'The Challenge' by Mars Sign
'The Challenge' by Mars Sign
johnny bananas is a gemini mars
I am a reality TV nerd. Television shows (or films) with plotting are difficult for my brain to engage with. I have to be in the right place to watch those, so I tend to default to reality TV. I was heavily influenced by MTV's reality shows like The Real World and The Challenge when I was in high school and college, so I decided to do a rewatch of The Challenge, from the beginning, during the pandemic. (I have a very big story being written about that experience and what I learned, so look out for that.)
One of the main ways I engage with the world and understand human behavior is astrology. It's something my partner, Will, and I bond over and a shared point of reference for us that has developed into a lovely shorthand in our relationship. Will had never seen The Challenge before dating me and joined me in my rewatch. About three-quarters of the way through our viewing of the franchise, we started to get curious about the birth charts of the cast members. Specifically, we were curious about the cast's Mars signs, and how that placement showed up in terms of gameplay. We began to look the information up and were blown away by how much was revealed about someone's strategy and behavior just by knowing their Mars placement.
In astrology, the Mars sign tells you how someone takes action. I tend to shorthand it to mean that "Mars is how you fuck and how you fight." In a game like The Challenge, which is about physical competition but also involves a lot of politics and interpersonal relationships, people's Mars signs are likely to be much louder than they might be in other environments.
Johnny Bananas: Gemini Mars
Johnny is a Cancer sun, Cancer moon, Gemini Mercury, Taurus Venus, and Gemini Mars (it is worth noting that in my cursory research into this, there seems to be an overrepresentation of both Cancer men and Gemini Mars placements on The Challenge).
The Cancer placements in Johnny's chart give him a manipulative quality (also, grudge-holding tendencies) and his Gemini Mars loves to sow chaos. As we'll see in the other Gemini Mars cast members, the chaos of a Mars in Gemini is a controlled chaos. These are not people who are likely to lose their cool and get sent home for punching someone; these are people who are more likely to get a rise out of someone else so they get sent home for punching someone. Gemini Mars placements are very good at knowing how to push people's buttons.
"If you need a proper inquisition, bring a Mars in Gemini," writes Alice Sparkly Kat. "Mars in Gemini always knows what questions to ask. It knows what questions will really get to someone."
Devin Walker: Gemini Mars
Devin's chart is terrifying and also so perfectly encapsulates how he shows up on The Challenge. He is an Aries stellium (meaning he has at least three major placements in Aries), with an Aries sun, Aries moon, Aries Mercury, and Aries Venus (if you've ever watched his season of Are You The One?, which was our first introduction to him, YES HE IS lol). He has a Cancer rising and a Gemini Mars.
Devin and Johnny are interesting because they have the same Mars placement but it shows up very differently because of what's around it in their respective charts—these two are on-screen foes, with good reason. Devin also has Cancer in his chart, which lends him a similar degree of petty and grudge-holding as Johnny, but he is also deeply protective of the people he aligns himself with and it is surrounded almost entirely by Aries placements. Aries is loud and Aries is brash but it is not cruel. Devin sees Johnny as a bully and he can't stand bullies; Devin holds a grudge against Johnny but he believes that grudge is justified. Johnny holds grudges against literally anyone he believes did him wrong.
"They have an incredibly curious nature and sharing with others and engaging in mentally stimulating activities is very energizing for them," solelunastro writes of Gemini Mars. "People with this Mars placement need to be mentally engaged and interested in something on an intellectual level to physically want to engage, participate, and use their energy."
There are three main situations in Devin's Challenge career that I think really encapsulate the intelligent nature of his Gemini Mars:
1) On Vendettas, when he finally managed to take out Johnny Bananas in an elimination—he schemed in order to get called into an elimination against Johnny, and then, when it was a strategy-based contest rather than a physical contest, beat him at his own game.
2) On Final Reckoning, he followed Johnny Bananas around the house antagonizing him, trying to get a rise out of him. Devin never lost his temper or his cool, but Johnny became increasingly frustrated. Devin knew how to push Johnny's buttons and stir up a ton of drama in the house but also knew exactly what he was doing the whole time. He enjoyed watching the chaos ensue.
3) On Double Agents when he managed to concoct a plan to steal Tori as his partner so that he could destroy her game, convince her to make a terrible game move, get her sent into an elimination and sent home, all in the course of an episode-and-a-half. It was one of the most incredibly well-planned and well-executed schemes I've ever seen on the show, demonstrating how Devin is always working and thinking five steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to the political game.
