The Challenge star Paulie Calafiore could compete in Beijing Winter Olympics

After several finals appearances without a win, The Challenge star Paulie Calafiore could be on his way to competing for gold in the Olympics.

Calafiore, who most recently appeared on MTV’s The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2, has been training hard and getting help from his friends to potentially appear in Beijing.

The Challenge competitor is reportedly training to go to the Winter Olympics in a sport that most fans may not expect he’d be a part of.

Paulie Calafiore gets call for possible Winter Olympics spot

The 31-year-old has quickly risen to fame on MTV’s The Challenge and during his time on the show has proven himself as one of the best athletes around.

He’s appeared on three seasons, and been in the finals twice, only to leave with the bitter taste of defeat each time. He’s also famously aligned himself with longtime Challenge vet Cara Maria Sorbello, who Paulie is now dating.

While he’s been away from the limelight of The Challenge, ScreenRant reports that Paulie is now potentially training for a Winter Olympics spot as part of an Olympic bobsled team.

The biggest hurdle my team faced was “can he keep the speed after adding 50lbs to his frame?” First we increased my squat to 400lbs, my power clean to 265lbs and here’s a 4.45 forty with a sub 1.4 ten split while weighing 200lbs. Choo choo baby ? pic.twitter.com/BH8oAUVpcg

— Paul Calafiore (@PaulCalafiore_) October 4, 2020

It’s not a sport that Paulie is all that familiar with, but he reportedly was put onto it by well-known Olympic athlete Lolo Jones, who also has been part of several The Challenge shows, including Champs vs. Pros. Jones is best known for competing in the Summer Olympics in hurdles but also competed in the Winter Olympics in bobsledding.

Calafiore got the call this past May when he was asked about potentially competing as part of the team. When asked about what he knew about bobsledding, he mentioned “I watched Cool Runnings as a kid,” per TMZ.

Paulie’s been bulking up for bobsledding bid

Despite Paulie joking about his exposure to bobsledding, he’s apparently taking his training quite seriously. During the days of the pandemic and with quarantining in effect, he managed to put together a team consisting of a nutritionist, strength coach, and three other specialists to help him prepare.

His diet consists of a “strict 5,000” calories per day, while his training is anywhere from four to six hours each day. That includes virtual mobility and flexibility sessions as well as strength training and sprinting sessions. He often posts workout images or videos on his official Instagram.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“Records were meant to be broken” . . . This is the mentality I apply to life. Whether it’s a world record or a personal record. The only limits we have in life are the ones we create in our own minds. . . . Prior to this, the most I ever squatted was 275lbs. I never worked on technique, just muscled it. This is me hitting 400lbs last week after only 4 weeks of working on it which was a personal record for me. Next step? 450lbs which WE WILL HIT! . . . I just want to thank my team who helped me get there! Everyone who has worked on my body and every one who has been a part of the journey SINCE DAY ONE. Thank you @chavez078 for getting my body right so quickly. Thank you @shawnarent and @runnergirladams for taking time out of your busy schedules whenever I need it. Thank you @drjonmontana , @thrivespineandsportsrehab , @fitness360nyc , @regenerative_treatmentkc , and @shannonwatson825 for always rehabbing my body. Thank you @tksweat for where it all began. Thank you @silverbacktraining53 and @apexathleticperformance for taking me in. Thank you @uofscsportsci for getting me in the lab. BIG THINGS COMING! . . . Fueled by @1stphorm

A post shared by Paulie Calafiore (@paulcalafiore_) on Oct 7, 2020 at 3:37pm PDT

Paulie reportedly does his training in South Carolina and also in Montana, where he currently resides.

As of last week, Paulie was quarantined for two weeks at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center. Following the quarantine, he goes into the next part of his training, when he heads to the bobsled push track.

The Challenge experience helpful for Paulie’s journey

While Paulie first competed on CBS’ Big Brother, he moved over to the physically-intense competition on MTV’s The Challenge. In his first appearance on The Final Reckoning season, he made it all the way to the finals with partner Natalie Negrotti.

He’d return for War of the Worlds but didn’t make it quite so far. On the follow-up War of the Worlds 2, he and Team USA got to the final but were defeated by the UK team. Neither he nor girlfriend Caria Maria was back for Season 35.

Still, in just three seasons, Paulie has proven himself as one of the toughest new competitors on the show, often winning the various challenges and landing in Tribunals. In addition, the brutal competition also helps many competitors become even tougher, which should help Paulie in training.

As far as competing on MTV’s The Challenge again, it would seem that unlike Big Brother alum Josh Martinez, Paulie is probably not in the cast for Season 36 due to his bobsled training.

Paulie Calafiore has yet to officially get a spot on the bobsled team for the Winter Olympics, but based on all the hard training, it’s very possible he could. The Winter Games are tentatively scheduled for February 2022 in Beijing, so stay tuned.

The Challenge is currently on hiatus at MTV.