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Michele Fitzgerald was eliminated in episode 17 of The Challenge season 39. Titled Feel the Bern, the episode aired on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, and featured three contestants packing for home. Michele lost during The Purge, while Olivia Kaiser and James Lock suffered defeat at the hands of Nurys Mateo in the elimination task.
In the latest purge round, titled “Drum Roll," contestants had to run on a rotating platform, holding merely onto a rope while suspended above the water. The player who held the rope for the longest won, but the first contestant to lose balance and fall into the water was sent home immediately.
Now, after exiting the show, Michele revealed her fall in the water was harder than it looked in the episode. She confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that she broke two of her ribs.
"It f**king hurt when I fell, and I broke two ribs."
Michele Fitzgerald could “barely breathe” after The Challenge elimination round
During the interview with EW, Michele highlighted she felt extensive pain after falling into the water.
“I genuinely could not sleep at night. I could barely breathe. You see the pain, and it was real pain.”
Michele wasn’t the only player to suffer an injury. As per the Survivor alum, fellow contestant Colleen Schneider had a “full-on” concussion after the task. She confirmed:
“They (makers) didn't show it, but she didn't even remember being up on the hamster wheel."
Olivia Kaiser, who was eliminated soon after Michele, branded The Purge Task of Episode 17 as the “most dangerous challenge” of the season. Just like Michele, Olivia claimed she broke her ribs and was unable to breathe. She told Entertainment Weekly:
"If your feet are still on the wheel, you're going to fall face first. I broke three ribs and popped my implant, or ripped it, ruptured it, so now I have to get my b**bs redone. I was in so much pain. There was no way I could even have competed in the final. I couldn't even breathe."
Additionally, Olivia and Michele both had complaints about the task being more suitable for men's strength. “It's not really much of an equalizer,” noted Michele, while Olivia called the challenge “not fun,” implying:
“Those guys can run for hours, so even if we were faster and had the best balance, they more than likely can outrun us anyway, so it was just an interesting challenge for the last one. I don't love it, clearly.”
Who are the remaining contestants in The Challenge season 39?
The latest elimination round sent Nurys Mateo, Berna Canbeldek, Colleen Schneider, Moriah Jadea, Corey Lay, Emanuel Neagu, and Jay Starrett to the finals. Elsewhere in 17 of The Challenge season 39, host TJ Lavin questioned Jay’s motives after he failed to save Nurys during the house votes again.
In episode 16, Jay and Michele executed a well-planned scheme with Olivia Kaiser to send Nurys and her close allies, boyfriend Horacio Gutiérrez, and Kyland Young to fight against each other.
Nurys defeated Horacio and Kyland in the last episode, and this time she emerged victorious again after finding herself in the elimination round against James and Olivia. A total of six players have been eliminated in the last two episodes, and four of them were sent home by Nurys alone.
The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion airs on MTV every Wednesday at 8 pm ET/PT.
