In MTV’s 40th season of The Challenge, called Battle of the Eras, viewers will see Cara Maria Sorbello return in search of a third championship.
However, they’ll also see her boyfriend in the cast, Paulie Calafiore, amid weeks-old speculation of a breakup.
The couple hasn’t commented on their relationship on social media, but both shared remarks about meeting one another on The Challenge in promotional videos for Season 40.
In addition, several of Cara’s biggest rivals from The Challenge, Tori Deal and Laurel Stucky, are part of the 40-person cast.
That means the Fresh Meat star will have a challenging season ahead, especially with Laurel on her team.
In a recent clip, Cara commented on her “complicated relationship” with her castmate from The Challenge.
Cara refers to her ‘complicated relationship’ with her castmate in Season 40
A promotional video for The Challenge: Battle of the Eras Launch Special footage features Cara Maria, Laurel, and others commenting on their relationships heading into the show.
“I think the most complicated relationship that I’m entering into right now is my one with Laurel,” Cara says in a confessional interview.
A flashback to their Season 20, aka Cutthroat, is shown as Laurel tells Cara she doesn’t feel she deserves to share any prize money from the show with her.
“It’s always like, ‘Where do I stand with you?'” Cara asks in her Season 40 Launch Special confessional clip.
She speculates that since Laurel won All Stars 4, she showed everyone she’s “better than Cara Maria,” so maybe she’ll be cool with her now.
Brad Fiorenza and KellyAnne Judd are also in the video. In his confessional interview, Brad says he’s “not a fan” of Cara “playing the victim,” which he believes she likes to do.
KellyAnne is part of Era 2 with Cara and Laurel. She explains that she and Cara weren’t originally friends on Bloodlines, but since that season, they’ve become “close friends,” so she’s curious what their “team dynamic” will be like.
“Nothing has changed. Cara Maria and I will always be rivals, and this season, we’re on the same team; I hope you enjoy,” Laurel says in her confessional interview.
She adds that “there’s a lot of love [and] hate” between them in a “longstanding history that no one will be able to take” from them.
Paulie calls out Laurel for ‘bullying’ Cara
In addition to the women, Paulie also appeared in the Season 40 Launch Special video. During a confessional, he mentioned his relationship with Cara and her relationship with Laurel.
“Cara and I are going on six years strong right now, and it’s amazing,” he gushed about their relationship after meeting on The Challenge: Final Reckoning.
“Cara and Laurel are on the same team, and Cara is like the little sister that keeps getting beaten up and bullied by like her older sister, but she still wants the approval,” he said.
Paulie explained that he wants Cara to realize that she’ll never be friends with Laurel.
He refers to Laurel as “not a good person” and “trash” who will “never, ever be good to Cara.” A clip shows Laurel screaming at Cara during a nomination meeting on the All Stars 4 spinoff.
While they finished All Stars 4 seemingly on good terms, the Launch Special clip sets up some intriguing storylines for Battle of the Eras. Cara’s boyfriend Paulie will be in the game but on the newest team, Era 4, which features castmates Theo Campbell, Jenny West, Kaycee Clark, and Josh Martinez.
Weeks ago, a representative for Paulie and Cara indicated the couple was working through some issues with their relationship. It’s unknown if any of that resulted from Season 40 events.
Cara and Laurel first appeared together in 2010’s MTV’s Fresh Meat II. Battle of the Eras will mark their seventh season as castmates, and it looks like it could be another volatile entry in their longstanding rivalry on the competition show.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras premieres Wednesday, August 14 at 8/7c on MTV.
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