‘The Challenge’: Josh Martinez Almost Competed on ‘Vendettas’ With ‘Big Brother’ Rival Jess Nickson

Remembered for banging pots and pans around the house and explosive arguments with housemates, namely couple Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson, before winning Big Brother 19, Josh Martinez has since made a name for himself on MTV’s The Challenge. According to the 27-year-old, he almost debuted on the competition series a year earlier alongside rival Graf for Vendettas.

Josh Martinez won ‘Big Brother 19’

In 2017, Florida-based Josh Martinez made his reality television debut on Big Brother 19 where he became known for his multiple arguments with other houseguests, namely showmance Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson.

Due to his frequent emotional outbursts, the others targeted Martinez. However, he established a strong alliance with Christmas Abbott and Paul Abrahamian.

After Martinez realized the latter used him to do his dirty work, the Florida native began using his goodbye messages to expose Abrahamian’s game.

Although he thought about blindsiding Abrahamian later in the competition, Martinez decided against it and ultimately chose to sit next to him in the final two seats. The decision worked in his favor as the then-23-year-old won in a 5-4 vote.

He is currently in his fourth season of ‘The Challenge’

A year after winning the CBS series, the Florida native competed on The Challenge: War of the Worlds, where he initially purged out of the competition. However, Martinez returned as a replacement before getting eliminated for good shortly later.

He came back for War of the Worlds 2 and lasted fairly long as Team USA won several missions, keeping him safe. When he found himself in elimination, multi-season champ, Jordan Wiseley sent him home.

The BB champ returned for Total Madness and played his best season yet, winning three daily missions. However, he lost another elimination, going home before the finals again.

Martinez came back for Double Agents with several former Big Brother players to work with in the game. With his numbers’ help, he ended up in a favorable elimination and won, receiving his gold skull. Even though other competitors are attempting to tear apart their alliance, the group has remained strong so far.

Martinez almost competed on ‘Vendettas’ 

During a July 2020 Instagram Live, Martinez explained how he received the opportunity to join the longstanding reality competition series. He revealed he initially got the call for spinoff Champs vs. Stars in Nov. 2017, only a couple of months after winning BB19.

Although Martinez agreed, he noted CBS had him under contract for a year, so he had to wait. Even so, the season 19 champ claimed MTV still contacted him to join Vendettas and Ex on the Beach.

According to the Florida native, the show approached him about competing on Vendettas, the first season to feature Big Brother contestants, alongside BB rival Jess Nickson. However, the BB19 star and showmance partner Cody Nickson married and were expecting a child. As a result, and due to their current contracts with CBS, the two didn’t appear on the show.

Instead, season 18’s Victor Arroyo and Natalie Negrotti made their debuts. Martinez had to wait a year for War of the Worlds while Nickson stepped away from reality television and has since welcomed another child. The Challenge 36 airs Wednesdays at 8/7 Central on MTV.