‘The Challenge’ Alums Break Down Showmances, Behind-the-Scenes Drama, Shocking Exits and More in ‘How To Win at The Challenge and Life’ Book

Credit: MTV

'The Challenge' Alums Break Down Showmances, Behind-the-Scenes Drama, Shocking Exits and More in 'How To Win at The Challenge and Life' Book

Reliving their past. Former The Challenge contestants offered behind-the-scenes insight on their personal and professional triumphs for the new book How To Win at The Challenge and Life: A Champion's Guide to Eliminating Obstacles, Winning Friends and Making That Money. The book, which was released on Tuesday, October 25, features interviews conducted by Sydney Bucksbaum with more than two dozen Challenge champions as they break down their road to success in the MTV franchise. Chris "C.T." Tamburello, who was a contestant on The Real World: Paris, recalled not expecting to "make it that far" when he joined the competition series. “At first, I went on it because I wanted to do it for my son. I knew the time was gonna come when he was gonna be old enough to understand his old man was on TV and I didn’t want him to see me as some knucklehead punk running around with his head cut off," the New York native, who shares a son with wife Lili Solares, detailed. "I wanted him to see me as I am today. I think I accomplished that." Tamburello continued: "But then over time, it became about me and getting my confidence back and standing on my own feet and showing that I still have it. To me, this one was the most special.” The Real World alum previously opened up about his dedication to the franchise. "I made some lifestyle changes. I got my ass back in shape," he shared in a confessional during The Challenge Spies, Lies and Allies: Global Activation in August 2021. "I figured if I don't have the element of surprise anymore with the dad bod, I might as well come in hot." [jwplayer I9yR0PDE-zhNYySv2] Earlier that year, Tamburello said he had no plans to step back from The Challenge franchise. “Ever since I took some time off and came back with the dad bod, no one wanted me. I’ve always been underestimated,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2021. “It’s funny because I have a higher winning percentage now during my dad bod era than I did in my 20s.” The MTV personality noted that he doesn't "need to do anything physical" to prove himself, adding, "I f--king love it. This is the greatest game in the world. You have to be able to do everything really well. You can’t prepare for it. I’ve been doing it for so long, part of me wants to say, it’s all I know. If I honestly felt like I couldn’t compete, I would go home and give it to somebody that deserves to be here." Meanwhile, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio weighed in on the “embarrassing and emasculating” feeling after his iconic Bananas Backpack Elimination. “I realized after that why they have weight classes in boxing and wrestling,” he said during his interview for the book. “­There’s literally nothing I could have done any differently to change that outcome. But mostly I realized that ­the Challenge is just like life, in that sometimes, it just ain’t fair. And complaining about it won’t change a thing." Devenanzio continued: "If anything, it just made me want to come back and be that much hungrier to do better, because I’ve learned I’m more motivated by my failures than I am by my successes — and there’s no bigger failure ever than that one.” Scroll down for more bombshells about former The Challenge winners:

Credit: MTV

'The Challenge' Alums Break Down Showmances, Behind-the-Scenes Drama, Shocking Exits and More in 'How To Win at The Challenge and Life' Book

Reliving their past. Former The Challenge contestants offered behind-the-scenes insight on their personal and professional triumphs for the new book How To Win at The Challenge and Life: A Champion's Guide to Eliminating Obstacles, Winning Friends and Making That Money. The book, which was released on Tuesday, October 25, features interviews conducted by Sydney Bucksbaum with more than two dozen Challenge champions as they break down their road to success in the MTV franchise. Chris "C.T." Tamburello, who was a contestant on The Real World: Paris, recalled not expecting to "make it that far" when he joined the competition series. “At first, I went on it because I wanted to do it for my son. I knew the time was gonna come when he was gonna be old enough to understand his old man was on TV and I didn’t want him to see me as some knucklehead punk running around with his head cut off," the New York native, who shares a son with wife Lili Solares, detailed. "I wanted him to see me as I am today. I think I accomplished that." Tamburello continued: "But then over time, it became about me and getting my confidence back and standing on my own feet and showing that I still have it. To me, this one was the most special.” The Real World alum previously opened up about his dedication to the franchise. "I made some lifestyle changes. I got my ass back in shape," he shared in a confessional during The Challenge Spies, Lies and Allies: Global Activation in August 2021. "I figured if I don't have the element of surprise anymore with the dad bod, I might as well come in hot." [jwplayer I9yR0PDE-zhNYySv2] Earlier that year, Tamburello said he had no plans to step back from The Challenge franchise. “Ever since I took some time off and came back with the dad bod, no one wanted me. I’ve always been underestimated,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2021. “It’s funny because I have a higher winning percentage now during my dad bod era than I did in my 20s.” The MTV personality noted that he doesn't "need to do anything physical" to prove himself, adding, "I f--king love it. This is the greatest game in the world. You have to be able to do everything really well. You can’t prepare for it. I’ve been doing it for so long, part of me wants to say, it’s all I know. If I honestly felt like I couldn’t compete, I would go home and give it to somebody that deserves to be here." Meanwhile, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio weighed in on the “embarrassing and emasculating” feeling after his iconic Bananas Backpack Elimination. “I realized after that why they have weight classes in boxing and wrestling,” he said during his interview for the book. “­There’s literally nothing I could have done any differently to change that outcome. But mostly I realized that ­the Challenge is just like life, in that sometimes, it just ain’t fair. And complaining about it won’t change a thing." Devenanzio continued: "If anything, it just made me want to come back and be that much hungrier to do better, because I’ve learned I’m more motivated by my failures than I am by my successes — and there’s no bigger failure ever than that one.” Scroll down for more bombshells about former The Challenge winners:

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Julie Stoffer Discusses Her Connection With Jamie Murray

The Real World: New Orleans alum, who competed on Road Rules Extreme Challenge, reflected on her bond with Murray.

