‘The Challenge’: TJ Lavin on the ‘USA’ Cast Quitting During the Finals: ‘I Just Gave Up’
The Challenge host TJ Lavin is known for his maniacal laugh when catapulting competitors into the water during trivia day and his hatred for quitters. A few months after spinoff USA concluded on CBS, the host appeared on Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio’s podcast, where he discussed his reaction to half the finalists quitting shortly before the finish line.
Five competitors quit during ‘The Challenge: USA’ final
During the spinoff The Challenge: USA, 10 players made it to the finals, where they would battle it out for a cash prize and the opportunity to represent the show in an upcoming global competition series.
However, Ben Driebergen couldn’t participate due to an injury, resulting in a female having to complete a leg of the final solo. Enzo Palumbo was the first to quit, taking out partner Desi Williams with him.
Additionally, Angela Rummans’ strategy to take a penalty instead of trying to finish a difficult task by herself backfired as it disqualified her. Near the end, a sudoku puzzle stumped several competitors, including Justine Ndiba, Tyson Apostol, Cayla Platt, and Domenick Abbate, all of whom decided to quit.
Danny McCray and Sarah Lacina were the only two to finish and walked away with the money from the bank accounts of those who couldn’t finish the race. USA is the first season that is a part of the Challenge franchise in which half the competitors quit the final.
TJ Lavin reacted to half the cast quitting during the finals
Host TJ Lavin is vehemently against quitting as he has historically gotten upset when someone chooses to walk away voluntarily.
Noted for his “see you never” farewells to them, Lavin is tough on the competitors due to the tragic accident he recovered from and his personal motto of always persevering.
Speaking to Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, who currently has the most Challenge wins, on his podcast Death, Taxes, and Bananas, the host shared his reaction to half the cast walking away right before the finish line. When asked if his head “exploded,” Lavin joked that it did, adding, “it came off.”
He continued, admitting, “I just gave up,” marking it as the first time he quit in franchise history. The BMX legend noted he implied they were close to the end by staring at the race-ending flag planted on the top of a mountain. However, they didn’t seem to care as five competitors chose to end their journey anyway and leave without any money.
Tyson Apostol has since revealed why he quit ‘The Challenge: USA’
In an exit interview, Tyson has shared light on why he quit, admitting he didn’t know how to complete the sudoku.
Additionally, he thought they would time out eventually, as Justine did when running a portion of the final by herself.
He also claimed Sarah timed out on the puzzle before reaching the sudoku. Therefore, Tyson assumed the same would happen with them, and they would eventually move on.
However, the Survivor champ learned that wasn’t the case and chose to quit because he knew he wouldn’t figure it out. The Challenge 38: Ride or Dies premieres October 12 on MTV.
