Olivia Kaiser and Horacio Gutierrez’s dreams of winning The Challenge: Ride or Dies came to an end during the Feb. 1 episode. The 100 hour final challenge began in this episode, with Olivia and Horacio being the only rookie team left in the competition. They were competing against three veteran teams: Johnny Bananas/Nany Gonzalez, Jordan Wiseley/Aneesa Ferreira and Tori Deal/Devin Walker. After an incredible first season, Olivia and Horacio were confident in their abilities to take on the vets in the final.
Unfortunately, their season was cut short when Olivia suffered a brutal injury just 24 hours into the challenge. Earlier in the day, Olivia injured her finger while throwing bolas in one leg of the race. However, she was able to get it bandaged up so she could continue ighting. Olivia made it clear that she was not a quitter, and continued participating in the final challenge while in the midst of having her finger inspected by the medical team.
Later in the day, though, a second injury took Olivia out of the game for good. She and Horacio had to hit four targets with golf balls using a slingshot. Olivia was having trouble with the contraption due to her messed up finger, and one of the golf balls ended up ricocheting backwards right into her face. Blood started pouring out of her nose as she gripped it with her hands. “I just broke my nose,” she told Horacio, in shock.
A medic immediately came over to further assess the situation, and Olivia was in tears. “This is seriously f***ing my life right now,” she said. “I can’t believe this is f***ing happening.” Horacio comforted her as she was taken to an ambulance. “You’re okay, Liv,” he assured her. “I’m so proud of what you’ve done. Whatever happens, I’m so proud. I’m with you.”
Olivia was obviously devastated, as she cried, “I don’t want to quit,” but Horacio insisted that she wasn’t quitting. As badly as he wanted to win the final, his partner’s health came first in that moment. In a subsequent confessional, Olivia was in tears, with bruises around her eyes and nose. “He doesn’t care about the game, he cares about me,” she shared. “It feels good because I know he’s super competitive but he just doesn’t care anymore. It’s just ‘I want to make sure you’re okay.’ I feel like this is the closest we’ve gotten this whole season.”
In the ambulance, Olivia still wasn’t ready to give up. “I don’t know if I can run, though, if I’m dizzy,” she told her partner. He insisted that she didn’t need to worry about that, and she pushed him to go and win the challenge himself. Horacio assured Olivia that he would “kill it” if he was allowed to continue solo. Olivia was taken away in the amblance.
Unfortunately, as TJ Lavin has said multiple times this season, “you live and die by your ride or die.” With Olivia unable to continue in the competition, that meant Horacio’s journey was also over. Now, Horacio was in tears after learning his fate. “I have to finish this, I’m serious,” he said. “I’ll do double work, it’s okay.” A producer even had to come out and comfort him, apologizing for the scenario.
Three months later, Olivia and Horacio were filmed in another confessional together. This time, her face was healed, and they had come to terms with what happened. “I feel like it’s my fault,” Olivia admitted. But Horacio still had her back. “I don’t see it that way. Don’t say sorry. We both made it this far because of you and because of me. What happened was and accident. You blew my expectations out of the water. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. I truly love you so much and care for you so much and hopefully this is not our last rodeo.” They ended the segment with a hug.o – youre so sweet
Now, the remaining three teams will continue on with the final. The Challenge continues with another new episode on Feb. 8.
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