“Challenge” Champion Ashley Mitchell has a reputation for not only stealing millions of dollars — but hearts as well. While she may fall for her cast mates, her short-lived romance led to fiery blowups. Such was the case during “The Challenge: Spies, Lies, and Allies”, which aired in 2021. Mitchell’s short-lived romance with her cast mate Nelson Thomas had her less focused on the game, and more focused on her hurt feelings.
The drama began when Thomas moved on from Mitchell to pursue things further with German competitor Berna Canbeldek. The former “Real World: Ex-Plosion” cast member had become neighbors with Thomas in Texas, and the two formed a friends-with-benefits relationship — one that had Mitchell catching feelings. “I know that he’s probably not boyfriend material,” Ashley said. “… Can I see myself with Nelson? Oh, Lord, I need Jesus. I think I like Nelson,” Mitchell admitted on the show, per MTV. However, Thomas didn’t second that emotion, proclaiming, “[Ashley] is funny; she’s smart. [But] is there something between us? I wouldn’t say all that.”
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Mitchell lost her temper with Canbeldek during the season, yelling “You don’t respect me at all!” at the rookie and adding, “She doesn’t care about Nelson until I hang out with Nelson.” Canbeldek was ultimately eliminated early on, but she did meet up with Thomas in Ibiza following filming. “We literally thought we [would] end up together forever … But when we were out in the real world, [it wasn’t] really working. It was a shocker,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
