Ep. 501: Jonna All Day!

Derrick Kosinsk & Scott Yager are joined by Jonna Stephens!

Jonna sits down with the guys in Nashville to talk about Season 41, entering the game a few weeks in, why she didn't jive with a lot of the house, what happened with Gabe and MORE!

WATCH this interview here:

www.ChallengeMania.Live
www.ChallengeMania.Shop
www.ChallengeManiacs.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:16):
What's up everybody?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is Scott Jeger here for another edition of Challenge Mania.
This episode brought to you by Challenge Mania, New York City, Friday,
January twenty third, Wes Bergman, Mark Long, Michelle Fitzgerald, Car,
Maria Sorbello, all of which got Tops, Allen and Ginter
cards that dropped last week. If you haven't seen, people

(00:38):
are picking them up everywhere online, local card shops. Shouts
to Layton Sports Cards and collectibles down there in Orlando.
They had Mark and I in there to rip a
few boxes last Wednesday on drop Day. But you guys
have about a month to go pick up your cards.
Grab singles on eBay, grab hobby boxes from Layton or

(00:58):
Steel City or David Adams or whatever card shop is
in your area, or ships too. Online you can get
them directly from Tops and Fanatics as well, so you
can be on the hunt and try to find their
cards in the packs and boxes, or just go to
eBay search, Mark Long, Allen and Ginter, west Bergman Allen
and Ginter, Car, Maria Allen and Ginter, Michelle Fitzgerald, Tops,
whatever you want to do. That's a good way to

(01:19):
grab their singles, their parallels some of the relic cards
that have some cool artifacts that they ship them, so
just you know, like Mark Long's relic is a piece
of one of the bandanas he wore on the challenge,
so that one's really cool. Go check those out. If
you do rip it and pull any of these cards,
please tag us and let us know. But that event
on the twenty third is meant to highlight this. We're
gonna have some of the Top's crew in the house,

(01:39):
maybe even talk about this and the Allen Ginter line
with us, but we will certainly be discussing it with
those four. They will have some of their cards on
hand that'll be for sale. They'll be signing any of
your cars of course during the meet and greets. So
head to Challenge mania dot Live and get your tickets
for that. Tickets are going on sale this Wednesday, December
the tenth, over a Challenge Maniacs dot com for Chicago
Bowls too. It's gonna be Me, Wes Mark, some other guests.

(02:02):
We're gonna be announced it soon, probably another name or
two this week, maybe even before tickets go on sale,
But make sure you get involved in those patron pre
sales over at Challenge Maniacs dot Com. It sounds like
I lost my voice a little bit. It's because I
had a hell of a week down there in Orlando.
Kicked it off with Challenge Mania Nite, the Orlando Magic
Game that was a lot of fun. Shouts to Courtney
and everybody over there. Then kicked it down to Celebration

(02:25):
Florida in the Orlando area for what a celebration celebrity
weekend put on by Over the Edge and Omar and
and and the great team over there. A three to
four day event that was just NonStop, hundreds of reality
stars from Big Brother, Survivor, The Challenge, Amazing Race, Squid Game,
you name it, tons of reality stars, tons of fans.

(02:47):
Everybody stays in the same resort. It really does feel
like a like a summer camp or being on a
cruise or something like that. I know, cruz kind of
a taboo word these days, but had a lot of
fun at Discovery Cove on Friday with the dolphins and
the life and chilling on the beach over there and
getting some some cocktails with the crew and then they
do a big meet and greet all grabt signing. On Saturday,

(03:08):
I hosted a Survivor panel with some epic Survivor legends
Sandra and Rupert and Adam and Bob Crowley and Shaheen,
Danielle Jerry Manthey who she was one of our buds
this week. It was a it was a great time.
Hopefully I'm not forgetting anybody on the panel, Shaheen Jake.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
So, and then I did a Challenge Mania style challenge
panel right after that. Had to cut that a little
short because he did start to pour it down rain.
But Jordan Weisley came through. He was setting up his
champ camp all week down there in Orlando. They did
that on Sunday for that was a blast, but it
was Jordan Sam. We had MICHAELA and Cedric fresh off
their finals appearance. We had the Man himself, the champion,

(03:49):
Jeremy heikel We had the two time champ, John A
Adam Larson. It was a great time. Gabe Paulie.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
We did wrestling on Friday night.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
I managed mar cornered Mark in an impromptu match against
mad Man Fulton. A lot of guys get involved. Keanu
from Big Brother getting involved, had to you know, show
him a thing or two.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Johnny fair Play get involved, he got tossed in the pool.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Then I don't know if you've seen the clips, but
Gabe lost his footing a little bit nudged Paulie. Paulie
got in the pool, went in the pool, did not
That was not supposed to happen, so you could see
the clips in the video and stuff.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
He was not happy, but anyway, what a great weekend.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Topped it all off by getting picked up by my
man Derek McCrae.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
You guys know him from Road Rules and the Challenge.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Picked me up, brought me down or up or west
or east, I don't even know the directions to du
Vall County. My Jacksonville Jaguars were playing their biggest regular
season game ever, eight and four Jacksonville versus eight and
four Indianapolis for first place in the division, hopefully a
playoff spot, and I was like, can I really be
two and a half hours away from this epic game
and not go? So McCray was nice enough to scoop

(04:53):
me from BUCkies over there in Daytona and we had
a great time watching the Jags take down the Colts.
Shouts to everybody I met there in Jacksonville, and then
flew out of Jacksonville last night back in New York,
now and dropping this amazing podcast with John A.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Stevens. Now. We recorded this a couple of weeks ago
back in.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
Nashville, so you know, we're talking about things you know,
we had I believe, Yeah, the Olivia and Po had
not either baby yet, things like that, So finale had
not aired yet and whatnot. So we're not talking openly
about the winners and whatnot. So enjoy this podcast recorded
live Sketch Media with the assists down there in Nashville,
the great two time champ who I spent a lot

(05:30):
of time with this week, and everyone I met by
the way in Orlando, fans, cast members, survivors, Big Brothers, amazing.
I mean, what an awesome weekend. It was just so fun.
If you have a chance to attend in the future,
man Omar, there was a great event.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
It was. It was so cool. The location is perfect.
It's just non stop hanging out, so it was. It
was really epic.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
So anyway, as you hear, my voice has gone, but
in a good way, here we go. You didn't come
for me. It came pretty Here's me and d sitting
down with John A. Stevens.

Speaker 3 (06:02):
What's up, everybody? This is Scott Jeger here with another
edition of Challenge Mania. This episode brought to you by
Challenge Mania Live, New York City, kicking off twenty twenty
six in style with West, Kara, Mark and Michelle. It's
City Winery. It's Friday, January twenty thirty. Tickets are already available
a Challenge Mania Dot Live. You didn't come for me, though,
you came for d and you also came for our guest,

(06:25):
the mid season replacement for this season of the Challenge
forty one. Of course, we're always joined by Darkazinski, but
today we have miss john A. Stevens here. How are
you hi?

Speaker 4 (06:36):
I'm good of welcome to ask Days.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
How are you welcome?

Speaker 4 (06:39):
Change?

Speaker 3 (06:40):
First, this is our first in person interview for Challenge Mania.
We did an episode breakdown podcast already You're kind of
our second, but I mean we're here with you, Miss Field.

Speaker 5 (06:49):
I think this is awesome and I think this is
such a great idea.

