The Challenge: Ashley Mitchell And Hunter Barfield's feud, explained

The Challenge, an MTV television series, featured reality stars from other reality TV shows such as Big Brother, Love Island UK, Are You The One? and Road Rules. Throughout the competition, each member has to cooperate with their respective teams and play individually to win a grand prize.

Contestants have been involved in conflicts and disagreements that have led to explosive feuds. One of the most famous rivalries on The Challenge season 32 was between Ashley Mitchell and Hunter Barfield. Additionally, the two fierce competitors were unable to see eye to eye.

However, when they were paired together in the final episode both of them were claimed winners of the last challenge. As Ashley finished the given task a few minutes earlier than Hunter, she was given the option to either keep the grand prize for herself or split the money with her fellow competitor Hunter.

Ashley decided to keep the multi-million dollar prize for herself, stating:

"This guy's belittled me, put me down, s*ut shamed me, and also threatened my life and my family's life. I'm keeping the money."

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Why were The Challenge stars Ashley Mitchell And Hunter Barfield feuding?

Hunter was bitter about the fact that Ashley chose to keep the entire prize for herself and the reason behind that is Hunter's behavior towards his cast mate Ashley. Their feud dates back to when they started filming for the show.

She explained the details and reason behind her feud with Hunter in a February 2023 interview on a podcast called Most Likely Two.

According to Ashley, no one would want to share money with their "enemy." Growing up in West Virginia, the two-time champion and her family weren't financially stable which is why this "opportunity" had to be seized.

As a firm believer in fate, Ashley told the host that she had "manifested" her win. After auditioning for The Challenge, she was upset when she wasn't selected but soon the producers called about her role as a mercenary.

Moving on to explaining her feud with Hunter, she revealed details of how they first met. During filming on The Challenge, Hunter was interested in Ashley and wanted to hook up with her, but Ashley denied his offer.

The clash between the former finalists was when co-star Kyle Christie and Ashley's romance bloomed, this upset Hunter.

He would behave rudely and call her names throughout his time on the show as he believed Ashley's lack of focus would be the reason they lost.

In a November 20, 2018 interview with People, The Challenge winner Ashley said she doesn't regret keeping the prize money for herself. The Real World star wasn't hesitant to avail this opportunity:

"I was sick of the men in that house being so misogynistic, saying things like, “If a woman makes more money than you, that’s embarrassing, a woman should stay at home.” And that’s mostly Hunter saying things like that. As soon as I had that chance I did not even double think it."

When asked about what her overall experience has been like on The Challenge, Ashley opened up about how she felt and that she was grateful for this opportunity. Through the competition series, The Challenge, she was able to learn more about her strengths and weaknesses.

Despite the drama between her and co-star Hunter, she chooses to look at the bright side:

"I can actually be strong. Even though I cry a lot I can do things by myself. And the one thing that I learned from this season and last season, with Cara Maria Sorbello winning and now me winning, is that you don’t need a man — and women rule the world! That’s pretty much it"

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To watch The Challenge season 32 winner Ashley Mitchell's journey stream all episodes on MTV and platforms such as Paramount+, Apple TV, and Vudu.