“The Challenge” veteran Chris “CT” Tamburello is speaking out about his treatment during the season 42 finale, prompting an apology from teammate Tori Deal.
Tamburello, who has competed on the MTV reality series since 2004, faced criticism after struggling during the hiking portion of the final competition. His difficulties led to a temporary medical evaluation, while his Team Orange teammates worried about their chances of winning.
After the episode aired, Tamburello shared a fan-made video defending his performance and questioning how his teammates handled the situation.
Deal, who served as Team Orange’s captain, responded to the post with a public apology.
CT Tamburello Defends His Performance During ‘The Challenge’ Finale
Tamburello reposted a video of a fan pretending to be his lawyer. The fan argued that Team Orange treated the longtime competitor unfairly during the final.
One of the fan’s complaints was that Deal required Tamburello to carry a brick during the hiking portion of the competition rather than letting him conserve energy for puzzles, one of his strengths.
The video also challenged comparisons between Tamburello’s performance and Eric “Big Easy” Banks’ struggles during “The Gauntlet III.”
Tamburello addressed the medical situation in the comments, explaining why production evaluated him and what would have happened if he had stopped competing.
“FTR it would have been a liability for production if they didn’t give me a medical evaluation after my own team ‘called 911’. The medics concluded that my vitals were not redlining. If I had quit…. The whole team would have forfeited. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed by Orange. SMH,” he wrote.
During the competition, Tamburello began vomiting, prompting medics to temporarily remove him from the game.
He eventually returned after passing a medical evaluation.
The fan defending Tamburello also pointed out that he expressed concern about how his medical break would affect the entire team, while some teammates seemed more focused on their own chances of winning.
Tori Deal Apologizes for Being ‘Insensitive and Harsh’ During Finale
Deal responded directly to Tamburello’s Instagram post, acknowledging that she had been too focused on winning during the competition.
“Im sorry for being so insensitive and harsh CT. The only thing I was thinking about was winning. It was tunnel visioned and not compassionate at all,” she wrote.
Deal’s apology followed the first installment of the two-part season 42 finale, which showed the tension between the teammates as they attempted to complete the physically demanding competition.
Tamburello has now won 6 seasons of “The Challenge” — and the spinoff, “Champs Vs. Stars” twice –and has competed in numerous finals throughout his time on the series.
His struggles during the hiking portion prompted concern among his teammates, but a medical evaluation let him keep competing and eventually become an important part of the winning team by doing what he does best, solve puzzles.
Fans can stream season 42 of ‘The Challenge” on Paramount+.
‘The Challenge’ Star CT Tamburello Speaks Out About Finale Medical Scare; Tori Deal Responds