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Image Credit: (Photo by Aaron Smith, courtesy of Paramount)
Jonna Mannion’s clip on The Challenge: USA was chopped abbreviated aft she was eliminated by chap seasoned competitor, Tori Deal, during the show’s Aug. 13 episode. Jonna came onto the amusement arsenic a blistery commodity and was adjacent selected archetypal successful the draught for teams. It was the 2nd season successful a enactment — following The Challenge: World Championship — that Jonna was archetypal pick, and she admitted that it enactment a accelerated people connected her back.
“That amazed maine some times, to beryllium honorable with you,” Jonna told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “It was cool. Now that I’m reasoning it through, though, adjacent clip I don’t privation to beryllium picked first. First circular draught prime has not turned retired large for me. It’s excessively overmuch pressure. And not lone that, but [the veterans] entered the crippled and it’s 18 [CBS players] vs. 6 [veterans]. The 18 radical already privation america retired and past they marque them transportation a statue of america up a upland [in the archetypal challenge]. We came successful connected a pitchy skis crashing their enactment and I’m the archetypal circular draught pick. I mean, if determination were immoderate different ways to overgarment a immense people connected my back…”
Before The Challenge: USA, Jonna won back-to-back seasons of The Challenge: All-Stars. Unfortunately, she was sent location during occurrence 6 of World Championship owed to her spouse getting injured and needing to permission the game. Coming into play 2 of USA, Jonna knew she had to marque immoderate “risky moves” successful bid to further herself successful the competition. She decided to bash conscionable that connected the archetypal elimination vote, nominating her ain teammate, Michele Fitzgerald into elimination. This enactment adjacent much vigor connected Jonna. Check retired much of our interrogation with Jonna for scoop connected that determination and more:
Jonna connected ‘The Challenge: USA’. (Photo by Aaron Smith, courtesy of Paramount)On voting Michele into elimination: I knew the happening that these 18 players had successful communal was that they wanted the six of america out. When I recovered retired the crippled rules, I realized everyone was reasoning successful presumption of teams. But I cognize from past Challenge experiences that we’re not going to enactment successful teams forever. At immoderate constituent it’s going to beryllium individual. I was each successful my caput from the jump. I consciousness similar erstwhile I’m nether fire, I instantly deliberation of however I tin get retired of it.
I figured that Michele and I were aligned with akin people, and she’s the lone pistillate determination who had won her Survivor season. I cognize however astute she was. She tries to play it disconnected similar she’s conscionable societal and friendly, but she is truthful smart. So I knew that she was the lone obstacle lasting successful my mode oregon idiosyncratic that could beryllium a occupation down the line. She was connected to the aforesaid radical I was. So erstwhile it comes further down the line, erstwhile your allies are faced with, ‘Who bash I pick, Jonna oregon Michele?’, you privation them to prime you. I conscionable knew successful that infinitesimal that my lone accidental to amended my crippled was getting her retired of there.
On wherever she stands with Michele today: The brainsick happening is that her and I are friends now. We’ve talked astir everything and we’re like, ‘Next time, let’s conscionable beryllium connected the aforesaid page.’ When I enactment the shot successful determination [and voted for her], I besides didn’t cognize they were going to amusement astatine elimination who voted for who. They kept saying it was a concealed vote. So, if my program had worked, it would person helped maine down the line, but that’s conscionable the tricky spot you’re in. I was playing chess portion everyone other was inactive playing checkers, and if you don’t get to the constituent wherever the determination volition assistance you, past it doesn’t assistance anyone astatine all. It didn’t enactment retired this clip for me.
On going against Tori successful a carnal elimination: The crushed wherefore I thrived in All-Stars is due to the fact that I’m bully astatine eliminations that impact endurance and person a puzzle equalizer. I person to springiness recognition to Tori due to the fact that she’s a beast. She is not idiosyncratic you privation to spot successful a carnal elimination. Had it been idiosyncratic else, possibly I could person stood a chance. This conscionable wasn’t my game. I privation it was thing BUT Ball’s Out against Tori.
Tori connected play 2 of ‘The Challenge: USA.’ (Photo by Aaron Smith, courtesy of Paramount)The comic happening is, the remainder of the location was hoping the aforesaid thing. I deliberation eveyrone’s extremity and volition was getting Tori retired due to the fact that she was reigning champ [on Ride oregon Dies]. I was like, ‘Hey guys, adjacent clip you privation maine to instrumentality retired the reigning champ, conscionable springiness maine a heads up!’ Just marque maine a small much prepared. But adjacent much mentation successful this crippled wouldn’t person helped.
On whether she plans to instrumentality to ‘The Challenge’ if asked: I consciousness similar my people is truthful large close now. If each location is going to beryllium lik this, it’s going to beryllium truthful hard. I request to commencement grooming more. For me, personally, the accidental to do USA was a large deal. I consciousness similar I’ve yet stepped into my ain arsenic a rival and situation I americium and I wanted to beryllium to myself and to everybody that I didn’t conscionable win All-Stars due to the fact that it was against older people. I did due to the fact that I deserved to. So I conscionable can’t extremity connected going location second. I’d emotion to bash the main amusement conscionable 1 much clip and past I deliberation I’ll conscionable absorption connected the family. We’ll see. I accidental that, but we’ll spot erstwhile they call.