Speaker 1: Hello, Hello, Challenge family. What's up. It's me Devin Simone and.
Speaker 2: I'm Davon Rogers and this is MTV's official Challenge podcast.
Speaker 1: Davon, I give you twelve Karra points. Come on, I
Speaker 1: give you thirteen. Oh that's so sweet. Come on, yo,
Speaker 1: I want to know. I want to know what people
Speaker 1: think about the Karra points. You guys have got to
Speaker 1: let us know, send us all the dms. But I
Speaker 1: will say this, it keeps the show interesting. Oh make
Speaker 1: it so that you especially because these ladies were so
Speaker 1: skilled and talented the guys too. But it was so
Speaker 1: neck and neck that even if you were trying to
Speaker 1: do the math, you couldn't because one person would win
Speaker 1: a checkpoint and then they'd be like behind in another
Speaker 1: checkpoint and then come back up Like it was. It
Speaker 1: just it kept you on the edge of your seat.
Speaker 1: And look from that perspective, Hey, it was smart forty
Speaker 1: seasons in and they're still keeping you on the edge
Speaker 1: of your seat. What are your thoughts today?
Speaker 2: Oh, for sure, because the fans are going to be talking.
Speaker 2: The fans are definitely going to be talking and trying
Speaker 2: to figure it out. But at the end of the day,
Speaker 2: a win is a win, and so congratulations to Rachel
Speaker 2: and Jenny.
Speaker 1: Like Tian, John and Jordan, ties over here, I know,
Speaker 1: no ties over here. Jordan tried to keep up the suspense.
Speaker 1: He's like, I know, I've won every checkpoint by at
Speaker 1: least five hours, but you never know. You never don't
Speaker 1: know what's gonna happen. It's like, Jordan, we all know,
Speaker 1: sit down, we know. Also, shout out to Derek. I shine. Like, Okay,
Speaker 1: first of all, be honest, did you have Derek beating
Speaker 1: bananas on your bingo card at the top of this season? Yes?
Speaker 1: Did you see the way Johnny's been performing this season?
Speaker 3: Yes?
Speaker 1: Wait, okay episode one when we were there, Oh no, no,
Speaker 1: episode one, okay that episode you Derek to bananas?
Speaker 2: No, no, no, That's why all season we've been calling him
Speaker 2: the Silent Assassin, little sniper because Deared been doing it
Speaker 2: but undercover. And I'm just I'm so proud of him
Speaker 2: and the tears in his eyes realizing he won second
Speaker 2: place by yes he did, I'm so proud. I'm so proud. Yeah,
Speaker 2: you know, being a good person pays off.
Speaker 1: But he won even without being the good I mean, yes,
Speaker 1: he's a good person. But there was no movement on
Speaker 1: the boys in with Karra points so and they really yeah,
Speaker 1: they were cemented in their place, which is just wild.
Speaker 2: Even watching the rundown of how people were voting, Like
Speaker 2: I know we got to see some during the episodes,
Speaker 2: but like actually seeing the breakdown in right final Oh
Speaker 2: my gosh, this okay, okay, lem I trying to ask
Speaker 2: you a question bitter or strategic, like how I would
Speaker 2: do it or how I'm saying, how do you think
Speaker 2: that they voted bitter or strategic?
Speaker 1: Seeing I think there was a mix. I do think
Speaker 1: there was a mix because we saw things like Kara
Speaker 1: give Rachel a five, which we also saw Carr give
Speaker 1: Tori a five, which Kara love that like beautiful, just
Speaker 1: beautiful growth, all of it amazing. But then we saw
Speaker 1: Leroy get bananas like a three or a one and
Speaker 1: even saying you, my boy, but you don't need to
Speaker 1: win no more. So, like I don't I think everybody's
Speaker 1: was different. How would I do it? I'd probably do
Speaker 1: it a mix of both, like probably makes it bitter
Speaker 1: and then probably a mix of strategic. What would you do?
Speaker 2: I would definitely try to do it in the favor
Speaker 2: of the people that I love and I support, Yeah,
Speaker 2: to have a better chance, Like if you were in there,
Speaker 2: I'd be like, oh, Devin five for sure, like you know,
Speaker 2: and then try to somebody who could potentially beat you.
Speaker 1: I would make sure to give them a lower point, so,
Speaker 1: you know, like a one for sure. So yeah, I
Speaker 1: would do it like that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely all right.
Speaker 1: In case you guys were trying to remember how it
Speaker 1: played out. In fourth place, we had Kylind and Tory,
Speaker 1: third place Banana's Michelle. Second place was Derek and no
Speaker 1: one because first place became Jordan for the boys and
Speaker 1: a tie between Rachel and Jenny for the girls. Who
Speaker 1: gets your goats?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 1: Were you gonna ask?
Speaker 2: No, I was going to tell you. I figured out
Speaker 2: who my Meryl Streep is?
Speaker 1: Oh who?
Speaker 2: And I might get controversy for this, I don't care.
Speaker 1: I don't care.
Speaker 3: I don't care.
Speaker 1: I don't care. I had to really.
Speaker 2: Dig into the rolodex and figure out who my challenge
Speaker 2: Meryl Streep is.
Speaker 1: You ready mm hmm chorl Okay? Do you gotta justify
Speaker 1: your answer?
Speaker 2: That's my challenge Meryl Street, because you have to think
Speaker 2: of somebody, Okay, when you think of Meryl Streep, you
Speaker 2: think like one of the goats.
Speaker 1: Right, you're like, and whether she.
Speaker 2: Won the awards or nothing, you look at her and
Speaker 2: you just when you think of acting, she's one of
Speaker 2: the people you think about.
Speaker 1: And when I think, I me Davon.
Speaker 2: When I think of the challenge, She's one of the
Speaker 2: first people to come into my mind.
Speaker 1: And we have, right, we have all these.
Speaker 2: Great people that have come in after her, absolutely and
Speaker 2: have won way more, and that's fine. But when I
Speaker 2: think of the challenge, Carol is the first person that
Speaker 2: comes to my mind, which we.
Speaker 1: Still trying to get her. I know, Carl, I know, but.
Speaker 2: She's one of the first people to come to my mind.
Speaker 2: So when I think of my MARYL, I think, did
Speaker 2: you have time to give you Maryl?
Speaker 1: I did. People are gonna people are not gonna love,
Speaker 1: people are gonna it's gonna get black. But I'm gonna
Speaker 1: stand by it, at least for now, because I look
Speaker 1: at it as Merrill, though, has been doing this for
Speaker 1: so long, but still keeps coming back, right, Like Meryl
Speaker 1: is still in the game for a ward. You know
Speaker 1: she's been She's now generational in the work she's done,
Speaker 1: and not that this person's quite generational yet, but I
Speaker 1: feel like as well on their way, I'd argue Tory
Speaker 1: might be my maryl. I could see it. I'd say
Speaker 1: Tory might be my Meryl. And sure she doesn't win
Speaker 1: every season, but like you know, anytime she shows up,
Speaker 1: she's gonna show out, you know what I mean, Like
Speaker 1: she went, car you know, take you up out of here,
Speaker 1: and that, Hey, that's look. I don't say Carra's look.
Speaker 1: Carra is in. I have to think of who my
Speaker 1: who my car. Well, one comparison of Kara that I
Speaker 1: think is potential is although it's not female actress, but
Speaker 1: he's still really good. Is iron Man who Robert Downing Junior.
Speaker 1: But I need like a female version of that, But
Speaker 1: like super talented took a break because Robert did go away,
Speaker 1: Like he took a break, he sat kind of active
Speaker 1: for a minute and then came back and then was
Speaker 1: still like crushing it. And I feel like that's Kara.
Speaker 1: But I need the female version of that for Kara.
Speaker 1: That's who she is to me, Yeah, but I that's
Speaker 1: that's who I would. Okay, but well, we've think some more.
Speaker 1: We'll think of some more for ladies. I love it
Speaker 1: beat us up? Who is your they are? But look
Speaker 1: we ten toes down. You know I don't back down
Speaker 1: what I say. All right, let's do gold star in
Speaker 1: time out. I also have to give an honorable mention
Speaker 1: today to TJ's wardrobe the Black on Black Kids. Didn't
Speaker 1: he look slick? Yes? Today, it looks so good. It
Speaker 1: looked so good. Good job. I love to see it. Okay, day,
Speaker 1: who is who's getting your gold star of the Let's
Speaker 1: do and we'll do of the season when we do
Speaker 1: the reunion episode. So who's getting your gold star of
Speaker 1: the episode and your time out of the episode?
Speaker 2: All right, So I have honorable mentions? Okay, two honorable mentions.
Speaker 2: Tori and her solo song, the Up All Night Song
Speaker 2: by herself. I'm gonna give her a gold star for that.
Speaker 2: I thought it was really good to have her be
Speaker 2: that committed because I would have tapped out when everybody
Speaker 2: else went to sleep.
