‘The Challenge’: Katie Cooley Says It’s ‘Obvious’ She Should Retire Soon
The Challenge champ Katie Cooley has appeared in several seasons, winning one, since 2004’s The Gauntlet. After an incident in 2010’s Cutthroat left her with a black eye; the popular player has had a hard time facing her fears and has refused to participate in challenges involving heights over water. Responding to a fan who criticized her for quitting, Cooley admitted it’s “obvious” she should retire.
Katie Cooley says it’s ‘obvious’ that she should retire soon
42-year-old Texas native Katie Cooley (Doyle) returned to The Challenge after a 10-year break for the spinoff, All Stars.
While she’s proven she’s still a tough competitor, her injury from Cutthroat has haunted her, causing her to quit a couple of daily missions.
Following her elimination from season 2, she claimed she would only come back for another season if she could choose her husband as a teammate. Responding to a fan who accused her of quitting “every time,” Cooley argued she has faced her fear “a few times” and still got injured.
Therefore, she no longer has an interest in doing them as it’s “not worth it to me.” The Inferno winner went on to admit it’s “obvious” that she should not return because “heights are inevitable.”
She clapped back at fans who criticized her for quitting
On New Year’s Eve, Cooley responded to a few comments from fans who vocalized their opinions about her refusal to compete in challenges involving heights over water.
In a tweet, she wrote, “Let me make something clear for all the f—- who can’t grasp the concept. We get paid more than you make in a year just to show up.”
As a result, she claimed it doesn’t matter if she chooses not to participate due to her fear, as she still walks away with a hefty appearance check. Someone replied to her, noting they didn’t mind her reasoning but wondered why she would “take a spot” from another player who would compete.
Cooley claimed the producers are “very specific” when it comes to casting. Therefore, she doesn’t believe she’s “stealing” an opportunity. Afterward, The Inferno champ deleted her original tweet, admitting she shouldn’t have responded to the critics in the manner she did.
Cooley has quit a couple of challenges during ‘The Challenge: All Stars’ following ‘Cutthroat’ injury
During Cooley’s last appearance on the flagship series in 2010, she participated in a challenge that required the competitors to leap from platform to platform suspended over water.
The Texas native missed it and wiped out, resulting in a notable black eye. She has attempted to get over the incident by competing in one daily mission involving heights over water but again took a nasty spill.
Cooley has since refused to participate in two challenges, annoying some fans who want to see everyone compete.
Because the show nearly always has a couple of missions requiring the players to participate suspended high over the water, the Texas native believes her time on the franchise might come to an end after a span of almost 20 years. The Challenge: All Stars airs on Paramount+.
