Nurys Mateo had what many fans of The Challenge might call a breakout performance in the recent Battle For a New Champion season.
While Nurys didn’t enter the game as a rookie, she was entering her second season, and this time, she had to fight against tougher odds.
Nurys won multiple eliminations to earn her spot in the Season 39 final, something no other finalists could say they did.
While she finished second, fans praised Nurys for rising to the occasion throughout the season, including standing up to and calling out her opponents.
She also found love during the filming of the season, as she and showmance Horacio Gutierrez have continued dating beyond MTV’s show.
Thanks to the above, Nurys established herself as a new fan-favorite competitor on MTV’s show. She also recently won multiple awards for Season 39, setting a new record.
Nurys achieves a record number of awards after Season 39
According to Challenge Mania’s Scott Yager, Nurys set a new record by winning six 2023 Challenge Mania Awards: four alone and two with her man, Horacio.
Individually, Nurys picked up Challenger of the Year, Female Competitor of the Year, Female Personality of the Year, and Best Commentary of the Year.
“Safe to say it was a BIG year for @NurysKMateo! She sets a record for Challenge Mania Awards won in a year! Including 2 with Horacio!” Scott tweeted.
The Challenge Mania Patreon subscribers vote on the nominees and category winners for the annual Challenge Mania Awards.
Other individual award winners included Zara Zoffany winning Female Rookie of the Year and Chris Underwood as Male Rookie of the Year and Male Competitor of the Year.
Ravyn Rochelle was named Most Improved on The Challenge, while Johnny Bananas won Male Personality of the Year. Viewers saw Bananas in The Challenge: World Championship, The Challenge: USA 2, and he was mentioned throughout Battle For a New Champion as part of a storyline.
Nurys and Horacio won two awards after Season 39 showmance
There’s no denying that when it comes to showmances fans loved seeing on The Challenge, Nurys and Horacio’s story during Season 39 won over many viewers’ hearts.
They previously appeared as rookies on Ride or Dies but seemingly had no interest in one another beyond being amicable as castmates.
During that season, each had other showmances, including Horacio’s brief situation with Laurel Stucky and Nurys exploring showmances with Johnny Middlebrooks and Jordan Wiseley.
They won Challenge Mania’s Best Couple, Duo, Group, or Alliance Award. They defeated “The Secret Garden” alliance from The Challenge: USA 2 featuring Michele Fitzgerald, Desi Williams, Chanelle Howard, and others.
During his podcast remarks, Scott mentioned that Season 39’s Moriah Jadea and James Lock finished with zero percent of fans’ votes in the category.
Along with that win, Nurys’s elimination that she won against Horacio and friend Kyland Young was the winner of Challenge Mania’s Elimination of the Year. That gave Nurys six awards for 2024’s Challenge Mania Awards.
As many fans might know, Nurys and Horacio have continued dating beyond Battle For a New Champion. They often share various social media posts that spotlight their romance beyond reality TV.
Many fans are rooting for their relationship to become one of the next successful ones that arrived, thanks to MTV’s The Challenge.
Others have included Cara Maria Sorbello and Paulie Calafiore, Leroy Garrett with Kam Williams, and Zach Nichols with Jenna Compono.
The Challenge: All Stars 4 premieres Wednesday, April 10 on Paramount+.