Why ‘The Challenge’s Tori Deal Simply Had to Split the Money With Team Orange (Exclusive)

Team Orange emerged victorious on The Challenge Season 42’s grueling two-day final, making captain Tori Deal a two-time champion, Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio an eight-time winner, Chris “C.T.” Tamburello a six-timer, and Michele Fitzgerald and Will Gagnon first-time Challenge champions.

Clenching this victory was just the first part of the test for these Cutthroat competitors, though; thanks to a special twist, it was strictly up to the winning team’s captain how to split their massive winnings (totalling $550,000), and since Bananas set the precedent to “take the money and run,” it was definitely an option for Tori. However, in the end, she banked just four dollars more than the rest with her jocular “Captain’s Fee” request and sent the rest of her team home with otherwise equal shares … even if they didn’t always benefit the team that way.

So why did Tori decide to split the money with her teammates? When did she figure out that Team Orange was in the best position to win? And have hurt feelings from some of her teammates been mended since the show was filmed? TV Insider caught up with Tori Deal to find out just that and more.

Congratulations on your second win. What did it mean to you to become a two-time champion? And when in the season did you start to realize that it was yours to lose?

Tori Deal: Ooh, probably the final. I was like, “Oh my god, are we about to lose?” But definitely, yeah. I think becoming a two-time champ, I said it like in the show: I do feel like that number of people who have won it twice, especially on the female side, now you are getting into legend talk, and I think that that’s really exciting, and that’s kind of like always been a dream.

You helped Michele get over the finish line as well, as far as taking the step into the elimination for her. What was your decision there about?

Honestly, Michele also helped me a lot. I think that this game really was played her and I. Every decision I made, we knew about, and we talked about together. And even going back to the original time of me being captain, her and I were kind of both up up to be captain, and I said to her, “We’re not going to be able to pass you physical strength. You’ll be able to pass me strategy if I’m in the elimination, but we won’t be able to pass you strength” — because, at this time, we didn’t know captains were safe. So that was kind of like the original reason. And then consistently throughout the rest of the season, when we realized that it was only Michele and I left [of the women], I was just like, “Listen, if it’s something physical, I’ll go in for you. Don’t worry.” And then it happened, and we’re like, “Well, I wasn’t gonna go back on my word.” So I was like, “All right, this is what it is. This is what I said I was gonna do, and I got to do it.”

You also had to go into the proving ground for your own reasons, and you got to go against Sarah Rice. You seemed really excited to have the opportunity because, I mean, it had been a decade. What did that mean to you?

Yeah, no, I honestly think Sarah’s an amazing person, and I think she’s incredible with what she does. She obviously works in healthcare. She is just a really caring, loving, beautiful soul. And I hate that like her and I had to do something so brutally physical because it didn’t really get to showcase her strengths as a competitor, and she is an amazing competitor. So I just thought it was beautiful to see her again, and I also thought that she was so gracious in front of Johnny. And I was like, “Johnny, really, you’re so mean to this sweet girl”… I don’t have the heart to steal money from Johnny, but I’m like, “He should feel a little bad.”

Kaikungwon Duanjumroon / Paramount+

I’m glad you brought up the money. Did you ever consider not splitting it up evenly? I mean, minus the $1 captain fee.

Yeah, well, I technically am a thief. Technically am. But yeah, I mean, I’ve kind of been saying this, but it’s hard to steal money when your team nominates you as captain. OK, put us in a rivals format, and somebody who’s dragged my name through the mud online, yeah, you know what? That’s a more justified steal. But people who have literally given their belief in me, that’s really hard, right? Because now people are telling you, “We believe in you,” so you want to make them proud.

There were some people in the season who maybe didn’t pull their weight as much, and that became clear throughout, especially in the final. Did that weigh in your decision at all? I mean, you guys were dragging the boys in the final.

Yeah, we were dragging the boys, and it is one of my greatest memories. Honestly, I’m so proud of that. But listen, I don’t think that finals really suit big, masculine, muscular body types. I truly don’t. I think you could see it really clearly. The women who thrived in the end were ones who were more compact and didn’t have as much muscle on us.

