15 Rumored Thrown Eliminations: Were They Really Sabotaged?

The Challenge is a show full of fierce competitors and contenders who are desperate to win, but sometimes, people want to bow out. We’ve seen quitters, but there’s also a stealthier, more graceful way to leave the game: deliberately lose an elimination.

We’ve seen a few obvious examples of this: Think, Jisela on The Gauntlet 2, Evelyn on The Ruins, or Tina on All Stars 2. However, there are other examples that are open to interpretation based on the rumor mill, off-season interviews, and the footage from the show.

This list is full of rumors, so nothing is definitive. But, some of these instances have been discussed for over a decade and haven’t been definitively answered (though the conversations haven’t fully died down). Keep in mind, this is not every instance of a potentially thrown elimination, and I am not covering cases that are obvious or were clearly addressed during their original airings.

Diem vs. Tonya (The Ruins)

This season opened with a game of Shoots and Ladders, and Diem was selected as the Challengers’ female contender, despite the fact that she had many allies on the Champs team. Tonya willingly stepped up to compete, a stark difference compared to her appearance in the opening challenge on The Island. And while Tonya isn’t a bad competitor, she was able to defeat Diem despite the fact that she wasn’t in her best shape this season.

The rumor: According to Sarah and Susie, while reacting to the season on their Patreon, they confirmed Diem threw the elimination. She had started a new job at home and wanted to get back to it.

My thoughts: Yea, it was thrown. Diem easily could have avoided this elimination because she had so many allies in the winning group. Volunteering into an elimination was very uncharacteristic of her.

CJ & Sydney vs. Landon & Carley (Fresh Meat 2)

Coming into this game, CJ seemed poised to be a threat, but he wasn’t performing too well with his partner Sydney. While he was voted into one Exile against Brandon & Katelynn, he didn’t have to compete because that team was disqualified. Despite this, he lied and told the house he had knowledge of the Exile, which he did not, and performed embarrassingly bad when he found himself in Weight for Me against Landon & Carley.

The rumor: CJ & Sydney spent about 40 minutes on a 7-piece puzzle. Some people are bad at these, but you’d have to try to be that bad. Apparently, CJ & Sydney were trying to suck because they wanted Landon to have extensive knowledge of the Exile when he returned to the game. Years later on a Challenge Mania podcast CJ stated he felt he’d never win this season because Sydney was a smoker and didn’t exercise.

My thoughts: There’s no way the puzzle took CJ & Sydney that long. For some reason, they just chose to hand Landon the victory. However, if they did try in earnest, I still think Landon & Carley would have won.

Evan & Nehemiah vs. CT & Adam (Rivals)

Throughout this season, the Johnny, Evan, Kenny alliance was plotting to take out CT in The Jungle. Eventually, this resulted in Evan throwing a challenge to go into the Rail Slide elimination where he promptly lost.

The rumor: Evan had to leave the game because his semester in school was starting, something Nehemiah has discussed on the Challenge Mania podcast.

My thoughts: Why would Evan elect to face CT, especially after losing to him on The Duel? He 100% wanted to go home, but Nehemiah was not involved in this process, which sucks because the Austin alum was an unwilling casualty.

CT & Adam vs. Bananas & Tyler (Rivals)

T-Bone is perhaps the most infamous case of an alleged thrown elimination, and CT reignited the discussion during his Home Turf episode when he speculated that Adam threw this elimination to benefit Kenny and Bananas.

The rumor: While Adam outright denies that he threw anything, many other Challengers have raised their eyebrows at his performance. Adam is a notably fast competitor, so speed shouldn’t have been an issue, and CT thinks Adam grabbed incorrect balls for this reason.

My thoughts: It was most likely thrown. There’s no situation where Adam admits to throwing and comes out looking good, and the game catered to his strengths.

Mark & Robin vs. Bananas & Camila (Battle of the Exes)

Mark and Bananas were close friends during this season, so when they got to the final elimination, they decided who would advance to the final rather than fight in X Battle. That elimination could result in injuries, and Mark felt Bananas & Camila had a better shot at winning than he did with Robin.

