‘The Challenge’: Olivia Opens up About Controversial Decision, Where She Stands With Nurys

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion put the contenders through the wringer. That was abundantly apparent when it came to the “Conquest” portion of the game, during which one of the most controversial decisions of the season went down. This decision involved Olivia Kaiser saving Moriah Jade instead of her friend, Nurys Mateo. Many viewers have been up in arms about this choice, but Olivia is now sharing her side of the story during an interview with PopCulture.com and it will certainly answer some of your most burning questions. 

For much of the season, Olivia found herself caught in the middle of two different factions — one with her ‘Ride or Die’ Horacio Gutierrez and another with her friend Jay Starrett. She explained that it felt as though she was the child of “divorced parents” and that she was “getting pulled to either side.” In trying to make both sides happy, she ended up putting her own game at risk. 

“I wanted to help both sides. And listen, I totally realize that’s not plausible and I’m realizing now the middle is honestly the most dangerous place to be, but I didn’t try to get there,” she explained. “I wasn’t trying to play both sides. I was stuck in a rock and a hard place where I’m like, ‘I want everyone to be happy.’ And at the end of the day, by doing that I made everyone upset and worse myself. It just sucks.”

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As fans know, Olivia’s sticky position in the game was highlighted during her decision to save either Nurys or Moriah. While viewers only got to see her choose to save Moriah, there was a lot that went into that decision. Olivia explained that because she felt torn between two sides, and subsequently felt that she was alone in the game, her back was “against the wall.” Because of this, she ended up choosing to save Moriah after being told that she would have been going into elimination instead if things didn’t change. According to Olivia, she was told about this idea only moments before everything went down. 

“In that decision, it was very quick and hasty,” Olivia said. “So it wasn’t a pre-planned thing that it looks like because it flashes back showing that we had this conversation. That was on the way walking down the stairs, so it was literally moments before.” She went on to say that she understood that Horacio, Kyland, and Nurys were on her side, but she didn’t feel confident that anyone would put her first, adding, “no one was fighting for me politically.” 

Olivia acknowledged that her decision led to a lot of backlash, but noted that she has to stand in her “truth,” saying “nothing is right in this game because someone’s always going to be upset.” The decision did lead to Nurys, in particular, to be upset. However, it seemed like they were able to come to an understanding in the house before Olivia’s exit. Since then, it seems as though there’s still tension between the two reality stars. So, what’s the status of their friendship today? Well, it appears to be a major work in progress. 

“I think there’s a lot of time in between the last challenge and waiting to go to the final. I would say a week or five days or something. I think that she [Nurys] obviously is still angry,” Olivia explained. “She’s caught cross-referencing a lot of things people say. Maybe people gossip, he said, she said situations, and she got angry. And I think also being in the final, maybe she was just like, ‘Damn, we were all supposed to be there,’ and she was by herself. I also think rewatching the episode opens old wounds as well as getting fuel from the audience.” The Love Island alum continued, “But it does suck. As of now, she forgave me. She, the next week, doesn’t forgive me, then she forgives me. It’s an up-and-down roller coaster, which I understand. I mean, I get it. I get it, but as of right now, she said that she will never forgive me. So, it’s just up and down.”

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.