The Challenge: Who sent C.T. Tamburello home in Total Madness?

The Challenge has been on air since 1998 when it premiered as Road Rules: All Stars. In the initial season, Real World alums participated in the MTV show. The series' name was changed in season 2 to Real World/Road Rules Challenge. 17 years later, it was renamed to just The Challenge.

Since its inception, the MTV show has seen several memorable contestants. This includes Chris C.T. Tamburello, who has won five seasons. While he is one of the greats, there have been seasons where he didn't make it to the final.

During Total Madness season 35, the cast member was eliminated by Jay Starret, who is currently competing in season 39.

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C.T. was eliminated during The Challenge: Total Madness week 3

The Challenge season 35 (Total Madness) was a wake-up call for MTV Legend Chris 'C.T.' Tamburello. The cast member, whom Entertainment Weekly described as "one of the most decorated champions" of the show, was eliminated by a rookie contestant.

During the 2020 episode, C.T. nominated himself to be in the Purgatory (elimination arena) to win a Red Skull, which was a requirement for the contestants to be eligible for the final.

The entire cast of the MTV show was puzzled by the Purgotory's setup and couldn't understand what the upcoming challenge was. T.J. Lavin reminded the cast that he had the "losers" nominate one contestant for the competition.

The host noted that they chose someone who already had a Red Skull and invited Jay Starret into the arena. The nominated contestant told the cameras that he was confident going up against any of the other participants if it was either a puzzle or a strategy game.

"If it's a head-to-head hall brawl, let's just not hope for Rogan or C.T. That's the best bet.

T.J. then spoke to the 'Tribunal' consisting of C.T., Swaggy, and Bayleigh. He noted that they interrogated and selected Bear, Nelson, and Rogan for the Purgutory.

T.J. asked the Tribunal whether they would choose one of the three contestants or whether one of them would voluntarily compete against Jay.

C.T. noted that he was "in" and walked into the arena. The Challenge season 35 contestants were shocked by his decision and cheered him on.

"The vintage CT is back!" Bear said in a confessional.

Johnny Bananas recalled his experience, having competed against the MTV Legend, and said it was going to be "a long day at the office for Jay." The cast member added that watching CT compete in eliminations was "spectacular."

"I don't think I'll get another chance to go into elimination and then if I do, it's going to be top-tier. This is my shot. I gotta take it."

Although everyone thought C.T. had it in the bag, Jay surprisingly beat the contestant in "Take Shelter." C.T. seemingly had a better strategy in the beginning, as he used ropes to keep his shelter door closed while Jay barricaded his door with everything he could find.

As part of the next part of the challenge, the two had to open their opponents' doors "all the way" and turn on the light inside. Everyone believed C.T. was going to win, but Jay quickly undid the ropes and entered the shelter first.

He turned on the light and became the first one to turn the light on. The victory shocked everyone in the arena.

"Oh sh*t. This is crazy! This boy just singed CT," Nelson said.

Jay Starret couldn't believe that he won against the "champs of champs." The two came face-to-face earlier this week during The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion when CT returned as a Mercenary. While the Legend fiddled with the idea of picking Jay as his competitor in season 39, he noted that he had beaten him fair and square and chose Asaf Goren instead.

Episodes of The Challenge season 39 air every Wednesday at 8 pm ET on MTV.