Paulie Calafiore, a two-time finalist on MTV’s The Challenge, is coming to the defense of his castmate and friend, Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran, following his recent appearance on the show.
The War of the Worlds champ was one of several former champions announced as part of Season 38, Ride or Dies, but his early behavior seemed to rub castmates and fans the wrong way.
It started with the premiere episode as Turbo took exception to the fact that castmate Laurel Stucky wouldn’t pour him some champagne as she did for other castmates on the boat.
Later on, Turbo didn’t understand Devin Walker’s joke at the elimination venue, The Zone, leading to an intense few moments between them, with Devin apologizing.
All of that came to a head in Episode 2, with Turbo seemingly painted as the main villain early in the Ride or Dies season. However, his friend Paulie isn’t buying that it was all Turbo.
This report will contain some spoilers through Episode 2 of The Challenge: Ride or Dies season.
Paulie calls out ‘vacation gang’ after Turbo’s Ride or Dies behavior
In The Challenge: Ride or Dies Episode 2, viewers saw Turbo’s behavior get him and rookie teammate Tamara Alfonso sent into elimination. That was due to Turbo’s refusal to participate in a conversation with Nany Gonzalez, who thought she and Turbo were friends.
Nany attempted to confront Turbo, saying she heard from other castmates that he wanted to go into elimination. When Nany asked him if this was true, Turbo refused to give a clear answer and allowed the power team, Nany and Johnny Bananas, to decide whatever they wanted.
Ultimately, they chose to put Turbo and Tamara into the elimination. The pair got ousted by all-rookie duo Horacio Gutierrez and Olivia Kaiser in a memory game, as the rest of the cast gave the rookies assistance from the viewing section above.
Following the episode airing on MTV, Paulie took to Twitter to defend Turbo, suggesting that other castmates were likely provoking him and then playing “victim.”
“I’m not gonna sit here and let the vacation gang use their weak a** mob tactics with @turabicamkiran . I know this man. Trust me, if he was feeling disrespected it was 100% because they were trying to make him feel a certain type of way. They poke and poke and then play victim,” Paulie tweeted.
The “vacation gang” likely refers to a group of castmates who take a trip to an exotic or warm location during The Challenge offseason to become closer allies ahead of the game.
Some of the individuals who have participated in that off-season activity during recent seasons are Tori Deal, Devin, Nany, Fessy Shafaat, Josh Martinez, Aneesa Ferreira, and Kaycee Clark.
Following Ride or Dies Episode 2, fans reacted to Turbo’s appearance during the season, with some upset at how he went out while others never want him on the show again.
Paulie and Turbo appeared in two Challenge seasons together
Viewers last saw Paulie and Turbo together on MTV’s War of the Worlds 2 season, and they were on good terms with one another. Turbo was part of the American alliance during the season, but his temper ended up getting him kicked off the season ahead of the final.
That was due to Turbo getting into several heated arguments with castmate Jordan Wiseley, resulting in Turbo’s removal from The Challenge house and eventually the show.
His rookie debut came in War of the Worlds, where the Survivor Turkey star made a name for himself as an elite competitor. He teamed up with Nany during that season, and the duo became close friends, which may not be the case after Ride or Dies.
Turbo reached the WOTW final and became the season’s winner, besting vets including Wes Bergmann, Hunter Barfield, and Paulie’s girlfriend, Cara Maria Sorbello.
Paulie hasn’t been a fan of certain cast members since his hiatus from MTV’s show. It appears he still has a shot at returning to the cast one day, based on his inclusion in The Challenge: Untold History documentary series. He’s also spoken highly of Turbo as one of the top competitors for the show.
As of this report, it’s unknown if Paulie will ever agree to return for The Challenge without Cara Maria there and if Turbo will ever be his castmate again. If they are castmates, they’d likely have each other’s backs.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
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