Two-time Challenge champion Cara Maria Sorbello recently shared a powerful message to her fans and critics regarding her 10 years on MTV’s reality competition series.
With an Instagram photo of herself posing in all-black attire, including tall boots, a jacket, and a serious stare, Cara may have been alluding to the end of her career with The Challenge.
While she didn’t mention retirement specifically, she included the words “final season” and “final years of competing,” talking about the person she became over her time on the show.
According to the 36-year-old reality TV star, her experience with the show and castmates included overcoming “emotional, mental, and physical abuse and gaslighting.”
“Your last images of me was a girl burnt out and fed up with the fakeness,” Cara shared in her Instagram post, saying she was “finally setting boundaries with toxic castmates and men” who delighted in making her and her friends cry.
She also referred to herself as “The Bad Guy,” suggesting some critics might see her that way but said she still has that “kind hearted spirit you once rooted for” inside.
Cara shares message to fans about The Challenge
In an Instagram post on Monday, Cara Maria Sorbello said she gave her “heart and soul” to MTV’s The Challenge for ten years of her life, commenting on what she dealt with and overcame.
She referred to her tremendous growth over those years on the show, saying she no longer allowed herself to be bullied and successfully sent her enemies home “time and time again.”
“The emotional, mental, and physical abuse and gaslighting I fought through those years leading up to that final season runs deeper than any of you could know…. And it hardened me into the protective and cynical armor you all saw me cloaked in towards those final years of competing,” she said.
“But that kind hearted spirit you once rooted for (and soooo many of you still do) is still there…. She’s protected in those layers of armor waiting to feel safe to speak her truth again… even if you want to call her The Bad Guy,” Cara wrote.
She closed her Instagram message by thanking her supportive fans and suggesting there was more to come.
“Thanks to every single one of you who sends me messages of love and support every day. I will speak my story one day to show you what girl power really is. ❤️ …. I still got a lot of fight left in me.”
Following her Instagram post, Cara shared another message on her IG Story. It included a fan account’s post which had messages from many of her Challenge castmates showing support. Among them were Cara’s boyfriend, Paulie Calafiore, and castmates “Ninja” Natalie Duran and Mark Long.
“You guys. you have no idea how bad a** you all are. If I ever go back I promise it’s all to prove you right for standing in my corner. I just wanna make you proud,” Cara commented.
Cara previously alluded to her retirement from MTV show
Cara’s recent Instagram post doesn’t flat out indicate she’s retired from MTV’s The Challenge, and there’s been no mention from MTV or the show about it. Several months ago, Monsters and Critics reported about Cara’s social media post where she mentioned retirement and passing the crown to castmate Kam Williams.
“Here she is. The only acceptable ‘new face’ of The Challenge. I didn’t get an official retirement goodbye or a chance to pass the crown. But…she didn’t need it passed. She walked in with it. Long live the queen. @IAMKAMIAM_ keep doing amazing things. I will always root for you,” Cara said in an Instagram Story slide featuring a photo she took of her castmate, Kam.
After various websites reported on Cara’s rumored retirement, she fired back at their reports. She gave E! News exclusive comments saying that her IG Story message did not indicate her retirement.
“In short: I am not retiring,” Cara told E! News last year. “The post was sparked from visiting home and reading old diaries from the beginning of my Challenge journey. I was reminiscing and my heart was heavy over the loss of my [horse] Garnett. She was a huge part of keeping my spirit alive during my Challenge career on and off the field.”
Cara, originally a cast member on The Challenge: Fresh Meat II in 2010, appeared in 14 regular seasons of MTV’s show. She reached the final in nine seasons and won during Battle of the Bloodlines and Vendettas.
Her most recent appearance came on War of the Worlds II alongside her current boyfriend, Paulie Calafiore. The couple reached the final with castmates, including Kam Williams and Zach Nichols but ultimately lost to a team consisting of Chris “CT” Tamburello, Jordan Wiseley, Rogan O’Connor, and Dee Nguyen.
The Challenge Season 38 is TBA on MTV. The Challenge: USA airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