Speaker 4 (06:52):
You guys definitely should do this well.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
We have to thank Scotch Media who are Without them,
this would not be fun, This would not be possible fun.
In fact, we found them because Johnny was doing this
at our shows. We would do a show like in Atlanta,
and Johnny would be like, hey, you guys, have a
couple hours Spotify book to studio. I want to have
Derek and Mark on the pod. Then this this different studio.

(07:15):
But in New York we had this big premiere party.
You were there, and then while you were all there,
he had Olivia and theo Onis podcast.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
He had Rogan on.

Speaker 4 (07:24):
It's so smart.

Speaker 3 (07:25):
Yeah, very smart.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
When you guys already like bring people out to different cities.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
So you know what we've been doing this.

Speaker 6 (07:29):
We're going on our eight not copycatch at all eight.

Speaker 3 (07:31):
Year anniversary coming up November twenty seventh, twenty twenty five.
And I thought, eight years, I'm doing it the old
fashioned way where all we did was party all weekend,
go to games, concerts, et cetera, and just have the show,
the big main event on Saturday. Now we're like, why
don't we use that extra time?

Speaker 5 (07:46):
We have a test person for that. Yeah, and I
think that it's a great idea, and.

Speaker 7 (07:50):
I have no one better to have than you thinks
what any ideas on what we should call it?

Speaker 6 (07:53):
Should we call it? Like challenge mana on the Fly?

Speaker 3 (07:56):
No, we should just keep it going.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
We should just challenge confessionals.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
Should we should hope that everyone who discovers our podcast
tomorrow assumes we've been doing this for a year, because
when I went and talked to some college students last week,
this is how they expect, like all podcasts to look. Now,
So now we're so we want them to assume, like
I don't have to go back and watch those other
eight hundred episodes, of five hundred episodes whatever, they all
probably look exactly like this.

Speaker 7 (08:19):
I always had this like dumb idea that like I
wanted to have this like radio show, like in the
basement on my friend's couch.

Speaker 6 (08:28):
This is and like you know, dreams coming.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
True Wayne's World there would typically be.

Speaker 7 (08:33):
Like hopefully my son doesn't hear this, but like smoke
running through the air. Typically and I was younger when
I thought of this idea, but.

Speaker 4 (08:41):
Then later on I had a machine.

Speaker 7 (08:44):
Then later on, like Wayne's World came through, you know,
the early two.

Speaker 6 (08:49):
Thousands or was that the nineties nineties.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
As exciting as we are in this new stage of
challenge media is, let's talk about you. So I need
to know because you were a mid season replacement yes,
you came in. How do we how do we possibly
fill the shoes of car Marie It.

Speaker 4 (09:06):
Well, yeah, you can't. I can't. I had no idea
what was happening.

Speaker 5 (09:10):
Pretty much from the moment I got called until like
probably right before I left, it was it was crazy, what.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
Do you think you're allowed to say about? What do
you what are you allowed to say about the experience
of being like I guess an alternat is with the
common folk term, sure what.

Speaker 5 (09:28):
I'm allowed to say, but I will just say what
my experience was. During the casting process, I was casted
for forty one. I signed a contract and everything, and
I was like, okay, I'm going. And then right probably
like a month and a half later, after I already
was like signed, ready to go whatever, I get called
and casting asked me like, you know, hey, are you

(09:50):
okay with being an alternate? And I was just like,
you know, no, that's when I'm like yeah, well, And
it wasn't. I wasn't trying to be like weird about it.
I was just trying to say, like, it's logistically impossible
with two children to not fully prepare because I usually
have like at least a month a month or two
even sometimes longer. To you know, I pre cook meals

(10:13):
for my family, I leave my kids' gifts, I write
them letters, I do all this stuff. And so I
was just like, in my head at the time, I
was like, there's absolutely no way that that's possible for
me to do that, you know. And so I was
just like, does this mean I'm being moved to an
alternate spot? Am I being dropped from the cast? Well,
they were kind of vague about it, and they're like, no, no, no,
we're still casting. We're still casting. So to me, that

(10:41):
means I'm like, well, am I going Am I not?

Speaker 7 (10:43):
You know?

Speaker 5 (10:44):
And I think what ended up happening with my situation
is it was actually past the alternate period. There is
like a certain time period where they will bring an
alternate in. I think the circumstances of what happened in
the show with two female Vets leaving at the same time,
I think it was kind of a last minute like, hey,
we have john a medically cleared, let's bring her in
kind of thing, so you go ahead.

Speaker 7 (11:05):
Does it feel like it's part of the Challenge universe
now that like you expect something to happen, something completely
opposite happened. Yeah, Like you're sitting there being like, all right,
it's been almost three weeks.

Speaker 6 (11:18):
Like they've been telling me that they.

Speaker 4 (11:21):
Called me at like on that Friday.

Speaker 5 (11:24):
So they called me Monday to go right on that Friday,
and they're like, hey, just so you know, like you're.

Speaker 4 (11:28):
Good, you're released.

Speaker 5 (11:29):
And I was literally like I was still in like, wait,
this was really a thing, you know.

Speaker 4 (11:34):
I was like, okay, cool, I'm.

Speaker 3 (11:37):
Going to use an analogy. So when they asked you,
would you be okay with being an.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
All yeah, I said no, it's not logistically possible, and.

Speaker 3 (11:43):
Also under the pretense that oh, well, there's just still
still a chance we.

Speaker 4 (11:46):
Want And then I was like, okay, so am I
dropping the show? Am I? Not?

Speaker 3 (11:48):
Well, why don't you say yet? If you think, like obviously,
that's the easy thing to say, Like if you say yes,
I'm okay with doing this, then you're kind of making
it easy for them. It's sort of like this is
gonna be a weird analogy, but it would be like saying, hey,
are you okay with I know you still you still
might be my boyfriend or girlfriend, but would you be
okay with being my side piece? I'm just gonna say,
would you be okay with that? Might still be have

(12:09):
the full relationship, okay, but if just you would be
okay to being a side piece, okay, okay, cool? All right?

Speaker 4 (12:14):
And I think I mentally gave myself a date.

Speaker 5 (12:16):
I was like, you know what, maybe if they call me,
like and I can make it to Derek Shabas his
birthday party.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
Which I heard was lit.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
Oh you missed that Karl was at that.

Speaker 6 (12:24):
Oh yeah, she was the MC of that.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
Yes.

Speaker 5 (12:26):
I called people beforehand because I was like, I'm not
going guys like, you know, so I called Anissa, I
called Olivia beforehand, and I was like, make sure Derek
has the best birthday.

Speaker 3 (12:35):
Party ever he did. We can roast. There was a
there was.

Speaker 4 (12:40):
Guys, there was there was an immaculate conception too.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
Oh that was the night that THEO and Olivia.

Speaker 6 (12:46):
Oh yeah, I.

Speaker 5 (12:47):
Don't know, but yeah, So it was. It was an
interesting situation. Not sure if it's something that I, you know,
would want to do again.

Speaker 3 (12:56):
So they gave you one day's notice.

Speaker 5 (12:58):
It's not eleven hours hours, not even like that. They're like,
it was seven thirty in the morning. I was making
lunches for my kids. And they literally were like can
you be on a plane at four thirty pm? And
I was like, I can't get my kids from school?

Speaker 1 (13:11):
So did your kids just never?

Speaker 4 (13:12):
Did?

Speaker 1 (13:13):
No?

