By now, the word is out that veteran competitor Aneesa Ferreira had to exit The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies season earlier than she planned to, making for another unfortunate early exit during her career.
The longtime cast member suffered a tough shoulder injury in the fifth episode of Season 37, bringing her time in Croatia to an end.
It also brought many upset and teary reactions from castmates, who comforted her as she was departing. However, fans had mixed reactions to her latest season being cut short.
Aneesa suffered injury during Spies, Lies & Allies mission
In Spies, Lies & Allies Episode 5, the competitors participated in a daily challenge called Mind Field, which involved moving through an obstacle course. Among the obstacles were mud they had to crawl through, tall grass to run through, and a high wall to climb over.
They had to transport puzzle pieces through these various parts of the course, and unfortunately for Aneesa, she ended up hurting her shoulder while climbing the wall.
She fell to the ground and began crying in pain that her shoulder was out. Her castmate Nany Gonzalez immediately dropped back down to check on her and called for medics.
Aneesa, who was asking for something to kill the pain, was taken to a hospital by ambulance to get checked out. When she returned to headquarters, she revealed to her good friend Tori Deal that she had a dislocated shoulder and was headed home. That resulted in lots of tears from Tori, who comforted her on another early exit.
MTV shared the clip below showing Aneesa’s return to Challenge headquarters, with castmates including Tori, Logan, and Emanuel nearby.
Aneesa became the second cast member to leave due to a confirmed injury. A few episodes before her exit, rookie Tommy Sheehan suffered a concussion during the Sea Cave Recon mission, resulting in him being medically disqualified.
Two other cast members were “deactivated” with reasons not provided in the episodes. They were rookie Lauren Coogan and second-year competitor Nam Vo.
What do fans think of Aneesa’s latest Challenge injury?
Aneesa has her share of fans and those who aren’t big supporters. They weighed in with their thoughts about the season-ending injury.
“It’s always so sad when someone is medically unfit to continue,” one Instagram user commented.
Another Challenge fan praised Nany’s loyalty and friendship in how she stopped competing to check on Aneesa.
While many fans were supporting the veteran Challenge star, others feel the injury may signify she needs to move on.
One fan even suggested she become a regular on the Paramount Plus spinoff, The Challenge: All Stars.
Aneesa, 40, has been appearing on MTV’s The Challenge since 2002 with the Battle of the Sexes season. She’s done 15 regular seasons and been in two finals but has yet to win.
After appearing in last season’s Double Agents on MTV, she went straight to filming the new spinoff, The Challenge: All Stars on Paramount Plus. Aneesa was one of 12 finalists on that season and one of 10 to complete the final, coming in second-to-last place.
She then turned around and went right back to Season 37 of the MTV show Spies, Lies & Allies, but as seen above only lasted for a quarter of the episodes. Some fans, and even her castmate Wes Bergmann, have suggested that Aneesa’s fitness may be the issue causing her lack of success and injuries.
Even so, she’s become a fixture of the show, as one of its most recognizable stars alongside the likes of CT Tamburello, Johnny Bananas, and Wes. It’d be surprising if this were her final regular-season appearance on the show.
“I can’t continue in the game. Sometimes life just works this way…If you think a dislocated shoulder’s gonna stop me, it’s not,” Aneesa said in an Episode 5 confessional.
The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.