"Winning it didn't surprise me": The Challenge season 39 star Emanuel Neagu reacts to claiming victory 

The Challenge season 39 aired part two of its finale on Wednesday, February 21, crowning Emanuel Neagu as the winner. Titled Only One Gets The Crown, episode 19 returned with finalists Nurys Mateo, Colleen Schneider, Berna Canbeldk, and Corey Lay competing in a tough battle, which involved swimming, lifting weights, and also solving puzzles.

The ultimate winner of the competition series, Emanuel Neagu, reflected on his victory in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The Survivor Romania alum stated he was “confident” about winning the final task even before it began. He noted:

“If I made the final there's no way I'm not going to win. I have endurance, I know that I have what it takes to win finals, so winning it didn't surprise me.”

However, crossing the finish line first did feel “unreal” to him.

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The Challenge season 39 winner Emanuel Neagu opens up about the task that he felt was the toughest

The Survivor Romania alum believes the portions capturing the difficulty level of the last task weren’t broadcasted, thereby making it appear much “easier” on TV. He told the publication:

“We really [swam] for so long. And the kayak also was very long, the run was very long. Our faces were like white when we came out of the water. But there was nothing that wasn’t shown.”

For the ultimate winner, the portion where they had to stay awake in the night was the toughest part of the finale task. Emanuel expressed he felt like lying down but considering the chances that host TJ Lavin would add time made him not want to risk it.

The winner noted it began raining at one point during the night, and scenes where he and another finalist Corey bashed the production team were also edited out. Emanuel Neagu took the lead during the Sudoku round and remained confident throughout that no one would likely beat him. He spoke at length about the thoughts that were running in his mind at that moment, stating:

“Even when I stopped with the Sudoku, and I saw people coming in and it's anybody's game, I still didn't think anyone is going to beat me. Because I knew if this Sudoku is hard for me, it is definitely going to be hard for everyone else. So I didn't lose the confidence I had. I was so locked in.”

The Challenge champion’s journey was less rocky because he barely found himself competing in any elimination round throughout season 39. When asked if he has anyone in mind he’d like to compete against and defeat in future, Emanuel had quite a list. The first name he told Entertainment Weekly was Jordan Wiseley, followed by CT Tamburello, and Devin Walker-Molaghan.

He also wished he could go against Horacio Guiterrez and Kyland Young, two strong contenders who were eliminated during ‘Conquest.’ He wondered if it’d be harder to beat them as they almost won every task they participated in. The Challenge winner added:

“I was envying Kyland for winning so many eliminations. I wanted that because it's very glorifying when you win like Horacio did on Ride or Dies and Kyland now.”

But Emanuel doesn’t regret the fact he didn’t often land in elimination rounds of The Challenge season 39. Nurys Mateo emerged as the runner-up, followed by Colleen, Corey and Berna taking third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.

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The Challenge season 39 finale is available to stream on MTV.