‘The Challenge’: Laurel Stucky Says ‘Reality TV Is Bad’ for Cara Maria Sorbello
Season 35 of The Challenge is coming soon, and fans can’t wait to see what Total Madness brings. So far, we know a number of the show’s seasoned veterans will be competing for the big money. Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, Wes Bergmann, and C.T. are all featured in the trailer — but there a few notable vets who, surprisingly, aren’t playing. And one of them is Cara Maria Sorbello.
Sorbello has been a part of The Challenge for years, and she’s proven to be a serious force, as she’s won a number of seasons and made it to multiple finals. But she’s rubbed a number of castmembers the wrong way — and her relationship with Laurel Stucky is one many fans remember.
It looks like Stucky thinks Sorbello skipping out on Season 35 is a good thing. Here’s what she said about how Sorbello should stay away from reality TV.
Cara Maria Sorbello and Laurel Stucky have a sordid past
Sorbello hasn’t had an easy time making friends on The Challenge. She and Stucky both got their start on the show with Fresh Meat back in 2010. And they later bonded during Cutthroat the following season.
Stucky always looked at Sorbello like an “annoying little sister,” which led to a lot of animosity between them over the years. Sorbello often noted Stucky’s condescending attitude was hard to deal with, and Stucky noted she thought Sorbello needed some tough love to get her head in the game. While the two butted heads, they ultimately seemed to have a lasting and loving bond that spanned for years.
Unfortunately, their dysfunctional relationship soured. Sorbello told Stucky she was done with the friendship completely during Free Agents in 2014. And tensions grew even more when Sorbello started dating Paulie Calafiore, as Stucky thought Sorbello was changing into an entirely different person.
Many ‘Challenge’ castmembers think Sorbello has changed over the years
![Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio and Cara Maria Sorbello appear on MTV's 'The Challenge: Rivals II' final episode and reunion party](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Johnny-Devenanzio-and-Cara-Maria-Sorbello.jpg?strip=all&quality=89)
It’s not just Stucky who’s noticed a change in Sorbello. Devenanzio also stated during an interview that he thinks Sorbello’s relationship with Calafiore has totally changed her.
“Our relationships changed and there really is a darkness that’s come over her recently that I think has changed our relationship,” he told People.
Nany González agrees with this, too. She’s known Sorbello via The Challenge for years, and she also mentioned to People that she doesn’t “like who she is today. I don’t think she’s a good person, and that’s outside of the game and in the game. … The Cara Maria that I saw last season is not the Cara Maria that I want to have in my life.”
Jemmye Carroll, another Challenge vet, also shared some thoughts on Sorbello. Carroll claimed that she had beef with Sorbello after she tweeted about Sorbello cheating on her ex-boyfriend, Abram Boise. And Carroll also noted that Sorbello seemed to “change” once she was the center of attention on the show.
Stucky says ‘reality TV is bad’ for Sorbello
Stucky spoke to PeopleTV about her feelings regarding many of her fellow Challenge competitors. And of course, her complicated history with Sorbello came up. According to Stucky, she thinks Sorbello needs to take plenty of time off from the show just for her own sake. And she also said Sorbello doesn’t make great “choices” in her relationships.
“If I’m giving you my honest analysis of it, I really think that reality TV is bad for her and she doesn’t have a separation of who she is on the show and an actual life,” Stucky said. “Her life is the show. And I think that that really turns out to be unhealthy, and it comes across. She’s not pleasant to be around when you’re around her. It’s sad. It’s honestly a little bit sad. She does have the potential to be really warm and she’s got also great qualities, too.”
We know Sorbello is, indeed, taking some time off, so perhaps she saw what Stucky had to say and took note. Sorbello isn’t happy with the way she acted on War of the Worlds 2, as she told her Instagram followers. We’re hoping that when she does make her return to The Challenge, she makes her fellow friends and competitors proud.
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