Paulie Calafiore Said Rumors on Why He Wasn’t on ‘The Challenge: Total Madness’ Are Lies: ‘I’ve Never Failed a Psych Evaluation’
Those who’ve kept up with MTV’s The Challenge know Cara Maria Sorbello and Paulie Calafiore weren’t on Total Madness. The two sat the current season out for different reasons, it seems. While Sorbello said she chose to sit back and take some time for herself following some backlash from War of the Worlds 2, Calafiore noted that it actually wasn’t his decision to make.
A former Challenge competitor noted Calafiore couldn’t come back on to the show after failing a psych evaluation. Calafiore claims this is all lies, though. Here’s what he said to defend himself.
Paulie Calafiore wasn’t on ‘The Challenge: Total Madness’
The Challenge: Total Madness is coming to a close, and it’s been a wild season. The twist this time around meant competitors had to win an elimination round in order to qualify to run the finale, and it’s unlike any twist the game has seen in the past. And it seems the show’s producers knew they had to switch things up after the complaints from last season, War of the Worlds 2.
Sorbello and Calafiore dominated on War of the Worlds 2. Their alliance kept them safe and comfortable through the game, and while they didn’t win the final, they easily made it there. While Calafiore has a strong social game, we’re sure he wouldn’t be too opposed to this twist if he was able to take part in this season.
As for why Calafiore didn’t compete on Total Madness, it’s still unclear. But he told an Instagram follower it “wasn’t my call” when asked. “Time will tell,” Calafiore commented again.
A former ‘Challenge’ contestant said Calafiore failed a psych evaluation
While Calafiore has remained mum regarding why he’s not on Total Madness, Jemmye Carroll is willing to air his dirty laundry.
It seems it all started with a feud surrounding Calafiore and long-time favorite contestant Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio. According to Calafiore, Devenenzio tried to get him banned from the show. But Carroll stepped in and claimed that’s not the case.
“Y’all. Cast members don’t have the power to get other cast members banned from a show… Don’t believe the lies…,” Carroll tweeted. And the topic of a failed psych evaluation also came up between past players.
Carroll didn’t stop there. When player Natalie Negrotti attempted to defend Calafiore, Carroll tweeted again, “So then he was dropped due to his unstable behavior the past few weeks? Right or wrong? Which essentially means if he took a test in this state he wouldn’t pass. He was dropped due to his behavior not bc he wanted to stay home.”
Calafiore said those claims are entirely untrue
Calafiore came to his own defense after these claims, though. On June 25, he retweeted a post from a fan page that included a video of him talking about not being a part of Total Madness.
“People were asking me why I wasn’t on it … I can’t really disclose that information. The only thing I can say is, it was not because of a failed psych evaluation,” Calafiore said in the video. “So, that lie, that rumor, that narrative that everybody keeps putting out there, it’s false. It’s fake. I’ve never failed a psych evaluation. I never will fail a psych evaluation.”
Calafiore went on to say that his “level of competition” likely intimidates his castmates, which is why they were talking badly about him.
The same day Calafiore retweeted the video, he added another statement to Twitter about the controversy. “I mean are there really people who believe that I failed a psych exam and that info was just given out?” he tweeted. “Only Cara and I know why I was taken off last minute. Any castmates trying to push this are pathetic and trying to push a narrative to cover their own actions.”
We’re hoping we’ll see Sorbello and Calafiore on future seasons of the show!
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