Mark Long will not stop trying to bring Coral Smith back to The Challenge and MTV.
“I’ve had conversations with Coral,” Mark, 53, exclusively shared with Us Weekly before the premiere of The Challenge All Stars: Rivals on Wednesday, January 29. “She knows All Stars exists — trust me.”
Fans met Coral, 46, when she appeared on The Real World: Back to New York in 2001. She later became a fan-favorite of The Challenge franchise and won Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons in 2002.
Unfortunately for fans, her last competition show was The Gauntlet III in January 2008. She has since become a doula who helps deliver newborn babies.
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“She’s thriving in her life and she’s amazing,” Mark told Us. “She left us with such a bang and I think she’s a little concerned that if she came back, she wouldn’t be that character. I don’t think [the fans] would think less of her. They would just be, like, ‘Oh, she’s grown. She’s not Coral of the ‘90s or early 2000s anymore,’ which I think is fantastic.”
Like many viewers, Mark has not forgotten about Coral’s iconic one-liners like, “I don’t wrestle, I f—ing beat bitches up.”
Mark Long, Coral Smith Emma McIntyre/WireImage; John M. Heller/Getty Images
With his experience as both a contestant and producer for The Challenge All Stars, Mark is hopeful he can one day persuade Coral to come back and compete one final time.
“I think she watches the show. I think she loves the show,” he said. “Everyone that leaves All Stars leaves with a smile on their face because they got to go back and do summer camp again in their 30s and 40s. I’ll get her. She’s on my list. I will get Coral to come back at some point. You can quote me on that.”
For now, Mark is confident producers have put together an incredible group of MTV stars for The Challenge All Stars: Rivals.
Mark Long on ‘The Challenge’ Laura Barisonzi/Paramount+
The new season pairs up memorable power players and redemption seekers with their biggest rivals. What comes next is plenty of must-see competition and drama.
“The Nany [González] and Turbo [Turabi] reunion is insane,” Mark teased. “The Katie [Cooley] and Veronica [Portillo] throwback fights that I forgot about are insane. We have people that haven’t been on in years, like Shane [Landrum] and Frank [Sweeney]. I always want the show to be great and then when I see the first episode every year, I’m like, ‘Man, this is effing awesome.’”
While The Real World/Road Rules Challenge began as just that – a competition between two rivaling TV shows, it developed into so much more over the years, and one of the most memorable components is the romances. For some – true love have formed, while others … things have gotten pretty messy. For Cara Maria […]
While Mark is taking a break from competing this season — he would love a shot on The Traitors or Deal or No Deal Island next — the Road Rules alum will never get tired of playing The Challenge.
“Here’s the truth,” he told Us. “I’m still super competitive so watching The Challenge now from your couch and you’re not on it? You can’t help but want to be like, ‘I wish I was in there.’”
The Challenge All Stars: Rivals premieres on MTV Wednesday, January 29, at 8 p.m. ET.
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