‘The Challenge: Double Agents’ Sneek Peak Shows Cory Wharton And Nelson Thomas Building Their Alliance

The Challenge: Double Agents is set to premiere on MTV on Wednesday, December 9, after a delay in production due to COVID-19. The cast of Season 36 will see several memorable veterans returning, as well as newcomers from shows like America’s Got Talent and Big Brother.

A new sneak peek from Episode 1 shows some old players have begun their plotting early on in the game. Six-time player Nelson Thomas and nine-time veteran Cory Wharton have been thick as thieves since their first season together on Invasion of the Champions. MTV tweeted a video of the two men talking strategy about the new game, where they solidified their three-man alliance with Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat.

The duo chatted about the importance of having the numbers on the girls’ side of the house as well. As reported by The Inquisitr, Double Agents will see the cast broken down into teams of two consisting of one man and one woman. How a player is voted into elimination is still a mystery, but Cory and Nelson’s conversation suggests men and women will be divided on the issue.

The best friends eyed Natalie Anderson as someone they definitely wanted to have on their side, as both called her a “beast.” The former Survivor winner recently made it to the final three on Winners at War after being the first person voted out and sent to exile.

Cory and Nelson then reminisced on the events of Total Madness, where the latter sacrificed himself into elimination to give Cory a better shot at winning the final. Nelson wanted his pal to make it to the end since he had a little girl at home and the prize money would have benefited him more.

Cory told Nelson he would do everything in his power this season to repay his friend but joked that he wouldn’t voluntarily go into elimination. In a confessional interview, the Real World alum said if he wins Double Agents, he would give Nelson a portion of his winnings.

The partners then questioned how helpful returnee Josh Martinez would be to them this time around. Cory said Josh will do whatever Fessy wants, and since they’re tight with the former Big Brother houseguest, they assumed all four of them would be working together. Additionally, Survivor player Jay Starrett is also set to work with the men, but it was Chris “CT” Tamburello who they were unsure about.

Cory and Nelson then joked around with MTV UK star Kyle Christie who walked up on their private conversation. They called Kyle a “snake,” but the Brit enjoys the title since he is open about the way he plays the game.

How the alliances will play out remains to be seen and will likely be ever-changing, as with all past seasons of The Challenge.