Speaker 3 (13:13):
No? I want to did they walk home from school?
What did they eat the next day? Did they not
have lunch?

Speaker 4 (13:17):
I don't. I don't know what happened?

Speaker 3 (13:19):
Who made them lunch?

Speaker 4 (13:20):
I mean Kevin did? That's so messive. Well I just
can't imagine, like Mom's no, yeah, and so this is
what I'm saying. I won't do it again.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
Like I went from getting avocado toast to like lunch.

Speaker 5 (13:33):
Able to my yeah, against my kids just and bring
me to school and being like, so mommy's actually leaving.

Speaker 4 (13:41):
I don't know how long, but uh, have a good
day at school, but I'll.

Speaker 7 (13:44):
Pick you up.

Speaker 6 (13:44):
Like how hard did you cry?

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (13:46):
I was crying on the plane ride while I was,
you know, gluing in my tracks in the airport bathroom and.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
What are those for the kids at home? What are those?

Speaker 4 (13:52):
So there?

Speaker 5 (13:53):
I was just like one of my biggest concerns was
like normally I have like a hair appointment, like a braider,
get a weave done, whatever, because I want to be
ready for the show, you know, to be on television.
And this time, since I had no notice whatsoever, I
just went and I bought bundles of hair and then
I bought hair glue, and I was like, you know,
I'm gonna do my own weave in the airport bathroom.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
On the way they told me to sleep. They're like,
by the way, get try to sleep.

Speaker 5 (14:17):
Try to sleep because they knew the next challenge, like
or I don't know if they knew or not, but
it was like that digging challenge, the hardest thing ever
bar your body.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
Yes, so we have a rare we have a rare
occurrence where both you guys were on the same season.
You were obviously a mid season replacement. You were there
when this happened, Right, So I think I catch where
you're thrown at me, which is you think that if
had Naya just left the way she left, or had
Kara just left the way she left, maybe one of
those things alone, they would have just kept it wrong.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
Yes, they would have. They they planned for like if
but because the.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
Double dose of two of the bigger I mean, you
have Kara.

Speaker 5 (14:51):
I leaves two now male new threats without a partner
like because they can compensate. They can bring people to
an elimination and be like, okay, just kidding, no elimination today,
or do it, but when they have two people in
the same spot, they can't.

Speaker 3 (15:05):
So I want to know. So you're in this house,
you guys are obviously talking about all this stuff. They
never air this stuff because unless like someone nails it
or and unless it comes into play later. They don't
love the fact that, like, hey, you guys kind of
sometimes figure out what's going to happen. But I want
to know, did you guys start thinking, are they going
to bring someone in? How much did you know about
who it could be? You did, so you thought they're
bringing somebody?

Speaker 1 (15:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yeah, And do you think it's her? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (15:27):
Yeah, I mean I know Derek. I mean Derek said
that Olivia like grabbed his arm, was like, oh my god,
John is on our way.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
Because when you guys knew that the challenge was canceled
or whatever, because you have to think about it. I'm
the only one medically cleared to come, yeah, and nobody
else because they test us right before, and I like
I was constrac I was going and.

Speaker 6 (15:44):
We talked, you know, behind the scenes, a little bit.

Speaker 7 (15:46):
Some people, especially people that are like as close as
you and Derek are, and he probably knew that, Like
you were right on the cusp of getting.

Speaker 4 (15:55):
In anyway, and you were ready anyway, and he probably knew.

Speaker 7 (15:58):
So I don't know if I got up, but I
mean it was like the perfect replacement.

Speaker 4 (16:03):
Because I got thrown into the craziest game.

Speaker 6 (16:06):
People were no idea was going on.

Speaker 3 (16:08):
I don't know if you felt this in the time.
I want to know if you felt this at the time,
but watching it immediately go in and people who I
don't even think you knew, like Michayla, are kind of
just like looking at you side I talking about your confessional.

Speaker 5 (16:18):
Kayla's face when I walked in and like that. So
I didn't know obviously that there was a house split.
I didn't know there was upstairs. I haven't even been
to the house yet. Okay, they literally threw me my
uniform in a car.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
She expected you to know the layout of Hogwarts.

Speaker 5 (16:29):
Right, Yes, But like I remember seeing when I watched
the show back, Mikayla's face when she and that half
of the house was cheering there like John is here.

Speaker 4 (16:37):
She was just like, you know, right, away.

Speaker 5 (16:42):
But I mean, she didn't make that comment or whatever,
like I look like a deer headlights or but I will.

Speaker 3 (16:46):
She doesn't even know where the kitchen is yet.

Speaker 4 (16:48):
You know what, I didn't know what you think.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
Wait, but let me ask you, because I thought it
was a little bit disproportionate to you and your But
if it was a reaction to not just you, but
a certain percentage of the house being overly excited that
you specifically came, do you think that's why the people
who don't know you as well were like, oh this bitch.

Speaker 4 (17:06):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (17:08):
I actually know Mikahila and I did USA two. I
was there very briefly obviously, but yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (17:16):
I forgot.

Speaker 5 (17:17):
Its crazy that like watching it back and like, I
really truly wonder had I been there from the beginning,
would I mean, I honestly would have gravitated towards Derek Shavas,
But with the way that they were playing the game
and everything that was happening before and me playing for myself,
I don't know if I would have been in the
downstairs like on that side, I don't know. I would

(17:37):
have been with Derek, but the way that live was playing.
I just I don't know. I don't think I could
have done it really really why?

Speaker 4 (17:45):
I mean, what was because I wasn't going to be
a minion. I wasn't going to be I don't think
she realized quickly.

Speaker 5 (17:51):
I think that I wasn't going to play her game
for her, So then I became untrustworthy to her, So
then I became dispensable. We were there or we had
talked about it, and you had come out to me
at that time, and you're like, she thinks that she
can't trust you.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
But I was just like, I'm not gonna do whatever
she wants me to do.

Speaker 7 (18:05):
You know, I just thought I would have just thought that,
Like even me being there and sitting here now, I
still think and would say that Olivia Theo, Derek and
John Ay are an alliance by proxy. But then, yeah, obviously.

Speaker 4 (18:21):
That's because I read my notebook.

Speaker 6 (18:23):
Well no, I I.

Speaker 4 (18:28):
Know you did because you drew in it, and you
also saw the dots.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
He read your diary.

Speaker 4 (18:33):
He didn't, I didn't.

Speaker 3 (18:35):
Is that is that an unspoken rule? You're not allowed
to like it?

Speaker 4 (18:38):
It's okay, No, we became we became roomies.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
Okay, Yeah, I.

Speaker 4 (18:44):
Was Derek because he's over here. Leroy is over here.
I was like, this is great that.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
Adom, Yeah, that's wherefore, Yeah, car.

Speaker 4 (18:53):
Was there before. And then I'm saying after Derek Shavas left,
but free agent. I was like, free agent, but this
whole downstairs up that's your thing? Like it was, it was.

Speaker 5 (19:01):
There was already a war when I got there, and
I was still trying to figure out the rules.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Yeah, and it was it was what do they do
about so for instance, obviously they don't want to flat
out tell you, oh, someone's coming in. But obviously they
don't want one of you guys just going and taking
cars bed or do they do? They not care when
that happens.

Speaker 4 (19:18):
Usually people don't take other people's beds because they like
the curse.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
Oh what's the curse?