Jordan Wiseley: Gemini Mars
Another Gemini Mars that shows up in an entirely different way because it's in a different chart! Jordan is a Virgo stellium, with a Virgo sun, Mercury, and Venus. He has a Leo moon, Scorpio rising, and Gemini Mars.
His Gemini Mars is exacerbated by his Virgo stellium. Virgo believes it is always right and holds itself—and others—to an impossibly high standard. It's why he can never give Cara Maria the respect she deserves. His Gemini Mars means he is devoid of tact and he cannot call her the best because he doesn't believe she is the best because his standards for the best are achingly, impossibly high.
"Individuals with their Mars in Gemini are all about ideas, communicating, debating, verbal sparring matches, witty exchanges, and interesting interpersonal experiences," writes solelunastro.
And getting into verbal sparring matches is one of Jordan's favorite pastimes on The Challenge. Like Johnny and Devin, he knows how to get a rise out of people and doesn't really know when or how to shut up.
He pushed Turbo's buttons so badly on War of the Worlds II that Turbo removed himself from the game because he didn't think he could remain in a house with Jordan and not physically injure him. Jordan didn't know when to stop, despite his castmates literally begging him to.
"This is a Mars that will always talk back," writes Alice Sparkly Kat. "It’s a bit of a troublemaker. It doesn’t do as it’s told. It won’t follow the rule of doing one thing at one time because it wants to prove itself as being capable of more than that."
Jordan entered The Challenge house his first season on Rivals II, with Marlon from his season of The Real World: Portland. He immediately thought he knew better than everyone else in the house and refused to play the political game that anyone else wanted him to play. Sometimes that was smart and sometimes it was dumb (and he was lucky enough to be so good at challenges that he was able to get by with a sometimes-shoddy political game).
On Free Agents, his second season, he wanted to take out Johnny so badly that he threw himself into an elimination against him despite everyone telling him not to do it—believing that he could not lose. He did lose, and that dose of humility forever changed the way he played the political game. After he returned, he was much less of a lone wolf in the game, but he has never stopped getting into arguments with people.
(Some of the other Gemini Marses that we have seen on The Challenge include Cory Wharton, Paula Meronek, and Leroy Garrett.)
CT Tamburello: Libra Mars
CT is a Cancer sun, Virgo moon, Libra rising, Cancer Mercury, Gemini Venus, and Libra Mars.
The thing about this chart is that with his two Libra placements where they are—his rising and Mars—CT is playing a social game that no one even realizes is happening. He's incredibly adept at making it seem like he isn't picking a side—the ultimate Libra move, especially on the War of the Worlds II season when he played the neutral card until the end and he was able to win the season. But his Libra rising also makes him incredibly charming and non-threatening. He sits back and watches the chaos unfold around him.
"Mars in Libra is slippery," Alice Sparkly Kat writes. "What makes Mars in Libra so powerful is that it will only engage in conflict as a choice and never as an impulse. It will always understand that it can step away. No one can hold a Mars in Libra hostage using its anger."
Here's the thing about CT: he didn't develop his Libra-esque, forever-neutral political game until he needed to. In the early days of his Challenge career, he was a physical force but he was also a loose cannon. Even still, despite being more physically capable, he was much less successful overall. He didn't get his first win until his Rivals II season with Wes, which was his 9th season of the show. After Diem died, he took a hiatus from the show and when he came back he was older and bigger ("Dad Bod CT," aka peak CT aka the hottest version of CT). He also had the interpersonal goodwill from Diem dying, and he was able to parlay the combination of those things—seeming like less of a physical threat and coming back from the loss of Diem—into a new game, one in which he was able to sit back and observe, very much the "house dad" kind of vibes, and no one touched him. It was only then that he was able to find his late-career Challenge success, winning four of the eight seasons he's done since coming back.
Cara Maria Sorbello: Capricorn Mars
Cara Maria is a Taurus sun, Cancer moon, Leo rising, Taurus Mercury, Gemini Venus, and Capricorn Mars.
A Cap Mars is an exalted Mars, meaning it is where a planet can reach its full potential. It also means that it has high expectations for itself, as we saw from Cara throughout her time on The Challenge.
"This is a placement that is sure of what it is doing and how it will get there," writes Alice Sparkly Kat. "This is a Mars that will craft out a plan, a Mars that functions not according to someone else's timeline but fully within its own power. Mars in Capricorn is self-directed... Mars in Capricorn doesn’t do things unless they are reasonably sure that they can do them successfully."
Cara's Mars sign is most apparent, to me, in eliminations. Capricorn is the mountain goat, known for their work ethic and persistence. Cara has no quit in her; she does not give up. She will work as hard as she needs to in order to win. It's why she dedicated her life to training for Challenges and it's why her elimination record is what it is: 13 wins, 6 losses. After all, "these individuals will willingly endure hardship if it means achieving... or putting themselves one step closer towards [their] goals," writes solelunastro.
