"You were robbed"— The Challenge fans react to Michele losing to Rachel and Jenny

The Challenge season 40 aired part 2 of its season finale this week on January 7, 2025. While the prize fund was initially set to be given out to two players, due to the Karma Points twist, it was given to three instead.

While Jordon swept the floor from the male contestants, Jenny and Rachel tied for first place after Rachel's final rank changed. Since the two were tied, the 2nd place prize was not given out, however, the Karma Points bumped Michele's rank to 3rd place.

Fans of the reality show commented on Michele's final ranking online and were upset that Rachel ranked higher than the cast member by one Karma point. One person wrote on X:

The Challenge fans praise Michele (Image via X/@delicatewillows)

"BY ONE POINT??? Oh Michelegend you always amaze me and I’m so sorry you were robbed of your check like this."

"Michele beat Rachel again and Rachel STILL won over her?... yeah somebody aint doing the math right cus no way Karma points alone got her the win," a fan commented.

"As bad as Michele pissed me off last season, I’ve gotta give credit where it’s due. She earned her rightful rank and for it to be snatched by someone who underperformed in the final is insaneee!! She deserved better man. I’d be so pissed. Damn karma points!" a tweet read.

Fans of The Challenge criticized the Karma Points twist:

"In one swoop, the Karma Points stole 2nd Place from Michele and put her only 1 point away from a three-way tie for 1st. Michele won three eliminations this season and got punished for it by having to continually target players that would then negatively affect her Karma Points. She also went into this season without the same 5-10 year connections other people had, so she was also punished by the popularity vote aspect. It's just not a fair format and it punished someone who was a true underdog and gave their all," a person wrote.

"Michele being 1 point away from being a challenge champion and instead, Mrs. I Kiss Productions A** Because They Gave Me A Free Win from placing 3rd wins. I am F*CKING sick. I even would’ve been happy if Michele placed 2nd at least" a fan commented.

"Michele BEASTED that final i am so proud of her and am quite upset with how the season played out. Flop," a tweet read.

Fans of The Challenge added:

"I actually feel bad for Michele. I think Michele just wants to feel liked and respected. She won survivor and some of fans felt she didn't deserve it. Got to the end of the winner season and didn't get a single vote. So losing to karma points probably just hurts," a person wrote.

"Michele was robbed of a win. There I said it," a fan commented.

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"You are an awesome individual"— The Challenge host TJ Lavin praises Michele Fitzgerald in the finale

The season 40 finale of The Challenge saw Rachel Robinson and Jenny West tie for the grand prize of $400,000 for the female contestants. Michele finished 3rd and Tori finished 4th.

After the final checkpoints, Jenny had the lead with 22 points, while Rachel had 16. Michele had 19 points and Tori had 13. However, after the Karma Points were revealed, the standings shifted and brought Michele to third place as both Jenny and Rachel had a total of 24 points each while Michele had 23.

Michele broke down in tears during The Challenge season 40 finale and was reassured about her performance by the host of the show.

"Don't hold those tears Michele. I know its a very hard blow and you are an awesome individual. You really are good at this game and I just couldn't be more impressed," TJ said.

Fans of the MTV reality show commented on the final rankings and felt Michele deserved to win the show.

Episodes of The Challenge season 40 are available to stream on MTV.