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The Challenge: USA finalist breaks down that medical DQ: 'Humans cannot outrun motor vehicles'

Plus, the women's runner-up explains what cost her the win.

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Published on October 20, 2023 04:35PM EDT

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Challenge: USA season 2 finale.

You can never predict what's going to happen during a final on The Challenge. One wrong move or miscalculation can cost someone the win. And that's exactly what happened to both Michaela Bradshaw and Chanelle Howell on The Challenge: USA season 2.

The Survivor alums each made one mistake during the grueling two-day final that resulted in Michaela being medically DQed right before the finish line, and costing Chanelle the win as she came in second place to Desi Williams.

"I expected to at least finish the final, so that didn't happen," Michaela tells EW. "But I'm very proud of the season. I did a thousand times better than the first time around so from a relative perspective, there's nothing for me to be upset about at all."

Below, Michaela breaks down what led to her medical DQ, Chanelle reveals what cost her the win, and more.

THE CHALLENGE: USA — Jonne Roriz/Paramount

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How do you feel about your season now that you've seen it all on TV?

CHANELLE HOWELL: It was my rookie season, and that in itself is really massive because I don't think people expect rookies to go really far. I see on the flagship typically what happens to rookies, and I wanted to over correct. I want to take the vets out. So for me to make it to a final my rookie season and to come in second is just huge.

You both made the "strong women" alliance to get you and Desi (and Tori) to the final, but since it didn't end with either of you winning, do either of you regret that strategy?

CHANELLE: Yeah, it's always a risk when you go to the end with strong women. But Michaela says it, I say it in the second to last episode: We're betting on ourselves. That's just a common sentiment among Survivor. I personally love the idea of a strong women's alliance. Tori says it the best: You have to want the win, but the win also has to want you back. It wasn't my season, but I don't regret at all going to the end with strong women. I think it could have been any of us, and I'm happy with how we played.

MICHAELA BRADSHAW: There was not a conscious decision anywhere in the front or middle of the game where I said, "I want to be in a strong women's alliance." There are certain people in this house who are obviously not interested in playing with me. There's people here who want to see us go against each other, so let's foil that plan by working together. It ended up that way, but I'm not mad at it. I'm happy we all got there and I wouldn't change anything about how I maneuvered in the game or who I ended up at the end with because at the end of the day, what's worse than losing to somebody that you chose to go to the end with is losing to somebody that you thought was a goat and then they end up beating you and embarrassing you. I'd much rather Desi win than mess around and somebody who would've been a sleeper cell come in and all they know how to do is jog and they jog their way to $250,000.

Michaela, we don't see you cross the finish line. Did you officially medically DQ?

MICHAELA: Yeah. When I decided not to wait at that second risk station, that was a bad decision. I bet on Desi to lose. I should not have done that. In my mind, I can either stand here and wait, if she gets it right and I get it wrong, I'm behind. If she gets it wrong and I get it wrong, I'm still behind. If she gets it right and I get it right, I'm still behind by however long it took me to do it. But if I go run and she gets it wrong, then great. That was a miscalculation and I was just pushing myself too hard to try to catch an ATV and humans cannot outrun motor vehicles. I ran out of water and I pushed my body further than it can go. I literally passed out after doing those cinder block things. Shout out to Johnny, who made that same run and made it all the way to the end. Anybody who's calling Johnny old or anything else, his lungs work better than mine.

How close were you to the finish line?

MICHAELA: They said it was about a mile or a mile and a half left to go, but it looked almost straight up. I'm glad in hindsight that they DQed me, because I would've fallen off the cliff.

Do you remember that moment when you passed out?

MICHAELA: Yeah, I remember laying on the ground, drinking my water, and they told me I have to get up or they're going to DQ me. I tried to get up and I was struggling. Then I remember being up and seeing things go a little hazy and I woke up on the ground. I tried to get up again and there were medics there and they were like, "No, stay down. You're done." I was like, "No, I'm not. I'm just hungry." They fed me and I was like, "I'm good now." And they're like, "No, you don't understand. You're finished." And then I slept and I woke up in the hotel. That's all I remember.

Are you upset they forced you to stop, or was it the right call for you?

MICHAELA: It was the right call. In the moment I was going back and forth with them in my incoherent fashion, even Chanelle mentioned, "Yeah, when I came up behind you, you were swaying." It was apparent that something was wrong with me. I can't be mad at that. I'm grateful my body lasted as long as it did.

Was it dehydration?

MICHAELA: It was a few things. Dehydration was definitely one. The fact that we did the first day of the challenge, slept outside, I didn't eat normal food, plus I got my period the day before. You don't want that. Then I have low blood pressure already. I heard our [final] is not the worst that has been seen at all, so it just gives me a higher level of respect for everybody that has completed these things. Shout out to the finishers, including Ms. Chanelle.

Chanelle, what do you consider to be the moment in the final that cost you the win?

CHANELLE: It was the eating challenge on day one. Coming in last on eating put me in a deficit behind all the other women. I knew I had really, really, really strong endurance. If I could just start at the same place as everyone else, I would be pretty much neck-and-neck with the other women. But the fact that I had that two-minute deficit just really f---ed me.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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