TJ Lavin was already a household name in the BMX world when he became the host of ‘The Challenge’ in 2005, though the 49-year-old credits his fame within the long-running franchise to an encounter at a 1999 house party with a then-unknown production assistant.
TJ recalled his unique path to MTV fame on an episode of ‘Green Room Radio’ last month, where he reflected on the early days of his career and the perks that came with being a “big shot BMX dude.” Among those perks, TJ said, was MTV reaching out to host a party at his Las Vegas, Nevada, home– a notable property due to the large backyard, which once included dirt jumps and other BMX-friendly features.
Hours before this “superstar”-attended bash went down, TJ said he encountered a man named Vinnie Postestivo, who, unbeknownst to him, would end up changing his life five years later.
“The morning of that party in [19]99, a dude was sweeping my back porch, his name was Vinnie Postestivo, and he’s cool as sh*t … ,” TJ recalled, noting that he soon learned that the man who was sweeping his porch was a production assistant for MTV.
Five years later, TJ and Vinnie ended up reconnecting while TJ was in New York City for a music project. It was then that TJ found out that the former porch-sweeping PA had become the Vice President of Talent Development at MTV.
“From PA to bada**,” TJ said. “Now he’s the guy.”
After receiving an invite to come to Vinnie’s office at MTV, TJ was soon propositioned with an offer from Vinnie to become the new host of ‘The Challenge’– a role that was being held at the time by TJ’s friend and fellow BMX pro, Dave Mirra. When TJ mentioned the conflict of interest, Vinnie assured him that Dave was “over” the hosting gig, though he encouraged TJ to call his friend to make sure.
“So, I called Dave right there in [Vinnie’s] office,” TJ said. “He was like, ‘No, take it man, you’re going to love it. It’ll be fun for you for, like, one or two seasons and then [you can] just be done with it.’ And I was like, ‘All right, cool.’”
(As fans of ‘The Challenge’ may remember, Dave hosted two seasons of the competition series. Sadly, he went on to die in 2016 by suicide at the age of 41.)
After receiving the go-ahead from Dave, TJ said Vinnie walked him into then-president of MTV Jackie French’s office, where Vinnie informed her that he had found the new host for ‘The Challenge.’
“ … she was like, ‘Oh, good, I was worried about that,’” TJ recalled. “And then [Vinnie] was like, ‘Yeah, this is our guy.’”
While Vinnie had dubbed him the new host of the competition series in Jackie’s office that day, TJ said there were actually two other people still in the running for the hosting position– BMX rider Cory Nastazio and professional snowboarder Keir Dillion. Despite TJ believing (and telling production company Bunim/Murray) that either of his adversaries would be a better fit for the job, Vinnie and Jackie thought otherwise.
“ … they were like, ‘No, you’re not [taking Cory or Keir], you’re taking TJ,’” he said. “And [Bunim/Murray was] like, ‘OK, we’re taking TJ.’
“ … that moment that they said, ‘No, you’re taking TJ,’ that phone call that they made together, you know, whatever happened, it changed my life … ,” TJ added.
TJ became the official host of ‘The Challenge’ in 2005 and has continued to host the competition series, as well as all five seasons of ‘The Challenge: All Stars.‘
You can watch TJ hosting the currently airing season of ‘The Challenge: Cutthroat.’ New episodes drop Wednesdays on Paramount+.
Watch a clip from TJ’s interview on ‘Green Room Radio’ below.
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(Photos: MTV; Instagram)
