MTV’s The Challenge Season 38 final started with a severe injury for Olivia Kaiser. Olivia cut her finger to the nerve and left the competition after a near-fatal injury involving a ricocheted golf ball. After the injuries aired, Jordan Wiseley called out production for their unsafe practices during the final. Here’s what he said.
[Spoiler alert: The Challenge Season 38 final spoilers ahead.]
Olivia Kaiser faced severe injuries in ‘The Challenge’ Season 38 final
Viewers watching The Challenge Season 38 final felt shocked by the events that unfolded for Olivia Kaiser. Olivia and Horacio Gutiérrez were the only rookie team heading into the final, and they were fan favorites to win. Unfortunately, an early injury compromised their chances of taking home the big money. Olivia cut her finger down to the nerve on a carabiner, making the rest of the day’s challenges difficult.
All bets were off when Olivia and Horacio got to a challenge involving hitting targets with a golf ball and a slingshot. Olivia’s injured finger and the golf ball’s off-placement in the slingshot resulted in the golf ball coming back and hitting her between the eyes at 110 miles per hour. Her face broke in five places and production immediately removed her from the competition.
“I was like, if I’m actually getting brain swelling, I could die,” she told Variety. “This is not a joke. People die all the time from getting hit in the head from trauma. I really, in some crazy way, got lucky that it just hit me directly in between the eyes. Obviously, I still have good aim if I freaking got a bull’s eye. If it had hit me in the eye, I would have either lost my eye or died, because the golf ball probably would have went right back behind my eyeball.”
Jordan Wiseley called out production for ‘completely unsafe’ practices
‘The Challenge’ Star Olivia Kaiser Breaks Down ‘Freak Accident’ That Left Her Hospitalized: ‘I’ve Never Felt Pain Like That’ https://t.co/3jlsNaThJe
— Variety (@Variety) February 2, 2023Olivia Kaiser’s accident during The Challenge Season 38 final is far from the first time the show’s dealt with injury. Jordan Wiseley crash-landed while skydiving in a past final, resulting in a leg injury. In light of Olivia’s near-death situation, he spoke on social media.
“Something not seen: I made a huge argument on set when we were given those science class goggles,” Jordan wrote, according to a screenshot posted to Reddit. “Fact of the matter is that these cheap-a** goggles would have shattered and possibly blinded @oliviaannkaiser. We should be given top-of-the-line snowboard/motocross goggles with lenses that don’t shatter.”
He then noted that even during eliminations, production gives competitors “s*** goggles that fog up immediately. It’s completely unsafe and I don’t understand how we don’t have better equipment.”
‘The Challenge’ fans are glad the cast is speaking out
Fans watching The Challenge Season 38 final agree with Jordan Wiseley.
“I agree with Jordan,” a fan on Reddit wrote. “I think The Challenge does a poor job of protecting these guys sometimes and they have more than enough money to provide these guys with adequate enough equipment to prevent things like this from happening.”
“Seeing as Jordan was one of the people who came closest to being killed by production in the Dirty 30 final, I’m glad he’s speaking out,” another fan wrote. “It’s starting to seem as though it’s going to take someone being killed or paralyzed for production to take safety seriously, and even then that will likely just lead to the show being cancelled rather than changes being made.”
The Challenge Season 38 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
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