Kam Williams was one of the fastest rising stars The Challenge had ever seen — she made the finals in three of her first five appearances on the MTV competition series, with 2021’s Double Agents marking her last show.
Since then? She and fiancé Leroy Garrett — whom she met on the series — have concentrated on parenthood. The had their son, Kingston, in 2022. But before their daughter, Aria, came along in February, the pair came back to compete on the fourth edition of The Challenge: All-Stars, which starts airing April 10.
Williams took some time to speak with For The Win about competing after a break. (This interview has been edited and condensed)
Why choose to return now?
The very simple reason why I decided to return was because I missed it. When they call me, my baby was about five months old. So I was like, “The audacity!” Then, I thought, what if my baby was not a factor? Would I have said yes to this opportunity? And the answer was yes. I’m a huge advocate for moms not just giving up their life and their needs just because we have children. Sometimes, we put being a partner and mother first. I was not with that at all.
We see you actively pumping on this season. How important was it to have that shown on All-Stars?
That meant everything to me. There always needs to be inclusivity for mothers, so whether I’m going to my typical 9 to 5 or even in an environment like The Challenge, there needs to be a safe space for me to be able to pump because being a mom is an around-the-clock job. Even if I’m not physically with my child, I’m still a mother and pumping. It allows me to feel still connected to my baby. I definitely hope to be an inspiration.
I had my own room set up for me that it was Kam’s Pumping Room, and it had everything — they had a deep freezer for me. It was really nice and I really appreciated it.
How did Leroy end up on the show with you?
In our parenting journey Leroy did have a postpartum moment where he experienced depression — this is something that he talks about on the show. And I think people don’t talk about that at all. Because sometimes we’re focused on women and their postpartum experience, but it’s also a huge life change for a father as well. So he did experience that.
I wanted him to come with me as well. It’s been so many years since we’ve done it, and I thought that this would be great for him and his mental health.
What's it like competing alongside him now that you're parents? Did you communicate better?
The last time you saw us, we were just in a relationship, and this time, we are parents that are in a relationship that have a child back home.
So now, we’re two people competing for my household — it’s like we have two lottery tickets.
With us being there together, we were definitely able to have super-transparent conversations about the game and really bounce strategies off of each other. You know me, how I play the game — I really play it like chess. My mind is just like constantly racing.