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (19:23):
Like you're not supposed to sleep in a bed of
an eliminated player.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
Really really, I've never heard that.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
In especially og challenges, most people.

Speaker 3 (19:31):
Won't Okay, I think that's the challenge there.

Speaker 4 (19:33):
He says.

Speaker 5 (19:33):
Sometimes they want to move from top to bottom. Oh,
they won't sleep on the same best.

Speaker 3 (19:38):
See, when I heard people that people move from top
to bottom, I was thinking, My mind was in the gutter.
So I was like, Chavez, I don't care, but he
was talking about this. Okay, But for me, what I'm
saying is, so you guys have had a curse this
entire time where if somebody gets eliminated, nobody was in
their bed, regardless of whether they hate their current roommates.
They need to get out, they need to switch a line.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
You don't move rooms in a challenge house unless there's
like a problem, like.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
Unless feel like I've heard about it at least once.

Speaker 5 (20:01):
It's or unless they unless they make us. Sometimes they
close off rooms just like for filming purposes, and then
you have to like switch rooms right usually once you're somewhere.

Speaker 3 (20:09):
It's never right after someone gets eliminated.

Speaker 4 (20:11):
Though you're saying no, never move, I feel we're going.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
We've had so many podcasts, I don't think anyone's ever
referenced that specific curse. I had no idea that was
you there.

Speaker 4 (20:34):
There used to be like the one with reading the clue.
I heard about that one.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
The person who reads the clue is it.

Speaker 5 (20:39):
Usually gets like voted in or eliminated, and so you
don't want to read the clue.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
Okay, Well, now that two people when was the last clue?

Speaker 7 (20:45):
Right?

Speaker 4 (20:45):
Yeah, it was a long time ago.

Speaker 7 (20:46):
Right, I feel like, you know what, I don't even
want to interject, And to my thoughts, I think it's
such an interesting little ghost story.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
No, that's I've never heard. No one has ever.

Speaker 4 (20:55):
Gets changed ghost story. Okay, maybe I'm just the co
conspiracy theorist.

Speaker 3 (20:59):
So you entered the game and shortly thereafter you end
up being paired with Gabe.

Speaker 1 (21:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (21:06):
Oh when I first walk in, I walked in there,
and I remember Derek.

Speaker 4 (21:12):
He was so nice.

Speaker 5 (21:12):
He's like, let me introduce you to your partner, and like, well,
because I was like maybe like MICHAELA said you because
I was so tired coming up like Leo Leo, but.

Speaker 4 (21:19):
You pulled me over to Leo.

Speaker 5 (21:21):
And the reason why I looked so confused in that
shot is because I literally so the only person I
talked to, like, wasn't I talked. I spoke to Nya briefly,
and I actually talked to you briefly before.

Speaker 4 (21:32):
Leaving, and I didn't to let Nya know that I
was coming.

Speaker 5 (21:35):
I I was as vague as I possibly could be
because I'm like, now it's a secret whatever.

Speaker 4 (21:39):
But I was like, oh, who was.

Speaker 5 (21:41):
Your partners to you? Like I want to know what's happening.
So like I came in thinking that Gabe was going
to be my partner. So like when you pulled me
over to Leo, I was like, you're not game's over there,
Like I was really confused.

Speaker 3 (21:52):
So you didn't know the partner's changed.

Speaker 4 (21:54):
I had no idea the partners changed.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
I thought you thought your partner, yes, yeah, and I
thought that I was.

Speaker 4 (22:00):
I didn't know that.

Speaker 3 (22:03):
Yeah, Well that's why it's interesting. That's how we know.
It's like it wasn't just the NYA thing. It was
obviously the car thing. But also this game is such
a weird game that she I mean, she was only
in it for so long she doesn't know specific Oh
my gosh.

Speaker 5 (22:13):
Like even like when I tell you the level of
manipulation in this game, something crazy that I remember happened.
This is just like an example, right, So the way
that people were manipulating people like I didn't understand the
rules of the game. So like I walked up to Aviv,
like when there's a certain vote going on, and I
think I was still partners with Leo, and I told her.
I was like, if you need somebody to vote for.

(22:33):
You know, you can vote for me, like burn it
on me, but make sure nobody else is voting. And
then that then not by Aviv, but somebody else. Then
went to Leo and was like, your partner doesn't care
if you're the hang naw and I'm like, what the
fuck is a hang nail?

Speaker 3 (22:45):
Oh?

Speaker 5 (22:45):
Wow, Yeah, that's that's the level of manipulation I was
walking into. No matter what I did, no matter how
I moved, everything I said was discredited, and it was
just like very against me.

Speaker 3 (22:56):
In their defense though that it does kind of mean
that you don't care if I didn't even.

Speaker 4 (23:01):
Know what to hanail.

Speaker 5 (23:02):
I tried to hang out with the hangnail when it
was and they're like, Johnny, you have to move away
from the hangnail for the visual and I was just.

Speaker 4 (23:07):
Like, oh, it's eas a U.

Speaker 3 (23:10):
You can't be near that.

Speaker 5 (23:10):
No, you'd like the hangmail and sit by themselves and
you can't talk to them and you can't like anything.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
That didn't really translate to the show.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
I don't know. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
I get why visually, maybe they wanted it to feel
like they're isolated whatever, but but it didn't come across
as that as a rule for.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
Yeah, yeah, I don't think.

Speaker 3 (23:26):
I don't think. Maybe I'm wrong.

Speaker 4 (23:26):
You guys can tell me if I'm just on a
tangenery now.

Speaker 5 (23:29):
But that's how I'm just trying to explain when I
walked into that game, the amount of like levels of
rules and this and this, and then oh Johnny says this,
I'll use this and twist it this way, and oh
my god with Gabe, Like I, for the life of me,
could not understand why. I was like, why won't he
listen to anything I'm saying, Like I'm trying to help,

(23:50):
like help, He's my teammate, I'm the only person he
should like listen to, you know. But it was at
that point, like it had been like a few days,
like so many of the New Threat guys were like,
I do.

Speaker 4 (23:59):
Not want her to be my partner. I do not,
Like they weren't working with me.

Speaker 3 (24:03):
Who were these guys who said, yeah, I want to
add name names. Who were they? Who?

Speaker 4 (24:08):
What?

Speaker 3 (24:08):
Who are the guys who didn't want anything to do
with him?

Speaker 5 (24:10):
Leo, Gabe, Oh, Jake, there's something that happened with the
Jake partner thing.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
What was that? What was the thing that happened.

Speaker 5 (24:22):
With the so I had said to like in the
closet in my room to whoever, They're like, who are
you working good with?

Speaker 4 (24:29):
Who do you want to be? Because permanent partners were
coming up.

Speaker 5 (24:32):
I at that point had only worked with Jake, and
I had only worked with Gabe Leo. I only got
the chance to work with three of them before the
switch up happened or whatever. And then someone had asked
and I was just like, I don't think I want
Jake to be my partner. Yeah, And so then that
got when somebody went and took that and went to
Jake and then was like, oh, she's talking. She doesn't

(24:53):
want to be your partner, she's spreading, she's saying this
about you.

Speaker 4 (24:56):
I would be I would love to be your partner.
I'd be a great partner.

Speaker 5 (24:59):
You made Jake, I was just like, And then from
that moment on he hated me, and I was just.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
Like, what did I do?

Speaker 7 (25:04):
That's probably that's probably the alliance that started manipulating.

