"There's no friendship": The Challenge star Nurys Mateo on where she stands with Jay Starrett and Olivia Kaiser

The Challenge star Nurys Mateo bagged second place in the season 39 finale of the hit MTV competition series. Emanuel Neagu was crowned the winner in episode 19, titled Only One Gets The Crown, released on Wednesday, February 21. Nurys had a rocky journey on the show, which included facing betrayals from some of her close friends.

Fellow castmate Jay Starrett conspired against her with the help of Nurys’ best friend Olivia Kaiser to push her into Conquest elimination. She was forced to battle against and defeat her closest allies, including her boyfriend Horacio Gutiérrez Jr. and friend Kyland Young, to move ahead in the competition.

After emerging as the runner-up, Nurys reflected on her friendship with those who backstabbed her in the reality TV show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nurys confirmed:

"With Jay, there's no friendship at all."

According to her, Jay was on a “power trip” throughout the season, which prompted him to use and hurt her unnecessarily when he could have gotten the “same outcome” without executing any of his hurtful schemes.

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Where does Nurys and Jay’s friendship stand after The Challenge season 39?

The reality star recalled that the hardest part of her journey was realizing people around her weren’t her friends. Nurys expected her friends to see her in the same light as she saw them, but unbeknownst, the outcome was something she’d never imagined. “I guess I was fooled,” noted Nurys, revealing she has faced similar scenarios in real life, which makes it hard for her to trust anyone.

Nurys also told the publication Jay did reach out to her, asking for forgiveness, but the input came only a week before the reunion was filmed. The Challenge season 39 runner-up said:

"It's very hard for me to feel like it's a genuine apology when you're only apologizing because you're about to see me and you know I'm going to rip you a new one."

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What happened between Nurys and Olivia after The Challenge season 39?

Just like Jay, Olivia reportedly did not seek Nurys’ forgiveness until the filming of the reunion drew closer. According to The Challenge finalist, many people approached her, claiming Olivia was apologetic for the way things ended between the duo. However, Nurys did not hear it directly from her best friend.

“For someone that says that she cared about me and missed me and was so sorry and feeling so much remorse, she never reached out once."

Watching all the episodes of the show felt like a “slap in the face” to Nurys, who suggests she wasn’t aware of the worst happening behind her back. It came to her as an eye-opener, and she expressed:

"It does suck. Especially for the people that you really loved — I really did love Olivia. I really considered her a best friend, and I guess that's not what she's seen me so it sucks."

Even after being at odds, Olivia and Nurys buried the hatched during the reunion. However, things turned sour again when Olivia released an episode on her podcast downplaying her friendship with Nurys and Horacio, who were also her partners during Ride or Dies. “It was hurtful,” said Nurys, adding that she confronted her via text. She confirmed:

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, and I will be damned if I allow anybody into my life that doesn't deserve to be in it. That's where I stand with her now. I don't hate her at all. But I absolutely would never be her friend again."

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The Challenge season 39 finale is available to stream on MTV.