So did it factor into my decision? No, because if I really think about it, what got our team there was every single daily that we won. We won so many daily challenges, and C.T. and Johnny were huge parts in a lot of them. So, everything mattered leading up to that point. And I mean, it was just nothing like being a tugboat.

Well, what did you make of Adrienne [Naylor]’s decision for her team to take a little bit of a more of a share, and then Cara [Maria Sorbello] to give hers back?

I know. I was surprised Cara gave hers back because, I mean, I just think that speaks volumes about Cara. I don’t think she had to do that, and that’s really sweet that she did that. I also think that what Adrienne did was fair. I mean, again, it’s not me. If it was me, I would have split it the way I split it because that’s how I am. But I don’t think that what Adrienne did was wrong because she technically did win that elimination. So I could see it being justified. Either which way you put it.

Yeah, and then there was a $25,000 purse that was won by you earlier in the season individually. Was there any thought of maybe, “That’s mine”?

I thought about it. I thought about it, but then it was easier to split everything down the middle when we had so much more to split.

Kaikungwon Duanjumroon / Paramount+

Understood. How close was it in the end? Because the way the edit shows the finale, it looks like the girls were kind of on your tail the whole time. Is that the case?

They weren’t. They weren’t… We don’t have clocks, we don’t have watches, right? So we can’t really tell time. But it probably felt like anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour from the moment we finished our puzzle that we were waiting to sit on that crane and be lifted up to the sky. So we were waiting for a while to do that. And then obviously, when we finally did do that, that’s when the girls were still not there because they heard the explosion while they were walking.

The final was obviously tough on the boys, but throughout the season, C.T. was kind of a lightning rod for Team Orange, it seemed, and then afterwards, it seemed like he was a little bit upset by the way that people were talking about him. And you apologized. Can you talk about your decision to apologize to him and where you guys are now?

Yeah, I mean, I think in the moment, especially in the game, I definitely am not thinking about, “How am I going to look?” Especially in the heat of a competition, because I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about winning, and I personally, before I really watched it back, the entire time I was really thinking, “I trained so hard to come into a season. I’m taking a lot of responsibility to make sure that I’m a strong player in a team format, I’m an asset.” If you come in as an individual and you individually don’t perform well, that’s just your burden to bear. But when it’s a team format, then it does weigh on other people.

So it did make me happy to hear, after I had apologized to C.T. for being really harsh in the end, he came back and just took a lot of accountability and understanding that because the way he showed up, it did create a lot of pressure on the team. Originally, I wanted it to be me, C.T., and Bananas in the end, and Michele, that Clover Council thing. That was a thing until the mini final happened, and then I was like scared. I was like, “Wait a minute, are we going to be able to do this?” So I think that everybody took accountability, and going forward, I think we can all just kind of be aware of who we become under those circumstances.

Another person that got a little bit sour for you this season was Justin [Hinsley] about being sent in that last guys’ elimination. I know I saw some pictures, you guys were in New York. Are y’all good now? Have you talked it out?

Yeah, we did talk it out. And, listen, I never get offended when people say things like that about me online or maybe on the show. No, because on the camera, people like to add some spice and flair just to make it really interesting. And Justin’s really good at being entertaining, so I forgave him immediately, but I think that, ultimately, I felt bad because I’m like, “Damn, Justin.” Justin didn’t like that he went in twice, and as somebody who also went in twice, I get it. It’s tough. But what really factored into that decision was the eating. That was the real and the only differentiator between me putting in Will or Justin was that Will would do an eating challenge, and if it was in the final, that was going to be valuable.

And it was.

Yeah, and he ended up actually getting the gross drink.

He did. He didn’t complain too much. It seemed.

No.

Lastly, a lot of people are concerned about the future of The Challenge. I mean, this is Season 42. What do you think it is that will keep the show going? And what are you hoping to see as the show continues?

I mean, honestly, after all of the amount of hate I got for coming at C.T., I was like, “This fan base is very much alive.” I can’t imagine them not figuring out how to make more seasons. And if not, the Challenge-rs will go elsewhere. We will get picked up. So I don’t actually have fear. I think that they’re still a very alive and thriving fan base. They’re incredibly dedicated to the show. Whether they like you or not, they like something about it that keeps them locked in. So ultimately, I don’t think the fan base is going anywhere. So therefore, I think we’re probably going to be OK, too.

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