Speaker 4 (25:08):
They were the alliance that started manipulating Gabe to y.

Speaker 5 (25:11):
Yeah, it was all their own people within that they
were like controlling and pulling the strings of and I
just was like, not doing that.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
You made Jake feel less?

Speaker 5 (25:21):
Then Oh yeah, I mean we've I thought we talked
at the union, but like it was just any move
I made, every single thing that I did. It was
such a intense game that it was just like, coming
in the middle of it, I was set up for failure.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
So those three of those three people, you didn't want
to work with Jake, but so did you want to
work with Gabe? What are you thoughts saying no?

Speaker 5 (25:44):
And I realized at that point, after what happened with
Jake that because then people start asking like, oh, who
do you want to be a partner?

Speaker 4 (25:49):
Who do you want?

Speaker 5 (25:50):
I now realized like, okay, that information is now being
used and twisted. Okay, so I'm going to say I'm
finally being partners with anybody. And that's why when they
showed Sid asked, I'm like, I'm good with being partners
with anybody, but I will say I was okay with
being partnered with Gabe. There's a lot of people who
did not want to be as partner, but to me,
I saw it as a winning situation for me because

(26:12):
my biggest problem in the challenge is like I'm trying
to figure out how.

Speaker 4 (26:14):
Can I not go into elimination, you know.

Speaker 5 (26:16):
I mean, maybe it's everybody's problem, not just mine, But
to me, I was like, we could be good together,
like because everybody's scared of you now that you sent
Banana's home, and like, I think that there's so much
other stuff going on that you know, we'd be a
great team. I also felt like, you know, I was
lucky to even be there because I got put in
the middle of it, so like I didn't even have

(26:38):
a chance to work with every single person. So I
was just like, you know what, whoever I get, I
would love to be the partner.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
We never really get to see you guys play out
because you guys were the first or second team gone
right after I went to teams, right, I.

Speaker 4 (26:49):
Think somebody the second T and T and then H
I think you.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
Were before then either way either made My question is
this because so he decided very quickly that he wanted
to stake a claim, right, and I want to know, like,
so you got to only spend so much time together,
and he had had such a like his opinion of
you was so.

Speaker 5 (27:10):
And his opinion was so strong at me and there
was no breaking through, like it was he was already
tied up in what.

Speaker 4 (27:19):
Anissa was telling him. I don't know whoever was there
talking to him ct.

Speaker 7 (27:24):
I'd like to know, like who was all up in
his head besides like THEO, because because at the end
it was THEO. But I just think it was like
kind of his own, like I know, it seemed like
he was he was on his own, like no, I
just don't want I just don't want to listen to
this mom, you know what I.

Speaker 4 (27:43):
Mean, Like I remember you did. I don't want to
make me a sandwich.

Speaker 7 (27:46):
I don't want her to fucking make sure I got
all my you know stuff for tomorrow's chance.

Speaker 5 (27:52):
Yeah, one day and like wasn't eating the catering and food,
so I was like, do you want me to make
you something?

Speaker 4 (28:00):
And he hated that.

Speaker 3 (28:01):
Oh he did it.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
And it was so funny, like because he somebody had said,
like maybe it was you that you were like, oh,
he feels like you're momming him, and he's like, but
you're literally a mom.

Speaker 4 (28:11):
Yeah, it's so confused.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
And also sandwich. I mean that's like, I mean, I
would never be annoyed by someone.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
Off anything I did. It was like it was.

Speaker 3 (28:19):
I have a theory. I think that they made taking
a claims sound pretty dope. It's like, you get to
be at the star for a little bit. If you
have faith in your own ability to beat someone, you
get to beat someone one on one. But if you lose,
you're not out. You just then go in again. So
I think someone like him who actually showed okay, I
just too got the star of this show. Everyone's right
that the idea of oh maybe I don't love my

(28:39):
partner so much, I didn't want the sandwich, But like
the idea of I get to stand up in front
of everybody and do this awesome thing. Then I take
down Justin and then I go anytime.

Speaker 5 (28:47):
I mean, yeah, I sat with him or I met
with him that day, and I like had this whole
presentation of like, this is why this is the worst
idea in the world, because I'm like, this is why
this is going to I'm like, every other vet in
this house is going to to convince you, hey, buddy,
you should do this because everybody's trying to figure out
what happens when you take a claim. They want you
to be the test dummy, And I'm like, but what

(29:07):
cidy a claim does is it breaks it? Like your
shot now becomes fifty to fifty, you're going in, And
I'm like, we're not going in. We're not getting voted in.
There's zero percent chance we're getting voted in. So I
think that a few people that were like, oh fuck,
if it's not gonna be her, it's me the other side.

Speaker 7 (29:22):
The other side threw that seat out there and he
let it plant so fast.

Speaker 5 (29:27):
Right yeah, which but that was the side that he
was following. But that's why I'm just like I was
so confused. I'm like, these are the people that you're
riding so hard for, but they're okay with Just like.

Speaker 3 (29:38):
Are you happy that this guy's just gonna do this?
So you just get to see what the rule is.

Speaker 7 (29:42):
No, no, no, no no, because like at that point,
like like John A like solely became like my number one.
Like I was like, I think I can have her
as my like like I was.

Speaker 3 (29:50):
Like, this is.

Speaker 7 (29:53):
Opposed to like what Gay viewed her as like disposable.
I was like, no, this is a fucking star right there.
I'd like to have wrong justin a lot of.

Speaker 4 (30:02):
People, a lot of people know, a lot of people.

Speaker 7 (30:06):
Were mean to you. A lot of people were mean
to right from the very beginning. She walked in and
she was this two time All Stars.

Speaker 4 (30:12):
Champion, now so bubbly and like she's a mom, she's
so bubbly, she's just how I am.

Speaker 5 (30:16):
I think people mistake it for I'm being fake or
something like that.

Speaker 4 (30:19):
I don't know.

Speaker 7 (30:20):
Yeah, that's They were like annoyed that she was like
to happy and like happy to be there and like nice.

Speaker 6 (30:33):
Yeah, you're nice.

Speaker 5 (30:36):
And I would give like my unbiased opinion and remove
myself from the game even though this doesn't benefit me,
I'll still give you advice sandwiches.

Speaker 3 (30:44):
I mean the fact that these.

Speaker 4 (30:45):
People and the worst partner ever guys.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
Disliked people for being offered these things. They're psychopaths, all
of them, every one of them.

Speaker 4 (30:51):
They were Yeah, they were so mad that she was
so nice.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Did you just try to make me a sandwich? Get out? Like? Yeah,
what a psych want to go to a basketball game?

Speaker 1 (31:00):
Week?

Speaker 3 (31:00):
Did you know we're doing that? So they're going to
be reunited next week, you guys. Look, we know in
real time, you guys were reunited at the reunion, which
we'll we'll get to see this in a couple of
weeks for.

Speaker 4 (31:09):
You guys, for everybody's intense. Oh my gosh, it was
like it was a good reunion, you know, days of
our lives.

Speaker 1 (31:20):
What was like?

Speaker 3 (31:20):
So you you just you just had two seasons in
a row that were that had no rookies on them whatsoever? Right?
So forty forty and and All Stars five?

Speaker 4 (31:28):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (31:28):
Right, are no rookies?

Speaker 1 (31:30):
Right?

