A Less Perfect Union w/ Michaela Bradshaw

Michaela Bradshaw is back on The Challenge (for more than one episode) AND back on the podcast! She joins Devyn and Tori to discuss overcoming her fear of heights, her problems with some of the other Challengers' gameplay (or, most of them) and why she left the school supplies at home this season.

Head to Paramount+ to catch new episodes of The Challenge: USA 2 on Thursdays, and we'll see you back here right after for a look behind the scenes on MTV's Official Challenge Podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, I'm Devin Simone.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
And I'm Tory Deal and this is MTV's official Challenge podcast.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Toy, was this like the spiciest and also most emotional
episode of the season so far?

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I mean it, listen, it was up there, but knowing
where it goes, I cannot give it, you know, but.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
It was a long I love this season.

Speaker 4 (00:21):
Nuh.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
It just keeps getting spicier and spicy. I love it
so much. Now, something that hasn't gotten as spicy TJ's wardrobe.
I just have to shout out though. I really did
like the gray jacket he wore and the hat combo
in this week's elimination. It really made his eyes pop.
Looked beautiful, TJ. Well done. Now, usually we do a breakdown,
but this is a really juicy interview. We got a

(00:43):
lot of stuff covered, a lot of topics. So I
think we're going to just jump into the gold star
and the timeout so that y guys can hear from
our guests. Sound good, Toy, Absolutely, who's your gold star?

Speaker 3 (00:54):
My gold star is FESSI and I'm gonna tell you why,
oh please? He kept me out. He kept me out
of that elimination.

Speaker 2 (00:59):
Okay, I think that if he hadn't approached the conversation
with Mikayla, my ass is going in, so I gotta
give it to him.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Yeah, that's fair, that's absolutely fair. Who is your time out?
I believe? Oh god, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Can you go first?

Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'll go with my gold Star. So it is a
tie for me in gold Star. Mikayla for conquering her
fear like that just a beautiful moving story, Like I
love to see that so much, and I love the
way everybody kind of rallied around her. Just amazing. And
also Tyler, because Tyler is still holding it down with
his protecting of Alyssa, even him being like, do you

(01:42):
need space in this time? Do you want me to
ask people to stay out of the room while you
take space? Like that's just like a good person, a
good friend, a good romantic partner. Those are the qualities
you guys should be looking for. I'm not saying date
a Tyler, you guys, I don't know enough about him.
I'm saying that when you were evaluating Tory your show answers,
I'm kidding anybody, when you're evaluating your partner, that is

(02:03):
an amazing quality to have. So gold Star goes to
Tyler and Mikayla for time out. Somebody did make me mad.
And then you know what I forgot?

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Who was at Josh for voting in Wes.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yes, it was Josh and his dramatics. You were right, Josh,
you get the time out? What on earth? Talk it
like if he doesn't sit out somewhere.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
I mean that it really did make it. It felt
very emotional for me. I understand, like how hard it
is to have to go in there and say somebody's name,
and you know we're getting closer to the end, But like.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Have you ever cried over saying somebody's name? No, that's
what I thought, But I.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
Think Mi Anie depressant stopped me from doing that.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Like I think if I was.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
I think if I wasn't on them, I think I'd
be crying more.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
I mean, I don't like stand in it. Also, when
he like patted West on the back literally right after
he voted him. If that is not a Bible story,
I don't know what is like, sirih Josh, just you
voted the man in. We get it feels bad, Yatta,
but get over it. But I mean, but he wouldn't
be Josh if you weren't crying, So like, on one hand,
you love it because that's Josh. It's on the other hand,

(03:12):
it's like, come on now, yeah, I mean, yeah it was.

Speaker 3 (03:16):
You know, it's it's a shitty situation to be put in.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Ultimately, I feel bad for Wes, like it sucks, Like
it really does suck.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
To see him go.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
I would have loved to see him in the final
I really like, yeah, I really. I hope he doesn't retire.
I think he'll be back West and we need you.
I think I give him some time. I think and
hope that Wes will be back. But for the people
that are still here, we have some dynamic personalities and
one of them is a guest on today's episode. And
let me tell y'all, I mean, she has thoughts, she

(03:48):
has opinions, but she does not have a notebook. This
time we are talking about Mikayla. You guys are not.
I mean, this is probably the spiciest episode of this
podcast that we have done, certainly this season and in
a while. She is the epitome of the motto don't overthink,
just overshare. She's gonna give you exactly what she's feeling thinking,
And we have a visit from a surprise special guest

(04:11):
as well that you won't want to miss. So grab
your snacks, do your things, get your popcorn, get cozy,
put on those little house socks that make you feel good,
and stay tuned because we're coming up with an interview
with miss Michayla from Survivor right after this. This person

(04:35):
was on two seasons of Survivor.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
She was originally on the Challenge Spies, Eyes and Allies,
and we didn't get to see enough of her there,
but this season we are surely seeing a lot of
her in terms of competition, gameplay and incredible confessionals.

Speaker 3 (04:51):
Welcome McKayla Bradshaw.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
Oh thank you.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, thanks for coming on the show, girl.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
How are you feeling good so far?

Speaker 5 (05:01):
I tend to do better the second time, and all
I had to do was not be out first, so
I'm the winner in my book.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
All you had to do was not bring a notebook, Mikayla,
and not let I didn't bring a pen, I didn't
bring up.

Speaker 5 (05:17):
I said, y'all not gonna catch me with nothing, right right,
I'm literate as far as I'm so glad that you
left the school's pleasant home because it's been so good
watching you navigate through this game, making money moves, being

(05:37):
sort of this powerhouse, which I think even when and
to be fair, by the way, if I didn't say
it on Aftermath when you came on from your first
season of challenging Spies Lines and Allies, the more guests
I had on afterwards because obviously you were on the
first episode that we did, because I mean, you're basically
out during opening credits you did get played Mikayla and

(05:59):
Spies Lies, and you one hundred percent got played, And
I'm mad for you, but I'm so glad to see
you here showing us what you can really do.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
Thank you. You know, we all have learning lessons in life,
but we don't get fooled twice. Dude, listen through you
and you didn't.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
I really think that, Like, there's not many people who
go out first and make an impact that lasts the
way that you have.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
And then also.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
Everybody already knew what they were dealing with when you
came on the show. Like your first challenge Daily on
Spy SI's Allies, you came in second place. You were
this close to winning, so like you being the competitive
force that you are, and us even seeing glimpses of
you this season with you running with that box on
your back when we were still in teams and being
in front of literally all the guys, and then obviously

(06:46):
we're not going to get into this daily challenge yet,
but absolutely murdering it. Like your athletic abilities speak for themselves,
and now we finally get to see them because you're here.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
Well, thank you, I appreciate it means a lot coming
from you. I couldn't tell if there were sarcasm there.
We'll find out later in this episode. So, Michayla, before
we get into the breakdown of what happened this episode,
because there was a lot. I feel like there was
a lot of emotions, a lot of feels, a lot
of a lot of things. But multiple challengers who we've

(07:16):
had on the podcast have said, and it's sort of
apparent in watching you, is that you very much read people.
And I don't mean just read people with like shade,
you do that too, which is funny, but you read,
you assess people, you analyze people, And so I'm curious.
I'd love to play just a little game where we
get a sense of what does Mikayla think, right and

(07:37):
so I'm gonna just throw out a name, and I
just want to know without any spoilers, because we don't
know obviously, you guys know what happened season. I have
made Tori swear to not tell me things because I
want to watch it as a viewer and not know
what happens. So without giving spoilers, we're going to play
little game. I'm just gonna throw out a couple of
names that you and I want you to give me
one adjective that in Mikayla's challenge assessment that you have

(08:00):
about that player. Sound good? Sounds good? All right, Let's
start with bananas. Bananas two words. A chap came to mind,
and then special and special was a ephemism. Okay, okay,
he's a special one. He's a special one. What about

(08:24):
john Ay? Johanna is actually really nice, she's a sweetheart.
But I'm sorry, I don't have one word. Oh that's
a yeah, I've noticed. It's all right, we'll allow for two.
What about Chris Liar? You got one word right there? Yeah?
Did you feel that way always? Or was it not

(08:48):
a moment? One? Why? Because I can smell foolishness. It's
my nostrils are very attuned to it because I work
in corporate man and Chris some some people just look sketchy,
and how they moved, they're just they're just there. Their movements,

(09:11):
their body language just exudes lack of trustworthiness. And that
was him.

