The Challenge Star Tony Raines Takes a Life-Changing Leap of Faith
The Challenge star Tony Raines marks a major step in his faith, revealing he’s completed OCIA — “absolutely life changing” — and thanking supporters as he vows the journey has just begun.
One of The Challenge mainstays just took a very different kind of victory lap. Tony Raines has officially joined the Catholic Church, wrapped up the OCIA process, and yes, he got the paperwork to prove it.
What happened
On Monday, May 4, the 37-year-old posted that he had finished OCIA and received an official certificate from his Louisiana parish. The actual celebration of his entrance happened earlier, over Easter weekend on April 4, but the certificate came through this month. He called the experience life changing, thanked everyone who helped him get there, and gave all credit to God and Jesus in his caption, hashtags and all (including nods to confirmation, baptism, and communion).
Quick refresher: what OCIA is
OCIA is the process the Catholic Church uses for adults who want to come into the Church. It typically leads up to the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist.
"What started out for me as 'going through the process' turned into something more meaningful than I expected. This journey has challenged me, grounded me and honestly changed me for the better. I am very thankful for everyone who walked with me through this and forever grateful for the peace I’ve found that I didn’t even realize I was missing."
The personal life update
Raines has largely stepped away from reality TV and has been documenting dad life and married life with his high school sweetheart, Alyssa Marie Giacone. In April, the two held a Catholic wedding ceremony — a do-over by design — after he joked that marrying her once was not enough, this time with the Church's blessing. On Sundays, you can usually catch him at church with his two daughters. He even wrote in April that if parents do not teach their kids to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to — which sums up where his head and heart are at right now.
Friends chimed in
Challenge and Real World alums dropped in to congratulate him. Derrick Kosinski, who is also Catholic, gave him a warm welcome. Jenna Compono added that her husband, Zach, went through the same process. The overall vibe in the comments: supportive.
How we got here, at a glance
- 2014: Raines first hit TV on Real World: Skeletons.
- 2018: He won Champs vs. Stars 2.
- April 3: He and Alyssa held a Catholic wedding ceremony, celebrating their marriage with the Church's blessing and tagging it with faith-forward hashtags like #convalidation and #faithandfamily.
- April 4 (Easter weekend): He officially entered the Catholic Church.
- April 5: He posted a longer reflection about how the journey changed him (see the quote above).
- April 19: He shared a Sunday church moment with his daughters and a message about raising kids in the faith.
- May 4 (Monday): He announced he had completed OCIA and finally received his certificate from his Louisiana parish.
The TV context
If you know Raines from The Challenge, this is a curveball compared to his on-screen arc — quieter, more personal, and honestly, good for him. Fans who have been following him beyond MTV have watched him lean into family, faith, and a life that is a lot less chaotic than a final in Thailand.