The Challenge returns to MTV in 2024 with host TJ Lavin at the helm, who just a couple of years ago survived a two, terrible accidents on his bike.
As fans prepare to watch their favorites compete on newest season of All-Stars, let’s look back at how TJ himself recovered from two insane physical challenges, one that left him in a coma.
‘The Challenge’ Host TJ Lavin Survived Accident On His BMX Bike in 2018
Nearly six years, TJ Lavin was celebrating the start of hosting his 13th season of The Challenge when he found himself in the hospital.
TJ, a veteran BMX pro dirt jumper, never stopped riding after he segued into hosting, and was still doing incredibly difficult stunts well into his 40s.
Cue the summer of 2018, where TJ found himself with a lacerated face and injured knee after a BMX accident in Las Vegas went wrong.
On Monday, August 27, via his Instagram Stories, TJ shared a clip of the accident, with the biker missing a jump at a dirt course.
“That sucked, man,” TJ said from his hospital bed in another video, via US Weekly. “So I overshot the jump. The new jump that I’ve been working on all month, I finally hit it … and overshot it by a lot. Yeah … 41, still having fun.”
Thankfully, this time around, he managed to escape major injury.
“The CAT scan was negative, no brain problems,” he told his followers. “And the knee came back, no knee problems. So, just little stitches here and there. No worries. Keeping it real.”
Within a few hours, he was dischared and sent home and was back on the course before anyone knew it.
It’s a marvel he’s still riding on the course at all, give the fact that 8 years earlier, he was in medically induced coma after a similar accident!
The Accident that Left Him In A COMA!
In October 2010, TJ was critically injured and hospitalized after crashing on a different dirt bikecourse in Las Vegas.
In what was billed at the time as his last ride as a professional biker, TJ suffered brain bleeding, a broken wrist and was put into a medically induced coma for 9 days after the accident.
Very scary indeed! Thankfully, doctors at the time helped him make a full recovery, though he did have to stay in the hospital for over a month.
Video of the crash was shared the following season, to talk about the extent of TJ’s injuries.
Did TJ Lavin Suffer Brain Damage?
Only a few weeks after he was released from the hospital did TJ return to the set of The Challenge to film the upcoming season.
The 21st season was called “Rivals” and was set in Costa Rica.
“I wish I could tell you how it felt to walk back out into the show as the host after the brain injury that I had, but I really cannot remember,” TJ admitted on Instagram at the time, via Heavy.
He admitted that in the weeks after his traumatic brain injury, he suffered “short term memory loss” among other mental issues.
However, as of today, 14 years removed from that incident, and he’s feeling and looking great! You love to see it!
The first two episodes of The Challenge: All Stars 4 premiere Wednesday, April 10, on Paramount+.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoaalpKmsvLCwxqiqrKGgY7CwuY5rZ2tsX2WBcMDJZqOarpmjeqKvwqKbnqakZA%3D%3D