Exit Interview: Cedric Hodges on ‘The Challenge 42,’ Vendettas, False Narratives, and the Lessons He’s Carrying Forward

Cedric Hodges entered The Challenge: Vets & New Threats with something to prove, and by the end of his rookie season, he had done exactly that. The Big Brother alum quickly established himself as a well-rounded competitor who could rise to whatever the game threw his way, while repeatedly showing that being an underdog was never a reason to count him out. His performance made a strong case for a return, and with a season of experience now behind him, expectations were understandably high heading into his sophomore outing.

But returning to The Challenge comes with its own set of complications. Experience can make you a smarter, more prepared player, but it also means walking back into the game with relationships, perceptions, and unresolved history that weren’t there the first time around. For Cedric, those existing connections proved to be more of a liability than an advantage. Unexpected vendettas and a narrative that he was “snaky” put a target on his back, while the people he believed he could trust ultimately left him questioning where those relationships truly stood.

Cedric’s time on the season may have ended earlier than he hoped following an elimination against Johnny Bananas, but he’s walking away with a clearer understanding of the game and how he wants to approach it next time. Pop Culturalist spoke with Cedric Hodges about the narratives that followed him into the season, the relationships that caught him by surprise, what went wrong in his elimination, and the lessons he’s carrying forward.

PC: Coming off such an incredible rookie season, you came back with something you didn’t have the first time: history with a lot of these players. How did having those existing relationships change the way that you approached this game this season?
Cedric: Having those existing relationships changed how I approached this season negatively. Somehow, Justin [Hinsley] had a vendetta. Sydney [Segal] had something against me. The people that I played with before were attached to those people by association, like Will [Gagnon], Izzy [Fairthorne], and Adrienne [Naylor]. It’s cool, though, because it allows me to learn. I took in so many negative lessons that I’m glad I was able to take them in one dose rather than over the course of ten seasons.

PC: I love your outlook on life, where you’re learning from all the failures and how that ultimately leads to success. Segueing off that question, you’ve got a lot of support from fans and Challenge alumni, and there seems to be a lot of confusion, myself included, about why you were described as “snaky” in the house. Did you understand where that perception came from, or did it just feel like an easy narrative for people to latch onto so they had a reason to target you?
Cedric: That’s exactly what it was. I was confused! I was like, “How am I snaky?” I didn’t change on any of my allies last season. If you watched my Big Brother season, I went home early because I was too honest, so how am I a snake? I was confused. It was an easy choice for people to run with. My favorite saying that I’ve cultivated for The Challenge is that a lot of people have the mentality, “As long as it’s not me, I don’t care what the truth is.” So I think it was one of those things: “As long as it’s not me. Cedric’s a cool guy, but I’m going to run with it so I don’t have to go into an elimination.”

PC: Looking back, it also felt like the Blue team had an uphill battle to climb from the beginning. When you were all selecting teammates, what was your initial reaction when you saw who you would be competing alongside? How confident were you in the team at that point?
Cedric: Not that our team was bad during team selections; the other teams were just great. Everybody, from an objective perspective, can look at our team and the other two teams and be like, “We know what’s going to happen.” We were clearly the underdog team. That was kind of frustrating, but I’m always grateful to be able to compete alongside my team and the people who come back onto The Challenge. I’m very big on personal relationships. A lot of these players truly became my friends, or I think they became my friends. Then they do what Justin did. [laughs] But I’m always excited to compete with everybody. Everyone’s an animal in their own way. It’s just how the cookie crumbled a little bit too unevenly for us this season.

PC: Last season, you proved not to underestimate the underdogs. There was an early team conversation where you were all assessing your strengths and weaknesses when it came to heights, endurance, eating, puzzles, and swimming. At that point, where did you feel the most confident? What was your biggest area of concern?
Cedric: My biggest area of concern is probably always going to be eating. I’m pretty confident in everything else. I’d say I’m not a top-three person in any one category. I’m not a top-three swimmer. I’m not a top-three strength guy. I’m not a top-three runner. But I would probably put myself in the top eight of every single category, which helps me be more well-rounded than a lot of people. Challenges that require me to be well-rounded can cater to me more. But I always like the get-it-out-of-the-mud type of eliminations. It’s a very Derrick [Kosinski] mentality. I want to do a Pole Wrestle. Those would be my strengths.