Cara became an institution on the Challenge, showing up nearly every single season—she did 14 Challenges in 16 seasons, missing only Battle of the Exes II and Rivals III during that span of the show. She went home first on her first season, Fresh Meat II. On Free Agents she got voted into eliminations over and over and kept winning. Eventually, people stopped voting her in because she was such a force one-on-one.
"There is a never-ending patience with the Mars in Capricorn," Alice Sparkly Kat explains. "They’re patient because they are rigorous. They will wait for the right time. They will be precise about timing. They will be ready when the right time appears."
And eventually, Cara's time did come. She was the underdog for most of her early seasons, but she ran nine finals of the 14 seasons she competed on. She made the final in six of her last seven seasons. She is the only solo female winner in Challenge history. And it's not a coincidence. We know that Cara spent all of her off time training for Challenges. She trained running, she trained puzzles, she trained eating, she trained lifting. She came back better each season, determined to make herself into a Challenge machine (her Taurus sun is quite a stubborn placement, as well, adding to her drive to prove herself).
"Individuals who were born with their Mars in Capricorn are capable of great self-discipline and decisive action," writes solelunastro. "Their fierce determination and desire to make something of their lives and maximize their potential motivate their actions... They desire to gain a similar level of respect and will go to great lengths to prove their value, which is, in part, what drives them to work so hard and persistently."
Cara thought that winning would finally grant her the respect she deserved, both from the show and from her castmates. It never happened and she became increasingly frustrated. Cara worked hard to be good at Challenges. She endured mockery and consistently being underestimated, she overcame fears and pushed herself to be the best until she became the best she could be. The bitterness that is evident in her final seasons comes from the fact that she was never granted the kind of respect that someone like Johnny or Jordan is afforded, no matter how well she performed.
Camila Nakagawa: Aries Mars
Camila is a Virgo sun, Virgo moon, with a Libra Mercury, Leo Venus, and Aries Mars.
An Aries Mars is loud—sometimes quite literally. Camila aka "The Camilanator" was known for her rage fits which included throwing furniture and is rumored to be banned from The Challenge for punching a crew member.
"Natal Aries Mars individuals are active, direct, competitive, and have a strong desire for quick action and quick results," writes solelunastro. "They are confident in their skills, abilities, and in their bold personality, and when people ignore them or don’t give them the recognition they feel they deserve, they will give that person an earful."
Camila had a temper. She got in people's faces. She yelled and screamed. She took personal offense to being voted into eliminations. She even fought with people who were supposed to be her friends. She was sent home for a screaming fight with Tony Raines, she should have been sent home for using racial slurs towards Leroy. She broke things.
"It’s not that Mars in Aries intentionally causes discord, though it may certainly do that sometimes," writes Alice Sparkly Kat. "It’s just that Mars in Aries doesn’t shy away from conflict... It doesn’t want you to hide anything. It will pull things out of you. It will walk up to you and take the thing that you are hiding out of your hands and make you show it to them."
(Nelson Thomas is also an Aries Mars (remember the season he lost his cool and got sent home for his fight with Derrick?), as is Paulie Calafiore, also known for getting in people's faces.)
Laurel Stucky: Taurus Mars
Laurel has an Aries stellium, with an Aries sun, Mercury, and Venus. She has a Capricorn moon, and Taurus Mars.
"They can be quite willful and obstinate when it comes to pursuing their goals and desires," writes solelunastro. "People who have their Mars in Taurus assert themselves in a slow, but steady manner and are incredibly determined and stubborn in pursuing their desires and sticking to their set plans and routines... Taurus Mars individuals do not give up, once they pursue something, they do everything in their power to succeed, which is in part due to their pride (not wanting to fail or be wrong) and due to their willful nature."
Her Taurus Mars was perhaps most evident during her time on the War of the Worlds season. She was incredibly bull-headed and about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. But her inability to see the ways in which she was wrong put a target on her back and her stubbornness and dogged belief that she was right was ultimately her undoing and led to her elimination.
Wes Bergmann: Aquarius Mars
Wes is a Sagittarius stellium, with a Sag sun, moon, and Mercury. He has a Capricorn Venus, and his Mars is in Aquarius (I share three of my big six placements with Wes. I'm likely biased but I adore this chart, I think that Wes and I would potentially be friends IRL If we ever met each other).
