On episode 5, Natalie Anderson was quickly told she needed to leave the show because TJ got some “intel.” The edit makes it seem like she had a family matter she needed to attend to, so she had to depart.
Natalie recently revealed to Us Weekly she left because she found out she was pregnant.
Production made her take a pregnancy test because she was FaceTiming with her sister Nadiya (who also competed on The Amazing Race and Survivor). During the call, Nadiya was talking about how she was trying to conceive her second child. Natalie noted her period was late and jokingly stated it would be funny if they were pregnant at the same time.
Production made her take a test. It came back positive. She was pregnant and had to leave.
She went home and resumed her regular life. She was exercising and had much less stress without the competition.
Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage. A week after returning, she experienced intense cramps and the doctor confirmed she was no longer pregnant. Natalie had to grieve the loss of her chance at winning The Challenge. Then she lost her new, bigger journey.
It’s sad to hear Natalie’s story. She already her gold skull, and she felt like the competition was her’s. The miscarriage is the much more difficult part, but her openness will help other women. This is much more common than we’re led to believe, and Natalie is showing great strength through her situation.
My heart is with Natalie, her boyfriend Devin, and her family. Hopefully she gets another chance to compete on The Challenge.
Stop Being Polite 