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MTV’s The Challenge Season 39 is almost to the finals, and fans loved seeing veteran mercenaries go head-to-head against the cast. Cara Maria Sorbello and Tori Deal entered the ring as veteran mercenaries this season. The two strong female competitors are known as the queens of the show. But they haven’t always gotten along. Here’s what Melissa Reeves caught on tape at Big T Fazakerley’s birthday dinner.

‘The Challenge’ Season 39 mercenaries Tori Deal and Cara Maria Sorbello have a confrontation

The Challenge Season 39 features a cast of competitors who have yet to call themselves Challenge champions. And to be the best, they have to beat the best. Throughout the season, veteran “mercenaries” entered eliminations to compete against the cast members to hopefully beat them. Tori Deal took out Melissa Reeves, but Cara Maria Sorbello lost her battle against Michele Fitzgerald.

So, where do Tori and Cara Maria stand now? They had beef in the past and didn’t have to interact in The Challenge Season 39, as they weren’t in the same episodes. Melissa recorded a conversation at Big T Fazakerley’s birthday dinner that gives insight into Cara Maria and Tori’s neverending feud.

Melissa starts the phone video on herself. The clip posted to Reddit shows her explaining that she and other Challenge competitors are at Big T’s birthday dinner, and everyone’s going around telling Big T what they love about her. Melissa then pans to Cara Maria sitting beside Big T, telling her how much she loves watching her play The Challenge. Cara Maria and Big T end their conversation with a hug when Tori interjects from across the table.

“Why didn’t you raise your hand for the Tula alliance, Cara?” Tori asks with an accusatory tone.

“Oh God, no,” Melissa says with a laugh, pulling the camera back on herself. “I’m recording here!” Kyland Young and Laurel Stucky, also at the table, want nothing to do with the impending verbal fight.

Melissa pans back to Cara Maria, who then isn’t talking to either Tori or Big T. When Melissa asks Cara Maria how she feels, Cara Maria responds, “Nothing.” Then, off-camera, Cara says, “She’s already trying to start — did you see that, T?”

'The Challenge' veterans Johnny 'Bananas' Devenanzio and Cara Maria Sorbello sitting next to each other
Johnny ‘Bananas’ Devenanzio and Cara Maria Sorbello | Mike Coppola/Getty Images
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Fans think Tori Deal strategically lashed out

The Challenge Season 39 fans likely remember when Cara Maria Sorbello and Tori Deal’s feud came to a head in The Challenge: War of the Worlds 2. Cara and her boyfriend, Paulie Calafiore, targeted Tori and her then-boyfriend, Jordan Wiseley. Tori and Jordan switched sides from Team USA to Team UK, refusing to try to work with Paulie and Cara further. Then, when Jordan got down on one knee and proposed to Tori, Cara refused to celebrate with the rest of the cast.

Fans think Tori Deal might have purposely come for Cara Maria, knowing the cameras were rolling. There’s some talk of a potential Rivals reboot. With footage like this, Tori and Cara Maria could become a team in a future season despite Cara’s long-term rivalry with Laurel Stucky.

“Tori saw that camera and said, ‘I need to come for her throat in case of a Rivals reboot,’ and I respect it,” a fan wrote on Reddit. “Cara and Laurel have been publicly referring to each other as rivals for months, and Tori is smart enough to know that if she plays it up with Cara, then there is a chance Laurel will get Michele [Fitzgerald], and no one can change my mind on this.”

The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.

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