Anika Rashaun, The Challenge and Real World Alum, Dead at 34

Anika Rashaun, who previously starred on MTV’s Real World Seattle: Bad Blood and competed on The Challenge, died after a battle with breast cancer, her friend Tiara Ramos confirmed. She was 34. 

“I lost a piece of my soul when my best friend died,” Ramos wrote in a Substack post earlier this month. “Last summer, my best friend and sister was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Her diagnosis was a shock.”

Rashaun’s childhood friend emphasized that the former reality TV star—who tied the knot with husband Kyle Rehn in February—lived her life to the absolute fullest.  

“She was always so unapologetically herself, so real in her stances, her convictions, her beliefs,” Ramos continued. “Her ability to get what she wanted, to talk you into things, to convince you, was one of a kind. The way she showed up for her friends, fiercely loyal and loving to the end, was on a whole different level.”

Meanwhile, Rashaun’s reality TV family has also shared their grief in the weeks since her passing. 

Theo King-Bradley, who competed with Rashaun on The Challenge and appeared alongside her in Real World, said in a post Oct. 23 that he had “finally” come up with some words to illustrate his heartbreak. 

“I’ve been doing everything else to keep my mind off the fact that you’re not here,” King-Bradley wrote alongside a photo of him and Rashaun on Instagram. “I’ve genuinely been sad as hell since hearing you passed. I’m sad I didn’t get to see you one last time. But the last time and conversation we had with each other I can cherish and play it back in my mind to smile.”

Echoing Ramos’ sentiment, King-Bradley highlighted Rashaun’s ability to not only expand her own horizons, but also those of the people around her. 

Anika Rashaun/Instagram

“You always kept it real with me and told me the s--t I didn’t want to hear which is why I always beyond respected you,” he wrote. “From doing our first show together. To you being with me my first time out the country.”

Following her stint on TV, Rashaun pivoted to a professional career as a matchmaker and advice columnist. 

She had previously confirmed she was fighting cancer in a social media post last year, at which time she shared a win amid her battle—showing that her tumor markers had declined in October 2025.

Alongside a highlight of other fall activities, Rashaun captioned the post, “Some great news.”

In her post confirming her best friend’s death, Ramos expressed her determination to live life by Rashaun’s rules, and to try and help further cancer research.

“For Anika, I will love without limits, fly without fear, make more spontaneous decisions,” Ramos wrote, “and, most importantly, stop at nothing to help find a cure for breast cancer.”

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App