Sometimes remarks are taken out of context on The Challenge, but according to Adam Larson, he had good reason to refer to his castmate Cara Maria Sorbello as “shady.”
The former Road Rules star made his remark in The Challenge: All Stars 4, which he returned to compete in after 18 years away from reality television.
During a recent episode, multiple cast members agreed to work together to prevent Cara from winning the daily challenge.
Kam Williams masterminded the plan so someone could steal Cara’s Star, which host TJ Lavin said competitors needed to advance to the final.
“Cara Maria is playing a shady game,” Adam said in a confessional, adding, “So our priority is getting her balls knocked out. Then we want to make sure that Leroy [Garrett] and I both have voices, so our balls are gonna go next. The last balls that should be left in the net are Ace [Amerson] and Averey [Tressler].”
Adam’s remarks referred to a well-designed plan that would ensure Cara couldn’t enter the elimination and that she wouldn’t have much power to decide which of her castmates went in.
Adam says, ‘It’s not the Cara Maria show’
During a recent episode of Challenge Mania Podcast, hosts Scott Yager and Derrick Kosinski asked Adam why it seemed many of the All Stars 4 cast members had a problem with Cara Maria.
“There’s so many fans who have a problem with the people who have a problem with Cara Maria. It’s not the Cara Maria show. It’s The Challenge,” Adam said.
“Being gone from it for so long, no matter whether you’re on Real World or Road Rules, you just don’t talk like that anymore,” he said, adding, “You don’t talk about how confident you are, and I can like her, but it’s just too much.”
Adam said the house had good reason to be “annoyed” with her because she kept talking about herself and wouldn’t listen to anyone else.
Adam, who debuted in Road Rules: The Quest, returned to All Stars 4 after 18 years away from reality TV. For The Challenge, he last appeared on MTV’s The Gauntlet 2 season in 2006. In his return on All Stars 4, he defeated former champion Brad Fiorenza to achieve his first elimination win.
Adam explained why he called Kam a ‘puppet master’ and Cara Maria ‘shady’
During Challenge Mania’s May 26 podcast episode, Scott raised a fan’s question as someone asked about Adam calling Kam a “puppet master” and Cara Maria “shady.”
Adam shared that he could walk up to his castmates Kam and Leroy at any time in a public area and ask them, “So, what’s going on?” regarding game strategies or moves.
However, he said that wasn’t true with Cara Maria, indicating she was making deals behind closed doors and whispering with people about things. He mentioned that Cara told their castmate, Steve Meinke, that Adam voted for him when he hadn’t done so.
Adam also credited Kam with being great as a “puppet master” and thought she was “awesome” with how she played the game. Adam also said he agreed with her strategies “most of the time.”
“I guess a chess master is what I should have called [Kam]. She’s out in plain sight with all her pieces on the board. And Cara Maria is a victim. She’s complaining. She’s got all these issues going on and then would do something else,” he said.
During All Stars 4, viewers saw most of the cast seemed to be working against Cara Maria. However, Adam said to Cara’s credit, she was outnumbered in the game, so she was still “doing a great job playing that game” that she did.
The Challenge: All Stars 4 airs Wednesdays on Paramount+.
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