'The Challenge': Horacio Says He Was "Heartbroken" by Olivia's Decision in Latest Elimination (EXCLUSIVE)
Published Jan. 31 2024, 9:01 p.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the Jan. 31, 2024 episode (Episode 16) of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion.
Horacio Gutiérrez Jr. is a reality TV personality who has appeared on MTV's The Challenge and Telemundo's Exatlón Estados Unidos.
He first appeared on The Challenge during Season 38, The Challenge: Ride or Dies, where he teamed up with Olivia Kaiser and together they made it to the final round. Fans loved how well they worked together and were pining for them to return. Fortunately, they did.
But when Olivia and Horacio entered Season 39, The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion, everything was different. Olivia was no longer his ride or die and now he had new allies to protect, most notably Nurys Mateo, who he is currently dating, and Kyland Young.
Ultimately, Horacio was eliminated in The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion after 16 rounds. And as far as he's concerned, there's blame to place on Olivia.
Distractify spoke with Horacio after his elimination and says he's "heartbroken" by Olivia's actions during the episode which he believes contributed to his going home.
Comments on Olivia's Kaiser's Instagram post about returning to 'The Challenge' for Season 39
Horacio says the game "would have played out so differently" if Olivia had stayed loyal to him, Nurys, and Kyland.
"The word that I feel like is the perfect term to describe it is just 'heartbroken,'" Horacio said of Olivia's bold decision in an exclusive interview with Distractify. He explained that their relationship during Season 39 had been strained, but it was on the mend up until that point.
During Episode 16, "Family Knows Best," Olivia was given a chance to save someone from being in the bottom three, and whoever she picked would have the same chance, and then so on. It was assumed that Olivia would pick Nurys, who would then save Horacio, and subsequently save Kyland. But Olivia used her save on someone from the other side, resulting in Nurys, Kyland, and Horacio all being up for elimination.
The trio competed in the elimination round; however, only the person who came in first returned to the house. It was Nurys.
"This was the perfect opportunity for [Olivia] to show that she was with us," Horacio noted, pointing out that just the week prior, Nurys had saved Olivia from elimination, and choosing her would have just been returning the favor.
He continued: "It was very, very, hard. Very heartbreaking because I know that if she had picked Nurys, we would not be having this conversation right now." Horacio seemed confident that Olivia's decision was the nail in the coffin for him. "The game would have played out so differently," he added.
Olivia's decision further reiterated the idea that even your day-ones won't always keep you safe when it comes to The Challenge.
Are Horacio and Olivia from 'The Challenge' still friends?
It's unclear if Horacio and Oliva are still friends as her decision to not save Nurys really upset him.
That said, Horacio's loyalty is now seemingly with Nurys as they are currently dating. His friendship with Olivia likely depends on whether Nurys can forgive Olivia. Given that the ladies are still in the competition, there's a chance they can patch things up before the season finale. But will they? That's the question.
The Challenge airs on MTV at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesdays.