An Aquarius Mars thinks it can outsmart its opponents (hello, I am an Aquarius Mars). Think about the way Wes plays the game: the fun for him is all about trying to be smarter than everyone else, to find a new kind of gameplay. He wants to manipulate people, sure, but he wants to do so like he would pawns in a game because he wants to play the game better—smarter—than everyone else.
"People who were born with their Mars in Aquarius are very strong-willed and sure of themselves and what they know," writes solelunastro. "They have a tendency to act with certainty in their knowledge and skill, and it can come off as domineering. These individuals are confident in what they know, and will stand by their opinions, ideas, and perspectives no matter what."
"It’s a Mars that does things that the person with Mars in Aquarius doesn’t think they themselves will do," writes Alice Sparkly Kat (remember Total Madness, when Wes worked with Johnny after nearly 15 years of rivalry because he said it would be the least obvious thing to do?).
(Evan Starkman is also an Aquarius Mars (with a Sag sun and Sag Mercury, too!) and he had a similar game to Wes in that he believed he was smarter than everyone else in the house (he was often right) and he liked trying to manipulate and control the game through strategy and intellect.)
Stephen Bear: Sagittarius Mars
Bear is a Capricorn sun, Virgo moon (hello Earth energy). He has a Cap Mercury, Aquarius Venus, and Sag Mars.
Like Gemini Mars, Sagittarius Mars likes chaos but a Sag Mars is chaotic, while a Gemini Mars strategically sows chaos. It's the loose cannon to a Gemini Mars' more controlled chaos. And Bear is the definition of chaotic.
"Mars in Sagittarius has taken what other people might call carelessness and recklessness and made it into an art form," writes Alice Sparkly Kat. "There’s a streak of destruction alive in Mars in Sagittarius... Everything that a Mars in Sagittarius says is true. They are completely guileless."
Bear might be one of the most terrible people I've ever had the misfortune of watching on my TV screen (his recent sentencing for revenge porn against former castmate Georgia Harrison seems to confirm this, as does the stunt he pulled while hosting the show Just Tattoo of Us). But his ability to be the loudest, brashest, most inappropriate person in the room at all times was unparalleled, as was his ability to get under the skin of nearly everyone in the house.
"They will always shoot their shot," Alice Sparkly Kat says of a Sagittarius Mars. "Nothing can stop them or pin them down. They’re willing to give it their all because they know that life is for those who want to be alive."
Remember his last season, Total Madness, in which he spent weeks pursuing Kailah Casillas until he broke her down, giving interviews about how he always gets what he wants? Yeah, that.
Aneesa Ferreira: Leo Mars
Aneesa is a Virgo sun, Aquarius moon, Libra Mercury, Libra Venus, Leo Mars.
Leo Mars doesn't learn from their mistakes. I think a lot about what Alice Sparkly Kat wrote about Mars In Leo (both my major exes have Leo Mars placements): "Mars in Leo has no strategy," they write. "Whatever they do is really just a pure expression of whatever it is that they are feeling in the moment... This is a Mars that tries again and again often the same way each time... They have a faith that, with enough effort and with enough attempts, their actions will eventually pay off."
When a Mars in Leo loses, Alice Sparkly Kat writes, "they will ask for a rematch right off the bat without further practice even if you have been playing the game for much longer than they have. For some reason, they immediately believe that they can win again if given another chance."
Think about Aneesa's trajectory on The Challenge: she comes back season after season, determined to win. Her strategy does not change: she plays nearly the same game every season, convinced that this is the season she will win. Eventually, she very well might.
(Veronica Portillo, Zach Nichols, Derrick Kosinski, Kam Williams, and Darrell Taylor are also all Leo Mars. They, too, play a very similar game each time they come on the show. This doesn't mean it's not effective—Veronica plays the game she can play incredibly well, while Zach and Derrick use their connections with other men in the game to help them get far. Darrell mostly stays out of the drama, which works for him. And while Kam's game evolved over the course of her Challenge career, I tend to credit her Scorpio stellium for that.)
Shane Landrum: Cancer Mars
Shane is a Cancer stellium, with a Cancer sun (yup, another Cancer man on The Challenge), Mercury, and Mars. He has an Aries moon and Leo Venus.
Cancer is a petty, petty, petty Mars placement, made even more so by all the other Cancer placements in Shane's chart. Think about all the times—particularly in his villain era, which is how I refer to the later seasons he was on after taking about a 10-year break from the show—that he proudly referred to himself as a "messy queen." Cancer Mars is vindictive—it wants revenge. Cancer Mars holds a grudge. As fellow Cancer Mars Tori Deal said on the Lies, Spies, and Allies season, "I may forgive but I never forget."