Who won The Challenge: USA? (Season finale recap)
By Diana Nosa
We’ve finally arrived at the season finale of The Challenge: USA!
For weeks, we’ve watched some of our favorite competitors go head to head in a gnarly battle to the finish. Some couldn’t cut it, while others strove against all odds to play in T. J. Lavin’s final. When it was all said and done, we were left with the strongest and wisest players of the season. But, despite these competitors’ many strengths, only two people could secure the victory.
Here’s what happened last night on The Challenge: USA!
The Challenge: USA season finale recap
Unlike the men, the remaining women in the competition were not all guaranteed a spot in the final, as there remained one last women’s elimination. Angela Rummans and Alyssa Lopez were still up against Sarah Lacina, Desi Williams, Justine Ndiba, and Cayla Platt, meaning the Big Brother alumnae didn’t have any room for error; any mistake could be deadly.
Final House Competition: “Getting Tired”
In this competition, contestants had to first swim in the freezing water to arrive at an abandoned town. There, they had to find different color tires corresponding to a certain amount of points. The higher the points, the more complicated it was to retrieve the tire.
Upon freeing the tire, they had to run back to their respective poles to place one tire at a time. The individuals who racked up the most points after two hours were safe from the Arena.
As expected, Tyson and Angela decided to go for the tires worth the most points. However, the puzzle that released the item was so complicated that they lost valuable time that could’ve been used to gather more tires. Fortunately for Tyson, he made up for the immense amount of time lost. But Angela wasn’t so fortunate.
Winners: Tyson Apostol/Domenick Abbate (tie) and Sarah Lacina
Loser: Angela Rummans
For the first time, Angela was seated on the losers’ couch. Even still, she refused to sulk about her position, nor did she want to grovel at the feet of the winners. Instead, she chose to put her fate in the hands of Tyson, Domenick, and Sarah.
Tyson was against throwing Alyssa in the Arena, as she has been nothing but loyal to him. Sarah didn’t even want to entertain the idea of letting Alyssa float to the final since this Big Brother alum has done nothing but make Sarah’s life a living hell. Sarah and Tyson’s contradicting opinions put Domenick in the middle to pick a side.
Despite Domenick’s respective bonds with these players, he decided to put his wants and needs first.
Final Elimination Competition: “Pole Wrestle”
Competitors: Angela Rummans and Alyssa Lopez
What better way to end Arena competitions than with a classic game we all know and love—Pole Wrestle.
On T. J. Lavin’s go, the competitors had to fight tooth and nail to take the pole from their opponent. The first person to gain two points was safe from elimination and automatically sent into the final.
Unfortunately, Alyssa was no match for the force that is Angela Rummans, so she, like others before her, had to bid a farewell for her share of $500,000.
Final Player Eliminated: Alyssa Lopez
To that end, Angela Rummans, Desi Williams, Justine Ndiba, Cayla Platt, and Sarah Lacina remained for the women, and Enzo Palumbo, Tyson Apostol, Ben Driebergen, Danny McCray, and Domenick Abbate were the remaining men. This lineup seemed like an epic showdown, but no one could’ve predicted the mess that followed.