Zach Nichols didn’t hide his opinion about one of The Challenge’s former winners.
The former Real World: San Diego star and Battle of the Seasons 2012 winner hosts the Zach Nichols Podcast and regularly reviews the MTV competition show, its players, and its seasons.
He recently had guest Kyland Young on his show, who officially reached his first-ever final during MTV’s Season 40, aka Battle of the Eras.
Kyland, a former Big Brother houseguest, debuted on CBS’ The Challenge: USA spinoff, but he wasn’t a finalist because he was eliminated before that.
He then got a spot on the flagship show for MTV’s Season 39, aka Battle For a New Champion.
That season was bittersweet for Kyland, as he had a showmance with Melissa Reeves but also found himself in multiple eliminations. Nonetheless, he said it helped him with his Challenge career.
Zach blasted The Challenge champion during his podcast
Kyland had a difficult, uphill battle during Season 39. Due to his alliance not having a lot of numbers, he found himself among those targeted often for eliminations.
However, he proved himself a worthy competitor, defeating stars, including Brad Fiorenza and Darrell Taylor.
Ultimately, he lost in a three-way elimination just before the final against his friends and allies, Nurys Mateo and Horacio Gutierrez.
He explained that winning those eliminations during Season 39 is likely a significant reason he got into the Season 40 cast. Kyland said he believes The Challenge competitors become known by their “eliminations” or winning the season.
Zach’s co-host, Pierre Bacall, countered his point, indicating Kyland got onto Era 4 for Battle of the Eras, while Season 39’s winner, Emanuel Neagu, did not.
“Let’s just say that Emanuel sucks. He all-around sucks,” Zach added to the discussion as his co-host and Kyland lost it.
“Would you agree with that?” Pierre asked Kyland, who said he didn’t really.
“Maybe not at the game, but he does suck. He sucks,” Zach replied.
“You suck. You in Romania, you suck,” he said, looking at the camera and pointing a finger.
Fans blasted Emanuel for Season 39 win
While Emanuel officially won The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion, many fans felt he didn’t deserve the win. That’s because he never competed in a single elimination, as he kept himself shielded by an alliance.
Meanwhile, strong contenders to win the season, including Horacio and Kyland, were sent into multiple eliminations.
Fans also rallied behind runner-up finalist Nurys Mateo, suggesting that, due to winning multiple eliminations, she seemed more of a champion in Season 39 than Emanuel.
During the season reunion, she called him out for “cheating” in the final by copying a castmate’s answers for a puzzle.
“Emanuel maybe a winner, but he’s not a champ,” a commenter wrote on Zach’s podcast clip.
“Zach said what we all feel. Emanuel sucks,” another individual commented.
“If production didn’t let Emanuel cheat, Nurys would have easily have been our 39 champ,” another commenter said, while one wrote, “I actually forgot Emanuel won.”
Season 39 final had one winner, unlike previous seasons of The Challenge
The Battle For a New Champion final format only had one winner: Emanuel. However, previous seasons have featured at least one man and one woman claiming the prize, whether they were a pair for the season or during the final.
While Nurys didn’t “win,” she received prize money for runner-up and admiration from fans for her grit during the eliminations and final.
This isn’t Zach’s first time blasting the Battle For a New Champion winner. Zach previously called Emanuel out for “cheating” during Season 39. That could’ve referred to his win or hooking up with several castmates despite having a girlfriend away from the show.
The Challenge: Battle of the Eras airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV. The Challenge: All Stars Rivals premieres Wednesday, January 29 at 8/7c on MTV.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
The link above is an affiliate link. This means that for any qualifying purchase you make, we may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.