Tyson Talks About Production’s Errors in Challenge: USA Final

The Challenge: USA ended in a very odd fashion. Ben was DQed due to an injury, five people quit, Desi was booted when Enzo quit, and Angela quit (or DQed, depending on how you view it) when she had to do the overnight final solo.

But Tyson isn’t happy about this, nor is he silent. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explains why so many people struggled with the final.

Here’s some of his shocking revelations (according to Tyson):

• Production told the cast that the winners would get $500,000, not split it. Then, at the final, the truth was revealed. The justification? Production said people wouldn’t want to compete on a show if the prize was too low.
• Many people didn’t know how to do sudoku, and Tyson was very unfamiliar with the game. But, they couldn’t time out of this (like Justine did during the decoder checkpoint). So, Justine and Dom got there and knew they couldn’t progress. That’s mostly why they quit.
• Meanwhile, no one knows how Sarah completed the puzzle, and the footage wasn’t really shown. Tyson implied that production ushered her through so there’d be a women’s winner. But he wasn’t there, so he can’t confirm this.
• During the number dial checkpoint, the cast also had to add their numbers and give their sum. Tyson and Angela had the correct numbers and they were told their math was wrong. But they weren’t wasn’t so production ate up a bunch of their time.
• Tyson asked production if he could do certain things and was told no, because it was in the rules. When he asked to see the rules, the producer said they were in his head.
• Everyone was told they did not need to finish wheelbarrowing dirt in the middle of the night. It was raining, and production was tired. Cast members were told they’d start tomorrow based on their current progress. Though he believes Sarah and Dom finished anyway.
• Angela made her intentions known. No one told her she’d be DQing by taking last place, but other competitors were given automatic last-place points (like Justine) without completing a checkpoint. She also had two-thirds of the dirt that other teams had, not half, meaning it was impossible for her to get the same rest.
• Unrelated to the final, but a lot of cast members had clothing stolen.

These allegations are a bit shocking if true. But they do make a lot of sense. Many pieces of the final didn’t quite add up, and it seems a lot of people are frustrated with their outcomes.

He also says he’s unlikely to return to The Challenge. It doesn’t offer the same things as Survivor, and the prize isn’t worth it — especially if it’s going to be split without notice.