Nurys Mateo nearly didn’t return to compete on The Challenge: Battle of the Eras following a rough Season 39.
In Battle For a New Champion, she found herself in challenging circumstances due to her relationship with her boyfriend, Horacio Gutierrez, which caused friction with potential allies.
That led to a surprising vote situation from someone she considered her friend and multiple elimination appearances for Nurys just before the final.
She defied the odds to win two eliminations, sending four competitors home, to reach her first final on The Challenge.
The drama and physical exhaustion of participating in Season 39 left Nurys with a sour taste regarding a return to Battle of the Eras.
However, she revealed why she decided to return for another season soon after filming the Battle for a New Champion reunion.
Nurys shares why she returned for Battle of the Eras
Nurys, appearing with castmate Paulie Calafiore, spoke about her decision to return for The Challenge after a rough Season 39.
She finished second behind the winner, Emanuel Neagu, and indicated that Season 40’s schedule had filming starting in Vietnam just two weeks after the Season 39 reunion aired on MTV.
“So for me, not only did I experience everything I did on 39 [but] then having to rewatch it back for those months, but I also was alone because Horacio was gone filming his show,” she shared.
Nurys said she received a call for Season 40 but was telling herself, “You have not had a break” to process and get through things from the previous season.
“I was being torn because it’s iconic. It’s Season 40. To be invited was such an honor for me, she said, adding, “I didn’t want to turn it down [and] get the producers upset.”
However, Nurys said her conversation with Horacio was enough to help her decide to go since he wanted her there.
“I’m always gonna be there for him too. I knew that he wanted to go and didn’t want to be there alone. So I decided to go and stay by my man,” she said.
Unfortunately, Horacio couldn’t save Nurys from an early elimination. She finished last in host TJ Lavin’s twist, the Eras Invitational, meaning she automatically went into the elimination. Nurys called out her Season 39 friend-turned-rival, Olivia Kaiser, who defeated her in a Hall Brawl.
Nurys shared how her relationship may have ‘hindered’ her game on Season 40
During a separate interview by the New York Post (below), Nurys discussed how she didn’t socialize as much with her Battle of the Eras castmates as she normally would have.
“I will say playing alongside him now being in a relationship. I will say I really didn’t enjoy too much, because now I’m not only playing for myself, but I’m playing for him. I’m very protective over him,” she shared.
Nurys also said that the fact that he was there meant she was devoting most of her attention and time to him in the house, which meant they weren’t socializing with castmates as much.
“And I also found myself not wanting to hang out with other people too much,” she said.
“I’m a very social person, so I think that may have hindered me in the game,” she said, adding, “If he wasn’t there, I would’ve been more outgoing and talking to everybody more.”
Despite her early Season 40 elimination, she still has her man Horacio, whom she met on Ride or Dies and began a romantic connection with on Battle For a New Champion.
“The relationship is going great. Still going strong. Almost officially a year now,” she gushed, adding that it unofficially has been a year due to when Ride or Dies filmed.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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