Speaker 5 (09:18):
And then I just noticed little little things like, you know,
I'll tell one person a piece of information and then
you see how it travels and how it changes. And
I noticed people had negative perceptions whenever Chris was a
part of their chain of communication, and it's like, but
you're not saying anything to me though, right noted?

Speaker 1 (09:41):
So, yeah, he just do you prove? He proves how
he is.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
When you were like, just want to go back a
challenge when we were swinging from the top of those
trucks against each other, did you know did you know
that Chris was the root of that plan while we
were there?

Speaker 5 (09:57):
I did not know that, but I figured that it wasn't.
I wasn't surprised when I found out it was him.
I found out it was him in the.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
House, but it wasn't surprising at all. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, And was that like a part of just adding
to this because obviously this episode we really see it
kind of blow up. It's yeah, you know, we get
this introduction of you saying you don't trust him, and
then all of a sudden, now you know, you.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
Know you guys, we have this mind. It's obvious, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
Just spiraling.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Yeah, it's an obvious thing. And then for me, I
think that they showed this like we had a little
come to Jesus meeting after Chris one, and it's like, look,
you throw people under the bus. Like now I can
pull out all my receipts because I know this. Not
everybody has seen it.

Speaker 5 (10:43):
But if we're going to move forward, then you need
to acknowledge what you did right and then move forward.
He's used so many words to skirt around it, but
in the confessional it was like I just I acknowledged
what I did.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
It's like, no, you weren't. I was a conversation. You
did that. So it's it's interesting. It's like I would
say liar and I would say fake. Okay, yeah, those
are his What words would you use to describe FESSI?
I like Betsy, what we would I describe athletic? He's

(11:19):
very athletic. Okay.

Speaker 5 (11:21):
At the end, you know what I would also say,
I don't know some word that means nice on.

Speaker 1 (11:25):
The inside but doesn't know how to articulate it. I
kind of agree with that about fest, like he can
come across a certain way, but he's actually like a
low key he's a person. Yeah, yeah, I agree with
you that. What about doctor Desi.

Speaker 5 (11:42):
Dei, My first thought was interesting. I think there's a
lot to and I'm gonna spind it this way.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
I think there's a lot to Desi that people don't
look into because how she presents. I think she presents
in such a palatable way that it's easy for people
to be like, oh, but I think there's a lot
of depth two I don't know, to her her story

(12:10):
and her personal experience, And yeah, I think, yeah, that's
the that thing. I think she's interesting. I think I
think it was interesting to me to know that I
was in the secret Garden this whole time. I've never
heard that turn while I was on the self. But yeah,
I think I think with me, Dessie and Chanelle, honestly,

(12:34):
we are so different. Mhmm. And it's I think it's
difficult unless you get to know each of us individually.
I think it's difficult to know how different we really
actually are. And so that's why I say Desie is interesting, okay,
because that's yeah, when she started digging deep, just like

(12:56):
there's a lot of differences. Yeah, oh, I look forward
to find they have more about those differences. I definitely
want to circle back on that tour names for you,
particularly relating to this episode. First one is Josh. Yeah,
this is why we need videos. This is why we
need video a face face Josh extram it can be extra.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Sometimes, like like I like something like extra, like a
side of walk, like extra, like a side in the movie,
like extra, like over the top, like a good extra
bad extra.

Speaker 1 (13:31):
I like, I think I think he can be a
little over the top but still love fool Like.

Speaker 5 (13:39):
I like me some Josh, I love me some Josh.
But some of the stuff I watched, I was like, now,
why are you find if you put.

Speaker 1 (13:45):
The battle on, thank you, he'd be good on Real
Housewives like like right, but like Mole, I agree, I
adore Josh, Like yes, but everything you just said right,
like you threw the man in why are you over
here crying time? Giving him a kiss? Judas is scariot,
Like what do you say if you don't take him?

(14:06):
Peter and Paul behind it's down right like you did this.
But to be fair, Wes was talking a whole lot
of smack. But I wonder if that confessional was done
after prior to him knowing or after come on all right,
Oh my.

Speaker 2 (14:22):
God, yes absolutely, because you see Josh telling Wes in
the sand. Wes had no idea obviously, and then after
we have to go do our interviews and we have
to catch up an episode or two.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
For sure he was talking shit after the fact, Like.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
So you do you think that he was really Because
that's a good point, toy, because when we see Wes
on the treadmill, right, and then we see Josh like
talking to Wes and sort of being like this bro
thing happening, and it looks very much like like Josh
is more into it than Wes, right, So it does
kind of And then we cut to the confessional where

(14:58):
Wes is like, I'll never let job never see Josh's arrival.
I'll never see are you saying that the energy in
the house was very much that Wes was equally as
supportive of or friendly with Josh, And it wasn't until
after he found out about being voted in by Josh
that his energy ship.

Speaker 2 (15:17):
I think that, at least from my perspective, I think
that was evident just by how Wes reacted.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
It wasn't anger, it was sheer disappointment. It was sad.
It was like why, It was like why.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
It wasn't like fuck you, like you're never gonna So
I think when he took it true.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
But I feel like, but is that because Wes thinks
everyone believes everything he says? Yeah, because I also get
that vibe from Wes A little yea.

Speaker 5 (15:40):
One thing I can say, And Wes was putting on
some form of a front in the game, right to
the whole Greens team.

Speaker 1 (15:47):
He tried to make it appear like he was on
the outs with all of its nobody had his back,
you know, xyz Elep. And if he didn't believe that,
then he was uncomfortable with you me.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
So maybe, you know, if somebody else was in earshot
of the conversation with Josh, that could have impacted how
he was interacting in that one moment, But.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
I didn't.

Speaker 5 (16:15):
I can't remember ever seeing besides them running on a
treadmill together, which they did sometimes. Beyond that, I never
actually saw with my own two eyes bem hanging out together,
so I didn't realize that they had a close relationship
at all.

Speaker 1 (16:29):
So I don't know, I.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
Just well, I also think that you know, it was
a long time coming for them. There were rivals for
a while back there. You know, they were gunning for
each other a lot in were the world's too, So
I think there's.

Speaker 3 (16:41):
A long history of trying to climb back up.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
And I think the way Wes looked at this game
obviously like everybody's in their own groups with Big Brother
and then Survivor and then the Vets, and then I
think Wes did kind of latch onto himself and look
at Josh as this person who was.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
Out of everybody there somebody that would have his back.
So I think I think that's kind of the way
Wes played it.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
And I definitely think Wes popped over into the dungeon
more often than people may be recognized, which was that
like bottom bed room where Bananas stayed, and Josh said,
you know, Michelle.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
Would be down there, I'd be down there, like, you know,
why was.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
He so mad when I asked him if he's going
to move to the dungeon.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
Then I don't know, because I think that was a
fair question. I think that was a fair question. I do. Yeah, yeah,
I mean it was a lot for him, I think.
But to this daily challenge or I do have another
name before we do one more name?

