Who won The Challenge: USA? (Season finale recap)

Ben Driebergen injured his shoulder by slipping on the pavement during “Getting Tired”. He attempted to work through the pain as much as he could. However, doctors ruled that Ben was ineligible to participate since he could further increase his injury if he didn’t tend to it as soon as possible.

Because of Ben’s medical disqualification, one woman had to fend for herself, while the others paired up with one male competitor chosen from the Algorithm. Here are the teams formed for the first checkpoint:

• Danny and Cayla
• Domenick and Angela
• Tyson and Justine
• Enzo and Desi

Finale Competition 1: At the first checkpoint, players were required to swim 1,600 feet in extremely cold water to make their way to a puzzle.

Every player, except for Enzo, pushed through the freezing water to get to shore. Enzo’s inability to swim mixed with his drowning paranoia was too much to handle, prompting him to quit. Unfortunately, The Challenge rules state that both players in a team are eliminated if one partner quits. And so, even though she fought hard to come this far, Desi, too, was eliminated from the final.

Disqualified: Enzo Palumbo and Desi Williams

Danny and Cayla gained first place, Sarah came in second, Tyson and Justine came in third, and Angela and Domenick timed out of the first checkpoint, putting them in last place.

Once again, the algorithm chose new teams.

Here are the teams for checkpoint 2:

• Danny and Angela
• Tyson and Sarah
• Domenick and Justine

Finale Competition 2: Every competitor had to consume a large onion and several cloves of garlic at the second checkpoint of the final. They then had to make their way through fields to find barrels that displayed different-colored circles. Each circle contained different numbers and equations that corresponded to each team. Solving the equation allowed them to stay in the running.

Between vomiting uncontrollably and losing taste in one’s mouth, consuming onions and garlic took a lot out of the competitors’ bodies and minds. Cayla, the only woman who had to fight for herself at this checkpoint, nearly threw in the towel, but thankfully, she mustered up the strength needed to complete her task and catch up with her peers.

Disqualified: N/A

Sarah and Danny had the most points at this checkpoint, followed by Angela and Tyson, Cayla and Domenick, and Justine. The rankings may have changed, but, at this point, it was still anyone’s game.

Here’s who the Algorithm threw together for the third checkpoint:

• Domenick and Cayla
• Tyson and Angela
• Danny and Sarah

Finale Competition 3: In this heat, each player had to memorize a series of numbers displayed on a tree. They then added these numbers to decode a hidden word on their respective boards. The team who spelled out their word the fastest gained the most points.

Most players completed this competition with little to no difficulty, but Justine, the lone player for this checkpoint, couldn’t figure her word out. Therefore, she timed out.

Disqualified: N/A

The rankings from the previous heat remained the same, proving that every point gained matters. However, the last two stretches of the final confirmed that points meant nothing if someone doesn’t have what it takes.