MTV/Facebook Cara Maria Sorbello
Cara Maria Sorbello shocked “The Challenge” fans when she appeared to announce her retirement on July 28 through a couple of posts on her Instagram Story. However, the following day she clarified her comments and said she wasn’t retiring from the franchise, prompting fans to accuse the two-time champ of doing it as an “attention grab.”
Cara Maria first shared a photo of “Challenge” star Kam Williams and wrote that she is the “only acceptable ‘new face’ of The Challenge.” She then added, “I didn’t get an official retirement goodbye or a chance to pass the crown. But… she didn’t need it passed. She walked in with it. Long live the queen. [Kam] keep doing amazing things. I will always root for you.”
The sole winner of “Vendettas” then shared a photo of a diary entry she wrote before filming her first “Challenge” appearance on “Fresh Meat II” back in August 2009. At the time, she’d written that her goal was to compete and win for her horse Garnett. On her Instagram Story, Cara Maria wrote that “The Challenge” allowed her to care for her beloved horse, who died earlier this year. She concluded, “So with that. I am thankful. Best of luck to everyone starting their journeys. Goodbye.”
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Cara Maria Clarified the Following Day That Her Comments Were Not a Retirement Announcement & Said She Was ‘Reminiscing’
The following day, after widespread reporting over her retirement, Cara Maria clarified her comments and told E! News in an exclusive interview, “I am not retiring.” She said she’d traveled home and was reading her diaries from her early days on “The Challenge” and was simply “reminiscing.” She told the outlet, “My heart was heavy over the loss of my Garnett.”
She said her post about Kam was just a comment about who she’s supporting on the show whether she’s appearing alongside her or not. “I would never voluntarily leave the way things ended on War of the Worlds 2,” Cara Maria added. “Not going back to fight the way that the fans know and love me for would be a loss for the show and a slap in the face to those who stayed loyal by my side.”
She also said she would never announce her retirement on Instagram: “I still got fight in me, and T.J. Lavin hates quitters. When the time does come…you’ll 100 percent know. But three wins isn’t enough for me,” she said, referencing her third win on the “Champs vs. Pros” spinoff. “Sorry to disappoint the fans of the cast mates who have finally made finals with me gone. But it ain’t over yet.”
The Two-Time Champ Was Criticized By Fans Over the News as Many Accused Her of ‘Attention Grabbing’
Cara Maria saying she was retired HERSELF only to come out with an article clearing up the ~rumors~ about her retirement with 24 hours is truly the most Cara thing ever.
Cara Maria’s clarification of her comments was met with a lot of negative reactions from fans, who accused her of seeking attention with the original posts. Many of them also didn’t put much stock in her explanation as they said Cara Maria’s words were not those of someone simply mourning her horse’s death.
“It doesn’t make any sense actually,” one fan wrote. “She wished the challengers luck on their journey, said she was thankful, goodbye. Come on y’all. To say this was about her horse is reaching hard.” Another agreed and said, “All for attention” while a third comment read, “I feel like everything they say is an attention grab.” Someone else said, “I love Cara, but this is attention-seeking in the highest form.”
“But isn’t she the one… that said… she was?” one comment read, while someone else commented, “Then why did she make a post about the show not giving her a formal farewell and that she was passing the torch to Kam.” The person added that Cara Maria could have “easily” written about her horse without referencing Kam or the fact that she didn’t get a retirement announcement from the show.
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