The Challenge’s Jay Starrett on Defeating a Legend

Fans witnessed a legendary competitor get eliminated during this week’s episode of The Challenge: Total Madness. Chris “CT” Tamburello was defeated in Purgatory during this season’s third episode, losing to Challenge rookie Jay Starrett in an intense showdown.

Jay was able to build a barricade for his bunker that was more difficult to get through than CT’s, sending the legend home. CT is only the second male contestant to be eliminated this season. Jay spoke about what it was like to take down the Challenge icon in an exclusive interview with Heavy.

The Survivor alum has had a very successful start to his Challenge career, winning both male eliminations of the season by taking out Asaf Goren and CT. When Heavy asked Jay how he felt about how the first three episodes played out, he said, “I’m f***ing killing it. I’m really enjoying it, just going with it and having as much fun as possible. I’m here to battle and stir s**t up.”

CT Gave Jay a Heads Up That He Would Likely Put Himself Into Purgatory

Jay gave Heavy some insight into a conversation he had with CT before their elimination match. After the Challenge champ made the Tribunal, he came up to Jay before they went to Purgatory and said, “I’m going to look at the challenge tonight, and I’m probably going to go against you.”

Jay responded, “Alright bro, mad respect. I have nothing but respect for you, I’ve been watching you forever.” CT responded, “Just stop saying that man, you’re making me feel old.”

When CT decided to throw himself into elimination, Jay was beaming. During the episode, he said that he grew up watching CT, and it was a dream to be facing off against him.

“Watching CT over the years, just yelling at people, battling it out, telling people like he’d eat them basically, spit blood and fight. I’m like, damn dude I’m going up against f**king Godzilla right now,” Jay said.

Jay Took on CT in the Purgatory & Defeated the ‘Challenge’ Legend

Jay and CT faced off in an elimination match that had both men doing their best to stop the other player from getting through a bunker door. Each player had 20 minutes to block the door with an assortment of equipment, including chain, rope, cinder blocks and boulders. Then, the players switched sides and proceeded to race to open their opponent’s door first.

As TJ was explaining the elimination, Jay said he was forming a strategy. He told Heavy, “I’m like okay, there’s huge, heavy boulders over there that I can throw in front of the door, like a door stop. Then I’ll bury the door stops, and then I’ll chain the door. In my mind as well, I know once you get a knot in a climbing rope, it’s a pain in the a**.”

Jay wanted to use small rope to form knots, but there wasn’t any available. He decided to use chain, which worked out very well for him. He said that the chain “was even better because you can’t pull a chain, it’ll just lock itself even worse.”

His strategy was also to tire CT out. He tangled the chain as much as he could, and then he buried it with as much debris as possible.

Jay’s use of the chain likely won him the elimination. Jay said, “It was definitely the chain because of the way it intertwined with itself and got locked. That must have bought me so much time.” During the episode, viewers watched CT try to break the chain off the door, but he wasn’t able to.

TJ blew the horn and announced Jay as the winner, and Jay told Heavy that in that moment, “I wish my middle finger was six feet longer so I could just point it up at all the players. I just wanted to be like f*** you for doubting me.”

After Winning His Second Elimination, He Said He Felt Like a Giant

Jay has only been on three episodes of The Challenge, and he has already won two eliminations. He defeated Asaf Goren in Purgatory during the first episode, and then CT in the third. He remains the only male contestant eligible to run TJ’s final.

After taking out CT, Jay’s confidence was at an all-time high. He told Heavy, “Winning two eliminations back-to-back on one of my favorite shows, and the show I always wanted to be on, I am literally standing there feeling like a giant. I feel great, and the confidence level is just through the roof.”

Jay Got to the Point Where He Knew the Writing Was on the Wall, So He Decided to Enjoy Himself

Jay came on The Challenge to stir things up, and he’s done a great job so far. He said, “Considering I stick my tongue in this girl’s throat [on tonight’s episode], I’m definitely stirring some s**t up.”

Heavy asked Jay if he was initially worried about flirting with Dee because of her prior relationship with Rogan, and if there was a point where he didn’t care anymore about upsetting the Brit.

He answered, “In the house, Dee was always flirting with me, since the beginning. And I was just like, I’m new on the block, I’m going to try and be respectful and try and make alliances and make my way through this. But then I slowly started to figure out that these people don’t know how numbers work.”

Jay continued, “I’m already screwed, I’m just going to enjoy myself and keep going into eliminations and battling it out. And then on top of that, I just thought, why not piss [Rogan] off a little bit because Dee, Rogan and CT had an alliance together. So I’m like, if I’m going to piss off Rogan, that might piss off CT, and maybe I’ll take out two birds with one stone, who knows?”

The Challenge airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

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