Speaker 1 (17:35):
Cassidy delusional. I was waiting for that one. Who Okay,
please do explain. I think she just it's one of
those people that is out of touch with reality, like
her observations and her awareness of her own self does
not match, uh, what everybody else experiences. And then she

(17:58):
just makes those stories in her head and just run.
And it's yeah, give us an example. So Michelle, Cassidy,
Chris and Sebastian had a four people survivor alliance coming
into the game. Mhm right. They were the one talking

(18:19):
about were strong, strong, And I was like, I don't
know y'all the people who stopped me in the back
of the most it's survivors. I don't know none of y'all.
I know I know Michelle a little bit, and all
you do is stuff people in the back. So you
know that's cute, But that and that's why you don't
see me talking the first three episodes. I'm eating and

(18:39):
looking uh people, Right, I don't trust them, like, that's
what that was. I didn't know any of them.

Speaker 5 (18:46):
So but as as as numbers start whittling down, even
though all the survivors are there, all of a sudden,
Cassie's on the bottom and there's a strong People alliance.
But Michelle is here and and this that and the
third and y'all have your four and y'all left me,
Dessie and Chanelle out And now all of a sudden,
because we didn't sit here on the bottom waiting to
get chopped off, and we started mixing and mingling and

(19:09):
doing what we need to do to get what we
need to get. Now, all of a sudden, you're at
the bottom of the survivor alliance and everybody else's strong
women that my girl, No, you you played yourself.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
And you have all these episodes to figure it out
and to readjust and we'll see if you choose to
do it or not.

Speaker 2 (19:33):
I think, and I think ultimately, like I had conversations
with Cassidy in our room. You know, obviously I throw
her in the second week, and she was like really
upset about that.

Speaker 3 (19:43):
And I think that she was assuming that.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
When she when the game shifted and went individual this
was pivotal because she was assuming she had already gotten
close with me, she had already gotten close with Michelle,
and obviously Alyssa was there as well. I think she
kind of assumed, girl wise, that like the hour was
gonna shift, like the opportunity I had was going to
be directed shots at you guys, and it was the
complete opposite. So when she realized that the game was

(20:09):
shifting around her, even though she was trying to build relationships,
I think she was just.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
Kind of bitter about that.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
And you know, maybe it comes off as because I'm
not defending her. I think I'm more just trying to
understand where she could have come from.

Speaker 1 (20:22):
You know, yeah, I didn't think of I didn't think
of it that way.

Speaker 5 (20:26):
But even thinking of it that way, how long did
it take to recognize, Oh wait, that's not what's happening.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
You know. It's like we all had to pivot when
the game went.

Speaker 5 (20:36):
Individual, like y'all had just thrown me in, and then
there's a conversation like let's work together, just like please.

Speaker 1 (20:45):
So I wasn't. I wasn't. I wasn't opposed to the idea.

Speaker 5 (20:48):
But I'm like, I don't, look, I need some evidence
before I, uh jump in this same thing. Yeah, so
you know, it's just every I think everybody has to
adjust in these games and figure different things out and realize,
you know, every day something can shift.

Speaker 1 (21:03):
And I just feel like, instead of being adaptable and shifting,
she chose to play the victim and woe is me
and you know, going to elimination against tiny people and
then come out and then talk for three days about
oh my arms and I did so much.

Speaker 5 (21:21):
And it's just like, girl, it'll probably be better for
you to act like it's not it doesn't bother you
at all, and then change your social game a little
bit instead of drawing more attention to yourself.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
Every time you come back and annoying every woman. But
that's just my perspective.

Speaker 3 (21:37):
I've thoroughly enjoyed hearing.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah, I thoroughly enjoy hearing the way you go about
because you look at it very much like a game,
like you really do.

Speaker 3 (21:48):
It's like straight analytical over there.

Speaker 5 (21:50):
Yeah yeah, and it's not it's not personal, but it's like,
but I think it was as work.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
And you know where I got this from. It's Casey.

Speaker 5 (21:58):
So coming into my little first season of the twenty
four hours of the challenge. Even though it was only
one episode, it was a lot of days because it
was in the heat of COVID and it was driving
me crazy to be in that house because I was
going in there like like I am in real life,
like these are humans when I want to get to
know people, and I was just picked eating on everybody's

(22:22):
energy and seeing things happening and filling these walls.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
And it was because I was approaching people.

Speaker 5 (22:28):
I was approaching things like an interpersonal relationship, like how
I deal with people at home. If I meet you
on the street and I like you and we want
to connect, That's how I was approaching it, and that
that posture is what allowed me to get taken advantage
of throwing into elimination. And my feelings were so hurt
about it that I couldn't get my mind together.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
To perform wealth and Elimination. So it's like, all right, well,
I'm gonna operate as though this is work. I'm here
for a check, I'm clocking in. All I need to
do is see what's happening. Naviget around did stay off
the way and when I have to play, what is
what you're saying spieslies and allies hardened you to the game.

Speaker 5 (23:10):
You can say harden you. You can just say, look,
I know what it is. And there's a difference, like
there's a difference between how people are or how I
am with people in real life and then what I
expect of them when I meet them in that environment.
Like my expectation going into this season is anybody I
meet in this environment they want to get themselves to

(23:32):
a final.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
They want to win, and if it ever looks like
I'm in the way of that, they will turn against
me and just leave it there instead of commenting like,
oh I like this person, we can be friends. No,
so it don't matter if people be like, who do
you put your ball in? I don't care.

Speaker 5 (23:49):
I don't care what the fall in. I care that
the ball was in. I'm gonna do something different today.
You know, what do you think happened in the nomination?

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Right? Do you think they nominate you? I don't care.

Speaker 5 (23:58):
I care that they nominated me, and I'm gonna go
in and if I do, I go in, I come
back and out. If I don't go in, great that
means I have to do something different. And I just
didn't I didn't take anything personally.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
This time, and I didn't try to make things about me.
It's just like, okay, just be here tomorrow. It seems
to be waiting. Is that the same thought process you
had when you were having deliberations with FESSI about voting
in toy because we saw just not even twenty four
hours before, you guys sort of made an alliance where
Tori saying, hey, I'm not gonna vote for you. Guys.

(24:31):
You know da da da, and you're like cool, and
then it shows, like you know, in the SpongeBob character voice,
not even twenty four hours later, you want to see
you talking to Bessi being like you want to throw
in toy? So is that was that your mentality or
your approach there?

Speaker 5 (24:45):
It's my thing is you have to consider all the
options at all times. Right, words are cheap until there's
action to back it up, and somebody not like for me,
if there's a thousand.

Speaker 1 (24:56):
Options of people to throw in in nine hundred you
don't have connections, Well, it didn't cost anything for that
person to make that decision.

Speaker 4 (25:07):
Right.

Speaker 5 (25:08):
Loyalty for me comes in when there's a cost, and
then you still choose to do something that is an
alignment with what we said, or is in my favor,
then it's like bad.

Speaker 1 (25:19):
So for me, it's like I didn't I tell I
took words at face value with the grain of salt.
A lot of people when the game switched and it
said no more teams, there was a lot of conversations
that happened. So if I would have been like, oh,
everybody who said they want to work with me wants
to work with me. The math on math like that
you got to throw a ball and you have to
nominate something. So that's really what it was. And I

(25:42):
considered options all the time, and that's gonna be evident
any time and help to make a decision. They haven't
shown all my secret hopper vote selections, but it was
Game of Thrones in that hopper room. Everybody got it.

Speaker 2 (25:57):
My question is like, and you know what, listening to
the way you're describing it, it makes sense. You know,
of course there's a bunch of people who's willing to
work with all of us when we're in there.

