"Feels like there's electric shocks": The Challenge All Stars: Rivals star Steve Meinke shares injury and health struggles during the competition

In a post-finale interview, The Challenge All Stars: Rivals winner Steve Meinke addressed ongoing questions regarding visible discomfort during the second half of the final challenge. On April 16, 2025, he was asked by Entertainment Weekly if he had been injured. Meinke explained multiple overlapping issues that impacted his performance.

"I suffer from peripheral neuropathy, and so anything with extreme weather changes or extreme heat or a change in heart rate, my fingers, my fingernails, and my toenails start kind of going crazy and it feels like there's electric shocks going through them," he said.

The Challenge All Stars: Rivals winner underscored that these physical complications were not depicted in the episodes but significantly affected his participation.

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Steve Meinke details injuries and health issues during The Challenge All Stars: Rivals

Meinke described a specific injury sustained during a critical point in the final. While running down a sand dune, The Challenge All Stars: Rivals winner experienced a muscle tear:

“I popped my quad where it attaches to my hip, right on the third or fourth step going down that hill. Instant explosion, I strained my quad, and I was done for the rest of the day.”

Despite the injury, Meinke continued competing, relying on endurance rather than full mobility. He also elaborated on worsening foot-related conditions tied to peripheral neuropathy.

"I started losing two of my toenails well before the final, and one decided to finally come out during a final and all my toes were starting to blister," Meinke said.

He explained that his toenails were bleeding, which forced him to remove his shoes. He also noted swelling and rapid changes in foot size, sometimes ranging from size 9.5 to 12 in under an hour, describing the final half hour as a period of running back and forth "barefoot."

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Ongoing physical therapy and new diagnoses

Following the competition, Meinke revealed he had undergone additional medical evaluations and discovered a disintegrated disc and a slipped vertebrae, which he said "contributed" to his condition. He mentioned that these conditions compounded previous issues with his lower body. He also confirmed that the damage had led to a problem with his leg, noting,

“I have no feeling in my entire right leg, for a while.”

Some of the physical stress may have been intensified by equipment decisions made during the game. In a show of solidarity, Meinke lent his knee brace to a fellow contestant.

"Sam had a significant knee injury, and I gave her one of my heavy duty knee braces, but also in doing so, my knee was compensating and getting hurt with that," he explained.

The Challenge All Stars: Rivals winner said he has since been in "physical therapy" to treat the resulting damage.

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Impact of health conditions on gameplay

Throughout the season, Meinke and his partner, Adam Larson, were placed into multiple eliminations but continued to advance. While their consistent performance was evident onscreen, Meinke stated that his health limitations were an unseen factor in their experience.

“Everything’s just kind of bad on me,” he said in reference to his knees and calves.

When asked about his visible discomfort during a specific segment, The Challenge All Stars: Rivals winner responded by listing the cumulative toll the game had taken.

“I haven't watched the last episode yet, was I limping or did I have my shoes off?” he said.

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The Challenge All Stars: Rivals is available to stream anytime on MTV and Paramount+.