Leonardo “Leo” Dionicio is speaking out after being abruptly removed from “The Challenge: Cutthroat,” along with Nelson Thomas and Josh Goldstein.
The three competitors disappeared from the season 42 competition without viewers seeing the incident that led to their exits. At the beginning of the September 16 episode, host T.J. Lavin arrived at the house and delivered the news to the remaining cast members.
“You know it’s never good when I show up to the house,” Lavin said. “Leo, Nelson and Josh all broke the code of conduct here on ‘The Challenge,’ so they’re all gone.”
The show, which is airing on Paramount+ instead of MTV for the first time, offered no additional explanation. Paramount+ has declined to comment further on what happened.
Dionicio, 24, initially kept his public response brief.
“Not how I imagined my season ending but a time was had,” he wrote on X after the episode.
He later offered a much stronger response on Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio’s “Death, Taxes and Bananas” podcast, saying he didn’t believe his actions warranted his removal.
Leo Dionicio Says ‘Someone Else Should Have Got Kicked Out’
Dionicio told Devenanzio that he was upset with how production handled the incident and believed the consequences should have been different.
“I was really, really upset because what was said was super ignorant, right? And I thought the hand I was dealt was pretty messed up considering I didn’t really do (expletive) wrong,” Dionicio said. “Someone else should have got fined and someone else should have got kicked out. But I didn’t even think I should have been part of that mix.”
Devenanzio agreed that Dionicio’s removal surprised him.
“I knew definitely there were going to be people going home,” he said. “I just never thought in a million years it was going to be you.”
Dionicio also addressed his race on X following the episode, writing, “I am without a doubt a black man. I’m an Afro-Latino. Dominican is my ETHNICITY, but my RACE is black.”
His comments came as unconfirmed accounts of the incident continued circulating online.
An insider commenting on “The Challenge’s” official Instagram account alleged that the situation began while Dionicio, Thomas and Goldstein were playing Uno. The commenter claimed Dionicio used the N-word while talking to Thomas and that Goldstein subsequently repeated it. GamerVev had previously shared similar speculation.
The account alleged that Thomas became angry after Goldstein used the word and eventually damaged items in the kitchen.
Nelson Thomas Confirms Kitchen Outburst After ‘The Challenge’ Exit
Thomas, 37, confirmed his actions after the episode aired.
“I let my emotions take over, broke dishes, destroyed [the] kitchen and violated the code of conduct,” Thomas wrote on X. “That’s on me. I’m learning and growing, and I’m grateful my @TheChallenge family sees the good and the bad. #reality TV.”
Thomas also said Goldstein later sent him a private apology.
“I received his DM apology, and I’m giving him space to take ownership publicly,” Thomas wrote. “The fans and @TheChallenge family deserve that too. Saying you have Black friends doesn’t give you a pass to use the N-word. This goes beyond TV. We need accountability, understanding, and growth.”
Thomas did not address Dionicio’s alleged role in the incident.
Thomas, who returned to “The Challenge” this season after three years away and a below-the-knee amputation, ended his response by asking fans to remain respectful.
“I appreciate y’all,” he wrote. “Support me without tearing others down.”
Goldstein, 30, has not publicly addressed the incident.