Speaker 1: So I give her that.
Speaker 2: And then also honorable mentioned Michelle with that the math
Speaker 2: quiz puzzle, how she kept getting last place and then
Speaker 2: she took that swim and was knocking people out of there.
Speaker 1: So I'm gonna give her honorable mention.
Speaker 2: But Ultimately, and I say this with all of the
Speaker 2: pride and the biggest smile on my face, I'm going
Speaker 2: to give my gold Star to Era four because we
Speaker 2: had the most people in the final.
Speaker 1: Whether or not we want or not.
Speaker 2: Okay, oh we did because Jenny shout out to Jenny.
Speaker 2: We had the most people in the final, so.
Speaker 1: One band one found.
Speaker 2: Okay, we make sure we got all the way there
Speaker 2: and was able to have the majority of.
Speaker 1: So likes A given to a lot of people at
Speaker 1: aerow four. Clap Barry you slow clap. My gold Star
Speaker 1: nominations would have to go down to Rachel, uh, just
Speaker 1: for for killing it and all that she was doing
Speaker 1: this season. Uh, it would have to go. A nomination
Speaker 1: would also go to Michelle for the way that she
Speaker 1: handled this final. It would go to Derek that fight.
Speaker 1: It would go Look, everybody's pretty much nominated for gold Star,
Speaker 1: quite frankly, but the winner for me, Actually, I think
Speaker 1: I'm a split it between Michelle and Derek. Well look
Speaker 1: at here, I know split bot because split Derek. I
Speaker 1: really do think his placing it just says so much
Speaker 1: of how he was underestimated just as a person and
Speaker 1: a competitor and it's a reminder still of what makes
Speaker 1: the challenge great is like, sure, it's about athleticism and
Speaker 1: all of that, it is America's fit sport, but it's
Speaker 1: about heart too, Like it's about tenacity, it's about finding
Speaker 1: you know, where there were and hath a will and
Speaker 1: half away and I so and I just love that
Speaker 1: so much. And similar with Michelle, Like there were moments
Speaker 1: that in watching this episode tonight, and let me know
Speaker 1: if you guys felt the same way, I literally thought, oh,
Speaker 1: well she's getting fourth, you know, or like, oh she's last.
Speaker 1: You know, we talk about the speed mething. She literally
Speaker 1: was the last one, like girl there and yet somehow
Speaker 1: if you ran to get a snack you missed it
Speaker 1: and didn't realize she got back to the boat first,
Speaker 1: like wild. So just all of that. Also just the
Speaker 1: grace with which she handled the place movement, because I
Speaker 1: think that'd be hard to take. It's just yeah, they
Speaker 1: get my gold stars, love them. I'm so proud of it.
Speaker 1: I'm proud of everyone on this season. But I just
Speaker 1: it's impeccable. Now timeouts of the week for you day,
Speaker 1: who's getting it all right?
Speaker 2: So my time outs are not going to any of
Speaker 2: the cast members. Timeouts are going to the people who
Speaker 2: created this final because why were them people in so
Speaker 2: much water? And I don't appreciate it because I didn't
Speaker 2: want to see them doing all that swim and I
Speaker 2: feel bad for them.
Speaker 1: Not a fan, not a fan, not a fan. But
Speaker 1: it was great to watch my timeouts. I'd have to
Speaker 1: agree with you. There was a lot of swimming, but
Speaker 1: it also was interesting that it was hard to know
Speaker 1: who was ahead. And I do think it's cool because
Speaker 1: not everybody's a great runner, so I liked that we
Speaker 1: got to see something different than just running the same way.
Speaker 1: Not everybody's a great swimmer, Like IM not a swim.
Speaker 1: I can swim. I've never drowned. I'm not afraid of drowning.
Speaker 1: I can swim open water, but I probably wouldn't be
Speaker 1: getting in the water twelve times and thirty six hours
Speaker 1: or whatever they were doing, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: So like, yeah, that was interesting. Yeah, and then nothing else.
Speaker 1: It's a time out because they were It was a
Speaker 1: beautiful season and a like fabulous cast. And I love
Speaker 1: that they did the recap when they showed who was
Speaker 1: giving what on Karma points. You know, I thought that
Speaker 1: was interesting, like sort of them showing Oh I'm giving
Speaker 1: so and so a five, like the little montage. It
Speaker 1: was beautiful season to watch. And yeah, I'm proud of everyone,
Speaker 1: and I hope they're proud of themselves. And Challenge forty
Speaker 1: did the dang thing. He did the dang thing. But
Speaker 1: it's not over. It's never over. We have some more
Speaker 1: episodes coming up because you're not gonna want to miss
Speaker 1: the reunion of course, and you know we're going to
Speaker 1: talk about it. And also we have one of the
Speaker 1: champs from season forty right here. That is right, we
Speaker 1: have the one, the only, Rachel Robinson. Go, get your weights,
Speaker 1: get your yoga mat, put on your workout gear, get ready,
Speaker 1: because you're not gonna want to miss her thoughts on
Speaker 1: the season, what she learned, why she's popping off and
Speaker 1: everybody social media all thing. Go and talk to Rachu
Speaker 1: in a moment when come back. So make sure you
Speaker 1: go go anywhere and'll be right back after this. Friends,
Speaker 1: we are so incredibly excited because we have one of
Speaker 1: the season forty champs here with us today. Please give
Speaker 1: it up for the reigning queen not only of Season forty,
Speaker 1: but also of Era one. What's up? Rachel? WHOA? What
Speaker 1: is up?
Speaker 3: Ladies? You know they're waiting to get on this podcast.
Speaker 1: We wait for you at the dough.
Speaker 3: Okay, I have been waiting.
Speaker 1: We've been waiting for you.
Speaker 2: You've had such an amazing season, Rachel. My goodness, like
Speaker 2: your ERA was wiped out so early, girl, and you
Speaker 2: have been carrying your Era by yourself on your back
Speaker 2: all season?
Speaker 4: How was I mean, listen, I was very conscious of
Speaker 4: the fact that I was carrying, you know, the weight
Speaker 4: of the Era on my shoulders. It felt like we
Speaker 4: I didn't want us to be the butt of the joke.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 4: It was kind of like everyone had their own opinion
Speaker 4: on why we were not more successful, and I just
Speaker 4: felt that I know how strong we are, I know
Speaker 4: what a backbone we are in this franchise, and how
Speaker 4: important it is, and really how the entire thing was
Speaker 4: built on our personalities, and I'm like, you know what,
Speaker 4: I'm not going to let us just kind of go down.
Speaker 4: I mean, I just remember thinking to myself how terrible
Speaker 4: it would be if there was no Era one in
Speaker 4: the final, And you know, it was a weight that
Speaker 4: I definitely was happy to carry. I was very, very
Speaker 4: blessed and aware of the privilege I had been given
Speaker 4: to represent Erawon because to me, Erawan is made up
Speaker 4: of some of the biggest names that you will till
Speaker 4: this day if you think about the challenge, you will
Speaker 4: say the names of Erawan for the most part, like
Speaker 4: it probably will be like seven.
Speaker 3: Out of the ten names, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4: So I just feel like there was no way I
Speaker 4: could let us go down to the zero.
Speaker 1: Did you struggle at any point with because at one point,
Speaker 1: I mean we mentioned you're back against the wall. It
Speaker 1: really was all writing on you, like and so early.
Speaker 1: I mean we see and not just for the women,
Speaker 1: for the men too. We see See t go, We
Speaker 1: see Derek go, Like it's yeah, did you ever have
Speaker 1: a moment where you were doubting yourself or just kind
Speaker 1: of fearful of you know what was happening?
Speaker 4: Listen when it was when I saw the lineup of
Speaker 4: targets being me, Tory, Casey, and Laurel, I knew that
Speaker 4: that was the one I had to get out of,
Speaker 4: Like I remember going. I mean, I can read my journal,
Speaker 4: I actually go back and read it sometimes because I
Speaker 4: just find it's those moments where you're writing before you
Speaker 4: know what the outcome is going to be, you know,
Speaker 4: And literally in my journal the night before, I'm talking myself.
Speaker 4: I'm saying to myself, if you get through this one, Rachel,
Speaker 4: you're gonna be Okay, this is the one you have
Speaker 4: to get through. And I think that anyone as a
Speaker 4: successful challenger, someone who has really made it to the end,
Speaker 4: and you know, you know that there's this moment in
Speaker 4: the game that is going to have such a huge
Speaker 4: effect on the outcome. And that was that target round
Speaker 4: for me. And I remember thinking, I think everyone kind
Speaker 4: of banked on the fact that if they took and
Speaker 4: I also think it became a strategy for some people.
Speaker 4: I think that as our era started going down in numbers,
Speaker 4: other eras thought, if we just take Era one down
Speaker 4: to the bones, they'll have to.
Speaker 3: Switch this to individual sooner than do you know what
Speaker 3: I mean.