Speaker 3 (26:06):
Words only give so much. Actions speak louder.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
So knowing that, like I had power those first two weeks,
was that because obviously you're going to sit at that table,
you're gonna consemplate, You're going to think, was that the
original reason why you eventually switched your vote to go
another way? Was it because I looked out for you
or was there another factor that made you kind of
know myself off.

Speaker 1 (26:24):
From thirty man?

Speaker 5 (26:25):
It was it was Bessie's explanation, because when I sat
down at the deliberation, it was like, I've never made
it this far in this game before.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
This is a difference that I'm not used to.

Speaker 5 (26:36):
Bessy has gone far in games several times, right, so
I know when I'm out of my depth. And I
appreciated that he was just honest and transparent. He wasn't
playing games.

Speaker 1 (26:46):
And the way he broke it down because I was like, okay,
tell me how people play it at this juncture, and
he broke it down real simple, was like, here's the
two options you can do. You can you can make
waves and you can throw people in or that type
of thing, or you can use this as an opportunity
to build trust with certain people. And if you build

(27:06):
trust with people that are likely to win, it protects
you further than saving people that are likely to lose.
And I was like that math makes sense. Yeah, let's
try it.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
Yeah. But yeah, even after that, it was a day
by day thing for me, because again, my experience in
these games is I trust people faster than I should
because I do that in real life, and then people.

Speaker 5 (27:35):
Stab me in the back. And so my thing was
I'm not going to I'm gonna be slow on expending
trust and I'm gonna.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Just watch it out and see how people moved and
then we'll just see how that goes. So yeah, but
really it was Becy's explanation of things. Yeah, yeah, I
think that makes sense.

Speaker 2 (27:56):
I also want to go back to the reason why
you had power in the first place, which was this
incredible challenge.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
That literally nobody wanted to do.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
And I mean, Mikaylo, you and I were up there
the first two times alone, I mean the first time alone,
and we were like, dude, it was it was brutal.
I was almost up there crying with you just because
it was cold. But talk talk us through like what
it was like to be scared and go through with that.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, that was so.

Speaker 5 (28:20):
I didn't realize that I was afraid of heights. I
know that I don't like doing things that don't make sense.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
So like, don't sit waiting in a line, getting on
a roller poster, letting it take me up in the
air and then drop me down. That doesn't make sense.
That's why I don't do it.

Speaker 5 (28:35):
Like getting paying money getting in an airplane to go
up and then jump out, that doesn't make sense.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
So I'm don't do it. But really I don't like heights.

Speaker 5 (28:45):
And I didn't know until I got up there and
I was like, ooh, this is not comfortable. But in
my mind, I'm like, all right, you do it once.
You're just gonna do the same thing over and over.
Get over it once and it'll be fine.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
And that second time it was not fine, and I like, Lord,
I don't know what to do because it's just it's
like your mind is telling you like, hey, this is
there's a purpose behind doing it. You know what you
need to do, move forward, and it's physically possible, you're
not going to die, but your emotions are like I

(29:17):
don't feel good about this. I don't like this, and
your gut is gonna not like you know, It's just
it's a lot of it was a lot of dissentence
for me, and I'm not used to having that because
I just normally moved in a way that's in alignment
with myself. But did you have that same feeling though
or trepidation around because I see you doing that on

(29:38):
this platform and to me, now, I don't want to
say it looked fun, but it looks like better than
it did. It looked better than some It looked more
enjoyable perhaps than some of the other challenges, certainly that
have been done the past, and even some of the
other dailies that have been done this season. So we
see you freak out there. Did you freak out when
you were strapped to the side of a semi pulling

(30:00):
Tory's hair?

Speaker 5 (30:03):
I was a little nervous about that one. But with
that one, we were only about ten feet off the
ground maybe, And I mean we were strapped into something
so I could trust in the cloth right three three
strands time?

Speaker 1 (30:17):
Guess what you're on the side of a semi trust ma'am.
Like you know, I was scared over cements versus you
know what it was? It was a it was there
was a competitive nature to that one also, like going
against somebody else having a very clear like, Okay, I
have a mission that I can focus on. I'm going

(30:40):
from here to here. I'm trying to slap these things,
like all the little technical parts of what you.

Speaker 5 (30:45):
Needed to do, and the fact that you had opposition.
It gave me something else to focus on. And once
I got comfortable in my highness, you know, the second
time for me, it was actually fun.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
The first time was a little scary until I got
used to it. The second time it was fun. But
this is like, it's you and you You're choosing to
run and jump off of a platform into the Croatian Ocean,
which is cold, and it's already cold and rainment. So
it's like, there's nothing about that that makes sense. Yeah,

(31:15):
do you think the coldest elevated people's fear of it?
Toy like? Yeah, Like it.

Speaker 3 (31:20):
Was actually freezing.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
They had production running over to us putting towels one
in between.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
I mean, we saw those jackets, y'all looked like Hogwar.
It looked like the additional school of Hogwar too out
with those songs like capes on basically over your eform
go back with listeners, go back and check go plus clause.
I'm telling you it looked like they were in Hogwart.

Speaker 6 (31:39):
But I'll say one thing because Toy did help me
out of that challenge with her counting strategy because that
first that first jump, it was a little hard and
I was like, I don't know what I said.

Speaker 1 (31:53):
To you, but I was like, I'm scared. He was like,
you want me to count, you know? And that got me.
I am So were you guys counting and then just running?
What were you doing? Were just like five, two, one go?

Speaker 2 (32:12):
And you can literally hear me saying go at the
very first round that we do together. But ultimately listen, like,
and I'm grateful you brought that up because I wasn't
going to bring it up, like not going to steal
shine on your win, and you did all the work
with that.

Speaker 3 (32:24):
But what I will say is like, you know you
don't Mikayla.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
You are truly and I have said this throughout the
season of this podcast, you were truly one of the
best female competitors, if not the best, on this season.
You have an unbelievable athletic ability. Why would I not
want to try to beat you at your best? And
you know, like, there's no way I'm beating you in
a long jump. Weren't you like a didn't you do track?
Like you're a beast and high jump like oh well, no,

(32:50):
wonder okay, like you you know, like you don't want
to see somebody who's who's who? This is her time.
I don't want to see him go out like that.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
I'm a competitor, like, if it's my thing, I want
to shine on my thing.

Speaker 1 (33:01):
Oh we saw that a couple episodes, Tory, when you
snuck off and didn't give Sebastian the answers. We definitely saw.
Oh my god, no, Mikayla, it's so bad. Not only
is she not give the answers. When she figured out
one of them, she slowly steps back into the water
and tells the group nothing mind you. They had all
agreed beforehand that they would tell each other. She slowly

(33:22):
sat up and then just disappears into the way.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
I guess everyone was mad at me, but I needed
to win that in order to leverage to not be
thrown in this week.

Speaker 3 (33:30):
So literally it all happens the way I had to hope.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
I will say, something I noticed, is, Mikayla, when you
did uh, it wasn't when you. It was when Tory
lost the round against you. So it's before you like
won one and it was when you were crying the
round where you were just really like, I don't want
to run, and then you finally did and you got
the thing. You see Tory in the water cheering with
such excitement when you grabbed the baton, which is really
cool those moments of.

Speaker 5 (33:57):
Yeah, and I felt that way the whole time, like
you know when I hesitated to jounp that one time,
Dandy and Tori in the water with cheer, and then
the guys on the other side were when I was hesitating,
people were yelling you, yeah, TJ trying to tell me
I'm at times, but no I'm not.

