The final is rapidly approaching as filming for The Challenge Season 40 continues in Vietnam.
Based on recent spoilers, several competitors got sent home who had a shot at capturing a big win in their returns to the MTV competition series.
One of those eliminations was an OG who returned after only appearing in one season of the longtime series.
Another is a regularly appearing star and fan favorite who has appeared in many finals but has been unable to capture that big win.
With his elimination, several castmates reacted to seeing him sent home before he had a chance to win the show.
This report will contain spoilers from The Challenge Season 40, set to air later this year on MTV.
More The Challenge 40 eliminations revealed before the final
Based on updates from various online sources, including the Vevmo forum, one male and one female competitor were recently eliminated from The Challenge’s upcoming season.
For the women’s side, Aviv Melmed is no longer competing to win Season 40 after an impressive return to MTV’s competition series.
Aviv previously appeared as a rookie on Fresh Meat. She won the season alongside OG Darrell Taylor. Following that season, viewers didn’t see Aviv again on The Challenge.
On the men’s side, Cory Wharton is out of the running again just before an MTV final. Viewers saw this happen to him on his previous MTV season, The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies, where he lost to rookie competitor Logan Sampedro.
Following Season 38, Cory announced he would take a break from MTV’s show to focus on other things. He’s a busy dad, boyfriend, and recurring cast member on MTV’s Teen Mom shows. He didn’t stray too far from The Challenge and appeared on CBS’ The Challenge: USA 2 as one of six MTV stars.
Cory reached the final on the spin-off, finishing second overall to the men’s winner, Chris Underwood. However, his bid to win Season 40 is over, based on the Vevmo spoilers.
Castmates react to Season 40 star competitor’s exit
Seeing Cory eliminated from Season 40 and not winning the final was a gut punch for many fans and his friends from the show.
Upon the announcement of his elimination on Instagram, several castmates from past and recent seasons reacted to the spoilers.
“I don’t believe this!!!!” commented Nelson Thomas, Cory’s best friend throughout their MTV history.
“He was doing so well!” KellyAnne Judd commented (she also appears on Season 40).
Another Season 40 castmate shared those sentiments, as Aneesa Ferreira commented with multiple crying emojis.
Marie Roda also posted a crying face emoji, suggesting she hoped to see the father-of-three win The Challenge.
As of this report, it’s unknown how many men and women will compete in the final, but it could be eight total competitors. That would differ from Season 39, aka Battle For a New Champion, which had an uneven amount of finalists, with four women and three men.
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