‘The Challenge’: Kendal Darnell Says She Wasn’t Medically Disqualified Due to an Injury
The Challenge star and former champ Kendal Darnell returned for All Stars 2 after a fairly dominant performance during the spinoff’s first season. Although she seemingly played a better game and avoided elimination, the 41-year-old went home early due to a medical disqualification. While the show didn’t give an exact reason for sending her home, many viewers assumed it had to do with a rib injury she suffered during a challenge. However, the former champ clarified that a positive COVID-19 test disqualified her from the competition.
Kendal Darnell returned for ‘The Challenge: All Stars’
After winning The Inferno in 2004, Kendal (Sheppard) Darnell hasn’t returned for another season of The Challenge.
She came back 17 years later for spinoff All Stars 1 and proved she still had it by winning three daily missions and two eliminations.
However, as the top female threat in the game, she returned shortly before the finals. The 41-year-old came back for season 2 and immediately had a different experience.
Kendal managed to fly under the radar and remain safe for the first five weeks of the competition. However, an injury disqualified her from the game.
She was medically disqualified due to a rib injury
During the Dec. 16 episode, partnered with Laterrian Wallace, Kendal seemed to get injured after a challenge required her to jump in the water.
After The Inferno winner returned to the house, Kendal told a few of her castmates she thought she felt her rib move out of place and had difficulties breathing.
Kendal went into depth during her confessional, explaining she had a connective tissue disorder that causes easy dislocation and displacement with joints and ribs. Although the former champ noted she didn’t want to visit the hospital, she eventually went but didn’t return for deliberation.
Even so, the others voted her and Laterrian into the Arena. Although Kendal never came back to the competition, the elimination still happened.
Darnell said positive COVID-19 test resulted in the removal
A week later, the 41-year-old tweeted about the next episode, noting she wished she had the chance to compete in the Steer Clear challenge.
“While they were out there doing cool stuff, I was in my hotel room with COVID-19 praying for a miracle to get me back in the game,” she admitted. Replying to a fan who asked what caused the pain, the Inferno champ noted she believed she had difficulty breathing due to the coronavirus.
Kendal revealing her status confused viewers as they wondered what caused her early exit. She explained she often had partial and complete “subluxations” due to the connective tissue disorder, EDS. However, the former winner clarified that a positive coronavirus test removed her from the game.
She broke it down a little further in another tweet, noting she had two injuries and then spent time in quarantine, where she learned she had coronavirus. The Inferno champ also claimed she would explain more on her Instagram account later. The Challenge: All Stars 2 airs on Paramount+.