Speaker 3 (31:30):
So you go from that where you're dealing with people
that you know people. There's people that you've never met,
like I'm sure you never had never met Steve or
whatever or whatever it is, or maybe not Steve, but
you know, random person X on All Stars you didn't meet,
but so a new person in your life. But you
go from that to now you get half a cast
filled with I would say, like probably the most confident
group of sixteen rookies we've ever had on the show. Right,

(31:52):
What was that like? Because you come in six whatever
it is, six seven episodes into a season, where did
it stand out to you the idea that, oh, these
rookies are kind of run another level. Yeah?

Speaker 5 (32:01):
Yes, as soon as I you know, what I realized
was when we did that like fancy dinner thing, I
wanted to say it then, but like, this group of
rookies is completely different than we've ever had, like as
far as like they don't give a fuck. They were
trying to make a name from themselves. They weren't following
anyone like coat tails or whatever the expression is called.

(32:22):
They were definitely a different group of rookies.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
What do you attribute that to? You think it's that
they had all been on other shows. It's that they're
sixteen of them.

Speaker 5 (32:29):
The format the cast, I mean, it does help that
it's half of the cast is new because this and
I think it'll be interesting to see the new threats
go into other seasons. Whoever they choose, because there's not
going to be this big uprising like there was.

Speaker 4 (32:43):
There's only going to be like a handful, you know
what I mean.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
Would you choose if they choose? They said, John gave
me the top time with the alternate thing you're now
in cast.

Speaker 5 (32:49):
Character, if I had to choose two of each, because
I know the answer to that.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
Sure, people too tall, people just kidding.

Speaker 5 (32:57):
So for the new threats, for the women, I with Sydney,
she's good and she's like West like everybody's saying whatever.

Speaker 4 (33:07):
I actually liked Sydney. I think she's cool, but I
would also choose Adrian for sure. He's a badass. Like
when I tell you like she was my roommate.

Speaker 5 (33:19):
Actually she's somebody that like I got kind of close
to and I was just like, she deserves to be here, like,
and she also proved herself like this season she went
into four eliminations, like that's crazy. And then yeah, as
far as the guys go, it's what, like you know,
everybody says, but like.

Speaker 6 (33:33):
Jeremy, he's good, Okay, keep going.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
I mean as far as interesting goes like or whatever,
Like I.

Speaker 3 (33:42):
Jermy made the most. I'll be honest, So I think
you're going.

Speaker 7 (33:46):
It caused all the chaos to be fair lit the
bomb Jeremy hate it and say he's not interesting.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
Look, both of those guys got both of the people
you named, all four of them. He's just all four
of them are in the finals. So obviously they have
success and they have longevity. And finally, when I left,
I thought, but, but, but, but what I'll say is
that I honestly feel like the two people who did
the most, the one guy with him, I think Leo
by far did what he needed to do during the
season character wise made it far enough where to me,

(34:17):
he's the guy where I go, Okay, this guy, we
got to put this guy with a different group because
this guy, if you put this guy in a room
with different groups of people for long enough, all of
a sudden, you're gonna get the weirdest and it's going
to pop off. Right, So he was so close to
the season, so I would put him. And then for
the second spot, like I would almost put again. Both
these guys did very well eliminated second and last and
last Will and just both both We're still making a

(34:41):
TV show here, and Will is an absolute car crash
in shoes, right, and then just got Will.

Speaker 4 (34:48):
But he is just he's perfect for this show.

Speaker 3 (34:50):
You know, those are my three. But I do women, okay,
So I think I think Sidney is clearly one of them. Adrian,
here's the thing, if I'm only getting two slots, I
think that she she did prove a lot on the
elimination floor, the character stuff, the personality. So I'm waiting
to have her on the podcast before I like fully
know because he was with her, He's brought into her
all year, he's been talking her up all year, So

(35:12):
I want to feel it and see it myself. So
I guess she's just fierce. I'll care to you guys,
you know what's so funny?

Speaker 4 (35:20):
Doesn't give a fun.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
Let me ask you this because so I want to know,
is it different for you because you played with her
obviously on USA you went home early. But she does
very well on that season, and she was very confident
on that season. But for whatever reason, when I start
thinking at New Threats, Mikayla goes into my head as
a new threat right, which is weird because her challenge
footprint is larger than just one episode on sposized, and
now she had that run on that season. But my

(35:42):
brain still thinks, yeah, but Olivia makes it all the
way and she was out first episode.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
But my point is that she played with the same
audacity that the New Threats played with the season. So
even though she was off on her own lit island,
she was technically a VET and she was working with
some of the vets, like the game play and the
way she was talking about no offense people like you, Kara.
In the air, I felt she felt adversarial to you guys.

Speaker 5 (36:07):
Differently, I would say she feels different now with me
I honestly, as far as in a game goes, I
did go so this in forty one as well, Like
I went up to Makayle at the very beginning and
I talked to her because I Mikayla is just so honest,
and she is a strategic player and she's logical. Another

(36:28):
reason why I like Sydney, okay, because those are the
type of people that, like I want to I mean,
I didn't have the luxury of it this time because
the game in her day started, But those are the
type of people that I want to work with and
play with because I feel like I think at that level,
but you throw in the emotion as well, Like I'm
also all over the place, but I'm it's kind of
like the chaos with the chaos. I need the stability
with my chaos in order. Those are the type of

(36:49):
people I need to vote with. I think that Mikayla is.

Speaker 4 (36:53):
I think she's really smart and I think that like, yeah,
she does have an attitude sometimes, but it's because people
pits her off, like you know what I mean, Like
she's only a human.

Speaker 3 (37:03):
But I just think about that.

Speaker 5 (37:04):
I appreciate someone who's honest and who will be straight
up with me in a game. In a game like
that where it's already like watery, confusing, you don't know
if people are playing you or like what they're doing.
She's just a straight up person and tells it how
it is. And for the type of player that I am,
I need players like that.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
Maybe it's because of my brain where I'm racking for
like people to do. See forty one forty two and
the spots they take for whatever reason, I think like
they would decide like, oh, should we go with Mikayla,
who technically is a challenge vet or d or Adrian
or something like that. I feel like they're competing for
the same spots. They're not going to go, oh should
we have Laurel or Mikayla?

Speaker 1 (37:37):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
Yeah, So in my brain when it's like who should
we have, I would say, you know, obviously Adriane would
be great. I think d would be great. But I
also with a caveat, I want to be like, but
if the only way Mikayla's getting on forty one is
if she takes one of those, I want to give
her that one because I think this was her coming
out party. The same way into the MTV Challenge for sure,
you know, yeah, she was on that season CBS. For sure.

(37:57):
She did well, she made it far. But like this
was her intro into the MTV Challenge. Yeah, let me
ask you about Olivia real quick. So obviously you guys
were working together by proxy you have you know, yes,
with Java.

Speaker 5 (38:12):
Is there, it was like, a I'm working with him,
he's my number one, he's already started this game. Okay,
up to Olivia when I first got there and I
was like, I if I like not if I don't
win this game, but I would love to see you win.
I told her that, and I told her that I
did want to work with her. And then she's yeah.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
What what, No, No, you can't. This is the podcast, that's
the part everyone wants, everyone's gonna say, said to me.

Speaker 5 (38:40):
Then she was just like, well, she's like a niece,
is already my number one and damn I already lost NYA,
but like you could be my number two.

Speaker 4 (38:46):
And I was just like.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
That's pretty good. That's kind of what the challenge did. Yeah,
but right, yeah.