Speaker 1 (34:19):
But yeah, I was waiting for TJ to say that time.
Thing when you won, I actually cried damn you, like
because there was just a moment of you pushing through
that fear that was so beautiful and I know will
resonate with so many people because everyone gets scared of
something and so you pushing through it multiple times and

(34:42):
then just seeing how like if they had cut out
the part of you crying, we would have never known
the struggle because you made it look easy.

Speaker 3 (34:49):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
When you grab the baton, you made it look easy,
And I feel like that is such a story for
kind of life. Social media things like that, you see
people achieving these great things and you kind of go, oh, well, damn,
they're doing that, and they make it look easy, but
you don't know the internal struggle that happened on the inside.
Not that we're going to church today, but that really
like it was a really special moment and a well

(35:11):
deserved win. And I also have to say, of all
the people we've had on the podcast this season, so
many have come on and said, Mikayla is a threat,
MICHAELA is a force, like your name has come. We
haven't like delved into it because so far in the
season we haven't gotten to see that much. But so
many challengers who were there put so much respect on
your name. They totally made up for what Kells and

(35:33):
everybody else to you because you are forced to reckon.

Speaker 7 (35:41):
Answer my oh, I can't oh all things happen because
we haven't seen kills back since.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
But anyhow, next question, So sorry that just took my
breast away for a moment. We're gonna take a quick break,
but don't worry, we'll be right back after this. So

(36:14):
everybody coming into this episode is kind of disliking Chris,
right because we see Chris doing some craziness in the
past episode where he's clearly again like in this episode
throwing his survivor teammates under the bus, he kind of
looks a little weak. It's a whole mess. But then
this week we get to see a bit of a
softer side, right, Like we get to see his feeling,
his feelings of insecurity, his feelings of inadequacy from just

(36:37):
other things in his life. How did watching that make
you feel? I felt like Chris maybe has taken some
acting classes, and it just doesn't it doesn't strike me
as as genuine, Like when I look when I listen

(36:58):
take away, how hard he had to squeeze his eyes
for the tears to come out, and I just listen
to the words he was saying. It's like, you know,
this reminds me of when I walked on to a
sports team in college and I practiced hard and didn't
get to play. That's because you weren't at the level
of the coleted athlete. That's not a life challenge, that's

(37:19):
not a hardship. That means that the bar is here
and you are not there. Like nothing happened to you
in that moment.

Speaker 5 (37:28):
So I do believe that at this point in the
game he likely felt very alone and stuff, but that
was based on his own doing, and I think it
was all his little scheme and whatever he was doing
in the background.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
I think that was catching up to him. But I
I saw so much in the first part of the
game that it is difficult for me to trust the
that he is the victim of something. But I can
believe that. You know, it's lonely when you isolate yourself,

(38:02):
when you stab so many people in the back and
nobody wants to be around you like that, Yeah that
feels lonely, and you're missing your wife and your kids
or whatever. Yeah, that feels lonely. But that's called consequences
of your actions. I would feel very lonely if I
did those same things too. So if those were Chris's
real feelings, great, but they're genuinely times like I'm like,

(38:24):
you must be a paid actor because this is very
this is very bolded and beautiful and beautiful.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Do you think that, Like, you know, obviously Chris, your
feelings on him are pretty clear, But what do you
think about Michelle throwing Cassidy's ball into the hopper during
this time.

Speaker 1 (38:45):
That makes me wonder why Cassie is so focused on
the strong girl alliance because her bestie buddy, her best body,
and Michelle played that so well in her commentary. By
the way, Michelle was cracking me U, I'm not gonna
lie because she was like, Cassidy is focused on that
strong girl liance and pretty sure I'm not. And yeah,
it's those moments that flying under the radar is great. Yeah,

(39:07):
it was always my strategy, like you're like good, Yeah,
don't look at me like great. No. First of all,
I love Michelle's confessional they are funny. I have to
give her, I have to give her credit. One thing
I'm not is a hater. I'll tell you about yourself
all day, but when you do something good, I'm bragg
on you. You know.

Speaker 5 (39:27):
I don't resonate with the way that she plays a
lot of times I think sometimes she does unnecessary stuff.
And again, there are times where if you're working with well,
this is how I work.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
If I'm working with people and the situation gets a
little hairy, I want to find a way to protect
my group. My first thought is not when you throw
darts and cut the legs out of my own people,
and I'll just fear that tomorrow. Yeah, that's yeah, that's
a different style of moving and that's where me and
Michelle don't all but I think it's go ahead. Well,

(40:00):
so I hear your point on that about like you
feel like Michelle when things get a little rickety, she
kind of goes into how do I protect self preservation mode?
Very quickly, right, and like how do I throw the
alliance to the team. But Desi kind of made a
statement where she felt like you were considering the same
thing in this episode when you were considering voting in
toy because it seemed that Tory kind of grouped you

(40:22):
all together despite your differences, as you know, the Strong
Girl alliance, if you want to call it that, I'm
going to tell my kids it was Destney's child because
by when you were running to do that e limit
that daily like the pose, I was like, this is
Desney child. But anyway, so, but Desi felt like you
were potentially doing the same thing by breaking the truths

(40:45):
or whatever that you guys had all kind of agreed
to with Tory the day before. How do you differentiate
between that move and what Michelle tends to do great
questions very easy.

Speaker 5 (40:55):
Michelle's alliance would Cassidy started before the game started. Okay,
this let's work together thing, that was less than twenty
four hours. That was words only, right, So that's the difference.
And for me again, I'm going to evaluate all options.

Speaker 1 (41:14):
I will talk through things.

Speaker 5 (41:16):
Doesn't mean I'm sold on something just because I bring
it up, like I'm bringing it up to get your
thoughts and opinions. But it's not selfish for me to
think through the options. It's it may be a reflection
of like her fear right when she goes into when
she gets nominated. Let me take the smallest person, even

(41:38):
though it's cutting on my team and Amanda. My ball
didn't go on Amanda, even though Amanda's ball with on me, right,
because I saw value and Amanda staying in the game.

Speaker 1 (41:48):
I don't care if she was a vet or not, right,
So you know that was a at the end of
the day, there's there's everybody's going to look out for
their on it. To some degree, my consideration of Tory
wasn't about like who she gonna go against. It was, hey,
this is how the math works. On the girl's side

(42:09):
of this chest. Somebody gonna have to go. Somebody's gonna
go in. One of us gonna end up in. Whoever
us is not willing it is gonna end up in.
Might will bite the bullet early or find a way
to push it so the numbers are in our favor early,
then wait till the end and potentially we go against
each other. That that was the mindset. So you know

(42:31):
that's myself. It's just if you scared, say you scared,
that's my selfishness. You scared that you might end up
against Tory. That's what it is. I mean, elimination. So
many tips. Wait, you were giving tips? Yeah, I said,

(42:57):
now we can't let the Johnny go out like this.
You got the don't be kick, You got the no
that she can't breath, she can't fight like And now
we understand why Michayla went to hair pulling in that
she's different.

Speaker 4 (43:16):
Man.

Speaker 2 (43:16):
She is, she is true, she's she's just she's built
for it. You're either built for it and or you're not.
And she's just one of those players that just is. Like,
no matter who goes up against Mikayla and anything, it's
going to be a dog fight.

Speaker 3 (43:29):
Bro strategy is good. It will get it will hopefully
keep you out of.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
Elimination when it when it turns into a dogfight with MICHAELA, it's.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
A straight up dog fight.

Speaker 1 (43:38):
Like basically, if you're going to be on a challenge
and you're listening to this podcast as you should be,
start building an alliance with Mikayla next. I don't know
what season y'all are gonna be on together, but just
it's good in your best interest, build it now so
then you can call back on that time you brought
her a Starbucks or whatever, be like, remember girl in
twenty twenty three, I did that, so please numbo me in.
I'm just telling you, now, why do you think Cassidy

(44:03):
had so many balls in the hopper? Cause she's going
very simple, you know, you know sometimes you know.

