What went wrong between Jakk Maddox and Jay Starrett from The Challenge? Explained

The Challenge has always featured budding friendships, which eventually turn sour in minutes owing to the harsh demands of the competitive MTV show.

Series alum Jakk Maddox and Jay Starrett are aware of the political and strategic gameplay more than the others, as the two former friends fell out in November 2022 after Jakk accused Jay of betraying him and leading him toward elimination. Jakk even called Jay a 'fraud' and 'garbage' in episode 6, which aired on November 16, 2022.

In the aftermath of their falling out, The Challenge star Jay Starrett allegedly tried to reconcile with Jakk Maddox and make amends for their relationship turning sour. However, as per Ashley's Reality Roundup, Jakk disclosed on MTV's Official Challenge Podcast back in November 2022 that he ended up blocking Jay's contact after the latter asked to film their reconciliation in a bid to generate his own Instagram content.

“You know what? He had made a comment. He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll bring my good camera’ to make like [Instagram] content,” Jakk revealed.

Jakk and Jay's blooming friendship earned the spotlight in The Challenge season 38. Maddox, highlighting this aspect, stated in the podcast that Jay befriended him as part of his strategy for the game. He further disclosed that during the quarantine period, which MTV imposes on contestants, he and Jay became close.

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A brief look into the feud between The Challenge contestants Jakk Maddox and Jay Starrett

For a number of the cast members of The Challenge: Ride or Dies showmanship and friendships did not end happily during and after filming. At some point in the game, players are compelled to make decisions about elimination that may not sit well with their romantic partners or friends.

That was the case in Ride or Dies episode six, when The Challenge contestants Michele Fitzgerald and Jay Starrett found themselves in a difficult situation that irked some of the other cast members.

Maddox paired up with his friend and fellow Ex on the Peak cast member, Laurel Stucky, a previous The Challenge champion. The audience got a sneak peek of Jakk and Jay's developing bond early in the season in Ride or Dies Episode 5.

But things didn't work out that way because Jay and Michele had to make choices after winning the daily challenge that adversely affected Jakk. Because Michele was unaware of Laurel's intentions in the game, they ultimately eliminated Jakk and Laurel.

After Laurel and Jakk overcame the elimination, they went back to the house for Episode 6, but Jay and Michele emerged victorious in yet another daily challenge. That sent Laurel and Jakk back to the elimination round, where they faced two seasoned contestants, Jordan Wiseley and Aneesa Ferreira.

In the In Your Face round, Jordan and Aneesa sent Laurel and Jakk packing for the season. Because Jakk believed Jay was fabricating their friendship in order to take advantage of him and put him in the bottom three, Jakk called Jay “garbage” and a “fraud” during the show, as per Reality Roundup.

Eventually, Jay reached out to Jakk after filming for the show was over. As per Monsters and Critics, Jakk earnestly believed that Jay wanted to make things better between them.

However, when Jay brought up the topic of making Instagram content of their reconciliation meeting by filming it, Jakk had had enough and ended up blocking Jay's number. The relationship between the two remains somewhat fractured.

“And I was like, ‘This is our first time hanging out after you just royally f***ed me over for a million dollars, and you wanted to make content to put on your Instagram that way the fans don’t come for you,'” Jakk had said at the time.

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion airs new episodes every Wednesday at 8 PM on MTV.

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