‘The Challenge’ Season 36 Champ CT Tamburello Weighs in on Fessy Shafaat’s Meltdown
The Challenge: Double Agents finale saw Chris “CT” Tamburello and partner Amber Borzotra crowned the winners of the season. The duo came in first place, which secured them $900,000 in prize money.
This was the fourth win for The Challenge OG, who fellow contestant Fessy Shafaat called a “used-to” when he called out the vet earlier in the season. CT says he understands Fessy’s meltdown, and he knows the Big Brother vet has a lot to prove.
‘The Challenge’ winner credits his ‘dad bod’
CT has been an MTV reality star since his early 20s when he first appeared on The Real World. Now, he’s a 40-year-old dad who’s having more success on The Challenge now than he did more than a decade ago.
“Ever since I took some time off and came back with the dad bod, no one wanted me. I’ve always been underestimated,” CT told Us Weekly.
“It’s funny because I have a higher winning percentage now during my dad bod era than I did in my 20s.”
Fessy Shafaat called CT Tamburello a ‘used-to’
In the middle of the Double Agents season, CT was enjoying a night out when he butted heads with Big Brother alum Fessy Shafaat. At the age of 29, Fessy saw CT as a “used-to.”
Fessy also claimed he was “better” and “faster” than The Challenge OG.
This didn’t faze CT, though. He’s not intimidated by younger players. The Challenge vet says that even though people make comparisons, he and Fessy are very different.
“In your 20s, you have a lot to prove, and I get that. I was there at one point, but we’re not the same people,” CT said.
‘The Challenge’ star likes to ‘work smarter, not harder’
The 40-year-old went on to explain that both he and Fessy use their heads in a challenge. But, they use them in different ways.
“I like to work smarter, not harder,” CT explained. “I like to do puzzles. He likes to run full speed into walls. I’m a 40-year-old man with a bad back who played DIII basketball. He’s a 20-something DI football all-star.”
CT also made it clear that he doesn’t “feel the need” to prove himself to anyone anymore. He doesn’t need to do anything physical like hall brawl because he’s 40 years old and doesn’t want to hurt himself.
The fight came out of nowhere
CT understands that Fessy wants to be considered one of the best on The Challenge. He says that’s a great goal to have, and the fight with Fessy was unexpected.
“It came out of nowhere when we had that fight because I thought we were all on mutual ground. Out of nowhere, he started poking the bear. And the old CT is still in there somewhere!” CT said.
Later, when Fessy had his meltdown, refused to eat, and got cut from the finale, CT’s take was that he’s a “young kid” with a “chip on his shoulder.” And, he’s “got a lot to prove.”
‘The Challenge’ star says you have to stay positive with teammates
CT added: “I came in hot like that. Look, I’ve even treated partners like that. I remember like treating Veronica the way he was treating his teammate. And I’ve learned from that and I’ve apologized.”
He went on to explain that you’ll get way more out of your teammate if you’re positive, and that’s going to come from growth. CT says that Fessy needs to learn from it.
“There’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and if you’re not careful, pride can be your own worst enemy. You’re going to underestimate your teammate,” CT said.
The entire season of The Challenge: Double Agents is available on the MTV app.
