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TJ Lavin, professional BMX rider, daredevil, and all around badass, has been hosting MTV’s The Challenge since the show’s eleventh season. Born Thomas Joseph Lavin on December 7, 1976, the Las Vegas native began riding bikes when he was two and raced BMX until he was 15, giving it up to segue into dirt jumping. By the age of 19, he became a pro—not too shabby for a kid under 20.
While many know his history on MTV, here is everything you need to know about Lavin’s personal life, including his wife and daughter.
1. Lavin is Married to Roxanne Siodria
Two years after a horrific crash left the biker in a coma, 42-year-old Lavin married longtime fiancée Roxanne Siodria in Las Vegas. The couple wed eight years to the day they met.
“We always knew we wanted to get married on Nov. 2 because that’s when we met,” Lavin told People. “I knew I was gonna marry her the second I met her. We thought about doing it at the drive-thru but we couldn’t go through with it, so I said I was down for City Hall. Fancy weddings aren’t our thing.”
For their nuptials, the couple did indeed keep it simple; Lavin donned a suit while Siordia wore a cocktail dress.
2. Lavin’s Accident Really Put a Hold On Things for the Couple
The couple had been talking about marriage for years, but Lavin’s accident left him comatose for 9 days. Shockingly, Lavin made a 100 percent recovery.
“My coma…really messed up things. If you go in a coma it really messes with your social life, so don’t do it,” he joked. “But when I got [through] my wreck…it opened my eyes, and we had to work on our relationship more and make it more of a priority. We had to find ourselves – [then] everything was cool.”
3. The Couple Has One Daughter
Lavin and Siordia have one daughter, Raquel, 13. She is Siordia’s child from a previous relationship.
Though Raquel is a step-daughter to Lavin, she seems cut from the same cloth as her stepfather. In 2016, Lavin posted a photo of Raquel riding some waves writing: “My badass daughter don’t play…she does it all! She surfs, scuba-dives, wake surfs, snowboards, does her mom’s crazy hikes w a smile, camps, works out, does yoga, gets awesome grades, puts up for bullied kids, eats healthy, cooks healthy, drives a stick, doesn’t give a care about ‘the cool brand’ of anything, and is the kindest 17-year-old human you could ever know…You name it the girl’s got it or does it…thanks for being awesome @crybabyraquel you’re the best… #awesomedaughter #coolkids #surf #wakesurf #miss #loveyou”
The proud dad continued raving about his daughter to Us Weekly saying, “She currently pays for her own hair school at Paul Mitchell here in Vegas by working two jobs: TruFusion a (Yoga and Pilates studio) and Whole Foods.”
4. Roxanne is an Aspiring Artist and Fitness Buff
Roxanne splits her time between being an aspiring artist and working at Las Vegas Luxury Salon & Spa. She also dabbles in personal training and teaching Pilates.
Like her husband, Siodria spent her childhood riding dirt bikes, sand rails, and quads, and even had four-wheel drive trucks. She’s all about fitness, having become a certified fitness nutritionist after completing her studies at the International Sports Sciences Association in 2011.
Mrs. Lavin was also a part-time model at one point. She was a part of Playboy’s 50th Anniversary Playmate cover-model search; she didn’t win the competition, but it led to other opportunities like the Flex Bikini Model Search and an appearance on the video game MX vs. ATV: Untamed.
5. The Family Still Lives in Vegas
Lavin and his family still live in Las Vegas. Their home was featured on Season 6 of MTV’s Cribs in an episode that also featured Third Eye Blind’s Stephen Jenkins.
When he’s not out on location hosting The Challenge or riding his bike, he spends his time playing the piano or hanging with his family. To top it all off, he’s also a savvy businessman and investor.