“The Challenge” star Anna Leigh Wilson is addressing her controversial interactions with co-star Leo Dionicio, admitting she crossed a line while filming season 42 despite being married.
Wilson, 31, opened up about the situation after her elimination from “The Challenge: Cutthroat,” telling Page Six she takes responsibility for her behavior but disagrees with some claims made about her.
“I did something pretty controversial on national television,” Wilson said.
“I made a mistake,” the MTV star continued, “but also I’ve recognized that accountability doesn’t mean that I have to plead guilty to the director’s cut that everybody else wrote for me.”
Wilson has been married to Coy Wilson since 2020. During the season, she and Dionicio shared an intimate conversation in which both admitted they were “horny.” Dionicio also called Wilson his “eye candy” and said he was “trying to (expletive) control” himself.
The exchange sparked criticism after the scene aired, prompting Wilson to publicly acknowledge her actions.
Anna Leigh Wilson Reveals What She Told Husband After ‘The Challenge’ Filming
Following the controversial episode, Wilson released a statement on Instagram admitting she had “crossed the line” with Dionicio.
She also revealed that she apologized to her husband after returning home from filming.
Wilson told the outlet that she informed Coy about the situation as soon as she regained access to her phone.
“There was no surprise there,” Wilson said. “From my perspective, I’ll own every embarrassing thing that I actually did this season. And trust me, there’s enough material there to go around.”
However, Wilson argued that some speculation about her behavior went beyond what actually happened.
“But I don’t need everybody adding in bonus scenes,” she continued. “That’s what’s making my life so much harder, and honestly that’s what they did when we were on the show filming. It’s just non-stop putting out fires and trying to defend myself.”
Wilson also addressed the uncomfortable experience of watching the scene during an interview with Gold Derby.
“Oh, it was horrible. Insanely embarrassing. You can’t describe how embarrassing it is,” she said.
Wilson explained that she apologized to Dionicio the day after their conversation, although she claimed the show’s editing made the timeline appear different.
“And I knew it was embarrassing then, which is why I apologized to Leo the very next day,” Wilson said. “But they aired it a few days later, so it looks like it only happened after I had a conversation with Tori and Chris [Underwood], which is not true.”
She added that rumors about her interactions with other male cast members continued throughout the season.
“Taking accountability doesn’t require me to agree with every single person who dislikes me,” Wilson said.
‘The Challenge’ Star Accuses Johnny Bananas of Setting Up ‘Underweargate’ Drama
Wilson’s final episode also featured another controversy involving John “Johnny Bananas” Devenanzio and Alexis Lete.
During the episode, Devenanzio’s underwear ended up in Wilson’s bag, leading to accusations that she had taken them and an argument with Lete.
Speaking with Gold Derby, Wilson denied stealing the underwear and suggested Devenanzio orchestrated the situation.
“Look, first off, nobody wants to steal a grown man’s underwear,” Wilson said. “Second off, nobody wants to steal a grown man’s underwear who’s been with somebody like Lete.”
Wilson pointed to Devenanzio’s reputation for creating drama on the MTV competition series.
“And third off, if anybody has watched ‘The Challenge,’ y’all know Johnny Bananas does everything for the plot,” she said. “He is the plot. So it has his name written all over it. To this day, he won’t admit it. But it was him, and I knew it then.”
Wilson also denied having a romantic interest in Devenanzio, describing their relationship as a friendship.
“Bananas reminds me of my dad. He’s hilarious. We cracked jokes together. We were friends then and we’re friends now,” she told Gold Derby.
Wilson’s elimination came after veteran competitor Tori Deal chose to enter the arena against her rather than Michele Fitzgerald. Wilson lost the elimination despite putting up a competitive fight.
“The Challenge: Cutthroat” releases new episodes Wednesdays on Paramount+.
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Married ‘The Challenge’ Star Breaks Silence on Controversial Relationship With Co-Star: ‘I Crossed the Line’