“We ended up kind of hooking up. We had a bond on ­the Real World, and ­the Challenge was such an intense experience. But there was nothing romantic," she shared. "I think our friendship just got deeper. But really, Jamie and I have never had any romantic feelings for each other, we just connected because we both have interest in the metaphysical, unconventional spiritual realm. And then just the fact that we’re both f--king crazy and like to do crazy s--t.”

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Hunter Barfield Gets Candid About His Mental Health

According to Barfield, participating in the Final Reckoning felt as if it was "the last straw" for his mental health. In the book, the TV personality explained that his split from a girlfriend, his great-grandfather's death and having to eliminate his friends took a toll on him.

Barfield also claimed rival Ashley Mitchell planned to betray him. “It was premeditated. I regret some of the things I said, absolutely, one million percent," he noted. "I was in an emotional moment and I said something heated that I did not and would never in a million years follow through with. It’s not what I meant, but I have to live and learn from the things I said."

The Are You the One? contestant went on to say he was "miserable" while partnered up with Mitchell.

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Emily Schromm Addresses a Blackface Incident

During her interview, the Champs vs. Stars winner recalled a prank with Camila Nakagawa that took an unexpected turn. The duo decided to dress up as Paula Meronek and Ty Ruff, with Schromm putting Nutella on her face to portray her partner.

“I didn’t understand what I was doing, and I so badly wish I did understand in the moment," she said about the "horrific" decision to wear blackface. “I didn’t even realize what it was until Diem [Brown] woke up the next day, because nobody would talk to me about it that night."

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Rachel Robinson Sounds Off on Representation

After participating in The Gauntlet, Robinson called it a "missed opportunity" to not have more LGBTQIA+ representation on the show.

The fitness model also addressed her decision to remain tight-lipped about her romance with ex Veronica Portillo. “It was our business, and we knew if we did share it, it would become something that was not ours anymore. It would be this story line on the show that everyone had two cents to put into. We wanted to protect it,” she shared. “People should know that we were in a relationship for years. We did live together. It was a big deal. And we really had each other’s backs and elevated each other into positions of winning."

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Tyler Duckworth Details a Memorable Night Out

Duckworth, who won Cutthroat & Rivals, detailed a visit to a restaurant in Argentina with Jenn Grijalva that ended with him "lying naked on the cold floor" while cameras were rolling.

Credit: MTV

Cara Maria Sorbello Opens Up About Her 1st Challenge Championship

“Bloodlines was very hard on me mentally, and there’s a lot of things that I had to overcome that season, and unfortunately, that was the main thing, not my win,” Sorbello said in the interview. “It was a lot to go through mentally, and just so traumatic.”

While competing for her first Challenge championship, Sorbello was mourning the loss of her grandmother and was going through an “unhealthy” relationship with then-boyfriend, fellow Challenger Abram Boise.

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Jonna Mannion Discusses Her Downfall

For Mannion, being partnered up with ex Zach Nichols on Battle of the Exes II made the experience her lowest moment. “I feel like I left my Challenge career on a bad note,” she recalled. “I was broken as a person, your partner was your ex, and with how things ended with me and him, it was just a toxic environment. Because of that, I decided that I didn’t want to be a part of this anymore."

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Landon Lueck Breaks Down the Impact His Time on 'The Challenge' Had on His Life

“Seeing the success that I had on the shows, where I was strapped in with a female partner and the way that my positivity was received, that reminds me to be a kinder husband and to be motivating and to be a supportive teammate with my wife,” Lueck, who was a three-time champion, detailed. “It’s kind of weird how it was good for my personal life, because it really taught me to be that person on camera with my loved ones. The love you put in is the love you get out.”

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Chris 'C.T.' Tamburello Addresses Retirement Plans

During his interview, Tamburello admitted he doesn't "have it in me" not to return to the Challenge franchise. “Part of me thinks that the game is changing and part of me thinks I’m just getting old. I can’t play the same games that I used to," he shared. "I keep telling myself it’s not going to last much longer and then I win."

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Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio Weighs In on the Bananas Backpack Elimination

Devenanzio broke down why his Bananas Backpack defeat still bothers him. “There’s other losses that I took way harder than that, because I had losses that I could’ve and should’ve won had it not been for some bonehead miscalculation or misstep,” he explained. “Out of all my eliminations, that was just the most one-sided, obviously. It sucked to have to watch that happen on national TV.”