The rumor: Mark bowed out of the competition right before the final on Battle of the Sexes 2, and he basically confirmed that he threw this elimination on an All Stars 1 Aftershow.

My thoughts: Mark is an old-school player, and part of that is a mentality that competitors can make deals to share the final pot. So, I think he did throw this elimination, he even alluded to it on The Challenge: Untold Stories.

Wes & Lacey vs. Eric & Cara Maria (Battle of the Seasons)

Heading into this season, Wes seemed like he was the clear frontrunner on a cast full of rookies. Then, he found himself in the first elimination. While he may have earnestly been outnumbered, he elected to compete in a physical elimination with Lacey by his side, knowing that he’d leave divorced couple Danny & Melinda behind if he lost.

The rumor: On The Challenge: Untold Stories documentary, Wes admitted to intentionally taking an early flight home on some seasons of the show. While he didn’t name specific seasons, this is the one where he left the earliest.

My thoughts: Knowing it was a physical elimination, it seems odd to pick Lacey as your partner over Melinda. So, I’m guessing Wes did want to leave. However, this was the first Hall Brawl, and I have a hard time seeing Cara Maria and Big Easy losing to anyone on the Austin team. So, whether or not Wes wanted to throw it, he wasn’t going to win.

Alton & Nany vs. Robb & Marie (Battle of the Seasons)

Alton wasn’t really meshing with the cast this season, and he was fairly vocal about wanting to leave. But, he also loves to compete, so despite being mentally checked out of the social and political game, he put in effort in the challenges. However, we saw him get exhausted during Balls Out and give a lackluster performance.

The rumor: Alton’s poor performance was uncharacteristic of his other seasons, but his team expected this because they knew he was toying with the idea of leaving. So these two facts build a narrative that he chose to quit the game.

My thoughts: Alton threw it — and he regrets it. While he didn’t admit to outright quitting, in the “How to Win at The Challenge and Life” book Alton said he only put a fraction of his efforts into this competition, and he didn’t care if that meant Nany would have to go home.

Abram & Mike vs. Jamie & Cara Maria (Battle of the Bloodlines)

Abram is an unpredictable player, but his level-headed brother Mike was the one competing in the Hand It Over elimination. While this competition introduced Zach & CT as mercenaries, Mike lost while going again Zach and Jamie won competing against CT.

The rumor: During Aftershows, Abram stated the sole reason he appeared on this season was for Cara Maria. So, if Mike won and Jamie lost, Cara would have been eliminated.

My thoughts: While unconfirmed, it seems highly probable that the Boise brothers threw this. Abe would have stuck around to compete against any other team, but he wouldn’t send Cara home. There is also a rumor that Mike had to get back home for work, but most likely, this elimination was just another step toward Cara’s victory.

Laurel vs. Camila (Invasion of the Champions)

Coming into Invasion, Laurel had an impeccable elimination record and she was doing well in the daily challenges. Then, she saw Knot So Fast and she lost to Camila right before the final, seemingly because she ran out of energy during the elimination.

The rumor: The fact that Laurel just stopped moving during the game was suspicious, even though Knot So Fast is a notoriously taxing elimination. Years later, Laurel stated that she didn’t want to run the final because she’d been in a car accident about a year prior and didn’t think she’d do well.

My thoughts: I have a hard time believing Laurel truly came onto this season with the intent of losing. Perhaps she realized throughout her time on the show that her body was still recovering (maybe even during Knot So Fast). So, I don’t consider this a thrown elimination as much as one that crushed Laurel’s spirits heading into the final.

Zach & Zahida vs. Wes & Dee (War of the Worlds)

It’s been alleged that Zach just showed up on War of the Worlds to collect an appearance fee. Even though he won an elimination against Bananas, he lost in the fourth Killing Floor to Wes, his alleged ally.

The rumor: At the War of the Worlds reunion, Zach basically admitted that he wasn’t trying to win this season. Apparently he tried to do well for Zahida’s sake, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that he called out his ally Wes in Lights Out, awarding Wes a relic for his “victory.”

My thoughts: I’ve written about this case before, but the fact that Zach called out his supposed ally likely means he wanted to go home.

