If you’re a long-time fan of The Challenge, you know that many moments are left on the cutting room floor. While this is true of any reality show, it’s especially frustrating when viewers get a taste of the drama in the trailer, only to have the full moment omitted from the final edit of the show.
After getting eliminated, Michele did a podcast and revealed she was surprised that there was a fight between Josh and Faysal that didn’t quite make the air, but we did see a quick glimpse at it during the season trailer (at about 45 seconds).
Here’s the story, as Michele tells it. Apparently, the two were drinking and started rapping for fun. If you’ve seen Dirty Thirty, you’ll know this pastime tends not to end well. During this instance, Faysal rapped “You think you’re Bad Bunny but you’re really a sour gummy.”
For some reason, this angered a drunken Josh and the fight escalated quickly — according to Michele chairs were thrown and tables got flipped. Based on the brief clip in the trailer, production had to hold Josh back.
Given the fact that Wes is clearly in the background, I think our chances of seeing the footage at this point are slim to none, so we’ll never know what actually happened. And we’ll probably never know why this clip wasn’t aired.
Most likely, it’s because this was a drunken moment that looks dramatic (perfect for a trailer) but doesn’t influence the trajectory of the show. And as we all know, the show is moving in a more competitive, less dramatic direction.
However, there’s a speculatory part of me that feels this moment was omitted to protect Faysal and Josh. Don’t forget, Faysal was kicked off Spies, Lies and Allies because he got into a fight with Josh, and even that moment was (allegedly) toned down for the final edit of the show. The fact that these two can escalate a situation so quickly should be concerning for production. Fans of the show would be quick to notice parallels between the two instances, yet one resulted in an ejection and the other had no penalties.
Likely, we’ll never really know, but if the two are cast on the same season again, I’d anticipate another explosive fight.
Stop Being Polite 