According to Olivia Kaiser, her situation with Nurys Mateo after filming The Challenge: Battle New Champion seems to be “ever-changing.”
They initially appeared as castmates on MTV’s Season 38, Ride or Dies, which was also their rookie season.
Nurys teamed with veteran competitor Nelson Thomas, who ended up having a showmance with Olivia that lasted throughout filming and ended shortly after.
During the season, Olivia teamed with Horacio Gutierrez, whom she revealed she hadn’t known until she was cast for the MTV competition series. The impressive newcomers reached the final as rookies, but an injury eliminated them from winning.
Heading into Season 39, Olivia and Nurys appeared to have a solid friendship. Nurys ended up in a showmance with Olivia’s ride-or-die Horacio, which seemed to strengthen their alliance.
Later in the season, Olivia made a surprising decision in the game that upset Nurys and made it seem she could no longer trust Olivia. That led to a falling out between the castmates that seemingly carried past filming.
This report will contain spoilers through Episode 17 of The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion.
Nurys and Olivia battled in Episode 17
The Challenge Season 39, Episode 17 aired on Wednesday night, and it featured Nurys’ return to the house after defeating Horacio and Kyland Young in a Conquest elimination.
Early on, Olivia talked to Nurys about her previous deliberation choice to save Moriah Jadea, which ultimately backfired and sent Nurys to the elimination event with the two guys.
After the previous episode’s dramatic deliberation, Nurys seemed somewhat OK with Olivia. They spoke to Michele about having an all-girls final by ensuring one of them won the next daily challenge so they could send three men into the elimination.
However, that didn’t happen, as Michele was purged during the daily. Berna Cambeldek won and decided to protect other people before Nurys or Olivia.
Ultimately, they went into the Conquest elimination with James Lock. Nurys picked up a second-straight win, further solidifying her status as a threat in the game and one of the top stars of Season 39.
Despite Nurys and Olivia hugging it out on camera and Olivia mentioning in her recent podcast that Nurys accepted her apology, things may have changed.
Olivia revealed she talked with Nurys after filming
In an interview with Caffeine Confessionals after Episode 17 aired on MTV, Olivia was asked about her current situation with Nurys.
“To be honest, I’d say it’s ever-changing. We were good. I wouldn’t say friends, but we were good,” Olivia shared, adding, “Obviously, in this episode, she seems pretty forgiving and honestly in person, without the editing, she was.”
“She knew where I was coming from when I explained it to her, [but] I think rewatching it opens old wounds, and I think she sees different parts of it,” Olivia said.
However, she indicated that “as of right now, we talked, she sent me a text. She said that she takes back her sorry, and she does not forgive me, so we’re back on that bandwagon.”
“She’s entitled to her opinion and her feelings,” Olivia added.
Olivia says she attended the Season 39 reunion to apologize
Monsters and Critics reported Olivia’s remarks about her friendship with Nurys from the recent episode of her YouTube podcast, Gimme that Mic.
During the episode, which features Olivia’s sister Katie as her co-host, they spoke at length about what was edited out of Season 39.
That included Olivia indicating that her stronger friendships in the house, with castmates Michele Fitzgerald and Jay Starrett, weren’t shown at all during the episodes.
Olivia revealed she’d bonded with them after Ride or Dies more than with Horacio or Nurys. She said she and Michele were basically attached at the hip while filming 39, but that wasn’t presented in the footage.
That said, she still considered Horacio and Nurys friends. However, things changed because Horacio and Jay were on opposite sides during the game, and Horacio did not talk with her much about what he was doing strategy-wise.
Olivia also shared something viewers didn’t see happen after her decision to save Moriah sent Nurys into elimination for Episode 16. During her podcast, Olivia claimed that she begged host TJ Lavin to let her swap spots with Nurys in the elimination, but TJ told her production wouldn’t allow it.
Olivia mentioned that she’s since apologized to Nurys about what went down in Season 39 and attended the reunion so she could address it there. However, the recent interview remarks make it seem that these Challenge castmates might still be working to repair their situation as friends.
The Challenge: Battle For a New Champion airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.