"He f**king sucks idc": The Challenge fans slam winner Emanuel Neagu for cheating on his girlfriend

The Challenge season 39 crowned Emanuel Neagu its winner in the finale episode released on Wednesday, February 21. Titled Only One Gets The Crown, episode 19 returned with finalists Nurys Mateo, Colleen Schneider, Berna Canbeldk, and Corey Lay to compete in the final tasks.

The contestants lifted weights, swam and ran long distances, and even solved puzzles in the tough battle to emerge as the ultimate winner.

In the end, it was Emanuel Neagu who managed to beat all his opponents, thereby taking home the winner’s trophy along with a cash prize of a whopping $250,000. The Challenge fans know Emanuel has tread hot waters multiple times this season over cheating allegations. He has been accused by several co-contestants of sleeping with other women despite having a girlfriend outside the show.

Now, as Emanuel has claimed the champion’s trophy, instead of celebrating his win, a barrage of viewers have called the reality star for cheating on his partner. A user, @alexandriaa1359, wrote on X:

“Emanuel literally did nothing but cheat on his girlfriend this season he f**king sucks idc.”

Additionally, several others have called out the makers for serving a boring storyline by making Emanuel the ultimate winner.

---

The Challenge season 39 winner Emanuel Neagu addresses cheating allegations

Fans condemn The Challenge season 39 winner Emanuel Neagu (Image via X/@alexandriaa1359)

After the finale, Emanuel spoke at length about cheating on his girlfriend during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

According to him, this season he found himself more embroiled in “social” rather than “physical” problems from performing tasks. Emanuel admitted it was “embarrassing” on his part to cheat on his partner on TV, but clarified they were going to break up soon. He noted:

“Me deciding not to break up (soon) made her suffer even more. Nobody should do this. It's bad to hurt other people. But we grow and we move on.”

The winner revealed he is no longer on speaking terms with his partner, adding that once returning home, he confessed to her about the infidelity. Emanuel claims she didn’t react to the news, apparently because she expected it to happen. The reality star suggests he did not want to enter into a relationship, but once he started to hang out with his partner, he began liking her and thus started their relationship.

Emanuel highlighted that it was always in the back of his head to break up with her, but he was waiting for the right moment. He added:

“But I just didn't do it, because I was a b*tch! I feel like I waited for the right moment. And that's just not a thing. Never wait for the right moment. It’s wrong what I did.”

This isn’t the first time Emanuel has publicly addressed the cheating allegations. The speculation of him being involved with three co-stars, Olivia Kaiser, Ravyn Rochelle, and Colleen Schneider, gained traction on social media in December 2023. The reality star broke his silence on the matter via X, only confirming he took a liking for Ravyn out of all three. He wrote:

“Them girls playing the victim and hard to get in confessionals has me cracking up. Btw (apart from Ravyn whom I really enjoyed talking ) I never initiated anything , I was just drunk and gave the ladies the atention they was looking for . That’s how it went down.”

Emanuel Neagu responds to cheating rumors on X (Image via X/@emanuelvampire)

Emanuel confirmed he is no longer involved with any of his The Challenge season 39 co-stars anymore, but fans are disappointed after watching him win the show.

---

The Challenge season 39 finale is available to stream on MTV.