Speaker 5 (38:52):
About her, well, no, I was so proud of I'm
so proud of, Like what's happening.

Speaker 4 (38:57):
Well, That's why I want to ask her becoming a
mom is like.

Speaker 3 (38:59):
You're a mom, right. We've got everyone who's come home,
they've got these weird stories. I knew because of this.
I knew because of that. People who I'm like, I'm
calling bullshit like fucking Will he's a guy. Fucking I'm like,
you don't even know your phone numbers that she was
pregnant because again, people who made it further. Yeah, people
who made it further. I get it, but like to me, like,
and this is what I can't wait for this season
to finally end for hopefully everybody be able to want

(39:22):
to talk too much.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
I'll tell you.

Speaker 3 (39:25):
You've got two kids, probably said, my wife can tell
when someone's pregnant. She'll tell me two weeks before someone's
about to announce it. You'd be like list present.

Speaker 5 (39:33):
All I have to say about this situation is I
left that house. You guys know when I left, when
I got eliminated, I knew she was pregnant when I.

Speaker 4 (39:41):
Left the house.

Speaker 3 (39:41):
Okay, and you left what like I was.

Speaker 6 (39:43):
Just like a vibe or like they can it.

Speaker 3 (39:47):
Know, That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (39:51):
I was her roommate, Okay, I had been involved in conversations.
I like, I don't.

Speaker 4 (39:58):
I just don't want to get anybody in trouble. I
want to wait until the show yends, everything plays out whatever,
because but I honestly will always tell you the truth
as well. But like, well I am, I.

Speaker 3 (40:08):
Mean, here's my thing. Okay, well that's a different that
was my follow up question.

Speaker 5 (40:11):
But to me, she didn't know because she's she hasn't She's.

Speaker 3 (40:15):
Not the first person to be on the challenge and
be pregnant. No, she's actually probably like the fifth in
the last.

Speaker 4 (40:20):
Five person I've been on a challenge who has been like.

Speaker 3 (40:23):
It, right, So you are Amber b Yeah, you know
so that you're actually not only the perfect person that
asks us about because you've been pregnant yourself. You probably
have had you been around other moms this, that, whatever,
and again.

Speaker 4 (40:33):
Been around other moms that have been pregnant on the.

Speaker 3 (40:36):
Show during the show. Yes, but I want to compare
these So to me, you're like, oh, we have to
wait for them. But it's like starting with like, clearly
unless next week we're gonna find unless next week, she
goes TJ. Actually I think I'm pregnant, Like she goes
this season not knowing or pregnant. So my point is
that I don't think we have to wait for me
to ask you the question is like you've been there

(40:57):
where people find out or get you know, test or whatever.
I don't think there's anything wrong with if you kind
of a feeling being like, oh.

Speaker 4 (41:02):
Wait, I'll refuse a test. How will they know? Yeah,
legally you know, so.

Speaker 3 (41:08):
Hey find out when you find out.

Speaker 6 (41:09):
I mean, you don't have to.

Speaker 4 (41:11):
You don't have to. And yes, you're in the middle
of the game and it is you can refuse.

Speaker 8 (41:15):
You can refuse to task, can refuse, You can refuse
to task, can refuse.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Yeah, wait did she refuse?

Speaker 1 (41:31):
Did they ask her?

Speaker 4 (41:32):
I don't know. I wasn't there.

Speaker 3 (41:34):
Oh, got it? Okay, But here's my thing. Here's my thing.
It's like, so so you're saying when you say conversations like,
is it kind of.

Speaker 4 (41:38):
Like pregnancy tests were on location when I left?

Speaker 1 (41:41):
Got it?

Speaker 3 (41:41):
Got it? Got it?

Speaker 6 (41:42):
Now let me ask you this and you can take
one if you want one, but not if you're told
to take one.

Speaker 3 (41:46):
Well, so of course, but yeah, that's kind of how
life is. Right.

Speaker 4 (41:49):
You might get hurt.

Speaker 6 (41:51):
Look, did you I don't know John.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
Jobs are not allowed to say you need to take
a pregnancy.

Speaker 4 (41:57):
Yeah, this may not you may be, but you know what,
maybe all said.

Speaker 7 (42:02):
No, here's what Now we know that Olivia made it
all the way into the final at least.

Speaker 3 (42:07):
Yeah, but if you're if, but we've never had this
in my let me ask you. She's in the other
two instances. Casey got pregnant before she left, Amber got
pregnant before seth. They got pregnant on shot as his birthday,
which is like episode three, so like, there's obviously more
of a delay. What's your name? Melissa went all the
way to the final, right, and she got there pregnant.
She didn't get pregnant there, which means she went twenty

(42:29):
episodes pregnant and then find out she was pregnant on
the final and had to go home. Olivia got pregnant
in the middle of the season, so it's not the same.
But my wife has found out and realized she was
pregnant thirteen what was it? Not thirteen weeks but like
what like eight weeks, eight weeks or something after sometimes
and then she starts going through her head, Oh my god, I.

Speaker 4 (42:45):
Want to talking about you find out at four weeks
and its.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
Well either way, it's on such a delay that you
start going through your head and you go, oh my god,
I want to splash mountain. Oh my god, I drank
that glass of wine. Oh, and you start doing all
the things that you did by accident because you don't know.
And then and then even when you do know, you
go to the do and you go, hey, when do
I have to stop playing pickle ball? And they go
they go h whatever, Like your body tells you to
stop what they tell you can do all this stuff?
And I don't know if to want you bungee jumping

(43:09):
in a.

Speaker 5 (43:10):
High pressure situation that stresses you out every single day,
Like the challenge is not I'm gonna be honest, it's
not the perfect place for somebody who's pregnant. Okay, well
she didn't know like by test, sure didn't officially.

Speaker 6 (43:24):
No, I mean people have had like babies like in
like literal war zones.

Speaker 3 (43:29):
Yeah, well I also just don't think. I mean there's
people who don't tell y.

Speaker 7 (43:32):
I'm sure that it's not good, but who really has
also a card?

Speaker 3 (43:37):
Let me ask you this, could you think of a
different situation in life where you might know you're pregnant,
even have gone to the doctor and know you're pregnant,
but you don't tell your employer because you don't want
them to give you less shifts or you don't want
them to think that you can't do certain things and
things like that. Right, Like that's kind of how people
just navigate through life. Ay, why give someone else the
power of that decision? Be like, I'll find out when
I find out. Whatever. It's not like they're gonna freeze

(43:58):
me and have me swimming on and like who knows.
And to be honest with you, you know, it's like
it's one of those you've seen people do a lot
of this show again Melina, go back to Melissa.

Speaker 1 (44:07):
She did a whole site.

Speaker 3 (44:08):
She won some physical eliminations on that show, you know
what I mean. So it's like, I don't know, is
it the type of thing where are you required in
life to the first time you get well?

Speaker 5 (44:18):
Show needs to do? Like what the show needs to
do is the show is so long? First of all,
like that there is a possibility of this happening, right,
they need to if they medically test us before we leave,
and they're going to make us pregnancy tests at the
medical they need to do it halfway through the season.

Speaker 4 (44:32):
If the you know what I'm saying, do they have
to go here?

Speaker 6 (44:35):
Look, look, wait there.

Speaker 5 (44:36):
If we're flipping cars, if we're going to be climbing
up mountains, if we're going to.

