Jordan was born without fingers on his left hand, and this elimination relies entirely on grip strength.
Jordan chose to leave the medic with his injury still untreated to watch and support those two players.)
“It was insult to injury.
Credit: MTV
Jordan tells EW with a laugh of the way his season got cut short.
“Oh my gosh, that’s the first time I’ve said that.
I’m totally going to use that.”
MTV
JORDAN WISELEY:The first 24 hours sucked!
I spent like 18 of those in the hospital.
You’re just literally replaying every single second in slow-mo.
MTV
But then I realized this was really good.
I needed to lose.
I needed to get that.
MTV
We came off of a great, wild few seasons.
So we had nothing to prove.
But it was good.
MTV
I feel ignited again.
I feel fire again because now I want to go in again.
What exactly happened with your injury?
How bad was it?
I ended up separating my collarbone from my A.C. [acromioclavicular] joint.
But, this is the first time I’ve done it to my right shoulder.
But I just remember like not really even being able to hold on to the pole.
I have to say, I’m very anxious to see it.
I’m actually debating…
I mean, I guess I have to watch it, but I don’t know.
I’m anxious to watch.
So you’re not going to see me cheating, I’m not finding an easy way out.
The Pole Wrestle elimination is aChallengeclassic, but this is the first time we’ve seen you do it.
He outweighs me by like 70 pounds or so.
But that boy is strong, let me tell you!
Do you think things would have gone differently for you if Bananas and Wes weren’t in the Tribunal?
But Bananas and Wes are smart.
They know: Don’t let me in a final.
It was a great move by them.
You don’t let me get out of that.
From the moment the lights are on, it’s kind of like noise-canceling headphones.
You have one job, task at hand.
So for me it’s just literally Fessy is the only thing in my mind.
You prep as much as you could.
What it was like actually competing in Pole Wrestle against Fessy?
Going into it, I knew no matter what, we’re going to put on a show.
This is exactly why the fans loveThe Challenge, because of these types of matchups right here.
And I, no matter what happened, just wanted to be able to put on a great show.
I got set up,The Challengegods gave me a great dance partner.
Once I got hurt, I just felt really robbed of that.
We could have done something awesome.
We could have had a sick elimination, one that went down for the ages.
But, you know, next time.
Did you ever think there was a chance you could win?
Walking into it, IknewI was going to win.
Like, there was no doubt in my mind.
If you walk into anything with any other mindset, you’re not the champion.
You’re not the guy.
You don’t want it enough.
It’s a David vs.
So I walked in that circle knowing that I had won.
And then, you know [laughs], Fessy changed that.
But Wes showed no remorse and even said it felt good watching it happen.
What did you think of that?
I would definitely expect that from Wes.
What has Wes really done in his career?
Wes hasn’t won very much, not in the career that he’s had.
If I’ve been doing this for, what is he at now, 16 years?
Imagine me at season 16.
I’m just at season 6 and I’ve got three [wins].
I just feel so relit in that regard now, so I needed it.
I needed to lose.
How did this elimination affect your outlook in that regard?
It definitely brought back all of those feelings that I’ve had my entire life of competing.
I needed to remember what I was doing, what I’ve been doing this for.
And thanks to Fessy for that.
Looking back on this season, do you have any regrets about how you played or strategized?
I probably could have been a bit more patient in the elimination and in the game.
But looking back now, knowing how I’m taking it now and what I needed, no.
What are you doing in your time off to prepare for future seasons?
I’m lifting a lot more weights.
[Laughs] But legitimately I’m gaining weight.
We’re turning this thing more and more into a sport, and I love it.
I want to keep raising the competition.
But that means I’ve got to step up too.
So I got to put some weight on, I’ve got to pick up some big-boy weights.
I’m going to eat more steaks!
Was there anything that wasn’t aired this season that you think is important for fans to know?
I just don’t think that they can really convey how miserable that bunker was.
There’s no amount of justice that those cameras can give to those living conditions.
I mean, our bathrooms were porta-potties.
We had like 10 of them out the back door.
The back door was 200 yards away.
That was our life.
Shout out to the Czech Republic.
[Laughs] I’m used to mansions!
We pull up expecting a mansion, what is this?!
The Challenge: Total Madnessairs Wednesdays on MTV.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