Jordan vs. Theo (War of the Worlds 2)

Theo had a tough run on War of the Worlds 2. After winning two eliminations, he faced Jordan in Under the Hammer and was sent home. Following that elimination, Jordan proposed to Tori, and Theo allegedly knew about Jordan’s plan before the elimination.

The rumor: Knowing a proposal was on the horizon, Theo has stated that he went a little easy on Jordan to ensure Jordan’s plan wasn’t foiled, as discussed at the War of the Worlds 2 reunion and on Challenge Mania.

My thoughts: I find it unlikely that Theo would throw this elimination because he seemed really eager to establish himself on the show. However, we know Jordan has a history with construction work, and this game seemed like it was in his wheelhouse. Perhaps production gave him an elimination that catered to his strengths and Theo saw the writing on the wall.

Wes vs. Devin (Double Agents)

Wes’ social game seemed to be in a bad spot on Double Agents. He almost had to face CT in the first Crater, but was saved by the fact that it was a female elimination day. However, he did find himself facing his friend Devin in the Crater on episode 3. It seemed like Wes should have had the advantage here, but he lost to Devin.

The rumor: Wes kind of put speculation into the universe after his loss because he said he didn’t want to send his friend home.

My thoughts: If I had to guess, I’d say Wes’ heart wasn’t in this season — but more than ever, this one is forgivable. Double Agents was filmed during COVID, and the cast had to isolate and spend a lot of time away from their families just to compete. The immediate target, and the fact that he had to compete against a friend, was probably taxing. But no, I don’t think Wes came into this season with the intent of quitting.

Amanda vs. Tori (Spies, Lies and Allies)

When Amanda lost to Tori in Drone Drop, viewers weren’t exactly shocked to see Tori do well in this physical game. However, it was a bit surprising to see the cast vote a veteran into the final elimination when Emy, a rookie, was an option.

The rumor: Amanda had to leave this season right before the final due to work requirements. On The Death, Taxes, and Bananas podcast she revealed that she actually works a job and had to asked for time off to film this season. Because of extra quarantines, the filming schedule ran longer than expected. So, she asked the cast to vote her in.

My thoughts: I do believe Amanda’s story here. I truly think the veterans would have voted Emy into the elimination if Amanda wanted. I’m not saying Amanda was guaranteed a spot in the final, but this season did have extra quarantines and you can verify the fact that Amanda works a job with strict rules. I don’t think Amanda wanted to quit, but she was forced to leave the game due to timing. So yes, the elimination was thrown.

Mark vs. Derrick (Battle of the Eras)

In an impressive showing, Derrick defeated Mark — a significantly larger competitor — in Pole Wrestle. While we know Derrick has a reputation for being an underdog, this size difference was enough to raise speculation.

The rumor: Well, this one is based on size and the lack of solid footage. During the second heat, Derrick crouched into a ball and we don’t have any real footage of the pole being wrestles.

My thoughts: We know Mark has cut deals in the past, and I think this is just an instance of his reputation following him. I don’t see any evidence of Mark handing the victory to Derrick. If anything, there are rumors that Mark was sick during the elimination. That could have hindered his potential, but it didn’t make him hand the victory to Derrick.

Tony vs. Darrell (Battle of the Eras)

Tony had just become team captain with Averey, but a disagreement in the Chamber lead to a stalemate. Rather than compromise, Tony and Averey decided they would compete in the Arena. While Averey emerged victorious, Tony didn’t. He seemingly gassed out, watched Darrell finish, and squandered any safety he had.

The rumor: Averey has discussed the fact that Tony didn’t seem to have his heart 100% in the game — similar to his time on All Stars 4. Tony’s intentions were also questioned during Battle of the Eras episode 3, though there were counter arguments like the fact that Tony never packed his bags prior to the elimination.

My thoughts: Something definitely seems off here, because Tony had so many ways to be safe. And we know from Final Reckoning that it would be uncharacteristic of him to volunteer himself for the sake of preserving someone else’s game. So, I lean toward thinking this elimination was thrown, but it’s far from confirmed.