Ahead of The Challenge: Battle of the Eras premiere on MTV, various content is arriving to promote the epic 40th season.
That’s included host TJ Lavin in an exclusive sneak peek clip where he revealed the first major twist of Season 40.
Multiple videos have also arrived on social media, featuring the various cast members hanging out and discussing their memories of The Challenge.
A recent video features three groups of four castmates discussing the show’s impact on their lives.
Cara Maria Sorbello and Paulie Calafiore, one of several power couples who met through The Challenge, appear in the video.
They each dropped some interesting comments about their relationship weeks after rumors arrived about them spending time apart as they worked on some issues.
Paulie and Cara comment on their relationship in Season 40 video
In one of the latest Battle of the Eras promotional videos, Cara is part of a group that includes Theo Campbell, Jenny West, and Chris “CT” Tamburello. For the most part, all four of them get along.
Early on, Theo reads from a card that asks them each to talk about who from The Challenge changed their life the most. For Theo, it was Cara, as she was his very first partner and introduced him to the game on War of the Worlds.
Another group featured Jonna Mannion, Derek Chavez, Paulie, and Kaycee Clark. During their discussion, Kaycee brings up meeting the “love of [her] life,” Nany Gonzalez, through the show.
Paulie, formerly a Big Brother star who debuted on MTV’s Final Reckoning, mentioned that The Challenge introduced him and Cara to one another.
“The way Cara and I met was a little bit aggressive, but I feel like that’s what our relationship is. Just aggressive love,” Paulie commented.
Cara also mentioned how meeting Paulie on The Challenge significantly impacted her life.
“Obviously, Paulie is the person I’m with. We’ve been together for six years like that’s my forever,” she said.
She and Paulie met on his debut season, Final Reckoning, where they became close during the episodes. They ultimately reached the final with their respective partners. Paulie and Cara continued dating on the show and away from it, appearing on several more MTV seasons together.
Battle of the Eras will be their first season together since War of the Worlds 2.
While Cara pointed out Paulie’s impact in the Season 40 promo video, she also said she’ll never forget what castmate Chris “CT” Tamburello did early in her Challenge career.
She mentioned a previous season where she had a broken hand and needed a partner for a daily challenge. Cara said CT chose her despite her injury.
“I’m just happy I got to compete and didn’t get sent home,” Cara said regarding the injury.
Are Cara and Paulie still a couple?
Weeks ago, rumors suggested that Paulie and Cara might have split. A video of Cara packing up belongings to move to a place of her own also kept speculation swirling that the couple ended things.
As of this writing, there’s no indication that Cara and Paulie have officially broken up. The couple released a statement through a representative weeks ago to update fans on their relationship situation.
“Paulie and Cara are working through something privately, and Paulie plans to share more soon,” the rep shared, while an inside source told US Weekly they “are taking a little space from each other while working things out.”
They also appeared together at a Zach Nichols Podcast event in San Diego, California. In a screenshot below from castmate Kyland Young’s Instagram Story, they are clearly getting along.
Viewers may get more insight into any potential issues with their relationship once Battle of the Eras begins airing episodes. Unlike War of the Worlds 2, they’ll start the game on different teams this season.
While Cara is on the starstudded Era 2 team, Paulie will compete as part of a stacked Era 4 team with a $1 million prize pot available in the final.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras premieres Wednesday, August 14 at 8/7c on MTV.
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