A sneak peek for The Challenge: Ride or Dies Episode 8 features Nelson Thomas discussing potential payback for a certain castmate who previously did him dirty.
The episode footage has Nelson chatting with Faysal “Fessy” Shafaat in private as they talk about having one another’s backs in the game.
That prompts Fessy to bring up “payback,” and he’s referring to Nelson potentially getting back at him for a bold move several seasons ago.
It caused a rift in their “friendship in the game,” based on Nelson’s comments, but will it be something he uses to try to take out Fessy?
The latest preview footage arrives after Ride or Dies Episode 7 featured one of Nelson’s other castmates feeling blindsided and perhaps betrayed by his decision for the elimination.
This report will contain spoilers for MTV’s The Challenge: Ride or Dies season.
The Challenge 38, Episode 8 includes Nelson and Fessy’s chat
In a scene from Ride or Dies Episode 8, Nelson and Fessy are conversing in a bedroom at The Challenge house. They begin talking about having solid connections in the game and Nelson suggests, “the rookies will be coming after us.”
“This game’s gonna get messy, and I just feel like when I win, that you feel that you’re safe,” Fessy says to Nelson.
“Well, the reason why I feel like I’m safe when you win is because I never did you wrong,” Nelson replies, with Fessy admitting he should’ve never pulled that move several seasons ago.
That move was Fessy voting himself into elimination against Nelson during the Double Agents season. Fessy participated in his first Hall Brawl in that instance and eliminated Nelson from the season. Nelson talked about it during podcast appearances and at the season reunion.
“That kind of affected our friendship in the game, but we’re both smart enough to know that we’re stronger together, and if we can trust each other, then we can work together moving forward,” Fessy says in a confessional.
Fessy tells him he feels like he’s made Nelson feel safe with him the past two seasons, and Nelly T agrees with that. He also jokes with Fessy that it’d be “big payback” to go after him.
In a confessional from the episode, Nelson brings up how he feels about his friendship with Fessy and what his focus will be in the game.
Nelson has ‘bigger threats’ to worry about for Ride or Dies
During the sneak peek footage, The Challenge vet Nelson talks about having “bigger threats” in the game to worry about when compared to Fessy. That likely stems from him and his teammate, Nurys Mateo, winning two daily challenges and having to put teams into The Zone for elimination.
That included Ride or Dies Episode 7, where Amber Borzotra felt blindsided and possibly betrayed by Nelson. Earlier in that episode, she was shown chatting with him and admitted feeling he was a friend in the game and they had each other’s backs.
She learned later that she wasn’t as high on Nelson’s list of people to protect when she and her boyfriend, Chauncey Palmer, ended up in the elimination.
They were able to oust OGs Veronica Portillo and Darrell Taylor during the event and now return to The Challenge house, maybe for payback of their own.
Other teams that Nelson and Nurys chose for the elimination in Episode 7 included Johnny Bananas with Nany Gonzalez, along with Aneesa Ferreira with Jordan Wiseley. Nany and Bananas won The Draw and decided to save Jordan and Aneesa.
All of that still sets the stage for Nelson as a target for some vets, as they feel he could continue to put them into eliminations going forward. So along with Amber, he may have more than a few of his castmates to worry about going forward.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.