‘The Problem: USA’ Winners Defend Controversial Finale, Present’s Guidelines

After greater than half of “The Challenge: USA” opponents stop throughout the season finale, solid members started complaining about inconsistencies within the guidelines.

Tyson Apostol, who dominated all season lengthy, in the end ended up dropping after he couldn’t end a Sudoku puzzle. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he mentioned that whereas Sarah Lacina was in a position to day out of the primary puzzle, manufacturing didn’t permit him to day out.

“I don’t know if she timed out of Sudoku, no person was there to see her do it and so they didn’t present her doing it on digicam,” he mentioned. Lacina, together with Danny McCray, went on to win the season — and had been the one two who truly completed the Sodoku and scaled the mountain.

He additionally claimed that one producer on set instructed him the principles had been in his head, however not written anyplace. His ally by way of the complete season, Angela Rummans, was disqualified midway by way of the ultimate race after she selected to choose out of a contest as a result of she knew she wouldn’t win, assuming she may simply take final place in that leg.

“She let her motives be very recognized to everybody. It wasn’t like she simply snuck off and stop the problem, she was like, ‘I’m going to mattress as a result of I’m not going to have the ability to even beat anyone on this,’” he mentioned, including that permit her know that she could be disqualified.

Nonetheless, McCray and Lacina famous on the “Reality Rundown” podcast that there have been written guidelines on a board, which said you needed to full the problem to maneuver on to the subsequent spherical.

“If persons are like, ‘Oh properly, she’s simply taking final,’ properly, she does say, ‘I stop. I’m going to preserve my vitality.’ It’s like, you’re not even attempting and it’s important to make some form of try. Cayla [Platt] was going to get final within the meals consuming, however she nonetheless needed to eat all of it. If she simply opted out and took final, they’d have counted that as a stop,” Lacina mentioned. “It’s not truthful that you simply simply get a relaxation since you assume it’s unfair.”

As for the opposite “inconsistencies,” each Lacina and McCray mentioned that they did see some “shaky” guidelines — however nothing that gave a bonus to 1 participant over one other.

“I felt like all of us acquired the identical guidelines, all of us had been in a position to presumably make the identical errors. I don’t assume any of us acquired a aggressive benefit, which is my greatest factor,” McCray mentioned. “Was a few of it tousled, and we had been like, ‘Y’all’s guidelines are loopy?’ Yeah. However as to figuring out who gained and who misplaced, I believe they did the very best that they might to be as truthful as doable.”

Lacina, who labored with Apostol for a part of the season earlier than he turned on her alliance, added, “Who’re the people who complain about it? The winners? It may possibly’t be his fault he misplaced, so let’s blame it on one thing else. In the event you didn’t win, you didn’t win, that’s simply the way in which it’s. You don’t see the winners complain about it as a result of it was truthful. It’s truthful. All season, he’s been doing nothing however chirping about how nice he’s. Now unexpectedly, manufacturing sucks.”

As for the winnings, everyone seems to be on the identical web page. The group was instructed all through the season that they had been battling for $500,000. Ultimately, nevertheless, it ended up being half of that.

“We had all assumed that the prize goes to be one winner, $500K, as a result of it’s the ‘Problem champion’ shifting on to a different a part of a event — singular. We get to the highest and I’m like, okay me and Sarah, we’re splitting the $500,000, that means we get $250,000. Then we hear that if all people had crossed the end line, all of their cash would have got here out of that $500,000 after which me and Sarah would have break up what was left of it. So it was very unusual,” McCray mentioned. “We come from ‘Survivor,’ the place you get $1 million {dollars}. Xavier [Prather] got here from ‘Massive Brother,’ the place you get $750K. ‘Wonderful Race’ is $1 million {dollars}. I’m like, ‘We did all this for a way a lot?’”

In Apostol’s interview, he mentioned he wouldn’t have achieved the present had he recognized the true prize cash to start with. “They saved assuring us that it was $500,000 to the winner. All of us didn’t know. After which I requested them after, I used to be like, that was sort of a unclean transfer to mislead us like that, and so they’re like, ‘Yeah, we thought a whole lot of you wouldn’t come for $250.’ I used to be like, ‘I for positive wouldn’t be right here.’”

In a number of months, Lacina and McCray will compete in a particular worldwide event of “The Problem” on Paramount+ — however they’re wanting ahead to a break first.

“You understand what’s humorous is straight away when T.J. [Lavin] goes, ‘You guys punched your ticket to the worldwide championship,’ Danny and I checked out one another, like, can we get a refund on these tickets? We simply went by way of hell,” Lacina mentioned when requested if the pair will do different seasons sooner or later.

McCray famous that the flagship is probably going “too lengthy” of a shoot for him since he as a 2-year-old daughter at residence. When instructed that Season 38 shot for 10 weeks, Lacina responded, “I didn’t even take that lengthy for maternity depart!”