Aneesa Ferreira was back on The Challenge for MTV’s Ride or Dies season, where viewers watched her compete alongside castmate and friend Jordan Wiseley.
They were among four teams to reach the final, which saw Devin Walker and Tori Deal claim the win, the first of their careers.
Unfortunately, Aneesa suffered an injury during her and Jordan’s run, which slowed them down, as she twisted her ankle while going off the trail that other teams were running along.
Later, Aneesa suffered more injury as she was competing against friend Nany Gonzalez in elimination to reduce the final to two teams.
Following the Ride or Dies season filming, the former Real World star had to undergo surgery and began rehabilitation and recovery from her injuries.
She recently spoke about how things are going with that and whether or not she plans to compete again on The Challenge.
Aneesa says she turned down calls for The Challenge due to ‘one functioning knee’
Aneesa has become a regular on The Challenge over the years, appearing in numerous seasons of the competition series after initially debuting on The Real World: Chicago.
She was among the cast members for the first season of the Paramount Plus spinoff, The Challenge: All Stars, which reunited her with many of the other OGs from MTV.
While appearing on the Mike Lewis Podcast, the longtime MTV star got asked whether she could see herself appearing in another All Stars spinoff season.
“Yeah, a hundred percent,” Aneesa responded, adding, “I would like to. I’ve been asked to. It’s just when you have only one functioning knee, it’s kind of hard to do all the shows they ask you to do. They asked me to do a few, and I was like, ‘I can’t.'”
She also mentioned that “it’s been nice to have a break” from the reality competition series as she recovers.
As mentioned, Aneesa suffered injuries during Ride or Dies, including an early ankle injury. Despite being hobbled by the ankle, she continued going with Jordan trying to motivate her.
They ended up battling Johnny Bananas and Nany in the classic elimination, Balls In, with Nany targeting Aneesa’s leg injury to take her down.
It ultimately resulted in Aneesa collapsing to the ground while trying to tie the game 3-3, with Nany, Tori, and medics immediately checking on the fallen competitor, who was clearly in pain. That ended Aneesa and Jordan’s attempt to win Ride or Dies and resulted in Aneesa needing surgery for the brutal injury, which she described as a ruptured ACL.
Aneesa shares an update about her recovery from her knee injury
Aneesa was asked how far along things are regarding her recovery from the damage she suffered during Ride or Dies.
“About seven months,” she said, adding, “It takes six to nine to heal. Like, I’m definitely out of the re-injury zone. I’m running again, but not on pavement. I’ve been doing cross-fit since November because I’m stubborn.”
“I’ve just been trying to keep at it, and you know, get stronger, and everything’s been great,” Aneesa said of her progress.
She discussed how The Challenge films many shows in succession compared to her early days on MTV, where it might be once a year. She said in her earlier days, she maybe got paid $1,500 per week, and back then, they didn’t care because they got to party with all their friends.
However, she said the paycheck they get these days for appearing on the show is much bigger. Aneesa then mentioned she “could’ve gone on global” (aka the World Championship spinoff), All Stars 4, and the “one they’re filming now.”
That one they’re filming now likely refers to The Challenge: USA 2, which has been filming in Croatia for several weeks and, unlike its first installment, will feature reality TV stars from MTV along with CBS reality TV stars.
Of note, Aneesa is currently listed among the cast members not likely to appear in The Challenge Season 39 based on early speculation for the MTV show.
However, her recent comments make it seem her recovery is progressing well, and she plans to return to at least the spinoff show in the future, if not more.
The Challenge: World Championship finale arrives Wednesday, May 17, on Paramount Plus.