Speaker 4: Yeah, So I remember everyone just being like, Okay, well,
Speaker 4: they're not going to actually expect Rachel to compete alone,
Speaker 4: and it's not going to make sense because she won't
Speaker 4: have a male counterpart for the arena, So of course
Speaker 4: it's going to go individual.
Speaker 3: So let's take eraone down to one person.
Speaker 1: You know, was there anyone in those conversations too you
Speaker 1: had considered to be an ally that maybe you were
Speaker 1: surprised that they were on board with kind of that plan.
Speaker 4: I mean, I think that I think the people listen
Speaker 4: I had, I had, surprisingly and it's actually a beautiful,
Speaker 4: you know, story to the entire challenge is that I
Speaker 4: really did have a lot of support when it came
Speaker 4: to especially when I was by myself. Even if you
Speaker 4: look at Tory's face when I win alone, Granted she's
Speaker 4: going right into the arena, but she's so happy.
Speaker 3: Yea, she turns and collapse, you know.
Speaker 4: You know, Jenny was always Jenny was such an outsider
Speaker 4: but had such a unique look on the game, And
Speaker 4: that's why I gravitated towards her, because I like people
Speaker 4: who aren't obsessed with the game and can kind of
Speaker 4: just look at it from you know. It was refreshing,
Speaker 4: I'll say, to be around someone who was like, whatever,
Speaker 4: I'll go in or I don't give.
Speaker 3: A shit what I you know, I'll do this, I'll
Speaker 3: do that.
Speaker 4: I like people who aren't scared to make kind of
Speaker 4: moves in the game that are going to have ripple
Speaker 4: effects that could potentially come back at them, but they're just.
Speaker 3: So oblivious and they're like, Okay, let's just do it,
Speaker 3: you know. And that's what Jenny was to me.
Speaker 4: So I kind of gravitated to her because I was like,
Speaker 4: I like that, you're willing to go against the grain.
Speaker 3: And that's kind of always been me.
Speaker 4: If you even look at my past seasons when I was,
Speaker 4: you know, successful or unsuccessful, it's like there's always been
Speaker 4: a part of me that, you know, did my own
Speaker 4: thing or did something that kind of tried to throw
Speaker 4: a wrench in the.
Speaker 3: Game, right, So, so I knew that that was the
Speaker 3: moment to win.
Speaker 4: I knew that if I could get out of that,
Speaker 4: and I mean, it was like a dream come true.
Speaker 4: I mean, I've done obviously, I've had enough time to
Speaker 4: reflect on it. But as soon as TJ said math
Speaker 4: and a last man's standing type of competition where it
Speaker 4: was hanging, I said to myself, I've got a shot here,
Speaker 4: you know, And I believed in it and I knew
Speaker 4: I could do it, and I was quiet. I didn't
Speaker 4: tell anyone what my strategy was. I didn't tell anyone
Speaker 4: where I was positioned inside the rock wall. I didn't
Speaker 4: tell anyone anything, which is also experience, because what people
Speaker 4: don't realize is that a lot of times you share
Speaker 4: too much. Don't share with your enemies, you know what
Speaker 4: I mean, like, don't tell other people what they need
Speaker 4: to be doing to win.
Speaker 1: Keep yourself okay really quick because that you bring up
Speaker 1: a good point though, because I hear you on that.
Speaker 1: But I actually feel like a lot this season, particularly
Speaker 1: towards these last few episodes, we did see a lot
Speaker 1: of support and sharing sometime, and encouragement, sometimes the same gender,
Speaker 1: same gender, sometimes across gender, like Kylin helping Michelle up
Speaker 1: on the platform. What was it I think Tory at
Speaker 1: one point, or maybe it was Michelle had given some
Speaker 1: of the girls inside of with the puzzle at the
Speaker 1: beginning of the final last week the barrel, Yeah exactly,
Speaker 1: and she had the barrel upside there or something she like,
Speaker 1: basically she gave a tip, being like, oh, it's this one.
Speaker 1: We just saw a lot of this, like support with
Speaker 1: people who are arguably enemies. I'm using air quotes because
Speaker 1: they're you know, competing in the final and given your
Speaker 1: karma votes, which we'll get into later, but I have
Speaker 1: to imagine people felt supported by you in some way
Speaker 1: because people liked it.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I play a pretty level headed, up
Speaker 4: front game. So what I mean by that is that
Speaker 4: I'm not trying to do something to somebody that they
Speaker 4: don't see coming. Yeah, if I'm gonna do something, it's
Speaker 4: gonna be in front of your face, it's not behind
Speaker 4: your back.
Speaker 3: And I think that for me that works very well.
Speaker 4: I also really do I really did mean it when
Speaker 4: I said to Jordan, like, we play a similar game
Speaker 4: in the sense that I also don't make any I've
Speaker 4: also done this game long enough to not make a
Speaker 4: promise I don't know I can keep, and so I
Speaker 4: don't come in trying to like be buddy buddy with everybody.
Speaker 3: I'm not that insecure anymore.
Speaker 4: I don't need to hang out till three am making
Speaker 4: friends with people who at the end of the day
Speaker 4: may or may not even have your back, regardless of
Speaker 4: you being three am at the pool of gam You know,
Speaker 4: these are the kind of things that people do though,
Speaker 4: when they show up and they're not comfortable. So I
Speaker 4: was really about getting with the first Obviously, winning the
Speaker 4: first you know, Era Invitational put me in a status
Speaker 4: in the game that really does matter. I mean, when
Speaker 4: you win something like that right off the gate, people
Speaker 4: are like, okay, you came to play, you know, and
Speaker 4: then winning alone and showing kind of the entire house
Speaker 4: that not only did I have, you know, obviously the
Speaker 4: last man standing, or not even was I strong enough
Speaker 4: or smart enough, but I was confident enough to compete
Speaker 4: as an individual and be successful. I think that after
Speaker 4: that happened in the game went individual between us. I
Speaker 4: had every guy coming up to me like, Racheld, do
Speaker 4: you want to work together?
Speaker 3: And I was like, I literally felt like I was
Speaker 3: a bachelorette.
Speaker 1: I was like, yeah, I'm gonna go.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna give you a rose.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you a rose.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna give you a rose.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 4: And but my point is is that I didn't tell
Speaker 4: people that I knew I couldn't have their back, that
Speaker 4: I had their back, and that was also smart because
Speaker 4: I knew I.
Speaker 3: Can't tell Kylin. And I was very upfront with him
Speaker 3: when he approached me.
Speaker 4: I was like, listen, I'd love to work with you,
Speaker 4: but the truth is is that I, I number wise,
Speaker 4: can't make you that many promises right now, you know.
Speaker 4: And he respected me because of that. So later in
Speaker 4: the game, when the numbers did dwindle and there was opportunity,
Speaker 4: we did have a discussion. Yeah, going into the final
Speaker 4: target day for women, I had obviously Johnny who would
Speaker 4: have had my back. I had Jordan, and I also
Speaker 4: had Kylin because I knew I knew the second Michelle
Speaker 4: and Tory were not targets, I had an opportunity to
Speaker 4: take their men. Yeah, because they don't have to worry
Speaker 4: now about And these are the kind of ways that
Speaker 4: people that are strategically.
Speaker 3: Smart in this game can can see it.
Speaker 4: It's like sometimes when people don't play like this, I'm like,
Speaker 4: what game are you playing?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 4: Because the second I saw Michelle and Tory off the
Speaker 4: table for targets, I said, all right, I'm going straight
Speaker 4: to Jordan.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: But the second I saw the Bananas was off the
Speaker 4: target list because it was going to be Jenny or
Speaker 4: Revive picking, what did I say, I'm going to go
Speaker 4: slividify the fact that Jordan knows I have.
Speaker 3: My I have his back, right, So I went straight
Speaker 3: to him and said, Jordan, listen, I want you to.
Speaker 4: Know that if I win this next Guy's Day, you know,
Speaker 4: Arena Day, that I'm gonna save you because I don't
Speaker 4: have to worry about Johnny if he ends up in there,
Speaker 4: because he's he lost, you know, and he's not ending
Speaker 4: up in there because there's anybody picking him at this point.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: So those were the kind of things that I was doing,
Speaker 4: and I don't think other people in the game were doing.
Speaker 1: We're as strategic about that. And speaking of strategic, though,
Speaker 1: you did strategically align yourself. You mentioned it a second ago,
Speaker 1: but with Bananas as a part of Banana's angels, and
Speaker 1: you know, you and Jenny made it together as sort
Speaker 1: of a part of.
Speaker 4: An a line, right, that's a that's a tough heat
Speaker 4: to take. Let me tell you, I didn't like shit. Man,
Speaker 4: you really fucking win my game now, you know. Banana
Speaker 4: was like, can you just, like, you know, be the
Speaker 4: guy I know you are?
Speaker 1: Why? How do you think do you think his feud
Speaker 1: was putting your game at risk? Tell me a little
Speaker 1: bit more about what you mean by that with him
Speaker 1: f and up your game.