Speaker 5 (44:12):
Like like like Josh putting the ball on West, it
hurt its feeling so much you really had to.

Speaker 1 (44:18):
Think about it. Contemplate people were going in on like Cassidy.
You guys didn't see a bitch cat. But mckayl literally
just like threw her phone like it was just a
quick vote, okay, Like and that's that's what it is.
And it's like, that's who did I make Castie? No
made it. Listen, that's why I didn't want to nominate Cassie.
Now we be in hotest because Casside the easiest person

(44:40):
to get the balls. But if you think you said that,
we think you said that then so that.

Speaker 5 (44:46):
That was my thought process, Like if you you want
to if you're really trying to think a step into
a head and protect people that maybe are going to
protect you, you just got to think about, Okay, who
can my people be?

Speaker 1 (44:57):
And then also like what is the house most like
me to do? Curiosidy, what's the house most like to do? Tyler? Wait?
Why do everybody hate Tyler? Now? At this point, by
the way, and by the way, his curls were also
beautiful in this episode. Just have to shout out Tyler's hair.
But why why did everybody vote for Tyler? Tyler is
so nice and so sweet and he is just the

(45:18):
most chill presence him, answered Basian, I don't think anybody
justliked Tyler and Sebastian those types of people.

Speaker 5 (45:25):
He just got vote because he didn't really have any strategy,
no connection. He was just there, you know, for a
long period of time. And then next thing, you know,
all the Big brother girls were gone because for whatever reason,
they thought it was smart to go against the Saviva
girls in the elimination.

Speaker 1 (45:42):
So then they got decimated. And then it's like, oh, well,
Tyla's got the least connections in the house. That's easy.
He can't do anything about it. And so he just
ended up in that situation because he wasn't being proactive
or thoughtful in the beginning or middle of the game.
But I think trying to be been his relationship Michayla.
He was trying to wipe somebody out on the wrong thing,

(46:06):
going down the wrong road. You foked on the wrong thing.
You got three six, five days a year to get
some get some lady parts. Oh god, getting the lady
parts in the challenge.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Yeah, I mean it definitely distracts people.

Speaker 1 (46:20):
I can say that from experience. Say, Toy, do you
know anything, Well, Mickayla, what did you think about Tory
and Sebastian's relationship in the house. First, Okay, I gotta
be an. I was like, now, Sebastian, you didn't watch
the show right these guard your heart, buddy. I know

(46:41):
you're a little fisherman in the sea, but you don't
know about that one.

Speaker 5 (46:45):
But over time I would just be watching him and
I'm like, wait a minute, y'all actually kind of like
each other.

Speaker 1 (46:52):
And then it was so cute. I just thought it
was a cute at saying, so I just leave peep
in and then he cuddling, and then he would tell
me like we haven't kissed yet, but I'm working on it.
She's making me weight, and I'm like, oh, she's got mortals, dude,
he was.

Speaker 3 (47:09):
I was like you said, I have been around the ring.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
I was not trying to just jump in again.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
And again he was really sweet, like Sebastian, Like you said,
he was one of those people that has a legitimate
heart of gold. Like but Michael would walk by us
all the time and she'd be like, you're gonna end
up barefoot and pregnant, and I.

Speaker 3 (47:25):
Was like, or a bad thing. I don't know what
that means.

Speaker 1 (47:30):
It is not a good thing. Don't think because your
ankles are swollen because you have been pregnant. Back to bag,
that's what that means. I don't want swollen feet. Oh
my god. I feel like I'm gonna dream about that tonight,

(47:50):
and not by my own way. I feel like you
just you got married. You married, I did, I did.
You don't be barefoot and pregnant. You take that, get
the away from me, Satan, Nope, absolutely not. I have
a fur dog, a fair child that is fifteen, and
that is good enough for me. Well, I'm more likely
to go back to a challenge than I am to

(48:11):
have a kid. So and that that's a lot. What
was it like? Also? I said that about doing reality TV,
that I would never do it, and then look what happened.
So let me just yeah, not talk. What was it
like watching the two eliminations both of you guys that day?
And how long? I mean, I guess we knew it
was timed, but it felt like it went by so fast,

(48:33):
Like it felt like both of those were pretty like
over instantaneously. What was it like watching it? Thank you? Okay?
I would say, wait, yeah, wait, hold is its Big
Tea leaving? Yeah, Big Tea, come here, Big Tea? Like
taking the podcast? How are you? Thank you?

Speaker 3 (48:57):
How are you fa good?

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Good? Duh? You look lovely? What are you up to?

Speaker 4 (49:03):
Just often make acts of mind jealous and have dinner
with them?

Speaker 1 (49:07):
I love it, I love it. I love that for
you looking so fabulous, Big Tea. Our house cooking going.

Speaker 4 (49:17):
It's going really well. I made seventy eight dumplings last night.
I was up to like in the morning just literally
just like sharping up my skulls and then hopefully going
to be a personal shaft.

Speaker 1 (49:27):
So that's the Oh my gosh. I love that. We
are cheering for you all the way, Big Tea. Now
you know that, Okay, So I know that Michaela staying
at your house in London right now, right she's saying
her place and so you heard. I don't know if
you heard about how she is when it comes to alliances,
but you have to build it early. Are you letting
Michaela stay at your house now so you guys have

(49:48):
a strong alliance for when you compete together again on
a challenge. Absolutely, I mean she did it. I said
to her, welcome to the UK alliance. I love it.
I love it very smart, always someone it's normally just
me and Kyle and that alliance, so.

Speaker 3 (50:08):
I'm also I.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
Love it so much. I was looking at clips of
Aftermath yesterday for something, Big T and I came across
all the clips of you, including one of you just
playing a grand piano and then another one of you
eating snacks in the middle of the recording. So great.
We love you, we miss you, We cannot wait to
see you back on our challenge screens.

Speaker 4 (50:29):
I miss you guys as well, and hopefully I podcast
of you guys without.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
So good. I love you guys. Bye.

Speaker 4 (50:44):
I'll see that.

Speaker 3 (50:48):
My face hurts from smiling.

Speaker 1 (50:50):
I know. I'm sure that you always all laughs. Like
to be a fly on the wall. I want to
be at that slumber party because I am sure it
is just last nonsense and really good food. Yeah yeah,
Big TV cheffing it up. Sorry mcade. So does this
mean you would never vote Big T in because you
guys have a stronger you have an official UK alliance.
I don't know what the Lord has in store. You

(51:13):
know what.

Speaker 3 (51:14):
Listen if you heard it here. Mikayla needs actions before
she as so. I think that this is something that
will have to wait to see. She wants to see
the ruthlet. She wants the proof in the pudding.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
In the pudding. Yeah, Michaela, we know what your strategy
was around the voting and who you why you wanted
to put vote Alyssa in so because you figured the
house of built Cassidy in, but we didn't really get
to sees who did you actually want to come back
into the house, between both the guys and the girls
to come back, I wanted she wouldn't be in a

(51:48):
position to do anything about being thrown in, like so
it's not like she would have come back with a
vengeance or anything like that. But I liked Lissa. She
was pleasant. I knew that we weren't aligned with each other.
I didn't trust her from a gameplay perspective, but personality wise,
we were in the same room. She's cool. I know,

(52:10):
she like Tyler. You know. Yeah, so I like to listen.
I wouldn't have to do with her winning, but you know,
and for the guys, did you want to see come back?
I wouldn't have been mad if Wes would have came back,
to be quite honest, Like, I didn't have anything to
do with throwing him in. And I feel like at

(52:30):
that point in the game, like again, everybody had to shift.
So I was at a place with the guys that it's.

