“The elimination that we got was more of an equalizer, and anyone could have won it.”
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode ofThe Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies.
But when they were once again put into eliminationin this week’s episode, this time they lost.
Michele Fitzgerald and Corey Lay on ‘The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies’.MTV
“It’s disappointing,” Fitzgerald tells EW.
“We were going to be able to start making moves,” he adds.
Lay also regrets how this elimination wasn’t physical like the first one he and Fitzgerald won.
Fessy Shafaat and Corey Lay on ‘The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies’.MTV
Amber and Hughie did what needed to be done, and unfortunately they beat us."
Did you two have any hope that you could escape the elimination this week?
I never really saw a way out of it.
Michele Fitzgerald and Corey Lay on ‘The Challenge: Spies, Lies and Allies’.MTV
We were so happy and ready to go in there, switch partners, and get some power.
We were fine with it.
If you had won, who would you have picked as your new partners?
LAY:For me it was between Amber and Nany.
But I was like, is that something that I want to do?
If I don’t do it, then maybe they’ll target me more because I went against it.
It’s just the way the cards were dealt this time.
We were in a tough position literally every single day.
You really had an uphill battle more than anyone else so far this season.
LAY:We tried to bring that up in deliberation too.
There’s people coasting and doing nothing, and that was so frustrating for me to see.
Certain people, like Ashley and Hughie, got last place in the first mission and guess what?
Nobody even cared or thought about throwing them into the Lair.
Gabo said, “I’m never going to go into elimination.
I’m with Nany.”
But at the end of this episode he’s no longer with Nany.
Now he’s with Emy, a rookie.
We’ll see how that works out for the rookies this season.
People didn’t learn that until it was too late for them.
Did you trust that Fessy and Esther would give you the opponents you asked for?
LAY:Fessy gave me the first olive branch I felt from a male vet in the game.
But everyone surprises you in this game, and that’s the beauty of it.
I’m so proud of Hughie for pulling that out.
He proved me wrong.
I underestimated him, and he won.
you’re able to’t ever downplay someone.
What was it like seeing that massive fight between Josh, Fessy, and Amber before the elimination started?
FITZGERALD:It was a crazy experience.
A lot of the conversation was around Fessy saying, “Who do you want to protect?”
So it was not great for my nerves watching all that go down from the bottom.
LAY:I actually thought maybe Josh would volunteer himself and I’d be safe for another day.
There was a lot of chaotic energy in there.
It was very emotional.
I think that’s what fed into me and Hughie’s moment.
It just spiraled from there.
I obviously didn’t handle it very well.
What happened you got stuck halfway through the elimination?
LAY:That was completely my fault.
As me and Michele were maneuvering through
FITZGERALD:No, that’s not true.
It’s not just your fault.
LAY:No, I
FITZGERALD:It’s not.
FITZGERALD:It’s just the way were navigating the poles, but it’s not Corey’s fault.
It was nobody’s fault.
We just tangled ourselves up in a place that we actually couldn’t get out.
And we needed help getting out, we truly did.
We mentally had lost control, and that made it really hard.
LAY:Yeah, and we lost that momentum.
But they were just so far ahead of us at that point.
If we had gotten it together sooner, who knows what could have happened?
We did our best, and I’m proud of the game we played.
FITZGERALD:I’m in Spain right now, drinking red wine and enjoying my life.
They start training and they obsess.
It’s about getting your head in the right space, first and foremost.
And sure, I’m working out.
But I’m focused on me and my personal life journey right now.
LAY:There are a lot of people in the offseason that are still basically playing the game.
They’re coming up with their alliances.
I am, like Michele, trying to just decompress and enjoy life.
I’m going to Costa Rica this weekend.
But on the physical side, though, I am still training very hard.
So I’m getting myself back in the shape I want to be in.
I can’t wait to go back in there now that I know how this game actually works.
Michele, what has your relationship with Emanuel been like since the season ended?
FITZGERALD:Well, Emanuel is dating somebody else right now.
I have to say, when I found out about it, I was a little hurt.
We didn’t have much opportunity to really say goodbye.
So I would have liked to have heard about the relationship that he’s now in upfront.
It happens, that’s life.
And I don’t know if I’d bring him home to Dad.
This is what we call a blessing in disguise.
What woman do you want with you?"
Give me Berna."
LAY:Michele, I didn’t know you had made that deal.
The only vet in that house who tried to work with me was Fessy.
It was just weird some of the decisions they made.
You both still did great with the hand you were dealt this season.
FITZGERALD:And a little messy, let’s be real.
LAY:Some messier than others.
You weren’t yelling at anybody during the elimination, so at least you have that.
FITZGERALD:[Laughs] Honey, I was making out with a man with face tattoos.