Speaker 4: The thing is about Johnny is that like, once you
Speaker 4: know him, which I'm sure maybe the two of you
Speaker 4: like have know him, I'm not sure what.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Bananas is the reason why I ever did the
Speaker 1: real world or the challenge is because I met Bananas
Speaker 1: fifteen years ago.
Speaker 4: So yeah, okay, So like, once you know him, right,
Speaker 4: he happens to be very funny, you know, even like
Speaker 4: when you're trying maybe if he's saying something that's inappropriate,
Speaker 4: but he still can be like very very funny. And
Speaker 4: also once you know him, you know most of the
Speaker 4: things that come out of his mouth are to be funny.
Speaker 4: They're not necessarily you know, you can't take them pound
Speaker 4: for pound, exactly, like you can't.
Speaker 3: Take it too serious.
Speaker 4: If you take what Johnny says too serious, you're gonna
Speaker 4: end up only messing up your own game because you're
Speaker 4: gonna bother yourself because trust me, he's never gonna bother himself.
Speaker 4: Yeah you know, so I've learned that over the course
Speaker 4: of my challenge career. And the truth is is that
Speaker 4: when Johnny and I showed up for this challenge forty,
Speaker 4: I really wanted to bury the past. I wanted to
Speaker 4: come in fresh, and honestly, he's at a place in
Speaker 4: his life where he also came in totally different than
Speaker 4: he had been in the past. He wasn't interested in
Speaker 4: partying too hard, He was really funny. He had my
Speaker 4: back in every situation that you know he needed. If
Speaker 4: you watch closely, you know, you see him even in
Speaker 4: the final, like he shrugs my shoulders or he's you know,
Speaker 4: and those kind of things are just so important when
Speaker 4: you're in these games. So we just gravitated naturally towards
Speaker 4: each other. And because of women and men working together
Speaker 4: to win, we really were able to work together, you know.
Speaker 4: And I think in the past, especially for him and myself,
Speaker 4: there was never a reason for us to work together
Speaker 4: on the island or on Ex's. It wasn't ever there.
Speaker 4: The opportunity wasn't there. But this had a very This
Speaker 4: had a very specific goal, and that was men had
Speaker 4: to align themselves with strong women, and strong women had
Speaker 4: to align themselves with strong men. You know, they in
Speaker 4: my eyes, they really wanted the best of the best
Speaker 4: to make it to the end.
Speaker 1: Rachel, did you feel like you guys were aligned because
Speaker 1: you were touching toes most of the season. Is that
Speaker 1: the thing that strengthened that connection in that bond.
Speaker 4: You know, what what brought Johnny and I closer, to
Speaker 4: be honest, was Aviv. Because Aviv was my best friend.
Speaker 1: And outside of the house, was that like before the show,
Speaker 1: were you Viv super super close before even going into
Speaker 1: this house or she became your best friend like while
Speaker 1: in the house.
Speaker 3: No, I never met Aviv before. Wow, really, so I
Speaker 3: never knew Aviv.
Speaker 4: We got Tina called me right before we left and
Speaker 4: she's like, you're gonna love Aviv.
Speaker 3: She's on this season. She just got put on. Just
Speaker 3: get ready, you know. And then we showed up.
Speaker 4: And as the game started progressing, I would find myself
Speaker 4: talking to Aviv more and more and more. And then
Speaker 4: as Tina and you know, everyone in my era and
Speaker 4: everyone started going home of Eve and I just kept
Speaker 4: getting closer and closer. And to be honest, I was
Speaker 4: really close with Jenny through Aviv as well, because Jenny
Speaker 4: and Avieve got really close.
Speaker 3: So Aviv was really kind of the glue.
Speaker 4: To a lot of my connections in the house that
Speaker 4: were Yeah, obviously I had Josh, I had Tory, Ryan,
Speaker 4: I had you know, I had Kara to who I
Speaker 4: was close with before showing up, you know, so there
Speaker 4: were people that I knew before I came into the house,
Speaker 4: but the newer connections I think definitely it was really
Speaker 4: meant to be like, they all kind of came together,
Speaker 4: and I don't even and I really do believe it
Speaker 4: when I say it, I don't really call us an alliance.
Speaker 4: That's why you couldn't really give us the numbers and
Speaker 4: be like turn on each other because you know, he
Speaker 4: can't protect three women or he can't protect two women.
Speaker 4: You know, because at that point, it wasn't even about
Speaker 4: an alliance. It was about a friendship. And you're not
Speaker 4: going to say to you You're not going to say
Speaker 4: to a friend, hey, listen, I know your best friend
Speaker 4: can't save both of you, but if you were with me,
Speaker 4: I can put you number one, So come to my side.
Speaker 4: You're not gonna say to your best friend, hey right away,
Speaker 4: like I'm gonna go ride with this person because they
Speaker 4: can make me their only number one.
Speaker 3: No for friendships hold weight in this game, you know. Yeah,
Speaker 3: So that was that, And you.
Speaker 4: Know, I think you can definitely tell how much it
Speaker 4: meant to all of us to see Jenny and I
Speaker 4: went together.
Speaker 3: You know, you can see it.
Speaker 2: The women were definitely locking in this season, the friendships,
Speaker 2: like all of the things like that, But you guys
Speaker 2: were really locking in in the game. The women dominating.
Speaker 1: They did this season. Oh my goodness, you know.
Speaker 3: It was really anyone's game.
Speaker 4: I definitely think that the women of the season, from
Speaker 4: beginning to end, the storylines were just there, and I
Speaker 4: truly believed it when you looked at the end of
Speaker 4: the show, when you looked at the final when we're
Speaker 4: sitting down at dinner, I'm like, no, nobody got here,
Speaker 4: especially the women. Nobody got here without fighting them asked off. Yeah,
Speaker 4: you know, not one person, you know. You know, Jenny
Speaker 4: was one of the women that were always at the
Speaker 4: head of the table when I was on the chamber.
Speaker 4: When I was in the chamber, I think maybe two
Speaker 4: out of three or maybe three out of four times.
Speaker 4: I'm not sure how many times I'd been in there,
Speaker 4: but like Jenny was always sitting at the head of
Speaker 4: the table, and Jenny was always making.
Speaker 3: Sure I got what I want.
Speaker 1: M hmm.
Speaker 4: She really was, Like I would say to her, listen,
Speaker 4: I want John Nay in there with me. I want
Speaker 4: Avery in there with me, you know, And she made
Speaker 4: that happen for me. And I would have never felt
Speaker 4: right going from third place to first place and putting
Speaker 4: Jenny in second place. That would have that that scenario
Speaker 4: would not have felt right for me. So this was
Speaker 4: the perfect storm for us both to share the championship.
Speaker 1: You know, Okay, let's get into that then we're because
Speaker 1: I do have questions about Karma vote. I have questions,
Speaker 1: and I know, okay, before the outcome happened, what were
Speaker 1: your thoughts about the Karma vote? Were you for that
Speaker 1: when you first learned there might there would be one?
Speaker 1: Were you all about that or were you kind of like, hmm,
Speaker 1: that's efing with my game. I like to have the
Speaker 1: power on my own.
Speaker 3: No.
Speaker 4: I knew it was gonna be a good thing for me,
Speaker 4: like I I should be okay, But there were moments,
Speaker 4: like I remember the first day of the final, there
Speaker 4: were moments where I would look at Toy and she
Speaker 4: would look at me, and we basically just felt like
Speaker 4: we were clawing for the third place.
Speaker 3: Like it was because it was.
Speaker 4: So hard to get to any checkpoint before Jenny and Michelle.
Speaker 4: They were just so fast in the water, you know,
Speaker 4: So that was definitely something that we both had to overcome.
Speaker 4: But I knew as soon as they gave us the overnighter,
Speaker 4: I was like, Oh, I'm count this money and.
Speaker 3: I'm onna be all right.
Speaker 4: And as second Tory told me what her number was,
Speaker 4: when she was like six, nine hundred and ninety eight.
Speaker 3: I was like, yeah, that's definitely not it.
Speaker 1: Tory was tired the fact that she was almost a
Speaker 1: thousand off for Tory. Tory was tired.
Speaker 4: We started comparing numbers before we went to bed, and
Speaker 4: that's when I knew that I was very close to
Speaker 4: you know, everyone else's Like, I knew I had it right.
Speaker 4: I knew I was going to be first place, but
Speaker 4: it was funny to hear other people's numbers.
Speaker 2: You know, how did you feel with these karma votes
Speaker 2: if you were in Michelle's shoes?
Speaker 4: You know, I think we'll see Michelle back. So many
Speaker 4: times I don't. I think Michelle will be back. I
Speaker 4: was very very I had a lot of I was
Speaker 4: sensitive for her. I felt like I knew that that
Speaker 4: was a tough pill to swallow, but I also.
