co-stars to see if they’d be interested in filming the show again, possibly in a shorter time frame than a normal season, and most of them seemed to be on board.

According to Us Weekly, Mark ended up scoring a deal with Bunim/Murray, the production company behind The Challenge and shows like Project Runway and The Simple Life.

“I am thrilled to announce my formal partnership with Bunim/Murray Productions. They have been like family to me since the mid-1990s when the original Road Rules premiered,” he told the publication.

“Our history alone and the huge success that BMP has in the reality competition space was the perfect formula to bring the #WeWantOGs project to life. I think during these trying times that the audience is looking for something fun, nostalgic, and familiar. This project has all of that and more.”

Mark competed on the first season of Road Rules in 1995 and six seasons of The Challenge after that. He has been dubbed the “Godfather of The Challenge” and officially retired from the series in 2012 after Battle of the Exes.

His campaign to get an OG season in the works moved along rather quickly, especially with the backing from fans. An account started on Instagram where they supported Mark in the push for the potential spinoff. WeWantOGs currently has more than 8,000 followers on the platform and has kept fans abreast of which OG’s are in for the relaunch.

Mark has shared screenshots of his conversations with former co-stars who said they were in. The shortlist includes Rachel Robinson, Veronica Portillo, Darrell Taylor, Susie Meister, Eric Nies, Syrus Yarbrough, Coral Smith, Ruthie Alcaide, Emily Schromm, and Landon Lueck. He has made sure to let all the stars know this would likely only shoot for two weeks since many of these former cast members have careers and families they cannot leave for months out of the year.

“The timing is perfect for it. The OG reality cast members I’ve reached out to are ready for it,” he said.

There are no other details on the mystery show at this time, but fans can stay connected with Mark for updates on his social media account. The Challenge Season 36 is currently filming, and it’s possible the OGs could follow right after.