Speaker 5 (52:37):
One girl winner and one guy winner. And at the
end of the day, I think every guy's fear is
getting to a fine on them being dragged down by a.

Speaker 1 (52:44):
Girl if it happens to be a pair of situation.
So in an end, I was happy about going to
individuals instead of teams, and I had no aims on
the guy side. I wanted to just make sure not
to create any problems. So most of the time I
let the guys pick the guys and just left it

(53:05):
that back, you would have run a final with any
of the guys, basically you be happy to yeah, yeah,
you know what.

Speaker 2 (53:12):
I did find interesting from from this episode and going
to the last one, the last episode FESSI. This is
the first time Fesse gets in power and I'm sitting
with him and he has conversations in the house saying
he would go big, he would put a Wes or
Bananas in if he had the power.

Speaker 1 (53:25):
But I was in the power with him.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
But then this time around, he has the power and
you're with him, and he still doesn't throw into West
or Bananas. I'm like wondering when that shift happened. I'm
wondering if he was the one that got in Josh's
ear to.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
Say Wes's name.

Speaker 2 (53:39):
I'm like, what I'm wondering, Like, because you see a
whole different approach his gameplay has a different approach this week,
and I'm like, where where was the ship?

Speaker 1 (53:47):
Very interesting?

Speaker 3 (53:47):
You know, I'm like, or was he just saying that
to Chris right, I think.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
As a shield shield last week and be like, oh,
I'm not voting big because Tory that's the only reason
why this. Yeah, he had more of the power. Yeah, yeah,
I think That's conversation.

Speaker 5 (54:04):
With me was very genuine, And I think from how
I saw people moving, Josh was the one moving sturdy
from the beginning. He had some type of relationship with
just about everybody, so it was just amount of time
before he was going to turn on somebody because he

(54:24):
had relationships with everybody. So I don't think his idea
came from Bessie at all. I think that was genuinely
Josh's idea.

Speaker 1 (54:34):
And I think I don't know Josh deep deep deep,
but I like the bit of Josh that I know
of him outside of the game.

Speaker 5 (54:41):
And I genuinely don't think his decision to vote in
West was like an attack at West. I think it
was him thinking, so like, this is the best chance
I've got to get to a final. I want this
to be my season, this is this is my focus,
and it just came to a point where he did
what he felt like was best for his game, right,

(55:03):
and it hurt a personal relationship, like it was just
a choice that he made. But he doesn't have to
make that choice anyway, because who of the men? Who
of the men is there besides Tyler who gets thrown
in all the time, and at this point, like who
is there? Who's there that he doesn't have relationship with Corey?

Speaker 1 (55:21):
That's fair, yeah, and that eventually is gonna start happening
right where it just you get smaller and smaller, and
that's really you know, yeah right, yeah, that's what I
attributed to. That's just the space of the game. And
all his friends left, so he got turned on somebody. Right,
Do you guys think Wes is really retired? No?

Speaker 3 (55:40):
Me either, And like I'm saying that hoping that he's not.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
So like same, like listen, I get it go, like
you know, but I feel like everybody everybody who.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
Said they retired, see T had a moment. I know
that there's other challengers. They always fucking come back eventually.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
Like not always do not always You're back in some capacity,
but then you want.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
To podcast, you do the aftermath. Yeah, they were like,
we'll keep her clothing. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 (56:05):
You're still in the world, Devin, You're still in the world.

Speaker 1 (56:07):
That's true. I am still in the world. And look,
I know first and private school in Kansas City is expensive.
So Wes having a baby is all the more reason
why he needs to come back to the challenge. But
but if it is his last time, it was beautiful
seeing him sort of say it's farewell and hearing TJ
call him an icon and sort of like acknowledging all

(56:29):
that Wes has contributed to the game, which is great.
I do hope he comes back, and I think it's
Tiffany said it best recently on the podcast that it
really is like that toxic X and you were like,
I am done with this relationship. I have learned and grown,
and then they call you back and you're like, you
know what, they seem different, Maybe we should give this

(56:51):
a shot and then and so it's hard for people
to stay away, I think for that very reason. So
hopefully we will get to see some more of Wes.
I also want to know because Mikayla, you are definitely
not short of strong perspectives. Cassidy's speech I saw Chanelle

(57:11):
making a face. I saw I think Michelle making a face.
I saw Desi making a face that Desi even said
Cassidy always got some words. When Cassidy did her speech
at the end of elimination, what are your thoughts about
Cassidy saying, Hey, there's some girls who haven't been down
there like they need to come down. They see me
as weak. Speak on that a little bit, if you will.

(57:34):
Cassidy's speeches. Why Cassidy get balked? She need to learn
how to be quiet and sit down. You didn't even
say quiet, You said, can you put the emphasis back
be quiet?

Speaker 5 (57:47):
Mm hmmm, becquired, it's a requirements to close your mouth.
But that's just it's just a it's just a reflection
of not reading the room. It sounds good on TV,
but we gonna we y'all saw the preview the next
y'all saw the preview, say coming home next time on y'all.

Speaker 1 (58:09):
We had to do that in my first season the challenge.
Actually pretty sure that wind still smells like olive oil
to this day. It was a hot ass mess. It
definitely got my ass kicked in it. So yes, I
know that's gonna be fun to watch, not fun to do.

Speaker 5 (58:24):
Yeah so so so, probably you won't be making speeches
before you got to get.

Speaker 1 (58:28):
Feel you have to have a lot to bat. I
feel like the speeches really only work well for two
types of people, and correct me if I'm wrong, ladies.
I feel like the speeches work well for people who
really don't care if they win or lose, like kind
of almost have no expect there's no expectations on them,
you know what I mean, Like they're just kind of
talking because they know whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen.

(58:51):
Or the people who know they're almost impenetrable, like they
can talk, they line up one by one and they
will systematically kind of like taking it like a Laurel right,
like a Laurel in her prime can say whatever and
has said with ever and then we'll just look at
you with no emotion, and you comes up to her
and it's like gone right. But then you see other people,

(59:13):
even really strong competitors, who just go in compete. They
make mental notes, but they don't say anything, even like
a toy Toy runs her mouth in other ways, but
she doesn't really say much when she goes in there
and white people out. She just takes that mental note,
absorbs it and goes back. And so it's interesting when
people who don't have the legs to stand on a

(59:33):
Cassidy and Amanda, and I think Amanda does it for
entertainment honestly too, but like do a lot of talking
without you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (59:45):
Well, Also to give to Ca Cassidy some credit, she
just came out of her second elimination with you know.

Speaker 1 (59:50):
She did, but it involved patchwork and not saying it
wasn't hard. But as someone who personally doesn't like eliminations
and didn't ever want to go in and has never
actually had to really compete in an elimination, out of
that record, you know, I always go would I walk
away from that or would I be like, all right,

(01:00:11):
you know what, like I'm gonna give it a go. Now.
I was worried about people touching people's faces because that
was my first thought, Oh, they're going to claw somebody's
face or knock somebody's face. That was my first concern.
But it seems like production may have said don't do that,
because nobody did that. I did that behind the scene,
Oh did they We didn't see them? Well, we didn't see.

Speaker 2 (01:00:29):
Like when yeah, I mean it wasn't it like they tried.
There was moments of like straight up beard gripping though.
I mean, yeah, I thought Wes's face was going to
be pulled off. I was nervous.

Speaker 1 (01:00:39):
Yes, we heard that, but you know, like the cat
claws in the face, like I was somebody gonna get
caught out. But otherwise that that particular elimination looked fun.
But I mean I was like, okay, that all right,
two rounds, Like all right, like let's we can do that. So, yes,
she's coming off an elimination. And not to take away
from that.

