Cory Wharton isn’t competing in MTV’s The Challenge: Ride or Dies season, but he still ended up part of the show, thanks to a video call in a recent episode.
The multi-time finalist was seen giving his pal Nelson Thomas a much-needed pep talk in Ride or Dies Episode 12, which included advice for getting rid of a few castmates before the final.
They were none other than Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat and Johnny Bananas, both of whom pose legitimate threats to Nelson in what’s been a standout season for The Challenge vet.
Once the episode aired and a clip of Cory’s appearance hit the internet, Fessy reacted to what he saw, commenting about Cory’s words in the episode.
Cory fired back at his castmate, prompting what could make for an interesting scenario if the two appear again in an upcoming season.
This report contains spoilers from The Challenge: Ride or Dies Episode 12.
Fessy reacts to Cory’s Ride or Dies cameo
The recent episode of Ride or Dies saw Nelson head into the private video chat room where he got on a call with his friend Cory Wharton, similar to what Wes Bergmann did in All Stars 3 when he spoke with Johnny Bananas.
Cory basically tried to hype up Nelson to compete in the game, reminding him about who he’s there trying to win that “big money” for. Along with that, Cory had some additional comments.
“I mean you gotta watch out. You got Johnny there. You not beating him in a final. Fessy too man. You might wanna get Fessy out,” Cory suggested.
Nelson told his friend, “You bout to be mad at me,” before informing him that he and Fessy had been “rockin’ together” during Ride or Dies.
“You and Fessy been rockin’ together? So you mean to tell me you kinda gotten friends with the enemy?” a surprised Cory asked.
Fessy hopped on Twitter on Thursday, sharing 21 seconds from the Ride or Dies episode along with a comment about Cory.
“I don’t want to hear Cory’s a** crying neither when he gets tossed in for talking reckless,” Fessy wrote, referring to the potential for Cory to get put into elimination.
Cory noted after Season 37 of The Challenge that he would take a break from appearing on the show. Since then, he’s focused on other events, including celebrity boxing, a celeb football game, spending time with family, and potential movie work. He also mentioned he was nearly on another reality TV competition show.
Cory fires back at Fessy’s comment
Cory didn’t stay silent after Fessy made the remark about him online, taking to Twitter to fire some trash talk back at him.
“Naww I don’t wanna hear it. here you go with that BIG TALK ??,” Cory wrote, adding, “y’all playin Patty cake or we trying to get this BAG,”
Ride or Dies is the first season of The Challenge in a while that Cory hasn’t been onboard the cast alongside his pal Nelson. He appeared in Spies, Lies & Allies, where he failed to reach the final, losing in elimination to rookie Logan Sampedro.
That same season saw Fessy get kicked off the show due to his fight with Josh Martinez, and Nelson reached the final, where he lost in a Day 2 elimination to castmate Kyle Christie.
In Season 36, Double Agents, Cory was among the show’s finalists, along with Fessy. Fessy and his teammate Kaycee Clark ended up getting eliminated early on due to Kaycee’s unfortunate injury, while Cory and his teammate, Kam Williams, went on to finish as runner-ups.
In Ride or Dies Episode 12, Fessy’s team suffered their first loss in a daily challenge, although teammate Bananas suggested production rigged things to help Team Underdog.
With the loss, the men on Fessy’s team, including Fessy, were up for elimination. After Chauncey Palmer pulled the “Safe” dagger at The Draw, he saved Bananas.
That put Nelson against Fessy, setting up a rematch from their Double Agents elimination. They didn’t compete in a head-to-head battle like Hall Brawl; instead, each was inside large boxes, freeing spears from metal chains and drywall in an event called Spearheaded.
Ultimately, Fessy pulled all his spears out of the wall and put them into the slots outside the box first, sending his friend home for another season. Later, TJ would bring Nelson’s partner Nurys Mateo out to meet with him, informing them they were officially eliminated from the season.
That means Fessy is still in the game and eligible to win a share of $1 million on Ride or Dies. Time will tell if he claims his first Challenge championship or continues to be all talk about his competitive abilities.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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