7/13 - The Challenge USA Show Discussion

The Challenge: USA eliminated players unpack that shocking betrayal and injury you didn't see
"Honestly I'm still taken aback and kind of mad about it: people really didn't see how much venom and acidity was coming from the Love Island girls," Tiffany says.

By Sydney Bucksbaum
July 14, 2022 at 06:15 PM EDT

Warning: This article contains spoilers about Wednesday's episode of The Challenge: USA.

The Love Island women weren't showing any love to the team that got eliminated in episode 2 of The Challenge: USA.

Big Brother season 23 contestant Tiffany Mitchell and Love Island season 1 alum Cashel Barnett thought they were safe in this week's episode. But instead, they were blindsided when Survivor winner Tyson Apostol and Love Island season 2 winner Justine Ndiba voted them into elimination, despite Apostol promising Mitchell that she'd be safe. And during an endurance/memory combination elimination matchup against Amazing Race alums James Wallington and Cayla Platt, Mitchell and Barnett lost and were swiftly sent home.

"It's my fault," Mitchell tells EW, to which Barnett immediately responds, "No!"

Below, the eliminated players unpack why their blindside was so hurtful, the injury that contributed to their exit, the "venom and acidity" they faced from the Love Island women that wasn't shown, and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So what happened? What led to your elimination?

TIFFANY MITCHELL: Personally, I think Tyson was intimidated. I think that Tyson knew that Cashel was somebody he should watch out for. Everyone else wanted to work with Tyson and I just think that Tyson recognized that Cashel was strong. And then he probably wasn't too sure if he wanted to be paired with me based on that random algorithm and then the Love Island girls didn't really help my case.

CASHEL BARNETT: You hit it on the head there, Tiff.

When Tyson and Justine voted you in instead of Alyssa and Enzo, did you have any idea that was coming?

MITCHELL: Yes and no. More so no than yes, but it was kind of in the air. I was not surprised because Cashel was on the outs and apparently I was too.

BARNETT: Being able to see how much how much Tiffany's name was in every girl's mouth in that in that house, I knew that there was a big target on her back. But honestly, I was just so excited to be paired up with Tiffany and be on her team. It just felt good and comfortable. I was like, nothing can stop us. I wasn't worried about it. I mean, we did our best. We worked hard. People recognized that if Tiffany and I could be smushed together into one person, I mean, we are the ultimate Challenge competitor. She's got the social game, we're both ridiculously attractive and I got the physical game. People saw us work together and they saw that we were both threats.

Did you know how much all your fellow Big Brother and Love Island alums were campaigning against you to convince Tyson to go back on his promise to you, or did that come as a surprise when you watched the episode?

MITCHELL: It was surprising to see the backstabbing — oh, did I say that? [Laughs] It's surprising to see all the anti-love that Big Brother was giving me. I wasn't thinking that they were helping put me in but I did know that it was Big Brother who was going to go in, so whether it was Azah and Xavier, Alyssa and Enzo, myself and Cashel, I knew that we were all an option. Sadly I was hoping that my BB people would have my back. Not all of them, but some of them.

BARNETT: I was more surprised by Tyson's reasoning, because I thought that Tyson would just act on his own regard. I wasn't surprised by Justine's decision because there was no love lost between me and the other Love Island girls besides [my ex] Kyra. Kyra and I were pretty cool, but the other Love Island girls, I felt no support from, so that didn't surprise me at all.

Who are you most angry or upset or feeling betrayed by after the way your exit played out?

MITCHELL: I don't specifically blame anyone. Hurt though? It really hurt me to see Shan who is a friend of mine outside the game kind of take it to a personal level that had nothing to do with game and encourage the spreading of rumors. That hurt my feelings, honestly. And then I would expect Xavier to stand up and support or have Alyssa's back because that is his friend outside of this house or outside of the game but here I was, not wanting him to go in and here he is like, "I'm okay with losing you."

