‘The Challenge’: Asaf Shares Biggest Regret After Elimination With CT

One of The Challenge‘s most celebrated champions ever, Chris ‘CT’ Tamburello, entered the arena on , and he brought the chaos with him. After the cast went into a stalemate and failed to name another contender to potentially face elimination, the show put the choice in CT’s hands, and he ended up choosing to go against Asaf Goren. Despite being excited about going up against one of the best to ever play, Asaf wasn’t able to take home the win. After ultimately losing to CT, Asaf spoke to PopCulture.com about his gameplay this season. 

CT surprised the cast, and likely many viewers, when he chose to go against Asaf. While the Are You the One? alum was actually “happy” to go against the “champ of all champs,” he does wish that it could have been a more physical elimination. Both men were tasked with completing a math equation, which Asaf said took them around “two hours” to complete after the equation was supposedly changed multiple times during the competition. 

Even though he lost to CT, Asaf’s biggest regret in the game ties back to how he played during the season. He explained that he wished that he took more “risks,” including possibly sending himself into elimination at an earlier point. Asaf shared, “When Devin [Walker] came and started making a show before he called Callum [Izzard], people [had] been shaking on stage. While everyone [was] shaking, it’s easier to say it now, but I was like, I really wanted to jump in.” Asaf added that he took the lead from his allies Jay Starrett and Michele Fitzgerald to be more “chill,” but that it wasn’t necessarily how he wanted to play it. 

“It’s kind of different from my perspective because I really didn’t have a chance to play this game in elimination,” he continued. “I lost to Jay on my first season … so I really wanted to experience that. But, I guess I made it far by being a little bit more calculated than usual.” In addition to leaving with regrets about how he played the game, it seems as though he’s also leaving with a few vendettas. During the season, Asaf had his fair share of dramatic moments, including arguments with Kyland Young, Melissa Reeves, and Corey Lay. Where does he stand with some of those cast members now?

Well, Asaf mentioned that he and Kyland “almost squashed each other’s faces” at the reunion, which was recently filmed. The reality star added about their beef, “I think that what he [Kyland] said was disrespectful. He thought that what I did was disrespectful. I was acting from a point from someone who got cheated or got being played by someone else, so I returned the same favor.” Asaf is also leaving with some strong feelings for his alliance member, Nurys Mateo.

“If you ask me who turned her back to us, was Nurys,” Asaf said. “Nurys played both sides and tried to be cool with everybody. She shook my hand many times and told me that I’m her number one. She basically stabbed me and Michelle and Jay in the back by doing this, by playing with Kyland and moving to the other side. To say that I understand it, of course I understand it, but what I don’t understand and I don’t accept is that she wasn’t honest enough to come and tell me, ‘Hey, you’re no longer my number one. You’re no longer in my alliance. There’s no fantastic four anymore.’” He added, “Again, it is what it is. This is the game. If I have another chance maybe in the future to play this game, I’m not going to play with her.”

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion airs on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for Challenge coverage all throughout Season 39.