What happened to Nelson from "The Challenge" in 2023? Details explored

Nelson Thomas is a familiar name for fans of The Challenge, as the reality star has appeared on several seasons of the legacy show. Starting his reality TV journey with Are You The One? 3- a dating reality show that was released on MTV in 2015, Nelson's tactics and his physical strength got him a recurring place on The Challenge.

He last appeared in season 38 of The Challenge: Ride or Dies in 2022. Following that, fans of the show were left to wonder what happened to the repeat contestant, since he did not return in the next two seasons. Nelson Thomas faced a police DWI in September 2023, after he crashed his car while being under the influence.

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Nelson Thomas faced heavy legal repercussions after his car crash

The accident involving Nelson Thomas took place on March 6, 2023, when the Are You The One? star lost control of his Audi A4, and crashed into a bridge. The severity of the accident that happened in Austin, Texas, had the vehicle burst into flames with Nelson still trapped inside it.

Luckily, passersby were soon at Nelson's aid and rescued him from the car before he sustained any further injuries. The police who escorted the 34-year-old to the hospital said he had "bloodshot, glassy eyes," and had admitted to having two or three mixed drinks before the accident, per PageSix.

At the hospital, Thomas was put under a field sobriety test after the officer on duty noted a strong smell of alcohol in his breath. Thomas failed the test and was put under arrest at the hospital.

However, he was released soon after, because his injuries would take longer to treat. A search warrant for his toxicology report was soon obtained, which showed a blood alcohol level of 0.178 percent, which was higher than the legal threshold of 0.8 percent. The police then took him back into custody on September 28.

While the final verdict of his hearing is unknown, Nelson posted a $5000 bond, according to PageSix.

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Nelson Thomas' drunk driving had posed him the risk of ankle amputation

According to PageSix, Nelson's attorney Angela Tabares, had mentioned in his court documents that her client had been "dealing with a serious medical condition in which he does not have full mobility of one of his legs."

The reality star first publicly revealed about his accident on Instagram on March 15, 2023. He then revealed the possibility of an amputation soon after on September 27. In the post, he also thanked NFL star KJ Osborn, who happened to be one of the passersby who rescued Nelson, for risking his own life to save his.

His Instagram now shows the star, who is still in recovery, hasn't required amputation and continues to thrive.

The reality TV star also took to the social media platform to clear the cause of his accident for fans who contributed to his GoFundMe account, without knowing the reason behind it. His move came after he reportedly received several angry comments from contributors to his $58,000 GoFundMe, who complained about not being made aware of the cause behind his accident, which was intoxication.

He has since been very public about his recovery journey and expresses gratefulness for his life regularly.

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New episodes of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion air on MTV every Wednesday at 8 pm ET.