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A lot of fans tuning in to MTV’s The Challenge might be wondering why popular players Paulie Calafiore and Cara Maria Sorbello aren’t on this season of the show. The Challenge: Total Madness is the 35th season, and Cara Maria Sorbello has appeared in the last seven seasons in a row. Paulie Calafiore appeared in the last three in a row.
Their relationship has been rocky from the start, so a lot of fans have been left wondering if the two have broken up. As it stands, it appears as though the two are still together, and have just decided to take a season off the show.
Both Announced They Were Taking a Break From ‘The Challenge’ After ‘War of the Worlds 2’ Ended
On a podcast, Cara Maria explained her decision to take a break from the show: “You can’t put a price tag on happiness. For so long, I was, like, you know the money is so good. I can’t say no. I needed a little break for my own sanity and my own happiness, just finding what makes me me again and get my light back.”
She added, “I’m freakin’ fantastic, so I’m gonna have a little break so they can make someone else the bad guy this next season because I’m not going to be on it!”
Paulie is also not on the show for its 35th season, although the reasons for that decision are less clear. On an Instagram post from March 4, one user commented, “I can’t believe you didn’t come back for this season.” Paulie answered, “Wasn’t my call.”
Their Relationship Started Off Poorly on ‘Final Reckoning’ in 2018, Because Paulie Was Still Dating Someone Else
The two got along really well on Paulie’s debut season, Final Reckoning, and it appeared as though they started dating at the end of the show. However, Paulie was still in a relationship at the time with Danielle Maltby of The Bachelor fame.
When it came out that the two Challenge stars had hooked up, Maltby’s representative told Us Weekly: “Danielle is too devastated to speak out right now. Please respect her heart and her privacy at the moment, since both have been shattered.”
After the show, Cara Maria and Paulie started an open relationship, which ended when Cara Maria found out that Paulie was still talking to Maltby and seeing her behind Cara’s back. Paulie told Us Weekly after the news broke that “All I want is to fight for the girl who I consider the love of my life. I just want to fight to get Cara back. I made a mistake. I f**ked up. I did that, I can own that.”
They got back together some time after this interview and dated throughout War of the Worlds. During War of the Worlds 2, the two became a power couple in the house, calling most of the shots in the house. They made it to the final but came in second to Team U.K.
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