“My season wasn’t that much like a physical problem.
It was more of a social problem.
It’s embarrassing,” [SPOILER] tells EW.
Emanuel Neagu.MTV
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season finale ofThe Challenge: Battle for a New Champion.
Another new champion has been crowned onThe Challenge: Battle for a New Champion.
Corey Lay and Berna Canbeldek finished in fourth and fifth place, taking home no money.
Competitors in the finale.MTV
MTV
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: At what point did you realize you were going to win this season?
EMANUEL NEAGU:I think it was before we started the final.
I was very confident.
But it still felt unreal when I crossed the finish line.
So I didn’t lose the confidence I had.
I was so locked in.
How far behind you did Nurys finish in second place?
I don’t know.
The race for third also seemed close how much time was there between when Colleen finished and Corey finished?
Honestly, I didn’t actually look at anyone.
Was there any portion of the final that wasnt shown in the episodes?
Any extra legs or checkpoints?
But I feel like on TV it looks easier.
We really [swam] for so long.
And the kayak also was very long, the run was very long.
Our faces were like white when we came out of the water.
But there was nothing that wasnt shown.
What was the most difficult part of the final for you?
The night portion where we had to stay awake.
That was the hardest, because you’d want to lay down.
We didn’t know what TJ was going to do [if we fell asleep].
He would probably just add some time or something like that.
There are scenes where it’s possible for you to see me and Corey inside the little fort.
What has that been like, watching the episodes and seeing yourself cheat all over again?
Yeah, my season wasn’t that much like a physical problem.
It was more of a social problem.
It’s embarrassing going in talking about having a girlfriend and then cheating on her like that.
She knew I wasn’t ready for a relationship.
Me deciding not to break up made her suffer even more.
Nobody should do this.
It’s bad to hurt other people.
But we grow and we move on.
No, no, no.
No, I came back home, I told her I cheated on her.
Honestly, she didn’t react like I expected because she knew this was gonna happen, probably.
We’re not talking now, obviously.
But I just didn’t do it, because I was a bitch!
[Laughs] I feel like I waited for the right moment.
And that’s just not a thing.
Never wait for the right moment.
Its wrong what I did.
Did you continue hooking up with any of the women you cheated with after filming ended?
Oh, no, no, no.
It’s not like we were having like a showmance or relationship.
It was just flirting and dancing, just chilling.
It wasn’t going anywhere.
It was just nothing serious.
Earlier this season, you said you wish you could have gone against Jordan in his elimination appearance.
Did you really mean that?
How hard did you attempt to make that happen?
[Laughs] No, of course not.
Nobody would want to go into elimination like that.
I said, “I would love to go against you.”
It’s a form of respect because you want to go against the best, right?
I mean, if you go into elimination, at least you have a show, right?
So I wasn’t talking about right now.
Of course I’m not going to put my place in the game [at risk] for you.
If I beat you, you’re not going to lose anything.
So its safe to say the rivalry between you and Jordan is alive and well.
I don’t think he even thinks about it, honestly.
Maybe if we do a season [together], probably, but it’s not that deep.
So who do you want to compete against in eliminations?
Chris, the guy that won theUSAone.
CT, also Devin because I need to get it back.
Honestly, I wish I could go against everyone.
Horacio and Kyland, I want to go against.
“Oh, he might get it again,” you know what Im saying?
But I was envying Kyland for winning so many eliminations.
Do you regret not going into more eliminations because of that?
Because weve only seen you in two so far, and youve only won one.
No, I definitely don’t regret it.
It’s nice to have it like that.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
