Three contestants were abruptly removed from MTV’s long-running athletic reality competition series "The Challenge" this week following a reported racial incident that the show chose not to air.
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show → remove → that
At the beginning of Wednesday’s episode of "The Challenge: Cutthroat," host T.J. Lavin entered the house without Leo Dionicio, Josh Goldstein and Nelson Thomas present.
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Dionicio → enter → house
"Leo, Nelson and Josh all broke the code of conduct here on 'The Challenge,' so they're all gone," Lavin told the remaining contestants.
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Lavin → break → contestants
The show did not air the incident that led to the three disqualifications or provide any additional details.
Page Six reported that Dionicio, who is Black, used the N-word during a game and Goldstein, who is White, repeated it.
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who → air → it
According to the report, Thomas became angry over Goldstein’s use of the word and later damaged the kitchen.
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Thomas → accord → kitchen
Production then removed all three contestants.
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Production → remove → contestants
The Paramount+ original is the 42nd season of the long-running MTV franchise.
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original → run → franchise
"The Challenge" is generally classified as reality television, but the modern version is built around athletic competition.
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version → classify → competition
Contestants run, swim, climb, wrestle, carry heavy weight and race through obstacle courses that test strength, endurance and mental toughness.
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that → run → strength
Seasons typically end with a grueling final that can stretch across multiple days and resemble an adventure race more than a reality show.
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that → end → show
The controversy also bears a striking resemblance to one Paramount faced three years ago on another reality competition show.
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Paramount → bear → show
The company appears to have learned from a racial double standard it applied back then.
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it → appear → standard
Nelson Thomas and Leo Dionicio address 'The Challenge' disqualifications
Thomas subsequently confirmed at least part of the reported account.
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Thomas → address → account
"I let my emotions take over, broke dishes, destroyed [the] kitchen and violated the code of conduct," Thomas wrote on X.
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Thomas → let → X.
"That’s on me."
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That → ’ → me
Thomas also claimed that Goldstein apologized to him privately and urged Goldstein to address the situation publicly.
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Goldstein → claim → situation
"Saying you have Black friends doesn’t give you a pass to use the N-word," Thomas wrote.
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Thomas → say → word
Dionicio, meanwhile, discussed his removal during an appearance on fellow "Challenge" competitor Johnny "Bananas" Devenanzio’s "Death, Taxes and Bananas" podcast.
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Dionicio → discuss → podcast
At the beginning of the discussion, Devenanzio said they had been instructed "from the top" not to reveal the specifics of the incident.
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they → say → incident
Despite that, Dionicio argued that he did not deserve to be included in the mass disqualification.
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he → argue → disqualification
"I was really, really upset because what was said was super ignorant," Dionicio said.
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Dionicio → say → ?
"I thought the hand I was dealt was pretty messed up considering I didn’t really do s--- wrong."
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I → think → s---
Dionicio said he believed one contestant should have been fined, another should have been removed and he should not have been punished at all.
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he → say → ?
Johnny "Bananas" pushed back on Dionicio’s argument.
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Bananas → push → argument
"I think what’s understood is that they have to have a rule, and it has to apply to everybody equally," he said.
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he → think → everybody
Later in the conversation, however, Dionicio acknowledged that every contestant had signed the same agreement.
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contestant → acknowledge → agreement
"I know we all signed the same contract," Dionicio said.
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Dionicio → know → contract
"It’s just frustrating because I didn’t really think that would apply to me.
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that → ’ → me
But then I realized, you know, I’m not bigger than the program, unfortunately."
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I → realize → program
Dionicio never explicitly said, "I’m Black, so I should be allowed to use the N-word."
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I → say → word
But taken together, his comments strongly suggest that is his position.
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that → take → ?
He reportedly used the word, said he did not believe the rule should have applied to him and then emphasized in a separate post on X that he is Black and Afro-Latino.
Paramount declined to discuss the specific actions that led to each contestant’s removal.
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that → use → removal
A source familiar with the production said Bunim/Murray Productions has a clear code of conduct and that all three cast members were removed after violating it.
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members → say → it
The source directed OutKick to Thomas’ public comments about the incident.
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source → direct → incident
The response did not confirm whether Dionicio and Goldstein were removed for using the same word or whether the same provision was applied to both contestants.
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provision → confirm → contestants
But Paramount also did not dispute the reported account or challenge OutKick’s interpretation that the rule was enforced equally.
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rule → dispute → interpretation
Dionicio and Goldstein did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.
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Dionicio → respond → publication
Paramount faced a similar controversy on "Big Brother" in 2023
In August 2023, CBS removed "Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine after he used the N-word inside the house.
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he → face → house
The network said Valentine violated the show’s code of conduct and that it had "zero tolerance" for the use of a racial slur.
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it → say → slur
Except, as OutKick reported at the time, another contestant, Kirsten Elwin, had used the same word days earlier and received no apparent punishment.
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contestant → report → punishment
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
