TJ Lavin Reportedly 'Blown Away' by 1 Rookie

The Challenge Season 38 includes several rookie teams, and cast members have selected newcomers to compete alongside each other. One rookie’s performance has reportedly impressed host and BMX legend TJ Lavin.

Olivia Kaiser and Horacio Gutiérrez already won a ‘Challenge’ elimination

Veteran team Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and Nany González joined The Challenge 38: Ride or Dies cast shortly after the first elimination.

Many players couldn’t complete the second daily mission, and the experienced duo won, putting the power back into the veterans’ hands.

They called rookie team Johnny Middlebrooks and Ravyn Rochelle into the Zone as the two already took a shot at the vets, Jay Starrett and Michele Fitzgerald, who seemingly worked with the newcomers, formidable rookies Horacio Gutiérrez and Olivia Kaiser, and Turbo Çamkıran and Tamara Alfaro as the War of the Worlds champ claimed he wanted to send people home, personally.

Unable to converse with Turbo, the winning pair chose him for elimination. They faced off against Olivia and Horacio but lost as nearly all the competitors helped the rookies finish their puzzle.

Host TJ Lavin reportedly ‘blown away’ by Horacio’s performance

Following the episode, Bananas appeared on the MTV’s Official Challenge Podcast alongside hosts and castmates Tori Deal and Aneesa Ferreira.

He admitted he’s not intimidated by “bulky” competitors as he’s noticed there aren’t many missions where they can solely rely on their strength.

Therefore, he’s scared by competitors like Horacio, referring to him as “wiry” and “shifty” and comparing his ability to easily jump over things to those who participate in parkour sports.

Bananas pointed out the “Tarzan”-like way he jumped into the water during the second mission, adding he thought so many other competitors didn’t finish because they were attempting to dismount the same way Horacio did. The champ still thought it was impressive, noting host TJ Lavin was also “blown away” by the rookie’s performance.

Horacio initially competed on ‘Exalton Estados Unidos’

Olivia and Horacio joined The Challenge Season 38 as replacements for Kaycee Clark and her brother Kenny who were pulled due to what she has since revealed as positive COVID-19 tests.

The two have quickly proved themselves as the rookies to watch out for, especially Horacio, as former champ Laurel Stucky started crushing on him. Olivia originally appeared on Love Island USA Season 2, eventually pairing up with Korey Gandy.

The friends-to-lovers won the show, although they have since parted ways. Born in Mexico, Horacio fell in love with sports, namely soccer, and relocated to El Paso, Texas. His skills earned him a scholarship to play midfield at Mississippi College, where he also studied kinesiology. Additionally, Horacio became a professional mixed martial arts fighter known as The Punisher.

Eventually, he made his way onto the fifth season of Telemundo’s reality competition series Exalton Estados Unidos in 2021. For the show, American Latino athletes are brought together to face off in a series of physical and mental tests. The MMA fighter performed well, winning a few individual challenges. However, he was eliminated just before the finals. Horacio plans to return as part of the celebrity team in an upcoming season, Exatlón USA World Edition. The Challenge Season 38: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays on MTV.

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