BARNETT: I'm definitely hurt by the last line of the show that Kyra left our viewers with. I felt that that was pretty uncalled for and out of the blue. But I got nothing but love for Kyra and she knows that.

What was it like competing in that elimination?

MITCHELL: I was terrified of the memory portion until I got on that bike and my feet barely reached the pedals. I have to give a lot of credit to Cashel because he started hard and he ended hard. He pedaled for the both of us. He had to lap me three times and I just wish I could have given him more.

BARNETT: I know that both of us put as much effort into it as we could. I don't blame Tiffany at all. I know that she came in and gave it her best and I know that I came in and gave it my best. I don't know if it's the adrenaline or if the CBS Challenge time clock is off, but that was not 10 seconds to get to memorize, it felt more like three. It was tough. The pedaling part for me it was easy. Remembering the symbols, that's hard when you're in the thick of it.

At what point did you realize you were going to lose?

BARNETT: Damn, Sydney! [Laughs] Ow!

MITCHELL: [Laughs] She is coming for our necks.

BARNETT: I never give up. I never think that I'm going to lose. I'm going to give it my all. I've been an athlete my whole life and you don't give up until until you reach the finish line. I was not concerning myself with what was going on on the other side.

MITCHELL: I was never going to give up. I knew round one, this is tough. I told myself, "Sis, just don't die on this bike. Not on The Challenge, not on television. Wait til you get home in your bed and then you can die."

Do you have any regrets from your time on The Challenge: USA?

MITCHELL: I do wish I would have had more conversations with the people who had the ability to make the decisions on who was going to be eliminated. I'd spoken with Tyson, but I'd not really spoken with Justine and I just didn't really think that it would make a difference. I still don't know if it would have made a difference. But because that's in my mind, I don't know because I didn't. I kind of would like to know what would have happened if I were to have that conversation with her.

BARNETT: Looking back I know I could have done things differently but I feel that I represented myself to my truest. It's just not in my nature to bulls--- people. I had a conversation with Tyson the first time he was in that position and he and I connected in a lot of ways but he told me, "I hate these days because everybody comes up and just tries to butter you up and I just hate that." And I was like, "Yeah I would hate that, too." Could I have played it differently and and tried to grease some palms? Yeah, but that's just not who I am. I'm okay with how it played out.

Do you think your time on Big Brother and Love Island prepared you for The Challenge: USA?

BARNETT: NO.

MITCHELL: [Laughs] I'm going to say yes, a little bit, with the anxiety of it all. I'm definitely glad that was not the first time I had been in an environment like that. It was 26 people compared to being with 16 people on my first show, and just being in front of cameras can be very overwhelming. BB did prepare me mentally how to handle being in such a high pressure environment. But nothing can prepare you for the challenges themselves. How do you prepare to scale down a 22-story building?!

BARNETT: In general, sitting around on a beach and flirting does not help you in The Challenge. At all.

What is something we didn't see air that you want fans to know happened?

BARNETT: Honestly I'm still taken aback and kind of mad about it: people really didn't see how much venom and acidity was coming from the Love Island girls, towards me and Cinco specifically. Javonny was cool, they had mad love for Javonny, but Cinco and I were given no respect from the Love Island girls. And they don't really show that as much in the show so I want people to know that.

MITCHELL: I had close relationships that weren't shown. I kind of got depicted as the girl who wasn't working with the girls but regardless of what was shown, I always have my sister Azah's back. I was supportive of Shan. And I thought that Desi and I were working together, but it is apparent that we were not. I also had an injury. I sprained my ankle in that daily challenge. I actually had to ice it the entire time. If you ever have an injury on The Challenge, don't ice it in public; hide away somewhere so no one knows. Cashel and I were an easy target to throw in because he had slept that day and then they knew I was injured, plus we were being targeted. Those things aren't really shown but they happened.

The Challenge: USA airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.