With eliminations, I always want a purely physical elimination because I want to show people that I’ve got that dog in me. Justin found out.

PC: You definitely proved that across two seasons. On paper, you seemed like the favorite going into the elimination, and you’re certainly no stranger to having to fight for your life in this game. But like any sport, there’s a psychological element to facing somebody like Johnny Bananas, who has this reputation and experience. Did who you were competing against affect your mindset at all?
Cedric: It actually made it easier because if I’m going to lose to anyone in an elimination, I’d rather it be Johnny. I think what affected my mindset most mentally, and ultimately led to my demise in this elimination, was being too hyper-emotional over the fact that my friends sent me into the first elimination. Now I’m panicking, right? I’m normally such a calm person. Feeling that I was starting to panic made me panic even more. Then all the strategy went out the window. I was just running in circles. Johnny’s an animal, so I can’t complain.

PC: I’m guessing you didn’t have a heads-up that you were going in.
Cedric: Yeah, no. They didn’t tell me. Sydney actually told me, “You’re probably going to be good.” You guys saw a snippet of it. I was like, “If you guys save me, then we’re together. I’m rocking with you. You won’t have to worry about anything.” That’s my big thing: I treat people exactly how they treat me. I try to stress that. You hear me say it all the time. It’s because I don’t want that snake perspective. If you’re going to try to hinder my game, I’m going to hinder your game, and I’m telling you about it.

PC: Once you got down there and learned what the elimination was, how much time did you actually have to strategize and figure out what your approach would be? What was your game plan? Looking back, where do you think you would have changed things?
Cedric: My game plan going in was to start one way, hit four real quick, and then run around and chase Johnny. But Johnny had the same game plan as me. It was the winning strategy. Once I realized he had the same strategy and I started panicking, everything went out the window. You’ll see me in the elimination, and I’m going one way, and then I stop and go the other way. That’s 100% the entirely wrong way to do the elimination. I should have tried to outpace Johnny. Just run as many laps as possible, hitting two at a time. Then it would have turned into a game of endurance.

You don’t have a lot of time to prepare before eliminations. It’s, “This is the elimination. Go get your gear. Get ready. Come back,” and you’re watching the elimination. I always try to figure out the best strategy. It always seems easier up there than it is in the sand.

PC: You did come up with the winning strategy, but it didn’t work out in your favor this time. You have such a great outlook that you can only succeed by learning from your losses. What will you take away from this season and apply to future ones, especially because TJ [Lavin] seems really eager to have you back?
Cedric: My biggest takeaway, lessons-wise, from the season is that perception is reality. People are going to run with the narrative that’s easiest rather than running with the truth. Also, some people aren’t your friends. Justin hit me up two weeks before the season and was like, “We’re besties. Let’s go on a run,” but the whole time, he was plotting against me.

Another thing I took away is that I have to stop reaching out first to Challenge alumni and people I play with because I always want to build relationships. I always genuinely care about people. It hurts me when I reach out and they’re like, “Oh yeah, whatever.” Then we go into the season. But if I text them and they don’t check up on me, I kind of know where everybody is at before we start. That’ll help me progress in the future.

Lastly, my other big takeaway is that I’ve got to be prepared to go in and win every elimination.

PC: You’re just a genuine good guy and competitor. After your Big Brother season, you shared that the people were ultimately what you took away from the experience. If you could bring a fellow Big Brother alum onto a future season of The Challenge, where it’s all about the numbers, who would it be and why?
Cedric: I would bring Cam [Sullivan-Brown]. He has such a competitive side that wasn’t shown on Big Brother. I trust him completely. That’s my dog. I think ultimately that’s what I need in The Challenge house: someone who I can trust completely and who will also get out of the mud with me. So I’d probably bring Cam along with me or Chelsie [Baham].

To keep up with Cedric, follow him on Instagram. New episode of The Challenge 42: Cutthroat air every Wednesday on Paramount Plus.