Speaker 3 (44:40):
Be do they do that in the gym? And does
La Fitness go if you're coming to this spin.

Speaker 6 (44:44):
Class you can't do my gosh, yes, yeah, I corect.

Speaker 3 (44:48):
Like there's a line right where it's it's kind of
it's on the person to decide for themselves. Yes, it is.
I guarantee you. There's women who either know or don't
know they're pregnant and they're doing like heavy squads of
the hiking, hiking, whatever they want to do. Some of
it's just baby deniability in something they don't know. But
by the way, that it's a sign that these seasons
are too long. If you can literally go be in
the middle of a dry spell, go to a fun

(45:09):
birthday party, have sex four weeks in, then come out
of it with like an eight week baby, that's too
long of a show, right, Like that's that's it's a
long filming schedule. Yeah. But anyway, I wanted to ask
you because you've you've been in that shoe where you
obviously know what the like biology of what you feel
every morning. An you guys complaining with you it's the

(45:30):
first sign.

Speaker 4 (45:30):
Normally, right, Yes, you think that.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
I don't mean you complain in a bad way.

Speaker 5 (45:34):
We love it, We love it throwing up you feel
like shit? Yeah, like your first trimester. You feel like shit,
And I can't even imagine going through like the challenge.
That's why I'm saying, she's a g dude. Dude, she
just chows and is empowering, like what motherhood is.

Speaker 1 (45:49):
That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
These these other women that eventually had to leave the
show in the midst of it, we never knew because
it happened that other way. So you have to wrap
because we uh had a day. We have a date
with Jelly Roll. But I want to know. Just closing
thoughts on the season this season.

Speaker 5 (46:03):
Yeah, to be honest, now that I like when I
once I was off the season and now I'm like
watching it as a fan. I will say I am
a Challenge fan obviously, but I I love it. I
think it's great.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
So are you aware that this is the first final
maybe ever, but certainly a long time that doesn't have
any MTV representation in the final No Real World, no
road Rules, no are you the one? No next, no
Room Raiders, none.

Speaker 1 (46:26):
Of it next.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
I mean there's not a single Rule World person.

Speaker 3 (46:30):
Not a single Real World road Rules or are you
the one? It's? Or fresh meat yeah? Or fresh meat nothing,
nobody in the original, nobody who started on the one.

Speaker 6 (46:39):
He's even putting are you the one in there?

Speaker 1 (46:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (46:41):
And not that makeing, not making the check?

Speaker 4 (46:43):
That is wild.

Speaker 3 (46:45):
Do you think that these final eight people we have
like that? It comes to the new threats, but even
like the new blood, like the the Theo's, the Turbos,
the Olivia's of the world. Do you feel McKay love,
of course, do you feel like they're they're all worthy
winners enough where the fan base won't care that we're
not just you know, still honoring the MTV days.

Speaker 4 (47:03):
I don't know. Our fan base is.

Speaker 3 (47:06):
They're fickle, fickle bunch.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
There are a fickle bunch.

Speaker 3 (47:09):
They want Marie really badly. Give them Marie and they'll
be okay with someone else.

Speaker 5 (47:13):
Ever ends up winning. I will say this is a
very hard season and deserves it.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
I think, all right, Well, I don't think.

Speaker 5 (47:21):
That just because you're on MTV means that like you
deserve it, Like I mean, they did what they had
to do to get there, and you know, and.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
Because of that.

Speaker 4 (47:30):
But it is the last challenge on MTV, So thanks
for nothing.

Speaker 3 (47:35):
Oh yeah, Johnny, what was so.

Speaker 4 (47:37):
Hopefully, Well that wasn't the right answer.

Speaker 3 (47:39):
Hopefully it's not the last challenge for you. What if
you decided your challenge future? Do you want to take
a season off? Are you ready to go whenever they
call you? If you had full.

Speaker 5 (47:48):
Control, if I had full control, I just I'm not
ready to ever be an alternate ever.

Speaker 3 (47:52):
Okay, no more side piece work for you.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
I can't even because.

Speaker 3 (47:56):
Your Steakhouse Sinners only Facebook profile official. That's it.

Speaker 5 (48:00):
I keep saying the same thing, like I don't know
if it's like chasing a dream, but like the last
I don't know how many seasons I've been on, every
single one has like ended shitty for me, you know,
and it's just like not where I want to go out.

Speaker 4 (48:12):
And this season is also not where I want to
go out.

Speaker 3 (48:15):
So well, from the two times.

Speaker 5 (48:18):
Yes, I still have something to prove and it's not
maybe it's to everybody else, but it's also to myself,
like it's not just alstairs.

Speaker 4 (48:24):
I'm still on that.

Speaker 3 (48:25):
Love that get her a partner that wants a sandwich,
because that is a waste of sandwich making skills and generosity.
Fuel this man up. Okay, fuel up the Godfather mark
along someone else, Johnny.

Speaker 4 (48:38):
Make other people say you were joining us.

Speaker 3 (48:40):
Let me ask you. Let's get review this real quick.
We've got Scotch media here. What is it on the
couch experience for Challenge Mania? Like you've done it remote
so many times.

Speaker 5 (48:46):
Yes, I've done the podcast, I've done everything. I really
like the in person thing with you guys. I think
that this is awesome and I think that's going to
be great.

Speaker 3 (48:54):
Well, thank you, thank you for being our you know not,
you're not our all time, You're not our mid season replacement.

Speaker 1 (49:02):
Here, you are number one.

Speaker 3 (49:03):
This might even be episode five hundred on the podcast.
By the way, Yeah, we've probably done thousands, but of
the numbered episodes, this is our five hundredth and we're
coming up on our eight year anniversary and we're celebrating
it with you our a number one here. Hey, John
A Stevens, thank you either.

Speaker 4 (49:18):
That's awesome, let's go.

Speaker 3 (49:22):
Thank you guys.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
There she is John A Stevens, Uh, yeah, we had
a nice little chat about what I think is the
most interesting thing about this season is that we just
had a woman win the Challenge while pregnant.

Speaker 1 (49:37):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
And of course there's gonna be a ton of questions.
Did she know, did she have a feeling? Should they
be making people take tests? I think, look here, I'm
gonna throw this out. I think you know how we
have like challenge flags in football, but if you if
you you incorrectly try to use it, then you lose
a time out or whatever. I think once a season,
if you think somebody might be pregnant, you get to

(49:58):
go TJ throwing down my pregnancy flag. I think Olivia
is pregnant. I think John A is pregnant. I think
Casey Cooper's pregnant. I think Amber Borzotra is pregnant. Whatever
it is, and they have to take the test, and
if they're wrong. If you're wrong and they're not pregnant,
you go home. You're eliminated, you're gone, your season's over.
But if you're right, obviously they find out they're pregnant,

(50:19):
great news, and sadly, I think then.

Speaker 1 (50:21):
They do have to stop competing. Just throwing that out there.

Speaker 2 (50:24):
Let's let's maybe okay, let's let's consider it for a
future season TJ speak of which, TJ take it away.

Speaker 9 (50:29):
All right, guys, this sends your time here on Challenge Mania.
Take care of yourselves, and hopefully we'll see in the future.

Speaker 4 (50:51):
The Challenge Mania Shop is open. Head over to Challengemania
dot shop today for the best way to support the
podcast while looking good doing it. New design and items
added every few weeks. Maniac's time to mobilize. Check out
challengemnia dot Shop today.