The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion crowned just one winner as its champion at the end of the final.
While Emanuel Neagu was the Season 39 winner after crossing the finish line first, many viewers and fans feel Nurys Mateo should have been named a winner.
Of the cast members who qualified for the final, she had been the only one who entered any eliminations before getting there.
Nurys won two in a row, eliminating four of her castmates before reaching the final, which seemed to indicate she earned it more than her fellow finalists.
In addition, she crossed the finish line at the final in second place, before Colleen Schneider, Berna Canbeldek, or Corey Lay, and many fans feel a woman should have also won Season 39.
Former show winner Derrick Kosinski agrees with that notion, as he recently commented on how the season ended, even comparing Nurys to a few of his OG castmates.
Derrick praises Nurys’ Season 39 win at the final
During a recent episode of Challenge Mania Podcast, host Scott Yager talked about how many fans probably won’t be praising most of the Season 39 finalists for their performance, other than Nurys.
Derrick, a three-time winner of MTV’s competition series, spoke about how Nurys is similar to a few of his All Stars castmates.
“Nurys, getting in second place…against the boys, is the champion,” Derrick said, adding, “She championed this season. She is the female Challenge champion of The Challenge 39, Battle For a New Champion.”
“She is the female champ. The unofficial female champ. She is what Jonna and KellyAnne were on All Stars 1,” he said.
Scott also predicted that when the podcast votes to determine award nominees, Nurys will likely be nominated more than Emanuel by fans and will probably get more votes for Challenger of the Year.
Battle For a New Champion joins other one-winner seasons of The Challenge
As Derrick mentioned, The Challenge: All Stars 1 season had only one winner crowned for the final as Yes Duffy reached the finish line first and had the overall best score, giving him the win.
However, two women tied in the points race that only received the satisfaction of competing and finishing a final.
KellyAnne Judd and Jonna Mannion were also “unofficial” final winners but received no prize money, only hugs from other finalists and kudos from TJ Lavin and viewers.
Jonna went on to win All Stars 2 and 3, adding her name to the winners, which seems to bode well for Nurys as she builds upon her Season 39 experience.
Most of MTV’s recent The Challenge seasons featured two winners. Ride or Dies had teammates Devin Walker and Tori Deal as its ride-or-die champs, while Spies, Lies & Allies had CT Tamburello and Kaycee Clark as a pair who won. Before that, it was CT and Amber Borzotra on Double Agents.
The most recent one-winner season before Battle For a New Champion was Vendettas, which featured Challenge legend Cara Maria Sorbello winning ahead of men’s finalists, including Zach Nichols and Tony Raines.
With Season 39’s edit and only one winner being crowned, there may have been a serious misstep by production in not having a men’s and women’s winner in the end.
The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.