Speaker 3: Wanted to explain to her.
Speaker 4: I'm like, well, listen, Michelle, you're gonna show up at
Speaker 4: the final like you couldn't have had a better final,
Speaker 4: you know, let's be honest. Had it been running or
Speaker 4: had it been something different, maybe there would have been
Speaker 4: different placements. In the actual final, but this was the
Speaker 4: perfect final for her to show her strengths, and I
Speaker 4: would be more excited about showing how strong you are.
Speaker 4: I mean, at the end of the day, it was
Speaker 4: a difference of fifty grand, which is a lot of money,
Speaker 4: but it's not like three hundred grand.
Speaker 3: But it's the.
Speaker 1: Play, I mean, true, but it's the placement in the
Speaker 1: fact that, well, one, I don't know how she managed
Speaker 1: to get last in speed math and still get back
Speaker 1: to the boat before that and of itself was wild.
Speaker 1: And I mean on the math, yeah, when she the
Speaker 1: speed math, how she was stuck an eyelid, that that was.
Speaker 3: The performance when I was like, I put my hands
Speaker 3: up for you.
Speaker 4: Like yeah, because like she literally showed how much heart
Speaker 4: she has.
Speaker 3: Yeah, h she could have a hundred.
Speaker 4: I mean I got in the water way sooner than her,
Speaker 4: you know, and right at the last minute, it was
Speaker 4: literally like five strokes from getting to the boat, and
Speaker 4: she got there first. And that was all hard. So
Speaker 4: I said to her, you know what, you deserve that.
Speaker 4: But at the end, when it all was said and done,
Speaker 4: I remember those moments happening and me thinking in my head, Rachel,
Speaker 4: why didn't you go harder.
Speaker 3: Why didn't you go harder? You would have went harder,
Speaker 3: you would have gotten that second place, you know.
Speaker 4: And then when I've realized that Jenny and I tied,
Speaker 4: I literally said, thank god you didn't go harder, because
Speaker 4: I would not want to take that from Jenny. So
Speaker 4: I knew there was God's plan in the final, is
Speaker 4: what I'm trying to say, Like there was a plan
Speaker 4: on that sometimes you can't fight destiny. There was something
Speaker 4: bigger happening, because had Jenny placed one point different up
Speaker 4: or down, or I placed one point different up or
Speaker 4: down on the final, we would not have tied. I mean,
Speaker 4: the producers could not even believe it had.
Speaker 1: Happened, or if Michelle, because just for to remind people what,
Speaker 1: I have the final votes here, and it's really wild.
Speaker 1: So Jenny had twenty four total points, Rachel, you also
Speaker 1: had twenty four total points. Michelle had twenty three total points,
Speaker 1: and Tory had nineteen, which means it's not even just
Speaker 1: the karma. Wasn't even just a went from second to
Speaker 1: third place. It's a one more point. She too would
Speaker 1: have been tied. For imagine they.
Speaker 3: Were like, guys, we have three winners.
Speaker 1: I I you know, I it was a beautiful season,
Speaker 1: a beautiful final. I'm not gonna lie. Seeing how that
Speaker 1: played out creates producers fart, It creates a world of emotion.
Speaker 1: I I had messaged Michelle just saying she did an
Speaker 1: exceptional job and she seems to be handling it with
Speaker 1: such grace. But day, how would you be if you
Speaker 1: were Michelle? She's and that, yeah, yeah, this is her.
Speaker 3: First final though, And this is the thing about the challenge.
Speaker 1: But Ray, you say that like it's you say that
Speaker 1: like it's a guarant Do you know why people compete?
Speaker 1: I know, you know that don't ever make the final.
Speaker 1: And I mean, while I agree Michelle's a powerhouse, I
Speaker 1: actually was surprised she hadn't made one before. Still the
Speaker 1: assumption that, like, ah, she's got time, she'll make it.
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think anyone in the moment feels
Speaker 1: that when they've made it that far right, Like I.
Speaker 3: Think, yeah, No, I mean, listen, I feel for Michelle.
Speaker 4: I feel for Michelle, but like I don't feel for
Speaker 4: her enough to like want to take away my first place.
Speaker 1: You know what I mean, Well, we're not asking you
Speaker 1: to to give you ready, And I respect that so much,
Speaker 1: Rach Like, no, totally. It's more just how wild this
Speaker 1: ended up, not only that it was so close and
Speaker 1: it was a neck and neck race to watch, because
Speaker 1: standing up there, even without Karra points, it was sort
Speaker 1: of hard to assess who would be first, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean, Like it wasn't such an obvious.
Speaker 3: Like yeah, that's the thing about the women.
Speaker 4: It's like we'd come in like someone would come in first,
Speaker 4: and then the next one they'd come in fourth.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then the next one they'd come in like whatever. Right, Yeah,
Speaker 3: I was probably the most consistent in the sense that
Speaker 3: I had pretty much that third place on lock and
Speaker 3: then I had that first, and then I had that
Speaker 3: second right on the last checkpoints.
Speaker 4: So those were really what put me over the edge.
Speaker 4: But as far as everyone else and Jenny, Jenny really
Speaker 4: did have a lot of first place.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I think Jenny was like the pretty clear.
Speaker 4: Would get first and then fourth, and then first and
Speaker 4: then fourth, you know. So it was interesting to watch
Speaker 4: the women for sure.
Speaker 1: Well again, if we're looking at the numbers just based
Speaker 1: off performance, so again this is removing karma. Jenny was
Speaker 1: the clear winner with twenty two, but then Michelle was
Speaker 1: not far behind her with nineteen, so about three points off,
Speaker 1: and then you were about three points from that was sixteen,
Speaker 1: and then race was about three points and thirteen and
Speaker 1: just for those listening or sorry, Tory was three points
Speaker 1: behind that. I didn't Okay, to be fair, I didn't
Speaker 1: realize the Karma vote would have TJ said it counted
Speaker 1: as what two checkpoints or so, Yeah, I didn't realize
Speaker 1: it would have that much weight. It was huge.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean Karma they said was worth double so crazy.
Speaker 4: They really wanted movement, you know, they really wanted Karma
Speaker 4: to come into play, and they really want movement on
Speaker 4: the placements. And I think that we just delivered. You know,
Speaker 4: I really think it delivered in the way that it
Speaker 4: was meant to. And that's all.
Speaker 3: I mean. Anybody who's going to question anything, this is
Speaker 3: the way the game works.
Speaker 1: You know. All right, we've got to take a quick break,
Speaker 1: but you know we will be right back after this. Okay,
Speaker 1: let's get back to the show. What was the hardest
Speaker 1: part of this final for you?
Speaker 4: You know, obviously just the the exhaustion of just you
Speaker 4: can imagine how long those swims are and it's not
Speaker 4: like I think Tory mentions it it's not just free
Speaker 4: standing water where you're just you know, swimming in it
Speaker 4: and you know exactly how much distance you have to go.
Speaker 4: We would jump in, swim to wherever we needed to go,
Speaker 4: and when we had to swim back, sometimes the boat
Speaker 4: would move.
Speaker 3: The boat would move like back more down further.
Speaker 4: I remember, you know, I have to say the submersion
Speaker 4: ones were it was like putting icing on the cake.
Speaker 4: It was like, Okay, not only do you have to
Speaker 4: swim to where you're going, but now you have to
Speaker 4: hold your breath and go underwater for a long period
Speaker 4: of time. So for me that was also kind of
Speaker 4: like are we kidding right now? And that's what those
Speaker 4: were two of them, because we had to do that
Speaker 4: under the boat for memory, and we need to do
Speaker 4: that with the key with the cage, so those, you know,
Speaker 4: I think it was just I remember towards the third
Speaker 4: swim of the first day, there was a moment where
Speaker 4: I was just like, this is not normal.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not.
Speaker 4: Sure how much I have left in me. So those
Speaker 4: were the moments where it really does. That's when kind
Speaker 4: of us all being together comes into play. And I
Speaker 4: think that's why you see people help each other on
Speaker 4: this final, Yeah, because it was so hard that all
Speaker 4: you wanted to do was just finish. You didn't really
Speaker 4: at some point the placements, yes, they're in your mind,
Speaker 4: but at some point it almost becomes secondary to just
Speaker 4: magging it back to the boat.
Speaker 1: Girl, you prea quiet in those moments because you're such
Speaker 1: a kick ass woman and people see you as so
Speaker 1: incredibly strong. You have an exceptional fitness business, and you're
Speaker 1: in great shape. You're great mom, great partner, all these things.
Speaker 1: People love you. But in a moment like to hear
Speaker 1: you say something like where you even had a moment
Speaker 1: where you kind of doubted yourself Because I think it's
Speaker 1: something we all deal with, but it's easy to forget
Speaker 1: other people deal with it, right, So sometimes you feel
Speaker 1: like you're the only one. What is something that you
Speaker 1: say or that has helped you in a moment where
Speaker 1: you're questioning do I have what it takes? Or like
Speaker 1: how do I keep going?
