Warning: This article contains spoilers forThe Challenge: USA 2episode 12, “Revenge Amongst the Ruins.”
Michele Fitzgerald tried to play both sides onThe Challenge: USA.
But when she finally chose a side, it led to her downfall.
Michele Fitzgerald on ‘The Challenge: USA’.Jonne Roriz, courtesy of Paramount
The formerSurvivorwinner spent all season openly working with theChallengevets and theSurvivoralums on the opposite side of the game.
“I was falling apart,” Fitzgerald tells EW.
“There’s always a point inThe Challengewhere I start falling apart and this is it.
Michele Fitzgerald on ‘The Challenge: USA’.Jonne Roriz, courtesy of Paramount
I don’t know if I could have recovered emotionally and mentally after this [episode].”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Michele, you were doing so well this season!
MICHELE FITZGERALD:[Laughs] I know.
Cassidy Clark and Michele Fitzgerald on ‘The Challenge: USA’.Jonne Roriz, courtesy of Paramount
When s— goes south, a lot of people can just brush it off and regroup.
So the “Micheltdown” nickname is here to stay.
It definitely gained some traction in the house.
How do you feel about getting that nickname onThe Challengeafter you had a great run onSurvivor?
Well, to be honest, I was kind of a meltdown onSurvivortoo.
I just am that way.
It’s really not that different of a person if you compare the two.
How are you feeling about your exit now that you’ve watched it on TV?
And then I didn’t get a ball in the hopper after last episode.
And I was like, why?
Why do I need to pick a side?
And obviously we see when the time comes to pick a side, it all blows up.
It just so happens that Chris won.
That’s true Chris winning was worst case scenario for you.
So that’s what’s really eating me everybody’s like, “What a dumb emotional decision.”
So it was just lose-lose.
I had to hedge my bets and I hedged them wrong.
I don’t regret not voting for Tori.
I just regret the way I went about it.
How did it feel when theSurvivorwomen were rooting against you in that elimination?
I never threw them in, you know what I mean?
I just didn’t vote the way that they wanted me to vote.
Michaela wanting one of them to go in is a bigger betrayal.
So why are they not mad at her?
I’m sorry that you betrayed an alliance that I was no part of.
Why did you vote for Cory to go in against Josh?
I didn’t want to vote for any of the guys left in the game.
I had been working with all of them.
I had asked Josh who he wanted and he really wouldn’t give me an answer.
I was actually going to vote Bananas because I thought that’s what Josh wanted.
I’ve had your back this whole game."
So you knew most of the house wanted it to be a girls' day?
But this is just the point of the game where I was just like, my hands are tied.
I’m just going to have to do my best in elimination.
And that’s the benefit of playingThe Challengerather thanSurvivor.
How did it feel competing against Cassidy in that elimination?
I was already envisioning being home with my dog as I was in the elimination.
I was ready to go home.
I was exhausted from the game.
I was on Team Red Flags, we lost a lot.
I was only safe once, so I was tired.
And when it crumbles, it crumbles hard.
you could’t play sneaky like you could inSurvivor.
I’m not even trying to do it, I swear!
I’m not a villain, I’m just a mess.
It’s not intentional, I swear.
Hopefully you’ll continue to do better and make the finalnext season?
[Laughs] You could see from the cast, I’m going to be in a similar situation.
I get myself into love and fights just be prepared.
A Zebra can’t change her stripes that much.
Expect a little bit more of the same.
It’s a mess, but it’s fun.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
The Challenge: USAseason 2 airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
