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Michele Fitzgerald got purged in episode 17 of The Challenge season 39, which was released on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. In the latest episode, the daily task titled "Drum Roll" involved all the remaining players holding onto a rope, running on a rotating platform that was suspended above the water.
According to the rules, the player who holds onto the rope the longest wins. Meanwhile, the first one to lose balance and fall into the water would be eliminated. Since Michele failed to complete the task, she was purged from the competition.
Michele's exit was lauded by fans who were unhappy with her involvement in fellow castmate Jay's gameplay. Their alliance resulted in the elimination of Horacio and Kyland Young, two of the strong contenders this season.
Viewers who did not come to terms with Horacio and Kyland's eviction branded Michelle's eviction "karma," noting how she was purged only a week later. A netizen, @ThereGoesTonio, wrote on X:
"Finally Michelle is done. That’s Karma for what y'all did to Kyland and Horacio."
Michele, Jay, and Olivia's strategy in episode 16 of The Challenge upset fans
Notably, The Challenge has reached the "Conquest" stage, where the daily winner earns the power to save a contestant, who further saves another, and the process continues until three players are left at the bottom. Episode 16 saw Jay, the winner of the daily task, use the power to save Michele, who chose Olivia next.
However, during Olivia's turns, it was assumed she would pick Nurys, her best friend, thereby saving Horacio and Kyland. Notably, Horacio, who is currently dating Nurys, was also the partner of Olivia in the show's Ride or Die season. Their close association gave fans the impression that Olivia wouldn't push Nurys into elimination.
But in a dramatic twist, Olivia chose Moriah, pushing Nurys to compete with her boyfriend Horacio and best friend Kyland for survival in the elimination round. Eventually, Nurys defeated them both and moved ahead in the competition, knowing she could not trust anyone in the house.
After the release of episode 16, it was clear to the fans that Kyland and Horacio's elimination was a well-thought-out scheme executed by Jay, Michele, and Olivia.
The Challenge fans call Michele's exit the "best part" of episode 17
In a confessional, player James explained the rules of the challenge "Drum Role":
"You basically just stay on this as long as possible. The first five players to come off go into the loser bracket, the top five would go into the winner bracket."
Failing to maintain her balance, Michele fell into the water first and was consequently purged. She said in a confessional:
"I'm just thinking like 'how did my life get to this point where now I am about to plummet to my deck if I'm not running on a hamster wheel.'"
Several viewers took to X to celebrate the moment. Some said they're "glad" she is out of the contest, while many remarked it marked the beginning of the downfall of Jay's "gameplay."
The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion airs on MTV every Wednesday at 8 pm ET/PT