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm one of those people where it's also
Speaker 3: and if you look at me in the final, it's
Speaker 3: almost like I'm in a zone like I don't even
Speaker 3: want to think about what I have to do. I
Speaker 3: don't even want to talk about it.
Speaker 4: Like people would come back to the to the sinister
Speaker 4: and they would start like joking or talking or you know, chatting.
Speaker 4: I was not chatting. I was like, let me hold
Speaker 4: on to my thing. I'm not talking to anybody. So
Speaker 4: I think for me, what I do is I go
Speaker 4: like internally, like I just I don't want to talk.
Speaker 4: I don't want to be I don't want to waste
Speaker 4: any of my energy. I'm being social right now. I
Speaker 4: want to just get done what I have to get done.
Speaker 4: So I think, you know, as far as for me,
Speaker 4: I just go into work mode and goal oriented. So
Speaker 4: it's like, Okay, how am I going to get through this? Well,
Speaker 4: I'm going to just get through it, you know, I'm
Speaker 4: not going to think about it and I'm going to
Speaker 4: just do it. So I think for me, my strategy
Speaker 4: in getting through probably the majority of the challenge is
Speaker 4: don't think about it, just do it.
Speaker 3: So that's kind of the way I do it. In
Speaker 3: terms of the final.
Speaker 4: I didn't find that you know, Yes, there were moments
Speaker 4: where we had to jump into the water, and I
Speaker 4: did think I was going to hit my breaking point,
Speaker 4: but I also was focused enough to know what I
Speaker 4: had in front of me, and I just was I
Speaker 4: was never going to quit, you know. And I think
Speaker 4: that that's probably for me personally watching me in the
Speaker 4: final and not knowing how it was going to work
Speaker 4: out for me. I think that was probably the most
Speaker 4: surprising thing for me to watch as being me, is
Speaker 4: that even though I got that first fourth place, or
Speaker 4: even though Jenny and Michelle were kind of much better swimmers, right,
Speaker 4: I never gave up. I always thought there was something that,
Speaker 4: you know, I could do, or something was going to happen,
Speaker 4: or even with Tori because she was extremely strong. But
Speaker 4: you know when we get to that puzzle at the
Speaker 4: same time and she messes up and has to run back, Yeah,
Speaker 4: you know that was me being like strategic. I was like, okay,
Speaker 4: I'm in a trail tory and then I'm gonna see
Speaker 4: what happens with this, you know. And as soon as
Speaker 4: she messed up, I knew, okay, let me get this
Speaker 4: puzzle right and take off to the boat, you know.
Speaker 4: So there were just different moments where you had to
Speaker 4: just keep on going. And I would say for anyone
Speaker 4: out there that is, you know, not thinking you can
Speaker 4: do something or not seeing the end in sight, don't
Speaker 4: think about it. Just get the goals done, do what
Speaker 4: you think you need to do to get there, and
Speaker 4: then get there because that's kind of the only thing
Speaker 4: you can do.
Speaker 3: You have no choice.
Speaker 2: You know, getting there was stressful, Okay, it was stressful.
Speaker 2: I know it was stressful. And we train, right, y'all train.
Speaker 2: I don't do y'all train when y'all go, you're ready
Speaker 2: to go on the show. But how do you prepare
Speaker 2: for a complete water based final? Like I was prepared
Speaker 2: to see y'all running, like doing all the things, but
Speaker 2: y'all were in that water.
Speaker 1: Ariel was alive and whale Like, how was that?
Speaker 4: I think the best part about the way that the
Speaker 4: final went down is that we didn't have any water challenges,
Speaker 4: so the only one we had was the one right
Speaker 4: before the final, well two before, but the last male
Speaker 4: elimination right that was the first time any of us
Speaker 4: had seen each other in the water swimming, and I
Speaker 4: think the irony to it is that Tory and I
Speaker 4: were the top two women that day, So really, like,
Speaker 4: you really can't call these things because if you were
Speaker 4: to base the final off of who was going to
Speaker 4: win that specific challenge. You would think Tory would be
Speaker 4: more successful because she won the swimming competition, and only
Speaker 4: because they let us know how close we were. I
Speaker 4: think I was like eight seconds or seven seconds off
Speaker 4: of her that day, which is another reason why you
Speaker 4: see me so devastating when I lose, because I knew
Speaker 4: how close we were, and then they let us know.
Speaker 4: They were like listen Rachel, Like I think they told
Speaker 4: Tory and her otf They're like, you know that you
Speaker 4: only beat Rachel by like seven or eight seconds, and
Speaker 4: she was like wow, you.
Speaker 3: Know, so that was just one of those moments where
Speaker 3: we're so close.
Speaker 4: But it's just ironic that then they go from no
Speaker 4: swimming challenges. You would think you'd want to weed out
Speaker 4: the worst swimmers, but for this final, which I think
Speaker 4: in hindsight, for Kara, she's definitely thankful.
Speaker 1: Yes, she said that on the podcast. She was happy
Speaker 1: to me like, no, one's not thankful for Megan to
Speaker 1: the final, but she if there was one for her
Speaker 1: not to make, she has said that like, yeah, you know,
Speaker 1: I think she even said she said something to Tory
Speaker 1: kind of like you did me a favor by like
Speaker 1: not having to.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I mean That was probably why they
Speaker 4: gave them what they did as the elimination as well,
Speaker 4: because they knew they had to start now really making
Speaker 4: sure whoever was in the final could handle this.
Speaker 1: I mean, that was so diabolical because or must have
Speaker 1: been sore as hell by the time you guys actually
Speaker 1: started the final having done that just you know, hours before.
Speaker 1: I feel like that was so diabolical. I mean cool
Speaker 1: to watch, but diabolical.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I think her stomach was a little
Speaker 4: upset because what ends up happening when you spend this
Speaker 4: much time in the water and you're swimming in open water,
Speaker 4: Which was what I was going to point out actually
Speaker 4: when we were talking about it, is that swimming in
Speaker 4: open water is so different because, like Derek said, I
Speaker 4: think he says it, you think you're going to take
Speaker 4: a breath, but then the wave comes up and right
Speaker 4: swallowing saltwater. And anyone who's ever swim in open water
Speaker 4: salt water will tell you it takes your breath away,
Speaker 4: like it almost closes up your throat if you swallow saltwater.
Speaker 4: So that was really a factor in swimming. I mean,
Speaker 4: there there's no way anyone could have prepared for this
Speaker 4: final except going on a boat, going out to the
Speaker 4: middle of the ocean and jumping off the boat and
Speaker 4: swimming countless miles in the ocean. And thankfully for Jordan,
Speaker 4: he obviously does this in his spare time.
Speaker 2: My goodness, but in an amvement part yeah, like, yeah.
Speaker 4: I know, it's kind of funny when they do the
Speaker 4: like overshot, like the drone shot, and you just see
Speaker 4: him and it's like, you know, I didn't feel like
Speaker 4: he was that far ahead of us at some point,
Speaker 4: but then when you see it in.
Speaker 3: The water, You're like, Wow, this guy's just flying.
Speaker 1: It's so I mean, I actually feel like they included
Speaker 1: him talking about the rowing just to get rid of
Speaker 1: rumors that Jordan is a robot. Like I feel like
Speaker 1: they just added that in because we know good making humans,
Speaker 1: because Jordan is just Banana said it best. But he
Speaker 1: was like, I'm getting in the water and I realized
Speaker 1: Jordan's already on land, like I was already on land,
Speaker 1: Like Jordan's just Jordan's Jordan's.
Speaker 3: I mean, he fished his wish on this final, for sure.
Speaker 4: He's also very, very very which is one of the
Speaker 4: reasons why he is so successful. He's very good at
Speaker 4: you know, reading the directions, yeah, and going and doing it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's impressed me.
Speaker 4: He would read them. It was like you knew exactly
Speaker 4: what he was gonna do. We kind of knew what
Speaker 4: to do because he had already gotten there. So you know,
Speaker 4: he's also he just follows through. He doesn't hold back
Speaker 4: like sometimes you see people compete and you're like you
Speaker 4: almost feel like they could have went harder.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you never will say that about him. You'll never
Speaker 3: watch him compete and be like, eh, he could have
Speaker 3: done a little.
Speaker 1: I think he sees a challenge like any sort of
Speaker 1: challenge in life, and sees it as the same way
Speaker 1: a cat sees a dangling toy. Like I feel like
Speaker 1: Jordan sees something that's hard and it's like haha, all right,
Speaker 1: like that literally, yeah, I feel like that like ignites him.
Speaker 1: It's like a cat following a laser pointer or something.
Speaker 3: And so yeah, I mean he's he definitely had one
Speaker 3: hell of a season.
Speaker 1: And now five wins under his belt. Like, I mean,
Speaker 1: he's coming for a banana. He's at CET's title and
Speaker 1: coming for banana and gonna do it in a quicker time.
