Who Went Home on The Challenge Season 41?
The latest episode of The Challenge: Vets & New Threats (Season 41) saw not just one, but two big departures—Cara Maria Sorbello left early for personal reasons, and Ben Davis was eliminated after a tough arena battle. Cara Maria’s exit tugged at my heart a little; she got that dreaded call every reality star fears—her mother was seriously ill, and family just outweighs any TV competition.
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The house fell quiet when she told CT the news, and honestly, watching two Challenge legends share that quiet, “go home, do what’s right” moment felt more real than any puzzle or brawl. Sometimes, the game just takes a backseat to life.
As for Ben, well, the guy fought hard, but a coin toss sent him to the arena after a tie on house votes—does MTV love a little chaos or what? He went head-to-head against Derek Chavez in a challenge that probably left both their calves cramping for days, but Derek pulled ahead, and Ben was sent packing. If you’ve watched Challenge eliminations, you know that “fairness” is often as random as a flip—sometimes luck, sometimes politics, sometimes just being the wrong name at the wrong time. Man, being on this show might age a person faster than running a marathon in the Chilean sun.
Where Is The Challenge: Vets & New Threats Filmed?
Season 41 of The Challenge was filmed in Santiago, Chile—yeah, that city with the gorgeous Andes in the background, the one travel bloggers rave about for dreamy sunsets and wild nightlife. Honestly, the location is almost another cast member—Laguna Carén for water challenges, the rolling greens of Hacienda Santa Martina for land stuff, and a modern, glassy house in the posh Lo Curro part of Vitacura for those never-ending alliance whispers (and, let’s be real, more than a few dramatic poolside confrontations).
Santiago’s a curious pick, and not just because it’s far from the usual Cancun or South African destinations—think sprawling city vibes tucked right next to snow-capped mountains.
It gave everything a sense of scale, like when TJ Lavin yells out a new twist and the players just sort of stare into the distant Andes, questioning all their life choices.
The cast house itself is huge, modern, full of glass walls and sweeping city views—looked so nice, it almost made you forget about the paranoia and plotting inside. Sort of like a luxury prison, but with better catering.
More Than a Game: Small Moments That Stuck
Look, Challenge eliminations are usually the main event, but this week, the little things hit hardest. Cara Maria hugging Leo before heading home, the kind of hug that’s more “real life” than “reality TV”—that’s the kind of moment you remember. Or that weird pause after Ben lost—the group just kind of sat in silence, no gloating, no big speeches. The game moves brutally fast, but the heartbreak isn’t edited out.
And honestly, for a show famous for Big Moves, sometimes it’s the tiny, unscripted bits—a joke by TJ (was he sipping yerba mate in that shot?), someone’s lime-green headband falling right in a muddy lagoon, the way Jonna Mannion tried way too hard not to look delighted when she joined the cast late after Cara’s exit—that give it the “human messiness” fans love.
