Why was Ashley removed from The Challenge?

The Challenge, MTV's long-running competitive reality show, has seen several altercations since its inception. Like Turbo and Cory Wharton, among others, one of the cast members who was removed from the show was Ashley Mitchell during season 37.

Ashley Mitchell, who competed in Rivals III, War of the Worlds 2, and several shows, was disqualified from The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies after allegedly breaking the rules by getting into a verbal spat with Josh Martinez. In episode 14, T.J. Allen told the contestants that she was "deactivated" but didn't provide them with an explanation.

"As you’ve seen, Ashley is no longer at the headquarters. Ashley has broken one of our rules. Because of that, Ashley can no longer stay in the game. She has been deactivated. She can no longer continue in this game for the rest of the season.”

The two-time champion took to social media after the episode aired to apologize for her behavior.

"Rules are rules and I respect @mtv and TJ's call. The best apology is changed behavior. See you next time @challenge," Ashley tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, Ashley added that she was taking anger management classes and was reflecting on her behavior. She further noted that she was "only mad" at herself.

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Josh Martinez told production not to send Ashley home from The Challenge

The Challenge Spies, Lies, & Allies contestant, Martinez, appeared on Johnny Bananas' Death, Taxes, and Bananas podcast, where he discussed the incident. He noted that he told production he didn't believe Ashley should be sent home, emphasizing how her being sent off later was out of his control.

"People think that I would go out of my way to go production to jeopardize anybody's position. If people truly knew...the only people who knew the truth about what happened that day are the producers who were there, the people who were on set, and my cast mates...I went out of my way to make sure that this person wasn't kicked off of the show."

Josh Martinez was vocal about the fight not making it to the final cut during an appearance on Challenge Mania. He was a part of the podcast alongside several MTV celebrities, including Mark Long, Rachel Robinson, C.T. Tamburello, and Tori Deal.

He mentioned that he loved the show and the network but that they "missed an opportunity to show something real." Martinez added that it wasn't just about what he went through but that a lot of people "out there" also experience the same thing.

The Challenge season 37 contestant also mentioned that he didn't feel like he was in the wrong. He said that Ashley attacked him for "something" a lot of people struggle with, further stating how the fight was "one of the hardest things" he had endured while on the show.

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Tori Deal's thoughts on the fight

During the cast members' appearance on Challenge Mania, Josh, while answering a fan's question, said that he would be okay with The Challenge bringing Ashley back to the show again. However, Tori Deal, another contestant, expressed how "there’s a certain liability in this game." She noted that Ashley made comments that "literally" offended production.

"If you offend production, you have to understand that you’re wrong. You do not call somebody out for things that are personal to your life, and if you don’t know about them, don’t do it."

She added,

"This is a game. We are on public television. People see us. You do not get to be somebody else’s story and narrator. Josh is his narrator. That’s it, and no, no, no."

The Challenge is currently airing season 39 and airs episodes every Wednesday.