Speaker 1: I'd argue, so.
Speaker 3: Goodness, I don't know.
Speaker 4: I think Jordan's gonna take if if I think correct,
Speaker 4: I think he's gonna take a little break.
Speaker 3: So I'm not so sure how he'll even.
Speaker 1: If it takes soon a little break, that's your point.
Speaker 1: He's gonna come back. Matter and at some point it's
Speaker 1: seven that soon. Basically, just put Jordan on two more
Speaker 1: seasons and if you make it where they're two seasons
Speaker 1: that they're individual, cool, just give them the two, like,
Speaker 1: just give him, just give them the two. It's done
Speaker 1: at that point, No, I hear you? Which is it was? Yeah,
Speaker 1: It's all just super crazy to see how did this
Speaker 1: final compare? Because you too are a multi time champ
Speaker 1: and finalists, how did this compare to other finals you've done?
Speaker 4: I mean, you can never compare this to I don't
Speaker 4: think anyone who's even been in a final, let's say,
Speaker 4: like in the last five years, to compare this final
Speaker 4: to a final.
Speaker 3: You know, it was such a unique final.
Speaker 4: But I will say I've never been more happy to
Speaker 4: have just a cushion or a bed or a sofa
Speaker 4: or you know, you take the things you take for granted,
Speaker 4: and then you live on a steel boat for two days.
Speaker 4: You'll never take for granted again. But like going back
Speaker 4: to my first challenge, I mean, my first challenge season seven,
Speaker 4: when we won, it was like an obstacle course.
Speaker 3: It took like three hours to do. You know, it
Speaker 3: was like you.
Speaker 4: Know, you did like an obstacle course and then it
Speaker 4: was like, okay, great. But that was kind of fun
Speaker 4: back then because it made it super unpredictable. You know,
Speaker 4: anyone could you really didn't have to be a triathl
Speaker 4: launch or a triathlete to win. You could kind of
Speaker 4: be good at puzzles or pull away in this department.
Speaker 4: It really even the playing field, which I kind of
Speaker 4: liked that about the past challenges. But the duel too
Speaker 4: was was the other one that I won, and that
Speaker 4: one was really hard. That one was in that that
Speaker 4: one was mountains. I remember like we had to mountain
Speaker 4: bike up mountains and do puzzles and swim across the
Speaker 4: river and you know, it was really hard. But this
Speaker 4: was before they introduced overnight, So this was my first
Speaker 4: challenge where we had to do overnight, and obviously the
Speaker 4: first one where there was a location change. Those were
Speaker 4: interesting factors. But again, if you're a challenger.
Speaker 3: You're a challenger. Doesn't matter what they throw at you.
Speaker 4: It doesn't matter if you've ever you've never done it,
Speaker 4: or you have done it, or you know what I mean.
Speaker 4: If you have this in your blood, it's like you're
Speaker 4: gonna get through it. So that's kind of how I
Speaker 4: felt about myself in this final.
Speaker 1: Well, not only did you get through it, you won.
Speaker 4: Exactly, that's right, baby, that's right, three times, three times?
Speaker 1: What?
Speaker 2: But the trophy like that has to feel so good
Speaker 2: just you as a competitor, Like I really tipped my
Speaker 2: hat to you just watching you from start to finish,
Speaker 2: because it was rough in the beginning. You held down
Speaker 2: the fort for your era and you made it all
Speaker 2: the way to the end and brought the w back
Speaker 2: for your era. And I think that is definitely something
Speaker 2: to pay attention to and to be acknowledged, Like that's
Speaker 2: super super dope. So not only as a competitor are
Speaker 2: you celebrated, you're also celebrated by the people who left
Speaker 2: the game, Like, how did it feel watching them give
Speaker 2: you those karma votes? Because for me, I was like
Speaker 2: the people loved them, Rachel, Yeah, Like how did that feel?
Speaker 4: I mean, I feel like I feel like for this win,
Speaker 4: and I'm definitely going to talk about this a lot.
Speaker 3: I feel that this is not my win, this is
Speaker 3: our win.
Speaker 4: You know, I won this because of every person who
Speaker 4: was in my corner, and I.
Speaker 3: Feel exactly like that. I feel that this this my win.
Speaker 4: My trophy is next to my name is a representation
Speaker 4: of Josh giving me a high score, Ryan giving me
Speaker 4: a high score, even Kara, which I'm happy to see
Speaker 4: that because I when we ended the game, there could
Speaker 4: have been bad blood because you know, I kind of
Speaker 4: got saved and she got sent in, and you know,
Speaker 4: to see her kind of give me a five really
Speaker 4: meant a lot.
Speaker 3: So this was a.
Speaker 4: Win in my eyes, for the for the history of
Speaker 4: the show, and that's exactly what I would hope Season
Speaker 4: forty would deliver. So that's how I feel about, you know,
Speaker 4: my win. I feel super blessed that I'm the one
Speaker 4: who gets to represent it and put the trophy next
Speaker 4: to my name and put me down as a three
Speaker 4: time champ and you know, have won three out of
Speaker 4: the five or FOURGE finals. I mean I have a
Speaker 4: pretty high percentage. I Mean, people go into finals all
Speaker 4: the time and they don't necessarily win. I somehow have
Speaker 4: been have managed to pull off, you know, three wins
Speaker 4: in four showings, which is really amazing.
Speaker 3: You know. I feel really blessed that when I go there,
Speaker 3: I happen to be able to win, So that is
Speaker 3: something that I don't take for granted either, and you know,
Speaker 3: I'm just super happy.
Speaker 4: I think that this is this was a dream come true.
Speaker 4: I never ever in a million years. I remember even
Speaker 4: people writing to my wife, like the fans of the
Speaker 4: show and being like, you know, she'll probably be home
Speaker 4: quick cause she doesn't really know anybody there and she's
Speaker 4: kind of hasn't done it in you know, ten years,
Speaker 4: and there's really all likelihood that shall be there the
Speaker 4: whole time. Don't worry, you know, but just this is
Speaker 4: what the consensus was right before when I left. It
Speaker 4: was also the heaviest hitters of women you'd ever seen,
Speaker 4: you know, from all twenty whether you were strength wise,
Speaker 4: you know, a beast, you could have been smart wise.
Speaker 4: And we had every puzzle whiz there, We had every
Speaker 4: we had everybody there. It was crazy group of people
Speaker 4: brought together. So just to see how it all worked
Speaker 4: out was truly meant to be. And I think that
Speaker 4: I really can share this with the fans of the
Speaker 4: show and the other challengers as well, which is something
Speaker 4: that is truly special.
Speaker 1: You know, we see it, Rach. The beginning of the
Speaker 1: season start with you giving your toast, which there was
Speaker 1: a lot of hubbub about that because usually we see
Speaker 1: bananas giving a toast, and then bananas may or may
Speaker 1: not have worn about it. So we see you giving
Speaker 1: the toast and it kind of sets tone because in
Speaker 1: it you talk about how strong, how the women don't
Speaker 1: always get the respect, but yet how they do so
Speaker 1: much and carry so much for the show. And then
Speaker 1: we fast forward to the end and it really was
Speaker 1: a lady's final, Like all the guys did an exceptional job,
Speaker 1: but it was the women that kept us on the
Speaker 1: edge of our seats, the women that all fought tooth
Speaker 1: and nail to really be there, the women that did
Speaker 1: better than some of the men. You know, to your point,
Speaker 1: is there any final you know, going through this experience
Speaker 1: having lived it like you have, is there anything that
Speaker 1: you would add to what you said at your speech
Speaker 1: in the beginning just around the value of women or
Speaker 1: any any takeaway you want us to have around just
Speaker 1: the magic of ladies and what they're capable of.
Speaker 4: I mean, I really I remember waking up the next
Speaker 4: day from doing that toast and feeling like I had
Speaker 4: basically served my purpose. I was like, I was like, Tina,
Speaker 4: I think I just like won the Academy award.
Speaker 3: She's like, I think you did? You know?
Speaker 4: I had never in my life looking down at the
Speaker 4: group and even the men. The only thing I wish
Speaker 4: I would have added is because they didn't show Johnny's toast,
Speaker 4: and because they just showed my toast, it left out obviously,
Speaker 4: I would want everyone to be recognized car and not
Speaker 4: trying to just only recognize women. There's I mean, of course,
Speaker 4: the men like my little boys. I mean I have
Speaker 4: two sons. They were like, Mama, you didn't mention boys,
Speaker 4: And I'm like, well.
Speaker 3: That's because Johnny did you know?
Speaker 4: But like you know, so like I just want to
Speaker 4: say out there to all the little boys and the men,
Speaker 4: don't think that I don't have your back too. I
Speaker 4: just felt in that moment that I wanted to recognize
Speaker 4: all the women who have been told time and time
Speaker 4: again that they're not strong enough, that they're not smart enough,
Speaker 4: that you know, they're never going to make it through
Speaker 4: it or they're never going to make it to the end.
