You may remember Kendal from her MTV debut on season 11 of Road Rules : Campus Crawl or from her many roles in Movies ! Well now Queen Kendal is a full time Mommy who's living her best life up in Washington State ♥️
I had the pleasure of interviewing this legend via Instagram DM and oh my gawd y'all she spilled ALL THE TEA !
What was the casting process for Road Rules?! Were you excited to be on TV?!
BMP was casting for RR and RW. I thought FOR SURE I would be on RW. I didn't even really know what RR was. Apparently 40,000 people tried out from all over the country. My casting call was in Chicago at a sports bar I was working at. I remember the casting person asked our group to share the biggest secret we ever kept. Everyone around the table had these deep secrets. Mine was that I got a D in math and hid it from my mom. No one was impressed. Then I shrugged and said it was a big deal to me.. mainly because I just can't keep secrets
So you start on RR: Campus Crawl then get called for The Challenge inferno, what was it like transitioning from shows, was it a Jurassic change?
HUGE Jurassic change ! I had been warned that doing a challenge wasn't nearly as fun as Road Rules. "There's so many people fighting for attention", people act differently, and of course, no one wants to get sent home and have to go back to their restaurant jobs. We didn't get paid much and being a professional reality tv star wasn't a thing so you were either there for the experience or to win. I went for the experience but quickly discovered there was enough previous beef that I could hang under the radar.. and win. I really felt I could.. but once I decided not to go along with the group and send Katie in repeatedly, I knew that put a target on my back as well, and under the radar was no longer an option. That was probably the biggest change, really. Because on Road Rules I had genuine friends.. but on the challenge you really didn't know if you were friends or merely an alliance of sorts. Nowadays things are pretty clear.. win win win.
So on the challenge inferno you made probably one of the first biggest moves in challenge history and voted yourself in to elimination against Leah and ultimately won the elimination and later on the whole game; were you nervous about making that legendary big move?
I was really nervous, but honestly also upset my cover got blown. I wanted it to be a shocking moment.. but word got out and caused much more drama ahead of time. Honestly, I thought it was a smart plan because I knew I could beat Leah in the challenge. If I wasn't confident I would have let Timmy go. But.. our team had somewhat of an agreement to take turns going in. Going in on my terms is much better than getting "thrown" in. Also, I could keep the peace with my team since they were upset I robbed them of the opportunity to throw Katie in. I felt like it was a win-win all the way around. Miz wasn't happy since he believed I "lied" to him about going in.. but I felt cornered talking to him about it and I felt like I needed to make the best decision for myself. Although, honestly.. he was probably right.. I shouldn't have risked it, but in my heart of hearts I felt like I needed to do it. Ultimately, I stayed in good graces with Katie by winning the night before (saving her from getting thrown in), good graces with my team by not letting Timmy go, good graces with Real Worlders because they wanted Leah gone.. the only person left upset was Miz. And he came around. And honestly, it made me mad that he didn't want me to go in because I felt like he didn't think I could win.. and I don't do well with being discredited. Lol.
After the challenge inferno, were you contacted to be on any othe season of the challenge/ would you accept an offer now?! (We so need an authentic queen back on)
After the Inferno I chronically declined to focus on my acting career.. back then being on reality TV was a barrier because he disrupted the illusion the actors try to create. Reality tv was fun but totally not respected. So I worked on short films, music videos and full length features. It really was a fun period of my life.. but I always thought I would go back when the timing was right. In 2008 they contacted me to come back and at first I declined. Then later agreed to be on standby. I had a baby and finals week in school so I didn't want to be gone long. I recently found out Tori was on standby for the same show.. we could have done a show together!! So funny how things work out.. i believe we were meant to be friends. 💖
Who in your opinion is best challenge contestants? (guy and girl)
Well.. keep in mind I don't watch, haven't ever watched and really I'm not sure if I could EVER watch lol... 😆 I truly think Darrell is the top guy. Not only has he won a thousand times, but he's never sacrificed his soul to do it. He's a beast to be feared in competitions socially he will cheer you on. He's a real one 100%. Females are tougher for me because in my heart of hearts I believe Rachel is the best competitor.. the girl lives and breathes athleticism. Literally. But I hear stories of Evelyn, am constantly blown away by Laurel and admire Cara's strength and dedication. That said, I have to go again with my people and vote Rachel.💖 Btw, my Road Rules cast was STACKED. Darrell, Rachel, Gauntlet Queen Sarah, Shane the Swim winner Landrum... I knew our season was special but looking back, if they did another battle of the seasons. Road Rules Campus Crawl would crush it.
Omfg she is absolutely RIGHT! Darrell, Rachel, Shane and herself?! UNTOUCHABLE ! but anyways back to the interview lol
What is Queen Kendal up too now? How's life after reality TV and do you regret anything you did on TV?'s life after reality TV and do you regret anything you did on TV?
I am a fulltime Mom, Wife and Registered Nurse! Life was rocky for a bit afterwards, to be honest, but once I got my head on straight life has been great! I never thought I would be a nurse but I absolutely love it. I always knew I would have kids so no surprise there, but my boys are my WORLD. I honestly didn't know love until they came along. There is nothing more rewarding than parenthood. 💖 As far as wife life, I tried to fit the mold for a long time but recently realized there isn't one. My husband is such a good sport with all of my crazy ideas.. you'll see soon enough the trouble I get him into. 😆 As far as regrets go.. of course I don't want my kids to see me drunk and acting like the fool I did on Road Rules, but it's also a good teaching opportunity. I hope to teach my kids how to cope with difficult situations and how not to take it out on others. Plus, I'm far from perfect and I think it's important for my kids to know that I am also a work in progress. 💖💖
Ugh Such an Authentic QUEEN ! You can follow Kendal on Instagram @kendalsheppard ! For all things Reality TV follow us on Instagram @formationproduction.