Speaker 5 (01:00:57):
But like yeah, and I would say, I get what
you're saying to because like a win is a win,
and I believe that a win is a win.

Speaker 1 (01:01:05):
But I get what you're saying to Devin.

Speaker 5 (01:01:07):
It's like like me, I won against Tiffany in basketball.

Speaker 1 (01:01:11):
Yes, yeah, like a win was a win. But you
can't really come out of it, right, No, you got
to humble yourself be like a whole right, it's not
like you came or the thing that who was even
let Manty and Tyler right where he still has the
scars on his body from the harness so long from

(01:01:33):
holding onto that or like some of these old school ones,
like when it was what Naya and Carl Maria and
she there, that was like a two hours long digging
in the sand, Like that is something where you could
be like, hey, the other ones is a win for sure,
but maybe not a win that warrants a speech. People win. Yeah, well,

(01:01:55):
but I guess sometimes you get what you asked for.
Maybe she's gonna get what she asked for. That's not
a two for next week and the rest of this season,
And I don't know what it is.

Speaker 3 (01:02:03):
I think that, and I think that the rest of
the season.

Speaker 2 (01:02:05):
I mean, I think this season's been the best season
I've been a part of it a long time, just
entertainment wise, Like there's so many great characters on it,
like so many just great personalities, so much great competition.

Speaker 3 (01:02:15):
So I'm excited.

Speaker 2 (01:02:17):
I think that next week is definitely going to be
brutal and from here on out, like it's just gonna
it's just gonna get stickier and stickier, like it's an
epic season. But Mikayla, is there anything else you want
to leave the podcast with before we let you go?
We don't want to take up too much more of
your time. And uh, where can we follow you on
social media?

Speaker 4 (01:02:34):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (01:02:35):
You can follow me at the michaela Be. My profile
is private because I have a job, but as long
as you're not a hater, I might and I don't know.
I will say I've enjoyed this season. It's been very
interesting to like watch things back and see how things
are going. But I'm I'm very happy also because.

Speaker 5 (01:02:58):
I feel like I was myself the whole time, and
I think it can be so unnerving doing this type
of stuff because you are playing a game, but you
also are a human who has a life outside of
the show, and it's like it's very easy to lose
yourself in these environments.

Speaker 1 (01:03:16):
So I just appreciate that, you know, we're able to
have our little I didn't have no paper, but I
have a little religious books and I was able to
get my Bible reading on and just having that center
was very helpful for me. But also just being able

(01:03:38):
to have a second chance and do this again, particularly
at this point in life, was very helpful because the
first time I played, I was physically in the most
amazing shape, mentally a hot mess, and actually watching myself
get eliminated. It reinvigorated me because I realized, like everybody

(01:04:00):
sees me as this big threat, and on the inside,
I feel like people like a sheep. And it started
this process of just reclaiming my mind and my emotions
and getting back on track. And I feel like this season,
this is me with my mind intact. My body was
actually the worst it has been. I was in a
car accident before I was on the show, so most
people like you saw me tour running around the house

(01:04:23):
like every day. I had heat and pack ice pack,
I had stretchy bands, I had everything. I was never
running on a treadmill or anything. Like. The whole season
was about conserving my physical energy as much as possible,
doing what I need to do when I need to
do it, but really trying to use my brain to

(01:04:44):
keep me from having to use my body all the time.
And that's because I like my body wasn't in the
best shape. So I'm happy that there's ways for people
to play differently. And it's kind of like like, even
like a person like Big T, even even though I'll
deal with Cassidy, I don't. I don't do the whole

(01:05:06):
thing calling people weak. I think she's annoying and this,
that and the other. But at the end of the day,
yours you can have a strength in a lot of
ways that can advance you in this game. It doesn't
just have to be being good enough at a challenge
to win a daily you gotta win an elimination. Preaching
to the absolute choir, I was never known for being strong.

(01:05:27):
And two finals, two finals completed, so I'm too so
h mind over physical? Uh? Mind over? Yeah, mind over
a lot. And the Little Prayer had a lot of
things that helps. I did that too. It helped because
God knows, we are so excited to see you back
in action and to get to chat with you and

(01:05:47):
to see how this game plays out. I mean, I'd
say you've cemented yourself as a challenger and also too
coming in. You know, with the girls, we saw the
glimpses of you. We did see in the early episodes.
We saw such organization and steadfastness with the rookie girls,
particularly the Survivor girls in targeting the vets. Now, the

(01:06:08):
vets were like cockroaches. They kept coming back. But I say,
of all the seasons we've had where there's been a
large number of rookies. This is hands down the most
impressive and the most organized we've ever seen rookies go
at and unified at targeting vets sort of fearlessly. So
props to you. Props to you Desi Chanel for remaining
intact in Cassie. And I'm excited to see you know

(01:06:34):
what comes of this season and when you and Big
T are on a season together, because that'll be hilarious
as hell to watch. So I also can it'll be funny. Well, look,
I appreciated this has been fun and yeah, I'm looking
forward to being the episodes tonight and the rest of them.
Hopefully you again in the future.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Yes, hopefully we get season three from mikaylat.

Speaker 1 (01:06:59):
I gotta ask Corey how he's missed the Weekly because
somebody need to pay my bills. No, no, Devin, you
a matchmaker. I am. That's my last note, Devin. Now
you know my personality a little bit in the free database. No,
I need more than that. Wait, I'll get you. I'll
give you my number.

Speaker 3 (01:07:20):
I'll give you my number, girl, I need more than that.

Speaker 1 (01:07:23):
We'll get you in the free yes, girl, because we're
in doubt. You're in Dallas, right, Yeah, plenty. I just
need the right one, all right, right line, thank you,
all right, we'll work all right, thank thank you have
that in London. I yaill bye. Oh girl, that was hot.

(01:07:52):
I knew it would be.

Speaker 2 (01:07:53):
I mean, I really respect the way she just just
she just goes for it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
Yeah, I love that. I think I'm i she has
the makings of one of those like future unstoppable challengers.
I think she is the one. Uh huh for sure.
You better get on that alliance, Tory. I'm trying. I'm
working on it a little, yes girl, yes girl. All right.

(01:08:19):
So while you're working on your Mikayla alliance, where can
others follow you and see everything else you're working on?
Including your children's book? Where can they find you on social?
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (01:08:28):
You guys can follow me at Tory Underscore Deal. Just
click the link in my bio. We'll connect you to
everything that I'm working on, all my little fun projects.
And yeah, obviously you can see us on the challenge
and listen to us on the podcast.

Speaker 3 (01:08:40):
But Devin, where can they follow you?

Speaker 1 (01:08:42):
You guys can go to my website, Devin Simone. That's
Den with y Simone with an i dot com. Scroll
to the bottom. You will see my socials there. You
can also follow me on my Amazon store and then
when we go live, we can chat back and forth
in real time. We can shop and have fun together.
You can just google Devin Simone Amazon, it'll come up
the stores called Devinsmone's Gift Closet. I should know that

(01:09:05):
or IG. I'm most active on IG. Shout out to
those who DM me their thoughts on TJ's wardrobe and
the podcast. Always appreciate those, and also we appreciate those
of you who, when you like this episode, you rate
and review it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and those
of you who tell a friend, so we appreciate all
the positive feedback. Let us know your thoughts as well,

(01:09:27):
and don't forget to tell all of your friends.

Speaker 2 (01:09:31):
Yeah, tell all your friends, and also make sure you
catch new episodes of The Challenge USA airing on CBS.

Speaker 1 (01:09:37):
And then you already know, We'll see you right back
here right after that for a brand new episode of
MTV's official Challenge podcast, WAZ Don't Retire