Speaker 4: And just you know, the things that you go through
Speaker 4: in a challenge house and how strong you have to
Speaker 4: be in order to make it through. And I do
Speaker 4: think that there is an extra chromos of strength you
Speaker 4: have to have as a woman in this game. I
Speaker 4: do like, I just think that we take it on
Speaker 4: the chin a little bit more. Our winds are questioned
Speaker 4: a little bit more. Yeah, you know, our victories are
Speaker 4: seen a little bit less, you know. So I did
Speaker 4: feel that I wanted to point that out. I feel
Speaker 4: that every person has probably felt that at some point
Speaker 4: in the game, and so that's how that's kind of
Speaker 4: why I did that. And I felt that I said
Speaker 4: it exactly the way I would want to say it.
Speaker 4: And I do feel that that this show was built
Speaker 4: on women's backs. I mean, we've seen people kind of
Speaker 4: go down from it. There's a lot of people in
Speaker 4: my era that did not live to tell like they
Speaker 4: and they guess what, they were the butt of every joke.
Speaker 4: They were the you know, the one coming back time
Speaker 4: and time again, bringing the drama, bringing it, do you
Speaker 4: know what I mean? And guess what, It's not easy
Speaker 4: it's not easy to take that on, you know, to
Speaker 4: take on that drama.
Speaker 3: And so yes, I think you know everyone. I wanted
Speaker 3: to recognize all of that. You know, So.
Speaker 1: Who's on your Mount Rushmore? We'll let you go, But
Speaker 1: who's on your Mount Rushmore? Of women? Because we've talked
Speaker 1: about the guys a little bit, we've also talked about
Speaker 1: comparing them to famous movie stars, the guys who would
Speaker 1: be your top say four women of all time? They
Speaker 1: didn't have to be on the season. If they were
Speaker 1: on the season, that's great, and find that you would
Speaker 1: put on the Mount Rushmore the challenge.
Speaker 4: I mean, this is a really hot topic. You know,
Speaker 4: it really is kind of like the hot topic of
Speaker 4: the moment. So I have I think, first and foremost,
Speaker 4: anyone who's doing this that does not automatically put Veronica
Speaker 4: on there does not know where the show came from.
Speaker 4: For me, like, she is somebody who has been doing
Speaker 4: it since day one. She is a political mastermind, whether
Speaker 4: you like it or not, she will somehow fenagle her
Speaker 4: way through god knows what. And she also is surprisingly
Speaker 4: like she will pull things out and you know, being amazing.
Speaker 4: She is so smart and an amazing competitor, So I'm
Speaker 4: gonna put her as definite, definitely number one. The one
Speaker 4: I have trouble with is the car of Laurel. See,
Speaker 4: I think it's got to be one or the other
Speaker 4: for me. For me, I think putting both of them
Speaker 4: is taking up too much space in the Mount Rushmore.
Speaker 4: So I think it's got to be one or the other.
Speaker 4: And you know, that's a hard one.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I go back, and which one are you putting? Nope,
Speaker 1: you're building the route, the plans are there. Who are
Speaker 1: you putting? If you can only put one?
Speaker 3: I mean, if I've got to put one on the
Speaker 3: Mount Rushmore, I have to go with Laurel. I do.
Speaker 4: I have to go with Laurel on that one. So
Speaker 4: I'm going to say it's gonna be Veronica Laurel. And
Speaker 4: I kind of want to give one of the newer
Speaker 4: eras some space on there, you know. So I feel
Speaker 4: like if I'm gonna go new era, and this is
Speaker 4: also based on like what you give to the show,
Speaker 4: and that's in terms of time on your life, you
Speaker 4: know all of that, I'm gonna put.
Speaker 3: Tory up there. I'm putting Tori on. Yeah, I am
Speaker 3: I'm putting Tory on there. I think she deserves it.
Speaker 3: I think she is an absolute badass competitor, and you know,
Speaker 3: I think I know she deserves it. So I've got
Speaker 3: now are you allowed to put yourself?
Speaker 4: So I would have to say, you know that, if
Speaker 4: we're gonna do honorable mention, I would say Jenny's there too,
Speaker 4: like I want to put five. You know, I'd love
Speaker 4: to put you're gonna kick me out? Then put Jenny,
Speaker 4: So you know, I would say, though the you know
Speaker 4: that that's kind of how I do it.
Speaker 3: I think that everyone you know, and maybe I'm maybe
Speaker 3: that's how you got to do it.
Speaker 4: It's either mere Veronica, So maybe I'm gonna say Veronica
Speaker 4: since I'm me, and I'm gonna say you know, Laurel,
Speaker 4: I'm gonna say Tory from Era three, and I'm gonna
Speaker 4: say Jenny from Era four, So those would be my
Speaker 4: one to era four mount.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, for those who want to follow all
Speaker 1: the badassory and things that you're doing or how you
Speaker 1: celebrate your win, where can they find you? On socials?
Speaker 3: So I am Rachel Underscore Fitness.
Speaker 4: With one E like not al so r A c
Speaker 4: ch e l and I also have Rachelfitness dot Com,
Speaker 4: which is my business and.
Speaker 3: So you can find me there and that's on all socials.
Speaker 1: Love that. We're so proud of you, Rach as always,
Speaker 1: and you put on one hell of a performance, one
Speaker 1: hell of a season. Congratulations on being champ in season forty.
Speaker 1: We look forward to seeing you kick butt again doing
Speaker 1: competition again.
Speaker 3: I mean maybe we'll all be on a show together,
Speaker 3: you know.
Speaker 4: That's what I said to Torri and Anissa literally on
Speaker 4: the Challenge podcast like two years ago, and then we
Speaker 4: all found ourselves on forty together.
Speaker 3: So who knows Davon? Who knows Devin?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I keep finding my way, not answering Davon, Yes me,
Speaker 1: then I'm no, she's not. Don't listen to her. I'm
Speaker 1: happy done to just the way that I was there before,
Speaker 1: which is on the side with the mic. That's the
Speaker 1: way I prefer to be there.
Speaker 3: It's a much better place to be. It really is
Speaker 3: a host. We will be there all day long. Oh
Speaker 3: I felt a mercenary. I can do that.
Speaker 1: I could eat all the good food. You'd be a
Speaker 1: great mercenary.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, Well, thank you guys so much.
Speaker 4: You guys are honestly the best and you are wonderful right.
Speaker 4: I can't wait to you know, see what you guys do.
Speaker 1: All right, Champ, but if you have when you're in
Speaker 1: New York, We're proud of you.
Speaker 3: I will I will thank you guys so much.
Speaker 1: Such a great interview with our Champ.
Speaker 2: Rachel came through to holler at us at the podcast. Devin,
Speaker 2: that was the final. I know that was it and
Speaker 2: the winners are crowned.
Speaker 1: Now we just have the reunion to look forward to.
Speaker 1: My goodness own today.
Speaker 2: Now that people want to see what they can look
Speaker 2: forward to in your life, where can they find you
Speaker 2: on the socials of the me.
Speaker 1: If you want to reunit with me, fine, you can
Speaker 1: find me on my website that's Devin with the y
Speaker 1: Simone with an I dot com. You can find me
Speaker 1: on Amazon Lives. I'd love to see you there. I
Speaker 1: saw someone the other day in the chat who said
Speaker 1: they were big Challenge fans. I'd love to shout you
Speaker 1: guys out. Just google Devin Simone and Amazon and my
Speaker 1: page will come up. Hit the follow button. You can
Speaker 1: also find me on ig at Devin with the Wismo
Speaker 1: with an I and TikTok come, come find and say
Speaker 1: hi and all the things I love to hear from you,
Speaker 1: and appreciate that you're here and day for the people
Speaker 1: that are missing you, for the people that wish you
Speaker 1: would get back on their TV. I told you I'm
Speaker 1: still working on it. Guys. Where can they find you, ma'am?
Speaker 2: Not on their TVs, but you can find me on
Speaker 2: the socials of the Media's at Devon Diane Underscore on
Speaker 2: all platforms, and some great things happening in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2: I'll just I'll I'll say that in the meantime between time.
Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us for another episode of MTV.
Speaker 5: Right over that, guys, just catch that, Just gloss right
Speaker 5: over that, your fellow Challenge fans solicit and make sure
Speaker 5: to leave us a five star review on Apple and Spotify.
Speaker 1: We love a good five we do, except for a
Speaker 1: Karna voute right unless it's going towards us and we're
Speaker 1: not done yet. We'll be back next week to cover
Speaker 1: the reunion on MTV's official Challenge podcast. We're obviously going
Speaker 1: to talk about what they're going to wear too. It's
Speaker 1: available wherever you get your podcasts. You are not going
Speaker 1: to want to.
Speaker 2: Miss this watch it, or you might have to deal
Speaker 2: with karma.
Speaker 1: Por Amount podcasts