'The Challenge: USA': Why Tyson Apostol not keen on competing with Ben Driebergen and Sarah Lacina?
Tyson Apostol, a former 'Survivor' winner who is currently a contestant on 'The Challenge: USA,' revealed a lot about his time shooting the new 'Challenge' spinoff and used the chance to throw some shade at his co-stars. He confesses why he didn't leap at the chance to compete on the show.
'The Challenge: USA' is a spin-off of the long-running MTV show, which has undergone various revisions. According to CBS, 28 players from 'Love Island,' 'Big Brother,' 'Amazing Race,' and 'Survivor' will compete in a series of tasks against randomly picked opponents, "making alliances and strategies more difficult than ever." To survive the game, players must adapt, competing in a continual state of paranoia, unable to trust anybody except themselves. Tyson Apostol returns to reality competition television for a new series, spinoff 'The Challenge: USA,' after a brief cameo on 'Survivor: Winners at War.'
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Tyson, a fan favorite from 'Survivor,' has returned to reality competition programming with an appearance on the upcoming CBS series, 'The Challenge: USA.' In a recent interview, he claimed that he prefers not to work with fellow 'Survivor' contestants, instead preferring to deal with "anybody I can manipulate." It looked probable that people from the same franchises would join forces as they competed with fan favorites from numerous CBS series. Nevertheless, in a June 2022 interview with Us Weekly, Tyson disclosed he was "hesitant" to associate with other 'Survivor' champs Ben Driebergen and Sarah Lacina,- even though all three awhile back competed on 'Survivor' Season 40 together - as they have "anger management issues" and are aware of the pickleball influencer's "dangerous" game. Nonetheless, the four-time 'Survivor' contender, who won Season 27 of the long-running series, believed the cash was worth dealing with "s-theads I don't care for."
Tyson was sort of joking about sticking it to the other 'Survivor' players who didn't get invited. It's his demeanor. And everyone who has watched him on TV understands there is no animosity behind it. One of the reasons CBS continues asking him back is because of this. It's one of the reasons he continues to accept network invites. It's one of the reasons Tyson says in the opening seconds of 'The Challenge,' "You know what'd make this game better? Me.”
Tyson said that the other participants, particularly the "younger Big Brother kids," had not seen his prior seasons, which "played in my favor a little bit" because they were unaware of his ability. "And Love Island people, I think they only watch their own Instagram Stories as entertainment," he continued. As a result, the 'Blood vs Water' champion entered the competition hoping to collaborate with them, or "anybody I can manipulate." Per the 43-year-old, his strategy involved being as "calm" as possible, since he didn't want people to see him "scrambling too much." Tyson will play against Shan Smith and Danny McCray from Season 41, Tasha Fox from Cagayan, Domenick Abbate from Ghost Island, and Desi Williams from Heroes vs Hustlers vs Healers.
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Tyson's stint on 'Survivor'
In 2008, he made his 'Survivor: Tocantins' debut and became great friends with Benjamin "Coach" Wade. Nevertheless, after surviving the first two solo Immunity challenges, the others perceived him as a physical danger and stunned him, dropping him to ninth place. He reappeared as an infamous villain for 'Heroes vs Villains,' but he didn't stay long after unwittingly causing his eviction at the second Tribal Council. Tyson came back for the third season of 'Blood vs Water,' where he performed well after his girlfriend Rachel Foulger was ousted early in the battle. He formed a powerful alliance with Gervase Peterson and Monica Culpepper after discovering two Hidden Immunity Idols that lasted all through the game. Despite a strong set of opponents and a rock draw, the three reached it to the Final Tribal Council, where Tyson won by a vote of 7-1-0. 'Winners at War,' the first all-champ season, saw the Arizona native come back for the fourth time.
Tyson returned to the game following winning a return challenge after being eliminated early after he attempted to blindside Sandra Diaz-Twine. Despite successfully joining an alliance, it subsequently dissolved, resulting in his second elimination. The four-time participant finished 11th after failing to win another return challenge.
The 90-minute premiere will air on CBS/Ch 2 on Wednesday at 8:30 pm, followed by hour-long episodes every Wednesdays at 8 pm. All episodes will be available on Paramount+.