When it comes to a Mount Rushmore of The Challenge greats, many people would likely put Chris “CT” Tamburello amongst their selections for that superstar-studded tribute.
CT, a former star of The Real World: Paris, rose to fame as a hot-tempered individual in his early days of The Challenge, leading to him being kicked off the show several times before he could reach the final.
However, he matured over the years and kept returning to The Challenge, becoming a fan favorite and, ultimately, a five-time winner of the show.
His most recent win was Season 37, aka Spies, Lies & Allies. Following that season, he took a break from the show and possibly left it for good as he pursued other interests, including his acting career.
After four years of marriage, he also filed for divorce from his wife, Lilianet Solares, which made headlines last November and more recently as they divvy up their property.
CT recently spoke about his reality TV days and his failed marriage, saying he doesn’t regret any of it despite what’s going on now.
CT comments about failed marriage and credits his son for Challenge wins
While CT didn’t go into many specifics about his divorce, he did open up a bit about the situation on an episode of the Challenge Mania podcast. While speaking about his time in reality TV and how much it’s changed over the years, he basically said he wouldn’t trade all he went through for anything. That includes meeting and marrying Lili.
“I don’t regret any of it because I have my son. Because of that- the way I look at it, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have had my son, and I wouldn’t have had a purpose or a reason to really step up,” he said.
CT explained that they were deciding on a good name when his son was born, and he got outvoted as others wanted to name his son after him. His son became Christopher Jr., even though CT felt it was kind of “vain” to name him after himself.
However, he said once his son had that name, he wanted it to be a name he could be proud of, and that propelled him into his “dad bod” era on The Challenge, where he won multiple seasons. He’s won five seasons of the show, and four of those wins came during his last eight appearances on MTV’s competition series.
He won three out of the last four seasons before Ride or Dies, including back-to-back wins on Double Agents and Spies, Lies & Allies.
Will CT return for The Challenge again?
Following his win in Season 37, CT has taken a break from the show, and depending on how he feels, he may make it an extended one. CT brought up some interesting points about how reality TV was different when he started years ago versus now.
He mentioned that cast members would finish filming for a season and head home to find a job. However, in more recent times, cast members can earn off social media and don’t even have to leave the house, according to CT.
He said he’s gotten to a point where he’s doing well thanks to the multiple seasons won, appearances, his side gig with Cameos, and potential acting work. In 2022, CT appeared in a remake of The Most Dangerous Game with notable co-stars Judd Nelson, Tom Berenger, Bruce Dern, and Casper Van Dien.
That begs whether he plans to return again and try to get more championships, possibly to catch up to, or pass, seven-time winner Johnny Bananas. Previous reports suggested that CT might have retired.
He mentioned how some individuals are motivated to appear on the show just to get paid, whereas he had a different motivation.
“Going back to The Challenge now…I don’t want to just go there just to collect a check. I mean, how many times have we seen it? Somebody just comes in for the check, and it f**ks up something else going on for someone that really wants to be there,” CT said on the podcast, adding, “If someone really wants to be there, I wouldn’t want to go there just to collect a free check.”
He also brought up that he’s much older now at 42, and it’s such a different time with how the show is. However, he seems to be enjoying his life away from the competition series. CT even hinted at an upcoming movie he’s in.
“For the most part, I’m gonna hang out with my little man, work on my sweatband collection, and grow out my mullet for my next movie project,” CT said.
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