Jonna Mannion has opened up about the tension between her and co-star KellyAnne Judd that unfolded on the last episode of The Challenge: World Championship.
The Challenge: World Championship sees “legends” from past seasons of TheChallenge join forces with global “MVPs” from various editions of the show from across the world to compete for a huge $1 million prize.
Mannion and Judd both joined the new series as “legends” and entered the show as friends but fell out when Mannion, who has been paired up with Grant Crapp, nominated Judd, and her partner Tristan Phipps, for elimination.
Mannion, who also goes by her married name Stephens, and Judd appeared on The Challenge: All Stars Season 3 together, and Judd was left furious when their history didn’t stop Mannion from nominating her during The Challenge: World Championship‘s third episode.
Speaking after her tense scenes with Judd aired on Paramount+, Mannion opened up about why she had to separate her game play from her past friendship with Judd.
“When I go on the show, I expect it to be hard. It’s called TheChallenge for a reason,” the 34-year-old told Newsweekadding that the show is “hard physically, but mostly mentally.”
She continued: “When everyone is competing for the same title of ‘World Champion’ and there is only one team winning, feelings are bound to be hurt. Your ability to adapt to what is thrown at you at any time and how you handle it is what separates challengers from champions. Everyone has different views on what is the right way to play, but through my journey, I have learned that I must separate the game from friendship.”
“There’s no other option for my success or for my mental health,” Mannion added.
After Judd and Phipps were nominated, they faced off against Nelson Thomas and Sofia “Jujuy” Jiménez in the arena, and successfully made it through this week’s episode.
This means that The Challenge: World Championship fans will see Judd and Mannion have to continue living together and competing against each other, despite their clash last week.
So will things get awkward between the pair in the coming episodes? “There is not much I can say about the future but probably,” Mannion teased.
“I mean, put yourself in KellyAnne’s shoes. You just got voted in by someone you never thought would. It would be smart to switch up your game. If it were me, I would vote me in every chance that I got. Or I would steer clear of that team for now,” she added.
When asked where her and Judd’s friendship stands now, Mannion gave a cryptic response.
She answered the question with a quote that she attributed to Judd, saying: “Friendships go through ups and downs, and it’s the ones that want to work through those problems that last.”
Judd, meanwhile, recently appeared on MTV’s Official Challenge Podcast and discussed her current relationship with Mannion.
The star claimed she Mannion are currently on speaking terms, but admitted things between them have changed as the situation is “still fresh.”
A teaser for episode four of The Challenge: World Championship has hinted that Judd’s tension with Mannion is set to impact one of her other important relationships on the show.
In the clip, available at the top of this story, Judd’s partner Phipps, who featured on The Challenge: UK earlier this year, shares his fears about how the women’s feud may be detrimental to his chances in the competition.
The Challenge: World Championship Episodes are released on Wednesdays on Paramount+.
Jonna Mannion has opened up about the tension between her and co-star KellyAnne Judd that unfolded on the last episode of The Challenge: World Championship.
